Adam saw Lance suddenly smile. When there was no explanation, he turned his attention to the soft green of the landscape as it flew past the window. Adam took it for granted that Lance’s amusement had to do with some embarrassing tidbit of information his parents had passed along. He also took it for granted that the information would come into the open at the most inopportune time.
Such was friendship with Lance Percy Brentwood.
Now it was Adam’s turn to smile. Adam knew Lance hated his middle name.
It was just before eleven when the two friends pulled into the parking lot of the Walt Disney Elementary School in Marceline. The school taught grades kindergarten through fifth. Arriving before the lunch break, there weren’t many children walking around. Within the hour, though, the kindergarteners would be dismissed and there would be the daily mad scramble as their parents arrived to pick them up.
They found the flag pole to be in front of the school as all flag poles should be. The plaque mounted near the base read that it was a gift from Walt Disney in late 1960, and that the pole had flown a flag in the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics where Walt had been the Chairman of Pageantry. That day, however, there was no bright orange flag blowing in the soft breeze.
Hesitating, they stood on the walkway that lead to the main entrance and looked at the neat, clean single story building. “Do we just walk in?” Lance wondered out loud. Even with his vast social experiences, elementary school was one area in which even he was unfamiliar. They had brought the documentary camera and mike with them again, but these props didn’t feel right for this situation. He wasn’t sure how to proceed.
Adam shrugged. “Not sure. You read that visitors are welcome. I guess we just go in and see what happens.”
They entered through the double doors into the quiet hallway. They immediately saw one of the two murals that Walt’s animators from California had created for the school. There were pictures, awards, and more Disney memorabilia in glass cases lining the hallway. As they looked over the artifacts, a woman came out of one of the offices. She had been heading away, but spotted them and came back. “Are you here to see the Disney collection?” She gave them a friendly smile.
“Yes, we are.” Lance brightened and extended his hand to her. “We’re visiting the area and just had to see the murals. I didn’t know there were so many other things here.”
“Oh, yes, we have quite a collection.” She indicated the glass cases. ”We have these items and more in that office over there. And, since you are interested in the murals, there is another one in the gymnasium.”
“Do we need to make an appointment?”
She gave a soft laugh. “Oh, no. We’re too informal for that. Please, just look around. And, if you dare to go to the gym, watch out for the dodgeballs. There’s quite a tournament going on.”
She turned to leave and left them to their own devices.
“That was easy” Adam watched her exit the building. “You’d think they’d wonder about two men wandering around a grade school”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be watched to some extent. Well, we still need to figure out what the numbers stand for—if they are anything besides just numbers. Want to go to the gym?”
“Sure. Where is it?”
Lance just smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. “No clue. Let’s just wander around, and then come back to see that other display room. I didn’t see the Disneyland flag in here.”
The gymnasium was pretty easy to spot. It was off to the side and the doors were open. They could hear the happy shrieks coming from inside as the tournament was in full swing. They stood in the doorway and could see the Disney mural stretching down the side of the basketball court, all the familiar characters as they had been drawn in 1960. The walls were a soft yellow around the mural, with a darker paneling on the end walls. The two men were largely ignored. Apparently visitors came more often than Adam and Lance had thought.
They walked back to the offices as the bell rang. Kids of all ages poured around them as some headed to lunch, some headed to recess, and the happiest of them headed home. The woman who had helped them earlier came back and Lance started asking all kinds of questions about the school and the legacy Walt left them. Soon, they were talking as if they were old friends. Some of the older girls spotted Lance and joined the group. Giggling with each other, they tried to capture this Prince Charming’s attention by pointing out their favorite item and trying to out-talk their friends.
Adam took this diversion to wander alone around the other side of the room. Looking in the glass cases, there were identification markers with each item to tell its particular history. He easily spotted the orange Disneyland flag. The same picture Lance had found on the Internet was framed next to the stretched-out flag.
He came to a stop when he found Walt’s original desk from his school days. On the dark top of the desk was engraved WED. His heart sped up a little as he looked at the picture attached to the desk. It showed an adult Walt sitting there, pointing at his earlier handiwork. Wondering if this was what they were supposed to find, Adam studied the desk from different angles. It was just a solid desktop built into the seat back of the next desk with the top being held up by black filigree scrollwork. From what he could see, there was nothing that opened, no place to hide a capsule.
Disappointed, but not dismissing the desk entirely, he looked over the rest of the display, finally settling his attention on a gray metal book locker. This was the size of a regular locker, about three and a half feet tall by ten inches wide…perhaps a foot deep. Only this one had a nameplate on it—Walt’s Locker. There was a numbered rotating dial right below the slide latch. Not behind glass like most of the collection, the locker sat on top of a wooden box. Testing it with one finger, Adam found it was solidly fixed, probably bolted to the box. It put the rotating dial at just the right height to spin.
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
Adam was startled to hear a girl’s voice right next to him. His head spun around and his vision had to drop about a foot lower to see who was talking. “Who? Me?”
