It All Started...

by David W. Smith

  Happy with his discovery and certain he had left no traces, Daniel knew it was time to leave. Back into the living room, he resisted an overwhelming urge to steal or break something. Daniel gave a final look around the small apartment, snickering at the size and furnishings. “Hot shot lawyer,” he sneered, and left, quietly closing the door behind him.

  Lance came back from dinner with a large paper sack filled with white take-out boxes from the Chinese restaurant. Along with the happiness of a full stomach, he had also gotten an interesting fortune cookie. “Love and prosperity will soon be yours.” He pulled it out of his pocket to read it again as he walked over to his desk. Still reading, he was surprised when he tripped over something. The leg of his chair was angled in such a way that it didn’t go all the way under the desk. That was odd, as he was sure he had pushed it completely under in that small room. Every inch of space helped.…

  He fixed the chair with a mindless shrug and headed for the bedroom to look over the clue again. He had thought more of the French foreign-exchange student than the clue during dinner and needed to get his mind into Clue Mode again. The appreciative chuckle stopped in the middle of the room when he saw the three items spread out on the bed. He knew he had placed them in a neat pile. Hadn’t he?

  Arms folded against his chest, he stared at the bed. He was pretty sure he had left them neat.… Maybe it was jet lag. It had been a strenuous trip.… Everything was still there.

  Getsome sleep, Brentwood. You’re getting paranoid. And no more saké shots, he chided as he headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  The animation cel had definitely been identified as coming from Snow White—even though Lance wasn’t sure yet why it was included or if there was some obscure meaning yet to be discovered. The three shields were very non-Disney in appearance, so he figured he would need to do research in heraldry and probably wouldn’t need the Disney research books any longer. Since his mother had done some genealogical search of his family name about ten years ago, he recognized the shields from that standpoint. Now he just needed to find whose shields they represented and how they may have been connected to Walt Disney.

  Returning the Disney books to the library, he found the research librarian was available and willing to help—especially when he showed her the copy he had made of the drawing. Without too much difficulty, she first identified the shield on the far left as being the national coat of arms of France. Then, with Lance’s beaming smile of thanks, she got to work on the second two.

  Lance, however, was focused on the clue “You don’t need to go to France to find this royal wolf’s castle.” Was Walt telling him to ignore the well-known coat of arms and concentrate on the other ones? He could only make guesses at this point.

  His attention returned to the librarian who was now frowning over her books. “I don’t understand the other two,” she muttered, more to herself than to Lance. “I would call it ‘Argent, on a chevron sable between three martlets sable, three crosses crosslet.’ The birds are probably martlets—they shouldn’t have legs, though—but I can’t find three of them facing that direction, with or without the crosses. The wolf…I’m pretty sure it is a wolf.… ’Sable, a wolf, or three mullets argent in chief.’ The wolf is passant…walking and looking to the left. But why the three stars? There’s no mantling….no crest…they seem incomplete….and then there’s the tincture or colors…are they true or were they colored over? I don’t understand the blazon….” She looked up to Lance who had made no sense out of what she had just told him. He could see by her eyes that she was excited about the research, the chase. “You see,” she continued, “any coat of arms can be drawn in different ways, yet all of the styles are considered equal.” At Lance’s blank look, she tried to clarify. “Let’s say you’re printing something on your computer. You can type the same letter in many different styles or fonts. But, it will always be the same letter. It is the same for the shape of the shields. They can look like these shields in your drawing, or they can be a different shape, yet all point to the same lineage.”

  Lance smiled at her. “You lost me at ‘passant’.”

  The excitement in her eyes dimmed when she realized her audience hadn’t kept up. “I’m sorry.” She gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I just love heraldry and searching family lines, as you can probably tell. How soon do you need an answer?”

  Yesterday. Lance leaned a little over the counter that separated them. “There isn’t a tremendous rush, but I’m anxious to learn about the other two, especially the one with the wolf. There’s a lot riding on it.”

