The Key To the Kingdom (43 page)

K
IRAN AND
H
AWK WALKED UP
the steps and entered Exposition Hall just off Main Street USA. Immediately upon stepping inside the door Hawk’s cell phone vibrated, startling him and stopping his forward motion. Kiran continued on for a few more yards before realizing Hawk was no longer beside her. Turning, she watched him open his phone to take the call.

Hawk looked at the caller ID; Shep’s name had appeared. He answered quickly.

“Did Juliette make it out?”

“Sure did. She and Tim headed home.”

“Good.” Hawk took in a deep breath and exhaled.

“We’ve got a problem, boss . . .”

“Problem?” Hawk narrowed his eyes and turned away from Kiran.

“A little while ago Al went into the utilidor with some folks from Disney security.”

“And?”

“There was no one in the Character Zoo.”

“That can’t be!” Hawk exclaimed. He felt Karin’s hand touch his back for a moment and then she drew it away.

“Everything fit the description and details you gave perfectly. There were signs of a huge struggle, piles of clothes, and even a cracked Big Bad Wolf head, but there was no person there.”

“Shep, we left the guy there. He was tazed and tied up.”

“He was gone.”

The deep sound of a man clearing his throat caught Hawk’s ear, and he turned back into Exposition Hall. Kiran’s eyes were open wide and staring straight at him. Standing behind her, with an arm over her shoulder and across her throat, was the man missing from the clothes pile in the zoo. Jim had pulled Kiran against his body. His other hand, pressed firmly to Kiran’s side, was holding a small, glistening blade.

“Why don’t you hang up the phone, Dr. Hawkes?” Jim was not making a suggestion, he was uttering a command. “Let’s step inside Tony’s Restaurant, it won’t be open for another hour and we can . . . talk.”

Jabbing his head in the direction of the restaurant, Hawk followed his lead and closed his phone. Walking in front of Jim and Kiran he moved slowly, pausing to look over his shoulder at them. Kiran was rigid, breathing in short shallow bursts of air.

“Don’t worry, Kiran,” Hawk said to her. “It will be all right.”

“Hawk—”

Jim tightened his grip across her throat and pressed the blade against her side for emphasis.

“There is no reason for you to be talking, sweetheart,” he sneered in her ear. “Keep moving.”

They entered the restaurant and Hawk wheeled to face Jim. The assailant had allowed some distance to form between himself and Hawk. The tip of the blade made a deep indentation in Kiran’s blouse. He motioned with his head for Hawk to take a few more steps back. Now Hawk stood opposite Jim and Kiran with two tables between them. It was too far for Hawk to jump across. Hawk noticed Jim’s face for the first time; he was wearing souvenirs from the previous encounter in the character wardrobe area. Slightly bruised and cut, Jim had not gotten the chance to clean up, but still had managed to escape. Someone had helped him; Hawk wondered who that might have been.

“You have caused me considerable inconvenience and . . . pain.”

“That is a shame,” Hawk smartly retorted.

“It has been a long night and I am tired. So, the time for games and negotiating has passed. You will give me what I want.” Jim jerked Kiran back against him, shoving his forearm harder against her neck. “Or I will take from you what you want.”

Hawk made a calming gesture with his hands. He tried not to look at the knife. His pulse raced. “What is it you want?”

“Come now, Dr. Hawkes, don’t insult me.” Jim’s nostril’s flared. “I want the key, the silver box, and the Pal Mickey. You can set them on the table and then leave the restaurant.”

Hawk was stunned that he knew about every single clue. The preacher stood staring at Jim, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn’t get to Kiran and didn’t believe Jim would let her go.

“Hawk, don’t!” Kiran gasped. Jim increased the pressure on her neck, and she whimpered.

“Obviously.” Jim smirked at Hawk. “Ms. Roberts is giving you some very bad advice. You leave the items on the table in front of you, leave Tony’s, and make your way to the front gate. Once you have left the park, I will let her go.”