She must have been one of Lance’s admirers who had abdicated. She looked to be around 10 or 11, soft brown eyes half covered by brown bangs. Leaning against the wall, she watched Adam. “Yeah, you. I was watching your friend,” with a tilt of her chin indicating Lance. “He kinda takes over, doesn’t he?”
Adam smiled at that. Observant little thing. “Yeah. I guess he does.” Lance was still holding court, deep in a discussion with the girls and a couple of teachers who had come looking for them. “I’m Adam. What’s your name?”
“Mandy.” She looked back over at Lance, frowning a little. “My best friend is just like that. She’s pretty, too. Most popular girl in the school.” She didn’t sound envious or jealous—just making a statement.
“Never get a word in edgewise, do you?”
Mandy grinned and pushed her bangs away from her eyes. “Nope.”
“Then why do you hang around with her?” Adam was amused. He had wondered that about Lance from time to time.
She shrugged. “She’s my best friend.”
Adam nodded as he thought about it. “I guess that’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it? Just friendship.”
“Yeah.” They leaned against the wall together in companionable silence, watching Lance. She didn’t seem interested in rejoining her friends.
“So, what’s the story with this locker?” Adam might as well see if he could learn something.
Mandy looked at the object in question. “It’s been here a long time. Nobody has been able to get it open. We don’t know what’s inside…if anything.” She gave a dismissive shrug of her shoulders.
Adam’s interest perked up. “People actually try to open it? Isn’t there a rule or something against it?”
Mandy gave him a ‘duh’ look. “That’s what it’s for.” He could see her form the word ‘dummy’ in her mind.
“Really?” Adam went back to study the lo
cker. “Anybody can try to open it. What’d you say was inside?” His breathing got shallow as his heart beat faster. This could be it, couldn’t it?
He received another shrug. “Dunno. Nobody ever got it opened.”
Adam’s hand went to his shirt pocket where the clue was hidden. A locker combination? Was that what the numbers were? But there were too many numbers. Were they supposed to leave off one? Which number?
Mandy stared intently at Adam, her brown eyes slightly closed. She almost whispered, “You know the combination, don’t you?”
His eyes were wide as he turned to his new little friend and lowered his voice. “I think I do.”
Mandy looked back at the noisy group. “You could open it now. Nobody would notice with him around.” She didn’t sound very pleased with Lance.
“You think?”
She looked Adam over again. He felt she had to be older than ten or eleven. She had to be an adult hiding in a child’s body. “Is what’s inside very important?”
Adam nodded slowly. “Probably.”
She scrutinized him again with serious eyes. “I can help.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Curious,” was all she answered.
Adam nodded. “Me too.”
Before he could say anything else, she gave a quick glance at the group. The bell would ring soon and they would have to go. She licked her lips before looking back at Adam, knowing she probably shouldn’t do this. It could be what her mom had warned her about. But it didn’t feel wrong inside. “Can you guys come back late tonight?”
He nodded again.
“Meet me at that side door around 9:30. Okay?”
Adam could see she was serious. “You’re not going to set me up, are you?” He asked with a half grin, but he was serious.
The bell rang for the next class. Mandy just rolled her eyes and walked off, shaking her head. Adults. Who can figure them out?
Adam went over to rejoin Lance and his diminishing crowd of admirers.
“What a nice group of girls.” Lance smiled after them as the last filed out.
“What did you find out?”
“Find out about what?”
Adam just stared at him.
“Oh, that. Nothing really. We were just chatting. Though, Mary, the tall blonde? She said we need to go check out the new museum by the train tracks. Remember that big red brick building? It used to be the train depot, but they’re turning it into a Disney and Santa Fe Railroad museum. It isn’t open yet, but she thought we could get in.”
Adam smiled at him. “I’ll bet we can. Come over here and look at this.” Adam led him over to the displays Lance hadn’t yet seen. Adam was about to explain the locker when the doors opened again and more students came in. This was a popular room. “Let’s go have lunch and I’ll explain then.”
They found a cute diner not too far from the Uptown Theatre where they stayed last time. Over hamburgers and fries, Adam explained what Mandy had told him.
Lance took a long sip of his strawberry milkshake. “So, you think the numbers are the combination to the locker?”
“I think so. Considering that almost every combination lock is a set of four numbers, it’s no wonder nobody has been able to open the locker. People would try their four numbers and quit. If this is the answer, it’s pretty brilliant.”
“How come you didn’t try it while you were there?”
Adam shrugged. “I thought about it, but there were too many people around. It would probably be a big deal if someone got it open. I doubt we could just take the clue and leave.”
“You’re probably right. This Mandy girl is going to help us? What did you tell her?”
Adam ate a couple of fries. “Nothing, really. I think she figured out it was something important to me. She seemed pretty bright. She wasn’t drawn in by your good looks and charm.” He couldn’t resist adding that with a wide smile.
“Hmmph. She can’t be all that intelligent, then.” Lance just let the jibe slide. “Well, we’ll see what happens at 9:30. If we end up in jail or on the 11 o’clock news, it’ll be your fault.”
