The Park didn’t close until midnight. Once they were finished with dinner, Lance and Kimberly didn’t head to the parking lot. Instead, they quietly blended in with cast members coming in for their night shifts in the backstage area of the Park.

His backpack stashed in his locker, Lance and Kimberly reentered the Park, this time as guests. They strolled along the beautifully manicured gardens at the Hub in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, enjoying the sights and sounds around them, just like everyone else was doing.

Their destination wasn’t as random as it seemed. “I need to see something.” Lance led the way through the arched entrance to Adventureland and rounded the corner of the Enchanted Tiki Room. This South Pacific-themed attraction that featured singing birds, flowers and tiki poles held many fond memories for Kimberly. It always made her think of the few vacations taken with her father when she was a child, once to Hawaii and once to the Cook Islands…places she would later learn had more to do with Walt Disney than just being family getaways.

A large group of people exited the Tiki Room and forced everyone else to walk closer together through that narrow walkway. Lance took the moment to squeeze in closer to Kimberly, his arm pressed against her side.

“Where are we headed, Lance?” The crowd finally thinned and they now walked freely past the Jungle Cruise. For a moment, Kimberly drifted back to when they were sitting cheek to cheek on the wooden seats of those little boats. Lance’s answer brought her out of her daydream.

“I want to see Tarzan’s Treehouse.” Ahead of them was the large simulated tree that originally had been the home of the Swiss Family Robinson clan and built after the popular Disney film of the same name.

Gone was the Swisska Polka that had been the featured song of the Treehouse. Before, the song had permeated the area around the Treehouse. Now relegated to dim background music, the polka played occasionally on a gramophone set up in the lower area of the Treehouse. The attraction was now themed to match the animated movie, Tarzan.

“The Treehouse? I thought we needed to get into the Jungle Cruise.”

“We do.” Lance led her by the arm to the side of the walkway just before the entrance stairs, out of the stream of traffic. “Unfortunately,” he quietly explained, “the island section of the Jungle Cruise that we need to get to is across the ride’s river flume…a flume that’s about three feet deep in the middle. While I suspect you would look fabulous all wet, I don’t think we want to be explaining to anyone why we’re both soaking wet.”

Kimberly slightly blushed at his remark. “So, what do you suggest as an alternative to getting wet?”

“I’ll tell you once we’re up in the Treehouse.”

It was past midnight when Lance returned to his locker to retrieve his backpack. Kimberly met him once again at the entrance to the Inn Between again. She had put on a dark windbreaker over her blouse, even though the summer night—or early morning as it had become—was most pleasant.

“Ready?” Lance wanted to give her one last opportunity to back out of the plan.

“I think so.” Even though her voice was steady, her eyes revealed some trepidation.

Lance took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Kimberly, we don’t have to do this.”

She looked down at her feet for a moment, and then brought her eyes up to his. “Actually, yes, we do.”

His smile was meant to encourage her. “Everything will be all right.”

She gave a wary smile back, keeping silent. I hope so, she thought to herself. I hope so.

Directly across from the backstage location of the Inn Between was the entrance to Adventureland. Between those two points was the Central Plaza where guests would decide which Land they wanted to explore. Lance and Kimberly walked casually across the Hub toward Adventureland. With the Park now closed, the large number of guests who had stayed until the very last minute were slowly headed south down Main Street; many families with children in strollers who were sound asleep, teenagers holding hands, kids with Mickey balloons…and Lance and Kimberly who walked diagonally across the Hub against the flow of guests who headed for the exit.

As they entered Adventureland, they passed the safari-themed gift shops opposite the Jungle Cruise exit gate. There was a handful of guests still busy picking out last minute souvenirs while cast members were trying to get the stores ready for inventory, straightening merchandise, or moving misplaced items back to their proper places.

The queue for the Jungle Cruise was silent when the two reached the Treehouse. Lance stopped to look up at the angle of the large branches that hung well out from the massive trunk. From previous research, Lance knew the life-like tree was made out of six tons of steel, over a hundred cubic yards of concrete contoured and etched to look just like bark, branches and limbs, and over 300,000 handmade vinyl leaves and blossoms. Now that night had fallen, the Treehouse was illuminated by ancient-looking lanterns. These flickering lights lined the wooden walkways built into the attraction so guests could easily move up and down the one hundred thirty-three stair-steps.

Up through the leaves, Lance could see one of the huts of the Treehouse. It was shaped like the bow of a ship with two extending arms, transoms from a sea-going vessel, which held a small lifeboat off to the side of the hut. Higher up, more out of sight from the ground, was the second of the three huts. This one was positioned well out from the main core of the tree and sat over the edge of the narrow entrance to the neighboring Indiana Jones ride. As they walked past Indy’s truck parked in the viewing area, Lance could now see the dark green, silent water of the Jungle Cruise. Looking up he also spotted some lights inside one of the open-air windows of the second hut, and got an idea.

“Follow me.” With a conspiratorial grin, he grabbed her hand.

The front, main stair entrance of the Treehouse was blocked off for the night. Sitting in the middle of the Adventureland walkway, it was in open view. The exit to the attraction, however, was back off to the left, with its flagstone walkways and bubbling stream that fed into the Jungle Cruise river. The exit had a fence surrounding it to deter people from sneaking into the attraction after the front had been un-ceremonially closed off by a large trashcan set inside the turnstile. While effective in keeping the children from darting in late at night, it now proved to be a deterrent to the two adults who wanted to do just that.

