Hidden Mickey 5: Chasing New Frontiers Read online

  Hidden Mickey 5:

  Chasing New Frontiers

  After Blain Walters, a twenty-three year old charismatic Disneyland Cast Member, meets Missy Johansen, a beautiful, adventuresome Swiss visitor to Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom, together the young couple stumble upon a very old wallet while exploring a secret location at Disneyland…a wallet whose owner, they discover, was connected to a brazen robbery at Disneyland many decades before—a robbery that had yet to be solved. In addition to a large sum of money, the unique and mysterious pendant of Walt Disney’s was also taken, a pendant that had just recently been recovered from a previous theft and subsequent paid ransom.

  The owner of the lost wallet, Nathan Duncan, an unscrupulous landscaper at Disneyland, unexpectedly died while being pursued by Disneyland Security after he is suspected in the disappearance of the money and the seemingly predestined pendant. Duncan’s sudden death literally buried any chance of finding the stolen money or the priceless and legendary red-diamond pendant.

  Forty-four years after Duncan’s demise, Blain and Missy discover that the found wallet literally holds the key to a trail of lost clues. Each deciphered clue, in turn, leads Blain and Missy on a quest to find interwoven pieces of a nearly half-century old puzzle, a puzzle that may reveal where the lost Disney cache is hidden.

  Adding to the intrigue, Blain is unaware that Missy is in reality—and incognito—the rising international pop star from Switzerland, Malaysia Hosner, who has just kicked off her first U.S Concert Tour in Southern California. In addition to tracking down decades-old clues, Blain and Malaysia find themselves seeking to follow their hearts as they find a real connection with each other while delving deeper and deeper into this long-forgotten mystery.

  How long can Malaysia keep her identity a secret? Where do the cryptic clues lead? Who else is seeking the long-lost Disney fortune? What kind of relationship, if any, can be forged through the adventure Blain and Malaysia share? And, what magic does the Magic Kingdom indeed have in store for the two passionate explorers?

  Pursuing legendary treasure, discovering secret locations in Disneyland, and finding romance along the way, Chasing New Frontiers generates literary fireworks! Adventure, mystery, and intrigue await the reader in this new Hidden Mickey Mystery!

  Enjoy this “E- Ticket” Adventure!

  Hidden Mickey 5:

  Chasing New Frontiers

  David W. Smith

  Disclaimer

  Walt Disney Company Trademarks: Hidden Mickey 5: Chasing New Frontiers is in no way authorized by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the Walt Disney Company, Inc., Disneyland Park, or WED. Disneyland Park is a registered trademark of the Walt Disney Company. Other trademarks include but are not limited to Disneyland, Tom Sawyer Island, Swiss Family Tree House, Tarzan Tree House, WED, Davey Crocket Explorer Canoes, Magic Kingdom, Critter Country, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, DEC, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, New Orleans Square, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, It’s a Small World, Primeval World, Carousel of Progress, Rainbow Ridge Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, French Market, Club 33, Blue Bayou, Mark Twain, Columbia Sailing Ship, Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland, Cascade Peak, Main Street USA, Mary Poppins, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Coke Corner, Aladdin, A Whole New World (song), Space Mountain, Tomorrowland, Matterhorn Bob Sleds, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, Astrojets, Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours, Hungry Bear Restaurant, Disneyland Railroad, Fritter, Splash Mountain, Enchanted Tiki room, Disneyland Hotel, Submarine Voyage, Bear Country, Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney. All references to such trademarked properties are used in accordance with the Fair Use Doctrine and are not meant to imply this book is a Disney product for advertising or other commercial purposes.

  While some of the events and persons contained herein are historical facts and figures, other persons named and the events described are purely fictional and the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people is purely coincidental. The actions depicted within the book are the result of fiction and imagination and are not to be attempted, reproduced or duplicated by readers of this book.

  The Author assumes no responsibility or liability for damages resulting, or alleged to result, directly or indirectly from the use of the information contained herein.

  Hidden Mickey 5

  Chasing New Frontiers

  Volume 5, 1st Edition – 2011

  Fifth Book in the Hidden Mickey Series

  Copyright © 2011 by David W. Smith

  Paperback ISBN:978-0-9832616-2-9

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-9832616-1-2

  All Rights Reserved—No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior and expressed written permission of the Author.

  Cover Inception by David W. Smith

  Layout and Design by Jeremy Bartic

  www.jeremybartic.daportfolio.com

  Dedication and Appreciation

  I would like to dedicate this book to my wife, Kerri, as well as to our children, Kyla and Keaton. It has been my wife who has supported and encouraged all my projects and endeavors, making it possible to dedicate countless hours to writing and research. It is my children who instill that sense of youthful adventure in me, a trait that I hope I never lose sight of nor do I hope they do.

  Personally, I would also like to dedicate the book’s inspiration to Walt Disney and to the vision that he pursued in the face of opposition and resistance from so many. Disney’s own “story” is one of success and perseverance, and one that provides encouragement for countless followers.