  The librarian’s eyes sparkled. “Oooh, that sounds fascinating. Can you leave the drawing with me and come back tomorrow?”

  Giving her a grateful smile, he nodded. “Tomorrow it is.” Headed toward the door, he suddenly turned back. “Oh, if it might help your research, see if those other two shields have anything to do with either Walt Disney or royalty.”

  “Certainly.” There was a new gleam in her eyes when she turned back to her computer screen.

  “Sorry, Lance,” he was told the next day. “I couldn’t find anything on those two remaining shields. I could find pieces of each one on other shields, but nothing as you have them drawn. Are you sure the drawings are correct? The first shield was so easily identifiable.”

  Disappointed, Lance just shook his head. “No, that’s the way I received them. And I have no way to check with the one who drew them.”

  “The only connection I could make with Disney and royalty, as you mentioned, might be the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. The prince was turned into a huge wolf-like creature who could walk upright, but that’s kind of a stretch of the imagination. Sorry, it’s the best I could do.”

  Lance thanked her for her time. As he drove away, the librarian’s reference to Beauty and the Beast played over and over in his mind. The Beast lived in an enchanted castle. Lance was pretty sure the story took place in France. But the clue said he didn’t have to go to France to find that castle. Where else was there a Beast’s castle? Any of the other theme parks around the world? Anaheim’s Disneyland had Sleeping Beauty Castle. Walt Disney World had Cinderella’s Castle. Paris? No, that was also Sleeping Beauty. Tokyo? Like Paris, the timeframe would be all wrong. Besides, it, too, had Cinderella’s castle.

  That’s too bad, Lance thought with a grin. I wouldn’t mind having to go to Tokyo—even if I can’t afford it!

  As he continued to drive, he tried to think of some place inside Disneyland that might have the Beast’s Castle. Storybook Land Canal Boats? Oh, please, not again! His head slumped briefly against the steering wheel at the red light on Orangethorpe. He and Adam had ridden the little boats continuously as they tried to decipher a clue. The incredibly detailed miniature depictions of various stories were charming, but a dozen trips would push the limits of even the most ardent Disney fan. In the end, it had proven to be a false lead—as Beth had so efficiently pointed out to them later.

  His head snapped up. Beth. Beth always had a clear head on her shoulders. Had enough time passed? Would he dare call her and ask for help?

  An irritated horn honk brought him out of his musing. He shook his head as he continued down the street. “Hi, Beth. Sorry about the gun. I was just kidding. Say, I was wondering if you could look at this drawing and tell me what it means.” He chuckled to himself. Yeah, that would go over well.

  His cell phone chirped. He recognized the sound as the one he had assigned to Kimberly’s phone number. As he came to a stop at the next red light, he answered and gave a cheery, “Hello.”

  Kimberly, speaking in a very low tone, was so brief that it hardly sounded like her at all. “Lance, you could please meet us at Disneyland? Please? At the Main Street Train Station steps. Can you make it soon?” She sounded almost desperate.

  “Are you all right?”

  He could hear a cough and she muttered the word “Daniel” in the middle of the cough. “Sorry, I have something in my throat.”

  �
�Do you need help?” Lance wasn’t sure whether he should be concerned or amused.

  Her tone then became louder, more formal, “Yes, thank you. That will be nice, Mr. Brentwood. Say, two-thirty?”

  Now Lance was intrigued. She obviously needed something from him, but it appeared she was either unwilling or unable to talk freely. Perhaps it was because she was with Daniel Crain. “I’m about fifteen minutes away from the Park. I’ll see you there.”

  He heard the phone disconnect without another word. “This should be interesting.” The light changed and he made an abrupt right turn onto Harbor Boulevard.

  Lance, as he leaned against the black railing that wound up the brick staircase to the Main Street Train Station, didn’t notice two girls who walked back and forth in front of him, trying to get his attention. Deep in thought over the shields as well as the mysterious phone call from Kimberly, he barely noticed their presence, let alone their obvious attempts to get him to notice them.