Instantly sobered, Adam pushed the rest of his fries around. “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”
Lance leaned partway across the table, his voice noticeably lowered. “Excited or not about possibly finding the next clue, we are going into a closed building at night with a young girl. I doubt anyone would look highly on that. And if we try to get into the school on our own, it would be breaking and entering.”
Adam knew he was right. “Well, I did ask her if she was setting us up.”
“What did the little darling say?” Lance seemed amused by this.
Adam smiled. They all learn that trait so early. “She gave me the eleven-year old version of The Look, rolled her eyes, and left.”
“So, what do you want to do?” Lance reached over and finished off Adam’s fries.
Adam looked out the window of the diner at the quaint Main Street. Life was quieter here. He could see people coming and going, doing their business. They all knew each other by name. Strangers who came to see something of Walt’s life were welcome. And, he knew they protected their own. It wouldn’t go well if someone thought something was amiss with Mandy. Was it something they wanted to risk? Was it worth it? He thought about her eyes. He felt he could trust her, and thought she trusted him. He gave a quiet sigh. They had to fly out tomorrow. This was all the time they had. “I guess we take the chance and meet her at 9:30.”
Lance agreed with him. “Maybe we can talk her into staying outside while we try to open the locker. So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? We didn’t do much sightseeing last time we were here.”
Adam smiled. “Yeah, we were too busy getting out of here as fast as possible! Wonder if that kid ever went back to the tree?”
“We could go look for him.”
“No thanks. I was worried he might recognize us at the school. Let’s leave well enough alone.” Adam paid for lunch and they went out into the bright sunlight.
They didn’t get in to see the museum. The foreman wasn’t as enamored of Lance’s rapier wit as most people were. They were politely told to come back sometime in June for the grand opening. With the way they were traveling back and forth, they might be back again in time for the big opening anyway. For now, they had to be content walking around outside the two-story red brick building. All the windows, doors and the roof were trimmed in bright white. It was a huge building. The marquee high above the five thin windows on the second floor proudly proclaimed Marceline to all onlookers.
They found the Walt Disney Municipal Park that had held the Midget Autopia ride donated by Walt and Roy in 1966. The ride was removed from Fantasyland to make room for the Its a Small World ride expansion and shipped to the children of Marceline. There had been ten Autopia cars which ran along 603 feet of winding roadway. The children had a few years to enjoy the first ride ever to be taken from the Park and operated outside of Disneyland. But, just like at Disneyland, the cars were too troublesome and expensive to run. The metal guide track had been long removed, but the roadway was still there and even the tunnel the drivers passed through. Lance and Adam learned that one of the cars would be included in the museum.
The two men puttered around E. P. Ripley Park, examined the steam engine and car, and admired the beautiful white gazebo. They were wandering down Main Street when Lance’s complaints about the lack of food picked up momentum. Heading back to the same diner where they had lunch, they enjoyed a leisurely dinner. Thanks to Lance, Adam had pot roast on his mind, so he ordered that. Lance felt adventuresome and tried the catfish. Both were not disappointed.
By 9:30, the Jag was parked under some trees down the street from the school. They walked slowly down the dark street toward the side entry that Mandy had indicated. The school was predictably dark and quiet.
Waiting by the door a couple of minutes, they heard an occasional car driving by and other typical
noises of a quiet neighborhood. A rustling in the bushes announced their guide before her face peeked around the corner. Her smile faded a little when she spotted Lance. “You brought him?” she complained to Adam in a quiet voice.
“I had to.” Adam tried to keep as serious as she seemed to be. “He’s driving.”
She looked Adam up and down, dubious. “You don’t drive?”
He rolled his eyes as she had done to him. “Of course I know how to drive. It’s his turn.”
That seemed to appease her as Lance watched in amused silence. “Come on in. I have the key.”
“How did you get that?” That surprised Adam. “You didn’t steal it, did you?”
“No, Dad.” Sarcastic as only eleven-year olds can be, she rolled her eyes again. “My mom is a teacher here. I, uh, borrowed it. But we have to hurry. I have to be home soon.” She expertly opened the lock with a minimum of sound. It was obvious she had done this before. “You bring the combination?”
“Yes, Boss.”
She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t as she pulled a small flashlight out of her jacket pocket.
“Gosh, isn’t Barbie going to want this back?” Lance took it from her and shone the tiny beam of light into his hand.
“I don’t see that you brought one.” Mandy glared up at him, resisting the urge to snatch it back.
Adam grabbed the light from Lance with a look for him to knock it off. Kids. With a sigh, he turned to the girl. He had to try something even though he knew it wasn’t going to work. “Maybe you should stand guard outside, Mandy. In case someone comes.”
She wasn’t buying it. “Nobody ever comes here at night.”
“It might be a good idea anyway.”
She thought she knew what he was talking about. “You won’t get in trouble.”
Sometimes Dead Men DO Tell Tales! Page 18