Lance led Kimberly along the fence to where it melded with a wall that marked the beginning of New Orleans Square and housed the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. He found a place where the wall could be climbed with minimal difficulty. The decorative iron bars that connected the fence to the wall would become a foot hold. Peering through the fencing, he could see a relatively flat area of shredded bark that would soften a landing from the top of the fence. Looking around again, he noticed that they were now in what Security commonly called a ‘shadow zone’—an area of the Park that wasn’t lit at night. Shadow zones were popular areas for couples who wanted to spend some time together without being seen. Lance gave a brief grin. His fellow security guard, Wolf, could always ferret out these couples. It was like Wolf had a sixth sense. He just hoped Wolf was in a different area of the Park that night.

“Here.” Lance set down his backpack and motioned for Kimberly. “I’m going to give you a boost. Put your hands on the wall where the fence is attached to it. Lift your leg over the top and drop down into that flat area.” After a last look around to make sure no one was close by, he linked his fingers together.

Kimberly didn’t show the uncertainty she felt. She just put her left hand on the fence and her right hand on Lance’s shoulder, ready to go. There was a brief hesitation. “How about you? How are you going to get over?”

“Don’t worry. I think I’ve got it figured out.”

Kimberly shrugged and put her right foot in Lance’s ready hands. He easily boosted her so she was able to throw her leg over the top of the iron fence. In one fluid motion, she swung over the fence and lightly dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

Watching her through the fence, Lance was surprised. “Gosh. You should’ve been a gymnast.” He almost expected her to raise her arms up as he had seen Olympians do after they stick a landing.

“Well, I did take two years of gymnastics as a kid,” she said with a hint of pride.

“Hmmm, I’ll have to remember that.”

Again one last check for any passers-by—or his partner Wolf—Lance tossed his backpack over the fence. He then grabbed the fence with one hand, the wall with his other, and put a foot on the little foothold he had spotted. “Heads up. I’m coming over.” Pushing off, he lifted himself with one easy move and launched his feet over the fence like a pummel horse competitor. Unlike Kimberly, Lance took the opportunity to show off by raising his hands as he landed. “Ta da. Three years gymnastics.”

Helping settle the backpack across his back, her words conveyed a touch of sarcasm. “I’m suitably impressed with your strength and agility.”

Lance laughed quietly, not sure if she was truly impressed or just making fun of him. “Thanks. I honestly didn’t think gymnastics would ever have adult applications.… I guess I was wrong.”

The two of them glanced through the fence one last time for any observers. Not only was it extremely dark in this portion of Disneyland, but, once Fantasmic! was over, this was often the most quiet part of the Park.

Since the exit of the Treehouse was at a higher elevation than the walkway through Adventureland, they had to use the rockwork of the retaining wall to climb into that section. Wading through ferns and flowers and careful not to step on any of the plants, they easily hopped over the narrow, bubbling stream. Lance helped Kimberly over the wood-rail fence that marked the guests’ boundary leading into the laboratory section the Treehouse on ground level. Here, during the day, kids could find pots and pans to bang with metal spoons, ropes to climb that would make Sabor the Leopard scream high above, and plenty of hiding places to avoid their parents. As they walked past the kitchen and its silent gramophone, they came to the first—or actually, the last—landing of stairs in the Treehouse since they had entered through the exit. Once they got past this small section of stairs that was well hidden behind the massive tree trunk, they would be out in the open, visible from below should anyone be there to look upward.

“Crawl through this section.” Lance had already knelt down. “The rails should hide us until we reach that hut, but take it slow.”

Following suit, Kimberly followed him across the twenty feet or so of the wooden planks, being careful not to scrape their feet.

They were now at the lowest hut, completely protected on all sides by a lovely thatched porch. Inside were two sections—the ship’s wheel sitting in a dark-paned window with various nautically-themed knickknacks, and the hut itself which held the figures of Jane and Tarzan as she sketched him. During the day, a large animation pad on the back wall would project the drawing as it progressed until it was a full image of Tarzan.

“We need to get up there.” Lance helped Kimberly to her feet and pointed to the next, higher hut. There was more cover up there, both from all the leaves of the tree and the sheer height of where they would be. It would be easier traveling.

She followed his pointing finger. “Isn’t that the master bedroom?” Even in the darkness Lance could make out the suspicious look on her face.

“Well, as a matter of fact, it is,” Lance admitted. “It’s also the closest place to the Jungle Cruise.”

“Uh huh.…”

“Really, Kimberly?” Lance spread out his arms in an innocent gesture. “Oh, come on…you think.…?”

She folded her arms over her chest. “I know you, Lance.”

“You know the old Lance.”

Not wanting to start something, she had to relent a little. “Well, you have been a total gentleman.” From under her breath came a clear, “so far.”

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

“Famous last words.” She put her hands on his hips and turned him around away from her with a little shove toward the next flight of stairs. “Just keep moving, Tarzan.”

“Yes, Jane.”

As they continued their climb, they came to an observation platform. Secure in the abundance of leaves and tree limbs around them, they paused for a minute. There was a nearly-full moon cresting over the top of the Pirates of the Caribbean building, just past the black Jolly Roger flag blowing in the slight breeze. They could easily make out the tall masts of the Columbia Sailing Ship in its dock at Fowler’s Harbor to the west and the outline of the red rocks of Big Thunder Mountain to the north. But, they knew what they were doing could get them fired, and there were many unanswerable questions about what they might find. If not for their internal unrest, Lance and Kimberly would otherwise have recognized the night as simply a beautiful, balmy Southern California night.

Intent on their mission, they turned from the peaceful sight and came to the second hut. This was the main room that once was the master bedroom of Mother and Father of the Swiss Family Robinson. Now it was home to a touching scene of baby Tarzan being held by his adoptive mother, the gorilla Kala, as they watched scenes of his life play on a movie screen.

The topmost hut was in ruins with the rouge leopard Sabor perched in the bamboo rafters and ready to pounce on anyone who came near. Lance knew there was no room in that hut to hide, and, besides, it was too far away from where they needed to be.

