Storming the Kingdom (24 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY - SIX

Two Days Ago
4:50
A.M.

O
n the last word of Serling’s narration, the elevator was snatched downward. The effect was horrifying. Cables whined as they were ripped through the pulleys with dizzying speed. The top of the elevator car was literally torn away from beneath them. Hawk had managed to grasp a steel support bar on the top of the car. As it dropped, his body was lifted into the air as he held onto the car falling beneath him. The dark-haired assassin had not managed to find anything to hold onto and watched as the roof he was standing on suddenly disappeared, leaving him momentarily floating in the air and then following the descent of the vehicle in a free fall. Hawk should probably try to see where the man was, but he was preoccupied with trying to hold on.

The elevator car slammed to a halt. Hawk fell back to the roof and the other man crashed down an instant later. He hit the metal roof and fell partially across Hawk, breaking the full impact of his fall. The gun clattered out of his hand and slid off the side of the elevator’s roof. The jarring stop registered with each man just before the elevator rocketed upward. The Tower of Terror was designed to randomly drop guests, then send them up the elevator shaft to do it again. This assured the ride would always be different. Acceleration pinned them to the roof as the car flew skyward. Hawk had been anticipating this moment from the instant they’d started fighting on the attraction. Keeping his firm grip on the steel support, he grabbed the dark-haired man by the collar. He noticed the man’s glasses were gone—he assumed they had flown off his face in their downward plunge moments ago.

The world dropped out from underneath them again.

Hawk’s mind recognized the moment the car was violently pulled downward. The feeling of weightlessness and floating were fleeting. Replacing those unusual sensations was the sickening reality of a free fall. Hawk’s arm tightened, his fist locked onto his handhold. His other arm extended into a fist gripping the collar of the assassin. The man’s face reflected the horror of experiencing this attraction in a way that had never been done before. Terror could not begin to describe it. Hawk knew he would get only one chance to win this battle, and it was coming quickly.

The plan was simple. The car was going to come to an abrupt stop once again, and when it did, they would both crash back down to the metal roof. Hawk would use that momentum and drag his attacker down as well, intensifying the impact and hopefully leaving him stunned so Hawk could escape or survive or…

He hadn’t had time to fully develop the aftermath of this moment, and he wouldn’t have time to concoct a plan now. With a ferocious jolt, the car stopped below them, and he came crashing onto the metal of the roof. He pulled his arm downward with all his might, and the attacker crashed into the roof next to him.

Hawk bounced back upward from the impact, and his grip was broken, releasing the man’s collar. He watched in shock as the man dropped off the roof and down the side of the car. Hawk flipped over to try to grab the man as he went over the edge but could not get there in time. Now the container was getting ready to move back up to reset itself, while the elevator car inside would slide out and move slowly toward the unloading zone. Knowing time was of the essence, he rolled off the roof and back onto the elevator car as it moved to the exit area. He remained on his back, trying to slow his breathing.

The elevator car slid to a stop. A shaft of light cut through the darkness from the still-open roof panel. From below he heard Shep’s voice as soon as the doors opened to the elevator.

“Hawk, are you up there?” Shep poked his head up through the opening in the roof. “Are you alive?”

“Yep,” he offered wearily. “The assassin is in the drop shaft somewhere. Go get him.”

“Sure.” The very unsure response echoed in the shaft as Shep disappeared.

Hawk worked to turn over and checked to see if anything was broken, shattered, or even worse. Other than being shaken up and flung around, he seemed relatively intact. He worked his way over the opening in the roof and dropped through it into the passenger car of the elevator. He staggered briefly and then steadied himself.

He was greeted by Rod Serling’s voice. “A warm welcome back to those of you who made it, and a friendly word of warning, something you won’t find in any guidebook. The next time you check in to a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, make sure you know just what kind of vacancy you’re filling. Or you may find yourself a permanent resident…of
The Twilight Zone
.”

Hawk made his way back toward the cast member area of the attraction as Shep met him. The dark look on Shep’s face warned Hawk about what he was about to say.

“Boss, I’m sorry…but there is nobody inside the drop shaft.”

“Of course there isn’t. I pulled him down and let him go, and he slid off the side.” Hawk sneered. “I should have gone over the side with him to make sure.”

“You mean you rode the entire attraction on top?” Shep looked up toward the roof. “Drop sequence and all?”

“Yes, and I don’t recommend it.” Hawk began moving toward the doors.

“Do you really float?” Shep was again looking upward aimlessly, trying to imagine what the ride was like on top of the vehicle.

“You do.” Hawk stopped and looked at him. “And it is an amazing feeling right up to the point where you crash and it nearly kills you.”

“I bet.” Shep nodded.

“How many ways are there to get out of here?” Hawk knew it was too late. He knew the assassin would be gone or hiding, but they would let security at least look for him and recover the gun.