Hawk tried to formulate a way to get to Jim without hurting Kiran. There wasn’t one. But if he gave Jim what he had asked for, there was no guarantee he would let Kiran go.

“You are such a fool!” A new voice boomed from the other side of the restaurant.

Hawk twisted quickly to see who entered. Jim did the same, dragging Kiran around in front of him, lifting her off her feet with the arm braced across her throat. She gasped at the motion, and Hawk’s heart wrenched in his chest.

“Who are you?” Jim demanded of the newcomer to Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.

“I told you to stay away from her!” Sandy ignored Jim and spoke directly to Hawk.

Sandy had emerged from the kitchen side of the dining room. Dressed in street clothes, he was slightly disheveled and extremely agitated.

“Who are you?” Jim barked again in Sandy’s direction.

“His name is Sandy,” Kiran managed in a whisper.

“If you didn’t notice,” Hawk addressed Sandy, “You’ve arrived at a bad time.”

“You know”—Sandy laughed and took a seat at the nearest table nonchalantly—“you really should have listened to me. I told you to stay away from Kiran. I really thought you would have had more common sense than you actually do.”

“We can talk about this later.” Hawk grew fearful that Sandy’s presence might cause Jim to panic and hurt Kiran. Calling upon all his counseling skills, he tried to use a calm tone to defuse the situation. “Sandy, you and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I know you have strong feelings for Kiran and I do as well. We can talk about those later.”

“So you have strong feelings for her?” Sandy glared at him.

“He has strong feelings for me,” Kiran whispered aloud to no one in particular.

“Be quiet,” Jim hissed at her. “Sandy! It would be best for everyone if you just got up, turned around, and left. Nothing that is happening here is any concern of yours.”

“But it is a concern of mine!” Another voice echoed across the dining room.

Hawk now whirled back in the opposite direction toward the windows lining the restaurant along Main Street. Jim dragged Kiran backward, moving them into a more strategic position with an escape from the increasingly crowded dining room. Sandy looked up from his table, unimpressed at the newest arrival to the conversation. Reginald Cambridge closed the door leading out to the tables along Main Street and locked it behind him. Quickly glancing across the room and taking inventory of all the parties involved, he spoke into the radio he held in one hand.

“Hold everyone back,” the security man commanded.

Hawk wondered how many people
everyone
meant and where they might be. Glancing out the window he saw nothing out of the ordinary on Main Street USA. Now with the addition of Reginald Cambridge there was a four-way standoff in the dining room of Tony’s. The preacher was concerned that Jim would hurt Kiran, he knew that Cambridge would have backup out there somewhere close, and he wasn’t real sure what Sandy would do if the situation escalated. Cambridge, Sandy, Jim, and Hawk all eyed each other warily as if trying to figure out who might actually have the most advantageous position.

“Here is what is getting ready to happen,” Cambridge blustered. “Jim, you are going to let Kiran go and relinquish your weapon. Threatening a cast member is a violation of company policy, but of course you already know that. And I should inform you that right outside I have some people that urgently want to talk to you about abducting a park guest and attempting to hold her hostage. It appears you were trying to gain some leverage to use against Dr. Hawkes here, and clearly it didn’t work. You are complicating things by threatening Ms. Roberts.” Cambridge kept watching Jim, waiting for him to ease his grasp on Kiran. “Ms Roberts, you have been a very busy lady these past few days. I am anxious to hear an explanation as to why you have been blatantly disregarding every security procedure we have on the books while acting as a personal tour guide for Dr. Hawkes.” He turned slowly toward Sandy, who was still seated at the table farthest from him. “And as for you—I believe I heard your name is Sandy—I need for you to march yourself right back out the door you came in through. Nothing that is happening here involves you, but rest assured, I will find you and we will talk later.” Finally he turned toward Hawk. “Dr. Hawkes . . .”

“I’m not going anywhere, you overstuffed company goon,” Sandy yelled to Cambridge.