Lance set down his backpack as Kimberly looked over the scene with Kala and Tarzan. Knowing what he would find, he reached in through the narrow window and bamboo bars that kept people from getting inside the hut. There was a special latch that contained a secret release button. While a lock could have been installed for maintenance workers who had to clean or service the hut, latches were more advantageous since locks would have required dozens of keys for all the workers who needed access. A secret button hidden on a flat back portion of the door worked out well. Guests didn’t even realize there was an access door, let alone a means with which to open it. With a click, the latch was released and the frame holding the bamboo shafts over the top of the window swung open like a door.

“I’m impressed. You know any other secrets?” Kimberly watched as he began to step over the sill of the window.

“Well,” Lance began, between grunts of trying to get his leg over and through the window. It was much too small for his six-foot-two-inch frame to squeeze through. “I have a feeling that when this is all over, you’ll probably know more about me than my own mother and father.”

Kimberly immediately saw the problem and the solution. With a grab of his foot, she unceremoniously shoved him through the window opening.

He tumbled into the hut with a thud. Being so high in the tree and surrounded by concrete and vinyl, they hoped the sound wouldn’t carry too far.

Before Kimberly could climb over the sill, Lance suddenly saw a bright beam of light somewhere below them through the loosely-fitting floor boards of the hut.

“Get down on the plank!” Lance hissed from inside the hut. “Scrunch up as close as you can on that platform in front of here. Hurry!”

They could see the light shining on the opposite side of the tree from where they were, tracked back and forth in a search pattern and now came toward the higher part of the Treehouse. The beam would flicker as it was caught between branches and leaves, and they could barely make out the outline of the person who aimed the light at the various walkways and stairs.

It was a strong bluish-white beam, one Lance immediately recognized as a standard Security-issue Mag light like he carried when he worked as a closing shift guard.

Through the bamboo walls of the hut, Lance could see the light come toward them. The window had already been closed when he first spotted the light. Outside the hut, Kimberly lay motionless, afraid to move, even to breathe.

The beam followed the planks right to where Kimberly lay, moving along the far edge of the platform toward the edge that dropped into the Indy ride below. Eyes wide, she watched as the white light slowly edged along the floor. Pulling her body in tight so no part could be visible around the corner of the platform, she saw the light edge even closer to the tips of her shoes.

The light came within inches of her shoe and then started to sweep back in the direction from which it came and then began a slow retreat. Apparently the guard didn’t want to make that last, high climb to the topmost hut. When the light was no longer visible, Kimberly sagged in relief and allowed herself to slowly exhale the breath she had been holding.

The two remained motionless for another two minutes. Kimberly finally took a hesitant peek over the edge of the platform through the rails and could see the guard was now inside the FastPass area for Indy. He then headed through the queue area and across the empty dock of the Jungle Cruise.

Careful not to make any noise, Kimberly stood, her legs trembling and heart pounding. As she leaned into the window, she looked down at Lance who now sat against the far wall with a big grin on his face. The lock was again unlatched and he motioned for her to quickly come in through the window. He scooted next to where Kala and baby Tarzan as she leaned in and began to step over the open frame. Before Lance could help, her toe caught on the bottom edge of the railing. Off balance, Kimberly fell forward against Lance who put out a hand to catch her. The momentum was too great and he fell backward onto the thin carpet, pulling her on top as he tried to cushion her fall.

Lance let out a grunt as her body slammed into his stomach. Kimberly, still scared of being heard or discovered, lay motionless on top of him, hands still interlocked with his, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Suddenly, she started to giggle, her body trembling as she lay on top of Lance.

“Shh!” Lance warned, and then suddenly started to giggle himself at their predicament. After the tense moments with the security guard and now in that awkward position, they were having a difficult time containing their emotions.

Kimberly lifted her face a few inches from Lance’s neck to look at his contorted face. Air slipped out of Lance’s mouth as he tried to hold in his laughter. Kimberly let go of his hand and covered his mouth, which didn’t help him at all. She was now laughing through her nose, trying desperately not to make any sound. Lance took his now-free hand and put his finger on Kimberly’s lips.

In that moment, as Lance looked at Kimberly in the darkness, his laughing subsided and he just stared into the depths of her lovely eyes. Kimberly felt herself being drawn into Lance’s mesmerizing gaze. Her giggling stopped, too.

In a sudden movement, she rolled to her side, off of Lance and onto her knees. Her voice came out a little strained. “Okay…so, what’s your plan from here on out?” She attempted to sound normal though her cheeks were flushed and her heart pounded in her chest.

Their unexpected change in position surprised Lance. A look of hurt passed over his face. Then, remembering why they were there, he recovered and quickly got to his feet, clearing his throat. “Well, since maintenance works on the Jungle Cruise from closing to about three a.m., I guess we sit up here and wait.” The moment between them gone, Lance reached for his backpack and unzipped the large top pocket. “I’ve got dinner, Madame.” He glanced at his Rolex—one of the last luxury items he hadn’t yet had to sell. The time was twelve-fifty in the morning. “I mean breakfast,” he clarified with a grin.

Kimberly suddenly felt a wave of hunger. Perhaps from nerves. Perhaps from the raw emotion she had just felt with Lance. Perhaps glad to have something to do with her hands. Lance handed her one of the two ham sandwiches he had packed. The sandwiches had been on top of a frozen Blue Ice bag, now no longer frozen but still cold. “Thanks. I’m starving.”

He reached into a side pocket and pulled out a matching thermos. “If you don’t mind sharing my germs, I’ve got iced tea and one cup…well, minus the ice apparently,” he amended after peering into the thermos.

After a couple of minutes of companionable silence while they ate, Kimberly had a question as she handed the cup back to Lance. “So, what happens after maintenance wraps up at three?”