  “You sure can pick ‘em, Brentwood.” Daniel’s sneering voice broke into his thoughts as he and Kimberly approached.

  At the confused looked on Lance’s face, Daniel pointed toward the two girls who had now resorted to taking pictures of Lance. “Pick what?” As usual, he was oblivious to the attention he drew.

  “Leave him alone, Daniel,” Kimberly muttered to him.

  When the beautiful Kimberly walk up to Lance, the two girls heaved a heavy sigh and looked around for their next possible conquest. Daniel, trying to make eyes at them, earned a disgusted, “Eww,” as they hurried off.

  Her back to Daniel, Kimberly faced Lance. He could tell from her facial expressions that she wasn’t able to freely say what she wanted to say. “Lance, thank you for coming so quickly. I was hoping you’d be able to join us.” At the word ‘us’, she gave a disgusted roll of her eyes. She hadn’t wanted Daniel along—that much was obvious.

  Daniel’s attention waned as the uninterested girls left, so he turned back to them. “Can we get on with this? It is illegal, you know.”

  “Shh!” Kimberly hissed. “Not so loud. It’s for my father, Daniel. I thought you’d at least honor him with his last request.” Turning back to Lance, she rolled her eyes again. He tried to hold back a smile. Impulsively linking her arm in Lance’s, she led him through the Town Square, past the flagpole, and headed up Main Street. Daniel had to hurry to keep up, grumbling all the way. “Well, what Daniel said so inelegantly was true. What I am going to ask you to help me with is, sort of, illegal.” Her head close to his, her voice was low. “If you say no, I’ll understand.” She gripped his arm tighter. Lance could tell she was fighting some other powerful emotion along with the disgust at Daniel, for whatever reason.

  “What is it you’d like me to do?”

  Kimberly paused before speaking again, her head down. Her voice was filled with grief when she spoke. “As you know, the last time I saw you was when my father died. I’ve…I’ve been trying to deal with that ever since. We knew his heart would give out on him eventually. We…I just didn’t think it would be so soon....” She had to pause to gain control over her quivering voice. It took a moment before she was able to talk again. “Anyway, he had specific instructions for me to carry out. He wanted to be cremated.”

  Lance pulled up short. “Cremated?” He was surprised. “I thought he would want to be, well, you know, placed with Walt….” His voice so only she could hear him.

  Kimberly tugged his arm for him to keep walking. “No, that was what I wanted,” she told him. “But, he was happy with this life. It was enough for him.” Kimberly broke off, swamped by the emotions that flooded through her. It might have been enough for her father, but it wasn’t for her.

  Lance thought he understood what she felt and patted her hand in comfort. “Everyone has the right to choose.”

  “I know. I know. It’s just so hard to accept when there might be another option.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “I’ve been going over and over this ever since it happened, and I have to honor his requests. Which is why I’m here.” They had just entered the wooden fortress that marked the entrance to Frontierland. As they continued to walk, she pulled a small black vial part way out of her purse and showed it to Lance.

  “What’s that?”

  “The old man.” Daniel chuckled as he strode next to her. “Or, what’s left of him.”

  “Let it go.” Kimberly felt Lance tense up. It wouldn’t do to have a fistfight break out right now. “He’s right. This is part of my father’s ashes. He spent so much of his life and energies here at the Park, building and protecting it, that he wanted to rest here, in the end.”

  Lance was touched by the thought. “I can see how that’s fitting. But, as Daniel said earlier, it is illegal.”

  “So, is the security guard Lance going to stop us, or will he help us?” Kimberly stopped in front of the rafts that took guests over to Tom Sawyer Island and stared into his brown eyes.

  “I believe security guard Lance is off duty. And…I would be honored to help you,” he told her in a kind and gentle voice. “Just tell me what you’d like me to do.”

  “Just dump it in the River.”

  At Daniel’s nasty suggestion, Lance tensed up again. Kimberly got a tighter grasp on his arm. “I’d rather do it my way, Daniel, if you don’t mind. Lance, you will accompany me over to the Island. Daniel, I want you to stay here and call me if any security guards come this way. Can you do that for me, Daniel?”