Reginald blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Aw, did I hurt your feelings, Reggie?” Sandy taunted. “You’ll get over it.”

“I hate to interrupt this annoyingly over-crowded meeting.” Jim turned back toward Hawk. “But Dr. Hawkes, I asked you to do something for me, and the extra people with us in the room don’t change that.” Then looking over at Cambridge he added, “If I see anyone come near me, the young lady here will not be able to explain why she has broken your precious security rules. Do I make myself clear?”

“Don’t give anything to him, Hawkes, he won’t hurt her.” Sandy rolled his eyes.

“You are mistaken, young man,” Jim responded threateningly.

“Go ahead, cut her then,” Sandy challenged.

“NO!” Hawk yelled toward Jim as he saw his eyes tighten at the challenge.

Cambridge reflexively took a step toward Jim, as did Hawk. Jim jerked Kiran off her feet with the blade jabbed against her. The tip poked a hole through the cloth of her blouse. With very little pressure Jim would puncture her side.

“Relax, you two.” Sandy spoke with sudden calmness to Hawk and Reginald. “He won’t hurt her, they’re working together.”

Kiran’s eyes remained wide in terror. They darted from Hawk to Sandy and then back to Hawk.

“They’ve been working together the whole time, Hawkes.”

“You lie!” Hawk’s jaw clenched in fury.

“Why do you think I told you to stay away from her? I warned you, but you just didn’t listen.”

“Don’t be deceived,” Jim growled. “The words of a babbling fool will cause this to end badly.”

“Ah, you sound very convincing,” Sandy mocked Jim. “Go ahead, let us see it end badly. Cut her, strangle her, show us what you’ve got.”

“Don’t do it, Jim!” Hawk took another step toward Jim and Kiran.

“Calm down, preacher. Jimmy boy won’t hurt her, he’s gutless.”

Hawk stopped, fist clenched, and turned toward Sandy.

“What did she tell you?” Sandy continued. “Did she tell you I was an exboyfriend? Or maybe a crazy stalker who just wouldn’t leave her alone? Did she tell you I knew who she was and what she was up to? No, I’m sure she didn’t tell you that . . . . did she, Hawkes?”

“Don’t believe him, Hawk,” Kiran managed to gasp from behind Jim’s stranglehold.

“Oh, I would believe him, Grayson,” said a man who stepped into the restaurant behind Kiran and Jim.

The sixth person to arrive at Tony’s had a face Hawk recognized. He had seen this man look directly at him the night before in Caribbean Plaza outside of Pirates of the Caribbean. He and Kiran had gotten away from the man then. The face had been familiar but Hawk had not been able to place it. Suddenly the features of the man’s face fell into place inside Hawk’s mind. Hawk had seen him in the train station. He had been the conductor Hawk had spoken with as he was looking for the silver box.

“Do you recognize me?” said the conductor to Hawk. “You met me in the train station.”

“Yes, and I saw you another time,” Hawk added.

“In Caribbean Plaza.” The conductor smiled genuinely pleased that Hawk remembered. “You were with Kiran when I saw you there. Why don’t you listen to what Sandy has to say.”

“Let’s hear him out, Dr. Hawkes.” Reginald Cambridge eyed the new arrival and then looked back toward Sandy. “Jim doesn’t seem to be in that big of a hurry to hurt Ms. Roberts. As a matter of fact, I thought I saw him loosen his grip on her neck so she could speak a moment ago.”

“You’re crazy!” Jim said, holding Kiran in front of him.

“Perhaps.” Cambridge nodded toward Sandy, urging him to continue.

“Did it ever bother you that Kiran kept showing up and finding you every time you were in a theme park?” Sandy accepted the invitation to speak. “She was tracking you. Every time you placed your finger on a biometric print reader, she was notified. I know it’s commonly believed that we aren’t really looking at people’s prints, but if we really want to find someone, we can. Hawkes, every single time you entered a park she knew you were there, then she just had to find you.”