“Do you know what a zip line is?”

The question surprised her. It wasn’t what she expected. “Yes. I rode one in Jamaica when my dad and I took a cruise together.”

Lance lifted his eyebrow. “Really? For some reason I can’t picture your father taking time off for anything, let alone a Caribbean cruise, or using a zip line.”

Kimberly smiled at the memory. “Well, it was for my twentieth birthday. In fact, it was on that cruise that my father told me about Walt and about his role as the Guardian.”

“Wow,” he muttered as he poured more tea and held it out to her. “How’d you take that wee bit of news?”

“It was a relief in some ways.” She took a sip, and paused, as she looked over the rim of the cup. “I knew something was…different about Dad. You can’t hide what my father had been doing for forty years and not raise some questions.”

Lance remained quiet as she sorted out her thoughts. He could see her eyes in the dim lights that were part of the Treehouse lighting system. It was a soft glow that permeated through the windows of the hut. It wasn’t enough light to illuminate any colors in the small room, but Lance could see the emotion in Kimberly’s eyes.

“I had no idea of the magnitude of what he was doing, of course. He filled me in only to the point of his relationship with Walt back in the early 1960’s. You see, Dad had been working on some experimental cryogenics with some partners I never knew. He left the business when Walt approached him with his incredible idea. Dad told me that he was hired as a sub-contractor.” She gave a small, knowing smile as she looked at Lance. “Yeah, he wasn’t really a sub-contractor working for WED Enterprises. He answered only to Walt and all the managers of Disneyland knew that Dad wasn’t to be questioned the few times he appeared at the Park during the construction of New Orleans Square.”

The pieces started to fall into place for Lance. He nodded his understanding. “So your dad was able to install the subterranean machine in the Park under the guise of being part of the project Walt had designed and was overseeing.”

“And all the tanks that he figured he would need for a long time in…hibernation.”

“How long did he plan for the tanks to keep Walt suspended?”

“Dad estimated seventy-five years, provided everything worked correctly.” Kimberly took another bite of her sandwich and chewed for a few moments in silence. “He was able to monitor everything from the house. So far, from what I understand, most everything has worked exactly the way my father designed it to work. There are back-up systems in place, too, just in case there’s a loss of power to the Park.”

She could tell Lance was impressed.

Lance thought back to the night he discovered Walt—the night Kimberly’s father pointed a gun at him. That seemed a lifetime ago. “You should’ve seen my face when I looked in that contraption and saw Walt staring back at me.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Of course, you don’t want to know what I was thinking when your dad pointed that .44 Magnum at my forehead.”

“Ah, Lance, I’m so sorry.” Kimberly was sincerely upset by what he had been put through.

He waved her off. “No, no. It was….” He paused, and looked away. “I guess you could call it karma that someone else pointed a gun at me,” thinking back to when he had pulled a gun on his two best friends. Former best friends, he silently corrected.

“Well, I know that if you weren’t there when my dad died, you wouldn’t have known to open that envelope.” Kimberly stopped and pondered the situation. “In fact,” she added, “I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if Dad had just told me that something was missed along the way. I do know one thing, though. I would not have trusted Daniel Crain.” She shook her head. “I honestly wouldn’t put anything past him, uncle or no uncle. He just creeps me out.”

Lance poured the last of the tea and held it out.

Kimberly held up her hand. “No, go ahead. I’m fine.” She didn’t want to have to try and sneak into a Ladies Room any time soon.…

Lance took the final sip. “Well,” as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, “all I know is that I’ve gone from feeling like I had missed the boat to now becoming the captain.” He smiled, even as he secretly hoped he had not become captain of the Titanic. He brushed off the thought and then looked at Kimberly. “I’m glad we’re on this little adventure together.”

Kimberly could feel her heart skip a beat. She didn’t say it, but she was glad too.

As it approached three in the morning, Kimberly awoke, startled at her unfamiliar surroundings. She had fallen asleep after eating the sandwich, and was even more startled to look up into the face of Lance…finding his lap had been her pillow.

“Where…What?” Groggy, she lifted her head from his lap.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Lance smiled as she got up half way, leaning on her outstretched arm. “Good timing, too. It’s just after three and we have a lot of work to do.”

Kimberly sat up and rubbed her eyes with felt like sandpaper. “I guess I fell asleep.”

“It’s fine. You needed the rest and I guess I was a reasonable facsimile of a pillow.” Lance admired the sleepy look that was etched across her face. Dang, she looks good at three in the morning.

“I assume we’re still undiscovered?”

“Yes, and it’s very quiet on the western front.”

Kimberly looked toward Jungle Cruise. “I believe that would be the south-eastern front.”

Lance chuckled. “See? That’s why I brought you along. I’d probably end up on the roof of Pirates if it weren’t for you.”

“I do try.”

Lance quietly went out the window of the hut, slipped on the backpack, and walked to the back of the platform. He had already spied out a large, sturdy branch eighteen inches in diameter that jutted out from the foundation of the hut. The branch, a large, camouflaged scaffolding structure for that section of the tree, was itself supported by a vertical column of vines that was designed to conceal a steel shaft running straight down to the ground. He climbed over the rail that surrounded the walkway and stood on the branch. Overhead were small branches he could grasp for balance as he walked to the outer portion of the tree. There was a large opening that allowed him a clear view over the middle of Indiana Jones’ queue area and into part of the Jungle Cruise.

Kimberly waited and watched at the rail, keeping a lookout for anyone who might be walking below. They were both well-protected from sight by the darkness as well as the layers of branches and leaves that went out in all directions below them. It was sound that was their enemy now.