“I don’t know.” Shep shrugged.

Juliette entered and met them in the gift shop. Her face grew concerned when she saw them. Focusing on Hawk, she leaned in to look at him closer. “You OK?”

“I’m peachy.”

“You need to see this.” She motioned for them to follow her.

“Actually, we need to get security and the police in here.” Hawk hesitated.

“No, we don’t. The police and security are already here, in force.” She motioned for them to follow.

The walked outside the Tower and through the back cast member area into the parking lot where Hawk had left Douglas Hall and his Mustang. Before they rounded the corner, Hawk could hear a strange crackling sound and voices…a lot of them. Turning the corner and entering the parking area, he saw where the noise was coming from and stopped walking.

What was left of his vintage Mustang was enveloped in flames. Reedy Creek Fire and Rescue was arriving, and law enforcement milled about the area.

“The explosion was your car,” Juliette said apologetically.

“What about Douglass Hall?” Hawk asked.

“What about him?” Juliette looked back toward her boss.

“I left him in the car.” No one had known Hall was in the car waiting for him to return. With the Mustang swallowed in flames, there was no possible way of seeing whether anyone might be trapped inside.

Juliette broke into a run, flagging down the officer closest to her. Instantly, the activity intensified and the fire department moved in to extinguish the fiery death trap that was once Hawk’s car.

CHAPTER THIRTY - SEVEN

Two Days Ago
Morning

R
ays of light crawled across the buildings on Sunset Boulevard as Hawk sat on a bench in front of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. He was on the phone with Kate, who was now hunkered down in Miami, awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Ginger. The effects of the storm were already impacting the South Florida city, and the projected path of the storm would be bringing it right up Interstate 4 over the Walt Disney World Resort and the city of Orlando. Emergency preparedness was already underway throughout the resort, anticipating the storm moving through. Safety was always the number one priority. Having a resort full of guests from all over the world experience a hurricane with you is not a problem that most companies have to worry about. Yet when the storm hit, there was no place to evacuate the guests to keep them safer. Orlando is in the center of the state, safest between all coasts, and there is no place better equipped to face a storm than Walt Disney World. Although the storm would be frightening, for most of the guests, it would be merely an inconvenience, as already cast members were preparing ways to entertain children and families as the storm moved through. Once the storm was gone and it was safe, then as quickly as possible, they would reopen the theme parks so guests could continue their vacations.

Though Hawk had hoped Kate would be able to come back to the resort to ride out the storm, the network had decided that it would keep a team right in the midst of the storm to cover it with all the details necessary to feed the hungry twenty-four-hour global news cycle that connected the world these days. He tried as succinctly as he could to catch her up on the events that had been taking place around him, and as he did, he realized that she was actually safer where she was than she’d be if she were close to him. He ended his call as Jonathan moved onto the bench beside him.

“There is no sign of Douglas Hall. The investigators are sure he wasn’t inside the vehicle when it blew up.” Jonathan patted his boss on the back, reassuring him.

“Then where is he?” Hawk squinted against the sunlight as it expanded its early morning show around them.

“That’s a great question.” Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “He came to protect you, remained behind in the car, and then the car is bombed…but he isn’t inside when it happens. And now he’s gone.”

“No one has seen him or heard from him?” Hawk looked toward Jonathan, already expecting to see the shake of the head indicating the answer no.

“He’s gone,” Jonathan took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking his head. “He either left the car for some reason before it was detonated…or he did it himself.”

“What did they use to blow up my car?”

“Explosives.” Jonathan smiled. “How do I know? I’ve never blown anything up before. I’m a worship leader by calling, your friend by choice, and involved in this because of a never-ending train of circumstances.” He patted Hawk on the back again to reaffirm he was not angry or frustrated, just stating the obvious.

“I know.” Hawk returned the smile.

Looking over his shoulder, he could see the dark smoke still rising from the car. They had made the decision to close the park until later in the day. Hawk wanted to open as soon as possible but now had to deal with the painful reality of how to keep guests safe from both the mayhem surrounding him and the storm approaching the Magic Kingdom and the rest of the resort.

Al Gann and Shep Albert exited the gift shop of the Tower of Terror attraction and approached them. Al was dressed in his sheriff’s department–issued uniform and rested his hand on his service revolver as he spoke.

“There was no sign of the assassin, his gun, or anything else out of the ordinary inside the attraction. We swept it twice.” Al hesitated and then sighed. “Hawk, this is a mess. We have to close down this entire area and keep guests away. We still are investigating over in the Magic Kingdom near the Haunted Mansion, so that area is completely shut down. We’re stretched thin because we are also getting ready for a major storm to hit. It would help us if you would give the word to shut down all of the theme parks now…and keep them closed until after the storm has passed.”

“I can’t do that.” Hawk studied his friend. “The weather isn’t that bad…yet.”