  They could tell he was gearing up to argue with them. He didn’t like being left out of the loop and didn’t want them to have time to talk without him being present. But, he couldn’t think of any good reason to say no. With a disgusted nod, Daniel strode over to a bench and sat down. “But you’d better be back in ten minutes or I go public.”

  Lance and Kimberly joined the dozen people on the raft over to the island. Kimberly felt she had to apologize for Daniel. “In his defense, he’s been very supportive since dad died. I don’t know if I would have thought of eating if he hadn’t been there. He insisted on driving me here today. But when he knew I intended to call you, he took on a completely different attitude. He doesn’t think you’re needed, that he should be the one doing everything my father used to do. He even dropped some vague reference about a white envelope—even though I don’t know what he means or how he could possibly know something I don’t. Is he referring to that final clue my father gave you?”

  Lance nodded his head as the raft gently bumped against the wooden dock on Tom Sawyer Island. They waited until almost all of the guests had gotten off. Seeing several people head toward the caves to the left, Kimberly decided to go in the opposite direction. She knew of a lovely wooded spot on the backside of the island, one that overlooked the site of the old Mine Train ride her father had loved so much. At the thought, she could feel her throat begin to tighten again.

  Unaware of her distress, Lance continued with her previous comment about Daniel. “I don’t see how he could know, either. You don’t even know what I found. Do you?” He had to wonder how far the War Room actually reached.

  Kimberly gave a brief answer, her voice choked. “No.”

  Remembering what she was about to do, Lance put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry. How can I help?”

  Kimberly led him to the edge of the island. The Mark Twain had just passed by, the river water still churned from the large paddlewheel in the back. Two canoes full of guests had been waiting for the large ship to make the final sweeping turn back to her unloading dock. The canoes had to stay clear of the agitated water and that huge wooden paddlewheel. Behind Lance and Kimberly were two of the main attractions on the Island—the pontoon bridge made up of large, floating barrels that made for a rocking passage, and the suspension bridge that was high overhead and swayed with every step. Dozens of children ran back and forth over the two bridges and paid no attention to the two adults who stared out over the water.

  When the canoes were finally able to
continue their journey, Kimberly nodded to Lance. He glanced around for any adults that might wander by on their dusty trail. Now that they were alone, he gave her the go-ahead. Sitting on her heels, Kimberly moved aside a round river rock nestled in a pretty stand of water grass and yellow flowers. The small lid of the vial was unscrewed and she poured its contents into the shallow depression left by the rock. “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered as she put the rock back in place, tears streaming down her face.

  Lance stood quietly behind her, moved by the gesture as well as its meaning. He hoped, when his time came, that someone would be as devoted to him and his wishes, and that he would be loved as much.

  When she was ready, Kimberly stood. They heard the Mark Twain whistle right then, its two-whistle sound coming from its landing around the curve of the island. It was a lovely sound, one that Lance would now forever associate with the small ceremony he had just witnessed.

  “Thank you for including me.”

  As Kimberly looked up at him with her lovely green eyes, now clear and peaceful, she gave him a serene smile. “I think he would’ve wanted you here. I was glad you could come.”

  Lance felt this was a special, defining moment for the two of them. Much of the distrust faded, as well as some of the lingering questions about intentions and reasons. He felt their relationship had just turned an important corner.

  Now he just needed to get rid of Daniel Crain for the day.

  Once Kimberly was done with the ashes, Lance knew she should get away from the Park for a while. He suggested a favorite restaurant of his in the historical section of town. Good food, good atmosphere, and he knew they would take his problematic credit card with no problem.

  It was Kimberly who dismissed Daniel, telling him she would see him back at the house later. Eyes narrowed, he watched them walk away. He wasn’t going to be put off that easily. After making no headway in figuring out what those items in Lance’s apartment meant, he just knew those two would discuss it fully.