Lance moved until he felt was far enough out for what he had in mind. The branch had tapered down to ten inches around. His position offered a clear shot to a large Magnolia tree opposite them, directly across from the Indy queue. The tree he picked out was at the edge of Manhattan Island. In a sitting position, straddling the branch, he pulled the backpack off his shoulders. By poking the straps through another sturdy branch, the pack was secure from falling.

Underneath where their sandwiches had been stashed, Lance pulled out an aluminum shoulder bracket that looked like a futuristic rifle stock, and a black, metal barrel that he screwed into the stock. Now the contraption resembled an underwater spear-gun that attached around his neck with black straps.

Next came an arrow-shaped spear about an inch in diameter and a foot-and-a-half long. Lance tested the device by pushing the tip against a branch. With a muted zing, the arrow sprung open and three foot-long arms branched out to form a grappling hook. Once back into their nesting position, he slid the arrow into the barrel until it locked with a click.

Fascinated, Kimberly watched as Lance fished out a coil of wire and attached one end to the eye hook that looped above the barrel. A spring-loaded carabiner attached to the wire threaded through the hook of the arrow. Lance made sure he had a clear view of the Magnolia tree that was about thirty-five feet away. With fifty feet of cable, he should be able to reach the tree. Now he pulled out a CO2 cylinder that slipped into a slot on the rifle directly behind the barrel of the gun. When a short whoosh of escaping air was heard, Lance was ready to go.

While the CO2 cartridge had the capability of about six shots, Lance had to do this in one attempt. He liked the tree he had chosen since it was sufficiently tall to allow the zip line across the river to fall at a steep enough angle.

Looking one last time below and across the Jungle Cruise river, he saw no one who might hear either him or the hook land. Ankles locked around the branch, he had a firm foundation. Worse than missing his target, falling forty feet would certainly ruin his day.

Ready to fire, Lance held his breath and pulled the trigger. With a quick, half second explosion, the arrow launched from the rifle cleanly through the opening in the tree. The cable spooled out so fast it looked as if he had hooked a large barracuda. The arching arrow landed in the middle of the Magnolia with a rustle of leaves and a muted thud. An instant later the prongs released.

“Yes!” Lance high-fived the tree had held him.

Kimberly unconsciously held her breath as she watched Lance. As he pulled back the slack of the cable, only then did she let her breath out and relax.

When the cable was taut, he tested the strength of the hold. No longer needed, the whole contraption was returned to his backpack. Lance then wrapped the anchor securely around a branch. Because the tree he was in was actually made of concrete and steel, he wasn’t concerned about stability of this end. It was the living Magnolia that he hoped would be strong enough. Hoping he had done enough, he now had a frozen rope stretched at a thirty-degree angle toward the Jungle Cruise.

When he was satisfied, he signaled Kimberly. “I need you.”

As she made her way over the wide branch, Lance took out a small pulley device—a rectangular object that had a hook on the bottom and two wheels sandwiched between two aluminum plates. With a snap, the device opened and Lance placed the wheels over the cable before snapping the two ends back together, encircling the device on the cable and creating a handle. Kimberly reached him as it was secured to a pulley. A small gardening spade was placed in his back pocket.

“I need you to stay here while I zip across the river.” Still needing to whisper, he gripped the wooden handle and tested the pulley by pulling it soundlessly back and forth across the cable. “When I get back I’ll need you to see if anyone is around the base of the Treehouse. I won’t be able to see over the tall berm of bushes.”

Disappointed, Kimberly nodded, wishing she could go with him to search the island and El Lobo. “Okay. But hurry, Lance.”

Lance looked relaxed, as if he was going for a short walk. “I’ll be right back.” He turned to leave but then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned back to Kimberly with an inquisitive look on his face.

“Good luck…break a leg…pull a hamstring….whatever it is they say before you do something like this.” Kimberly gave him a small smile as she looked into his eyes. She then leaned in and kissed him on his lips. A short, sweet—and for Lance—a completely unexpected first kiss. Lance looked at her with a secret hope that it wouldn’t be their last kiss.

Lance grinned as he leaned out over the branch, hanging onto the handle of the pulley. Slowly letting his weight move from the branch to the wire, he was pleased to see that it only dropped about eight inches when his weight was finally on the cable. Without a word, Lance released the branch and let gravity take over. The downward slope of the cable made the first ten feet flash by. He lifted his legs up as high as he could so he would clear the branches below the tree. As he approached the end, the sag of the cable went below the anchor point so Lance could slow down. With a slight whoosh, Lance hit the leaves of the Magnolia and used his legs to brace the abrupt end against the lower branches and trunk of the huge tree.

A good five feet above the ground, he grabbed a lower branch and swung himself from the handle to the ground. Quickly kneeling down into a tight ball, he paused to hear any approaching voices in the distance. After a minute, Lance looked back up along the cable to where he could make out Kimberly still on the branch.

Lance flashed an “A-Okay” sign before he looked for a path to the other side of the island. Kimberly returned the wave and watched him vanish into the bushes.

Even though it was dark, Kimberly felt both visible and vulnerable—if not perilous—standing out on that large branch. There was nothing she could do for Lance, and, besides, she couldn’t see past the Magnolia Lance had used.

Kimberly knew it would probably be longer than the “be right back” Lance had promised. He would have to negotiate the trek across the small, but dense, jungle, cross both islands to find both El Lobos, search for something he hoped would still be hidden after forty-plus years, and make it back…all without being caught or discovered.

Instead of wistfully scanning the side of the river where Lance vanished, Kimberly climbed back over the rail of the hut where she and Lance had hid. She made herself as comfortable as she could on the thin carpeted floor of the hut. Eyes closed, she listened for any noise that might signal Lance’s return.

Or someone else’s.