“Hawk, the storm you are facing is already here.” Al knelt down to get on eye level with Hawk, who remained seated on the bench. “Look, I know you want your guests to have a great time, but—”

“No.” Hawk cut him off. “Some of the people here have saved a lifetime to take this one vacation. They had no way of knowing that a hurricane would hit and ruin part of their stay. They’re stuck here, and they deserve the best entertainment we can give them.”

“They deserve to be safe and not worried about getting killed.” Al let the words sink in. “You—we—can’t ensure their safety any more than we are able to protect you right now.”

Hawk listened. The silence roared around them. As a pastor, Hawk had dealt with people from all walks of life who had faced circumstances and made choices that had caused life to spiral out of control around them. He had told them time and time again that if they made wise choices, one choice at a time, eventually they would regain control of wild circumstances and situations and survive their storms. It was advice he believed with all his heart. He was sure as a man who trusted God and lived by faith that it was sound counsel. Each choice helps set the proper direction to get you to your intended or desired destination. Wise and solid choices help set good positive direction for your life. Most people lived by good intentions, and Hawk always reminded them and himself that intention is not the same as direction. Many people have great intention, but very few set great direction. It all came down to your first choice being a choice that would move you forward.

“OK, shut them down.” Hawk felt his shoulders slump. “Shut down the parks.”

“Did I just hear you say we’re shutting down the parks?” Juliette rejoined the group clustered in front of the tower. “All of them?”

“All of them, shut them down, starting now.” Hawk rose to his feet. “And as quickly as you can, get your families here on the property and make sure they’re tucked into one of the resorts.”

“Each of you stay in separate resorts.” Al pointed at the group. As they looked back at him curiously, he added, “You don’t want to put all of your captains in one rowboat when there is a storm at sea.” He waited for them to process what he said. “ We can keep you hidden better and out of sight easier when you aren’t all in one place. Get where you need to be to do what you need to do…just make sure you’re spread out across the property.”

Al excused himself from the four of them and walked back to where the other officials were investigating the explosion.

“So what was the point of all of this?” Juliette gestured toward the thin plume of smoke rising from the wreckage of the Mustang.

“They would have known you weren’t in the car,” Shep added.

“I imagine it was to send a message,” Hawk surmised. “Whoever they are want me to know they are close, they are watching, and eventually they will get me.”

“Let me interrupt.” Jonathan raised his hand as if trying to get permission to speak. “If the assassin was inside trying to kill you, then he wasn’t outside at the same time blowing up your car.”

“So what are you implying?” Juliette had not thought through what Jonathan was saying until that moment.

“He isn’t implying anything.” Hawk crossed his arms. “He’s saying that there is more than one group of people involved in trying to stop me from figuring this mystery out.”

“That can’t be.” Shep scratched his head.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Hawk continued. “You don’t try to send me a message if you’re going to kill me. So while one group wants to kill me, there’s another group that wants to scare me or stop me…and they’re not working together very well.”

Again the group of friends was silent as they began to realize that Hawk and Jonathan were correct.

“Al is right about you guys staying in separate resorts. You have to stay safe. We have things to do. Get moving.”

“I’ll make the arrangements to close the theme parks.” Juliette was already heading toward the main gate. “I assume that’s the rule at least until the storm passes?”

“Yes.” Hawk nodded. “Until the storm passes.”

Jonathan fell in step with Juliette. “I’ll get Sally and the kids ready to head out this way. I’ll let you know when and where we’re settled.”

Shep started to walk away and then paused. He stepped back in front of Hawk and cupped an elbow with one hand as he tapped his lips with the other. “In all of this excitement, I haven’t heard you say…did you find the clue you were looking for?”

“I did.” Hawk widened his eyes with excitement. “I didn’t say anything because I’m trying to keep you all safe. But I think I’m going to need your help.”

“So you’re saying that you want to keep everyone safe…except me.” Shep blinked.

“Sure, you’re the most expendable of the group.” Hawk grinned. He knew Shep would understand he was kidding.

“So what’s the clue?”

“When I was on top of the elevator, there were three words written on top in black letters. They were printed in what I think was Farren’s handwriting.” Hawk tilted his head as he recalled what he had seen. “It’s hard to say because they were oversized letters.”

“What did they spell?” Shep was anxious to hear.

“Three things.” Hawk gestured with a pointed finger to emphasize each item. He did this often when he was preaching. “Raz…Riles…Ben Gunn.”

“Ben Gunn, like in the book?”

“That’s what I thought too. Ben Gunn in Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Treasure Island
. He was a marooned pirate, wasn’t he?”

“So this is a clue about Pirates of the Caribbean?”

“Maybe, but I don’t know.” Hawk shrugged. “The other words mean something as well. That’s where I need your help. You keep digging on
Ben Gunn
and let me tackle
Raz
and
Riles
. Get settled in and call me when you know something.”