  I would also like to express my respect and appreciation to those who have penned books dedicated to Walt Disney and his life. Obviously, those who have written such detailed works hold a similar level of respect and admiration for the accomplishments of Walt Disney to that which I have expressed here. Their own attention to particulars, facts, historical references and, in many cases, capturing the essence of what Walt Disney means to so many people, has been not just helpful to me in writing this book but also thoroughly entertaining—if not truly educational!

  Thanks and Appreciation

  I want to express my deep appreciation to Ridge Beamis, Bill Stafford, Alyssa Colodny, Kimberlee Keeline, and Misty Amodt who have helped in reviewing and editing the original manuscript, assisting me in identifying areas that needed improvement from their personal perspectives. Also, Grant Dawdy, a long-time friend and even longer-time Disneyland cast member, was helpful to me in identifying changes that had occurred in the Park since I worked there, bringing in even more realism to the story, especially for those who have or still do work at Disneyland.

  Thanks to Bill Winchester who has provided many hours of expertise in helping me with various elements of publishing over the years, including the difficult process of converting my extensive books on tennis to E-book formats.

  As always, I want to express my deepest appreciation to my mother, Donna Winchester, who has always been more than a mother all these years. Her love and continued support for my work is both a blessing and a gift.

  To the Reader,

  The Hidden Mickey Series was first conceived as an affectionate look at Walt Disney and Disneyland within the framework of a compelling mystery, love story, and action-adventure storylines.

  Hidden Mickey 5: Chasing New Frontiers indeed follows this formula. Similar to our other Hidden Mickey novels—which could be labeled as “Historical Fiction” mysteries—Hidden Mickey 5 is not only based on facts that surround Walt Disney but this story is also based loosely on a true story. Having worked at Disneyland in the late
1970’s and early 1980’s, parts of the book also include personal experiences during my six years working at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, California.

  The characters in play are fictional except for references to those individuals who are represented as themselves, introduced within the story through historical perspective and research on Walt Disney and the many interesting developments that Disneyland is a product of.

  Thoughts about Disneyland and Walt Disney

  Walt Disney’s Disneyland is an enigma; it is many things to many people. It was also the first of what would be several successful Disney Theme Parks of similar design. What makes Disneyland special is not just that it was “The First,” but, unlike the subsequent Disney Parks that have been built, it obviously had Walt Disney’s personal touch in every aspect prior to his death in 1966. Walt Disney’s Disneyland was a labor of love as much as it was one man’s vision and self-fulfilling prophesy. Disney was told his dream would be a “Hollywood Failure,” yet, that ‘failure’ has brought delight, adventure, and imagination to hundreds of millions of people around the world, not to mention helping to create a multi-billion dollar enterprise!

  Hidden Mickey is a series of books dedicated to those same concepts and ideals that Walt Disney, I’m sure, had for his Park: of helping people escape their reality for a spell and revisit memories… memories of perhaps their own first visit to the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Or, as the case may be, act as an invitation for those who have not yet explored Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdoms. Either way, I hope that this book and all our Hidden Mickey novels provide hours of intrigue, suspense, adventure and enjoyment to all, and perhaps, offer fascinating impressions of Walt Disney and his Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, along the way.

  Enjoy the Ride!

  David W. Smith, Author Hidden Mickey 5: Chasing New Frontiers

  “The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together—and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families—that’s what we hope to do.”

  Walt Disney

  PROLOGUE

  Daddy’s Day

  Saturday, May 30st, 1942

  Griffith Park, California

  2:08pm

  The spark of imagination blossomed suddenly in the mind of the man sitting alone on the park bench. He didn’t know if it was a premeditated idea or if inspiration decided to imbed itself into the man’s consciousness at that very moment. But like tentacles on an octopus, the strands of the idea he was thinking were coming together from a variety of impressions and an assortment of experiences; each of those thoughts were now congealing into one very explicit—and one very prolific—inspiration.

  Wearing a dark brown fedora hat that was tilted at an angle atop his head of slick-back black hair, the slender man felt the bench upon which he sat was as comfortable as a bed of nails. He was sitting a little hunched over against the hard wooden planks while eating peanuts from a slender, red and white striped bag. Even with the chronic pain in his neck and back, the constant reminder of playing polo on horseback a half-dozen years earlier, the man, only in his early forties, smiled with a boyish-grin. He watched his two young daughters as they rode perpetually galloping wooden horses on the Spillman Carousel, spinning round and round, near the middle of Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

  It was ‘daddy’s day’ for the man with his girls, as it was most Saturdays. He enjoyed watching the youngsters giggle as they held leather reigns and sat upon jewel-encrusted saddles. The man, whose eyes sparkled with purpose, waved to each girl as they passed him. He watched, with a mechanically inquisitive mind, the girl’s horses as each slowly moved up and down opposite each other, but both to the rhythm of the organ music emanating from the center of the carousel.