Lance found a surprisingly well-marked trail that led in the direction he believed he needed to go. He had a hand-drawn map of the ride, basically showing the shape of the river, the two islands that make up the interior—Manhattan and Catalina—and simple descriptions of various attractions along the ride. There was no description of the trail or where it went, nor was there any depiction of the rock formation in either location they had spotted. Lance believed one of those places had to be where the clue was directing him. This ambiguity was actually a good thing, in Lance’s mind. For something to have been left virtually alone for all this time, it would have to be something nearly forgotten or lost.

According to the map, Lance had landed on Manhattan, near the Cambodian Shrine and sunken ruins where the large, animated Bengal tiger stood snarling at the passing boats. However, with the entire ride’s animation turned off, the tiger, along with all the mechanical creatures, would be motionless. The first location they had spotted would be down the narrow strip of island toward the attraction’s entrance. Just in case there was a worker somewhere in the queue area for the Indiana Jones attraction, Lance headed to the opposite side of Manhattan, across the river from the baboons and the wrecked campsite. The going was slow as the underbrush was thick. He could tell no one had been through that section of the island in a long time. There was no path, no signs, and no footprints.

Sticking near the riverbank, Lance could see well enough. When the river started to make the bend toward the now-silent Schweitzer Falls, he headed into the thicket of vines and tree trunks. In his hand was a small flashlight. When he found the first rock formation, he muttered, “Hello, beautiful!” as he illuminated the open mouth of the small El Lobo. Careful to look over every inch of the rocks, Lance was disappointed when he couldn’t spot any carved WED. He double-checked the base of the man-made formation, pulled leaves and dirt away from the edges, looked inside the wolf-like jaw and all along the top of the structure.

“Going to make me work for it, huh, Walt?” Lance was undeterred as he decided to move on to the next formation.

He knew he needed to get to the point of the island across from where Schweitzer Falls was located. He would climb over the rocks that make up the Falls and climb down opposite the second island, Catalina.

Once he got to the end of Manhattan, it was obvious that he was going to have to get wet—something he had earlier kidded Kimberly about. “Now it’s really too bad she didn’t come.” Not taking the time to grouse about it, Lance sat down on the grassy spit of land and removed his shoes, socks, and pants. With a resigned sigh, he entered the dark green water. Surprised to find the water warm, Lance concluded that the dark coloring of the water retained the heat from the sun. As he moved from ankle-deep water to well past his knees in just a few steps, he held his clothes higher and higher as he approached the center of the river. He had thought it was only about three feet deep. It was more like five feet. When the water reached his chest, the bottom of the river flattened out. Lance knew there was a rail of some sort for the track that kept the Jungle Cruise boats in the middle of the river. As expected, he felt a raised bar with his bare foot, a bar that seemed about eight inches off the floor of the river.

Once on the other side, he started to get dressed again, but hesitated. Was there a connecting piece of land? He gave a loud groan. “Idiot. It’s called Catalina Island for a reason….” He decided to only put his shoes on at this point wondering how he might have to explain his current condition should someone discover him only wearing a shirt, boxers and shoes. Still chuckling, he found the trace of a trail that led in the direction he wanted. It had to be a maintenance trail since it ended at a small clearing that contained large pumps and other large valves that Lance concluded must control the flow of water over Schweitzer Falls.

There were steps built in the concrete rockwork that formed the back of the Falls. Those steps, in turn, led up to the top where a second set of steps, probably only used to service the outflow tubes filling the small basin where the water fills up before going over the fifteen-foot wide fall, were located. Lance looked at his watch; it read 4:10 a.m. At this hour, the pumps were off and there was only standing water at the top of the falls when he climbed up to take a look. Stepping stones in the small basin took Lance over the top of Schweitzer Falls. In the darkness he missed one of the stones that had a worn—but unmistakable—WED chiseled into its face. In fact, had he been looking in the right places, he would have spotted two other WED carvings, both of them worn from age and the elements; one was in the first step that lead to the top of the Falls and one was farther back on a well-camouflaged rock face that also featured an arrow that pointed in the exact direction Lance had been following to the El Lobo formation.

On the other side of Schweitzer Falls, there were similar steps down from the top. Neglected with little use, there was ample growth of vines and plants that surrounded and nearly blocked those downward steps. Lance plied through the foliage reached the water’s edge. With another deep sigh, he sat down and again removed his shoes. He didn’t bother rolling his soggy sweatshirt any higher. He didn’t think it could possibly get any wetter than it already was.

Near the attacking natives who were frozen in the ‘down’ position, Lance checked the map he had gotten from his friend Drew. He realized why the Catalina side of the ride didn’t have a clearly defined path: almost all of the animation in this part of the ride was on the mainland side. Only some natives and non-animated animals were on this side and needed only periodic attention; mainly gardening so the surrounding jungle doesn’t swallow the elements completely. Plus, those few animations were at the edge of the water and more easily accessible by maintenance skiffs.

That might explain why it had been hard to spot the second El Lobo. Lance thought it might have been a more important part of the ride when Walt was in charge. More of the sophisticated animation was developed later when the technology improved. Anything on this part of the ride may have literally been left alone, forgotten, in favor of the newer ride elements that occupied the side viewed by the guests and most easily serviced by maintenance. Lance understood this since it would cost more and be a logistical nightmare to bring huge power cables under the river to the isolated island. It would be much easier to keep the technical elements on the mainland side where power and all the wiring and hydraulic cables that controlled the animation would be easier to reach and maintain.

Folding the map, he slipped it into his shirt pocket. It was much darker on this island as there was literally no light filtering through the trees as there had been on the Manhattan side which was much closer to the lights of the Park. He pulled out his Mag flashlight could see a path, albeit not as well traversed as the one he had followed before the Falls.

Before he continued, Lance wanted to check out something else he had spotted when they had ridden through the attraction: There was a thatched hut behind the attacking natives. Knowing his fellow cast members as well as he did, he wanted to see if anything was inside the hut. Cast members were known to have a bizarre sense of humor. There have been plenty of Mouse ears sitting atop animatronic jungle animals or natives over the years. Since he was already there, he thought he might as well take a look. The grass hut stood a little over seven feet tall and had a woven curtain that closed off the interior. The curtain was hardly necessary considering how dense the jungle was. Pushing aside the barrier and waiting a moment to see if anything scurried past his feet, Lance shined his light into the darkness. He was surprised when he found a pile of clothes. Grinning wickedly, Lance entered the hut, eager to see what was hidden. His surprised look faded as his flashlight revealed that the pile of clothes was a Security uniform, complete with hat and shoes and utility belt. “So, who’s been hiding out on me? How come I miss all the fun parties?”

The uniform, from what little he could see of it, was different from his own. The colors were off, for one thing. He couldn’t tell if it was an older uniform, a style that wasn’t used any longer. Lance was going to search the clothes to see if the owner’s identifying nametag was still attached to the shirt. But, he held back, hesitant. The clothes were folded too neatly to be the cast-offs of some energetic party. No, they looked like they were there for a reason—one that Lance couldn’t begin to comprehend at the moment—but for a definite reason, nonetheless. He decided to leave them be, out of respect for whomever had left them But, if they were remnants of some Jungle party? He sincerely hoped he and Kimberly would be invited to the next one.

Emerging from the hut, and still thinking about the uniform, Lance followed the meager trail. He poked through some of the tall bamboo that lined the shore and could see the outline of the huge African Bull Elephant that stood about eight and a half feet tall at the shoulder. He grinned as part of the skipper’s spiel came to his mind: “The second most-feared animal in the jungle. And if you look on the opposite bank, you will see THE most-feared animal in the jungle—his mother-in-law,” as the skipper would point at the identical elephant on the other side of the river.

Weaving his way between ferns, bushes, and exotic plants that were not indigenous to Southern California, he nearly ran into the rocky edifice that he had been trying to find. Flashlight in his mouth, Lance had lit the way while using both hands to spread away the limbs of a full willow tree. Looking down at where he placed his feet, he almost hit his head on the rough mouth of the wolf, El Lobo.

“Well, there you are. Your twin on Manhattan says hello, by the way.” Lance shone his light at the rocks that formed the teeth of the beast. Even surrounded by lush foliage, he noted the strong resemblance of this El Lobo to the one In Columbia where he and Wolf had discovered Walt’s capsule.

Immediately, Lance pushed his way around to the side of the rock mound, looking first for letters that would be engraved in the stone, assuming Walt would have created a similar hiding place as he had in Columbia. The flashlight beam followed along the base of the rock, revealing a large accumulation of pine needles, dead fern leaves and other plant remnants. Using his foot to pull some of these away, it was there that Lance suddenly felt his heart start pounding.

WED

It was much more clearly engraved in the rock, although it had been well hidden by the debris.

Now he again wished Kimberly could be with him. He would have enjoyed sharing the discovery with her as he had done when they climbed the steps of the castle and found the shield. He chuckled to himself, glad he didn’t have to wear tights this time.

Taking out the small gardening spade that he had carried across the water, he raked the leaves along the base of the rock, forming a small clearing of moist soil. He took a breath, thinking for a moment that he wished Wolf was here to do the digging. Either that, or go to Maintenance and ‘borrow’ a backhoe.…

After about three minutes of easy digging, Lance had a hole about two feet in diameter. When it reached eight inches deep, he started hoping it would not need another eight inches as the ground was getting harder and more compact the deeper down he dug.

Near the base of an overgrown Bird of Paradise plant, he expanded the hole another foot to his right. It was there that he hit something other than soft soil.

Quickly digging in, Lance felt around with the tip of the small shovel and then shined his flashlight into the hole. There, against the black backdrop of loamy soil, the light clearly illuminated something plastic and gray.

At 4:50 a.m., Kimberly awoke suddenly, again disorientated from her location and the time of morning. Her back stiff from lying on the hard floor, she tried to push herself up on her arm, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She quickly realized where she was and looked down at the glowing dial of her watch. How long was I asleep? Kimberly panicked, trying to read the hands. As best she could, she calculated that her partner had been gone for well over an hour.

More importantly, she realized that Lance was still nowhere in sight.

Quickly going out of the hut’s window, she glanced around in the darkness for flashlights and listened for any voices. The Park was probably the quietest she had ever experienced. Kimberly walked around the outer planking to climb over the rail and carefully walk along the branch to the cable Lance had used to zoom across the river.

Panic took hold of her when she realized that the cable now hung loosely, the length of it limply lying across the branches, its end disappearing at the edge of the Jungle Cruise. Had someone discovered the line and cut it? Worried, Kimberly wondered how Lance would get back across the river.

Just then she heard a sound from behind her. In her state of panic, she wheeled around on the branch and lost her balance. A hand shot out and grabbed her by the waist.

“You really need to be more careful when you’re climbing trees, Jane.” Lance pulled the shaky Kimberly up to him with one arm, his other hand holding a tall branch.

Kimberly’s eyes were huge. Lance pulled her in next to him, her hips and chest pressing up against his. He could feel her heart pound. “Happy to see your long-lost partner?”

“Oh my god.” It was all Kimberly could gasp between breaths. She wrapped her arm around Lance and just looked at him, not even noticing his top half was soaking wet and the bottom half slightly soggy.

“Not sure if this is the right time or not.” With a murmur, Lance pulled Kimberly tighter. He moved his lips to hers and kissed her with a firm, consuming kiss. He felt her body tremble; the combination of panic, breathlessness and now this seemed…surreal to Kimberly. He pulled back after a moment, still clutching her around the small of her back. He looked deeply into her eyes, searching for something, anything…a mutual response, rejection, anything.