  At a little past two o’clock in the afternoon, the sun was just past its apex but still very potent. While the temperature was mild, the humidity was high and the afternoon breeze had yet to materialize. Suddenly feeling the onset of sunburn beginning to mark its territory across half his face, the man adjusted his fedora so that its brim shadowed his whole face.

  Adjusting his position again with mild stiffness in his neck, the man turned and looked absently around the hilly park, the largest of the ‘urban wilderness’ municipal parks in the U.S. Like himself, he saw other parents, grandparents, and couples sitting among scattered benches; many, like him, were watching children enjoying the carousal. As ideas continued to form in his head, the man raised his right hand and thoughtfully rubbed his chin; he then ran a finger along the thin line of a mustache that sat below a salient-chiseled nose.

  Another man walked up to the bench. “Mind if I join you?” the man asked, unaware he was interrupting the other man’s thoughts. An older gentleman, the newcomer looked to be in his mid-sixties.

  “Not at all,” the younger man replied politely, wiping some peanut shell remnants from the other half of the bench seat. While the younger man was well-known in the entertainment industry, the older man didn’t give any indication he recognized him…which was just fine with the younger man.

  “Beautiful day,” the other man said, sitting down while simultaneously looking up at the spectacular blue sky, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand, while holding the top of his own hat so it wouldn’t slide off his head with the other. “I’m Arthur,” the man said, turning towards his left, holding his right hand out.

  “Walter,” the younger man said, reaching over. “Nice to meet you.” The two men shook hands.

  “Looks like the kids are having a ball,” Arthur said, nodding towards the carousel rotating within the rhythm of musical notes played from the calliope. A couple dozen kids were on board, laughing, waving to other people who were watching them; some of the adults standing nearby were trying to take pictures of the moving targets on the carousel with their box cameras.

  “Mine would ride that thing all day long, if I let them,” Walter replied, tapping his fingers unconsciously to the beat of the music with his left hand on the handrail of the bench.

  Arthur smiled his understanding, watching the carousel riders pretending to gallop along.

  “Too bad we don’t get to have rides,” Arthur said after a bit, looking around, referring to the park’s attractions, all of which were basically geared towards kids. There was a miniature train ride, the carousel, and pony rides, among others. “We only have benches or grass,” Arthur said, taking off his hat and using it to point out the broad expanse around them then fanned his face with it. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and stroked his bald head, wiping perspiration as if drying the hood of a freshly rinsed car.

  Walter followed Arthur’s gaze and nodded agreeably. “I was just thinking the same thing earlier,” Walter said. “There should be something built, some kind of family park, where parents and children could have fun together, doing things together,” he said, Walter’s eyes not focused on that which he was seeing, but something forming within his imagination.

  Arthur was smiling. “You’re right about that, Walt.”

  Walter and Arthur sat quietly watching the merry-go-round spin and listening to the music.

  However, like the gears that made the carousel spin and made its horses go up and down, the proverbial gears in Walt Disney’s head were also turning.

  “I put in all the things I wanted to do as a kid—and couldn’t.”

  Walt Disney, speaking about Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland

  Reported in Reader’s Digest, 1960

  CHAPTER 1

  Declaration

  July 21st, 1997

  Disneyland, California

  1:25pm

  “Ditch ‘em!”

  The three boys shouted out in unison as soon as they bounded across the threshold between Tom Sawyer Island and the raft that had just transported them from the New Orleans dock across the Rivers of America inside Disneyland. Dodging guests who were stepping off the raft at the same time, the three friends immediately scattered in different directions, ignoring
the trailing advice from the cast member warning them to walk. The employee just shook his head as he watched the boys quickly vanish among the trees and trails that extended out from the landing dock.

  Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer Island had been—and still was—a kid’s paradise for over forty years. Generations of boys and girls would spend hours on the island, playing “Ditch ‘em” or “hide-and-seek” or “Cowboys-and-Indians;” the names used were dependent on the generation or current kid-slang spoken that particular era or whatever the kids felt like calling it. Today, the game was the same…the clothes and haircuts were all that had changed.

  James Gregory, or “Jimmy” to his friends, Mark Flowers, and the leader of the trio, Blain Walters, grew up together in the city of Garden Grove near the boundary of Anaheim, the city that was home to Disneyland.

  The early afternoon sun, now directly overhead, permeated Tom Sawyer Island with thin shafts of light percolating through the leaves of the mature trees that grew abundantly around the island, forming a canopy of mostly shade over the various gravel trails that zigzagged up, over, and across the island like a three-dimensional maze. The three boys dashed about with that carefree feeling of midsummer when the next school year was not even a conscious thought and the joy of the previous year being over still lingered. All three would be entering junior high next year which meant a new school, new friends, and a slew of new teachers.

  But school was the furthest thing from their minds.