“Not the right time, huh?” Lance asked, slightly discouraged, still gazing into her stunned eyes.

Kimberly took a deep breath, meeting him look for look. “I can’t think of a better time.” She gave a breathless sigh and pulled his mouth to hers.

After the slack cable was reeled in and all the equipment stashed in his backpack, Lance and Kimberly returned to the little hut they now considered ‘theirs’. Illuminated by the flashlight Kimberly held, he pulled out the latest find. She cupped her hand around the lighted end to mute the brightness with her fingers.

“Was it hard to locate?” Kimberly’s voice was an excited whisper.

“Well, you know there were two El Lobo’s,” he began. “And, of course, it had to be at the second formation that I finally located after crossing the top of Schweitzer Falls.” Lance left off the part about having to cross the river in his boxer shorts.

Kimberly looked at the capsule in his hands. It was larger than the one they found behind the crest on the back side of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

“This is like the capsules we found before.” Lance watched as the beam from the flashlight played over the dark gray capsule, its outer cover weathered from being underground for over forty years. It was probably the only time, he thought, that he was glad plastic didn’t biodegrade quickly over time.

“I can imagine what it was like to find the first clue,” Kimberly smiled, her eyes big with anticipation.

“Until we actually unearthed the first clue under Walt’s Dreaming Tree, I don’t think Adam or I really believed it was all real.” Over his face passed a look of regret at the memory of what he had done to his friend: his selfishness and greed had turned him into a monster. His memories of the discoveries they had made followed by his insane attempt to capture the Disney cache for himself still weighed heavy on his mind.

She couldn’t help but see the gloomy look in his eyes, the dejection. “Lance, don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“I don’t think Adam or Beth will ever see me as anything other than the idiot—no, the greedy fool—that I let myself become.” Lance shook his head in disgust, his hands dropped to his lap, the capsule forgotten momentarily.

“I think you’ll earn their trust again.” Taking his chin in her hand, she gently turned his face to hers. “Just as you’ve earned my trust.” Kimberly leaned into Lance and kissed him softly once again on the lips. He responded after a moment, kissing her back as he softly caressed her cheek.

“Thank you…,” Lance replied, bringing his eyes to hers before adding, “for everything.”

Emotion flooded through her. “You’re welcome.” After a wordless pause, to break the spell, Kimberly looked down at the capsule in Lance’s hands. “Now, Tarzan, are you going to open Walt’s treasure or should I?”

With a Tarzan-like grunt, Lance responded and turned the sealing cap of the capsule. When it wouldn’t budge, he tapped it on the floor of the treehouse a few times. This time they heard a different sound—something moved inside the capsule, hitting against the plastic. Lance thought it sounded metallic. Hoping he hadn’t broken something important, he tried the seal again. This time, the cap creaked a quarter inch as Lance grimaced, putting all his strength into the effort. The end moved another inch, and, with a couple more grunts, Lance finally had the capsule open.

“What the heck does that mean?” Kimberly asked with a quizzical look on her face.

“Let me read it again. ‘Is the Heart the WINDOW to the soul? “Caring and Giving Come from the Heart” Two WEDs are better than one!’” Lance reread the clue penned in Walt Disney’s own hand on the familiar yellowed paper torn from the original diary. “I…,” he started, and then finished with a shrug, “I have no idea.”

Setting down the clue, Lance looked at the treasures he found inside with the paper: A small brass key and three animation cels that were immediately recognizable as scenes from Alice in Wonderland. Each clear plastic sheet, separated by a layer of wax paper, had an animated drawing of a playing card along with a character from the film: The White Rabbit holding a large gold watch; the Cheshire Cat grinning ear-to-ear; and finally Alice herself in her blue and white pinafore dress. Pocketing the key for safekeeping, Lance held the eight-by-nine cels up to the flashlight Kimberly still held. He could even see odd-looking production codes, sets of letters, which were printed along the bottom of each cel.

“What’s similar in each of these?” he suddenly asked the fascinated Kimberly with a knowing tone in his voice.

She looked from one cel to the other, and then smiled at the discovery. “The cards.”

Lance nodded. There was an ace of hearts in the cel with the rabbit, an ace of clubs next to the cat, and Alice was seen standing next to a giant five of diamonds.

“Knowing the way Walt devised all the previous clues, these cels and the clue itself are probably all somehow related.” Lance stared at the fascinating artwork. “I just don’t know how yet.” He fished the key back out of his pocket. It looked very old with intricate engraving around the uniquely-shaped teeth. “Plus, there’s the added twist of finding something that requires this key to open.”

Kimberly tried to stifle a yawn. The excitement followed by the revelation of the clues and the sudden confusion as to their meaning—not to mention the fact that the two had been up for over twenty-four hours straight after working normal shifts—was taking its toll.

“I saw that.” Lance’s grin was cut short when he immediately started to yawn himself. “Great. Now you have me doing it. Come over here.” Taking her hand, he pulled her next to him. “It’s been a long day. We have, what, about three hours before the park opens?” Lance looked at his watch which read 5:25 a.m. “Let’s just settle back for the morning, relax and then when the first crowds come into the Park, we will simply walk out of the Treehouse like everyone else and head home.”

Before he had even finished his sentence, Kimberly had moved her head to his shoulder and closed her eyes. Lance smiled as he looked down at her tired but angelic face.

Within two minutes, he, too, was sound asleep.

“Mommy! Look!” A little boy pointed through the bamboo rails of the window of the treehouse hut. “Is that Tarzan and Jane? They look funny.”

Lance opened one eye at the irritating commotion. A freckled little red-head boy stared back at him through the window of the hut, and now his mother, her mouth wide open in shock.

“Come on, Mikey.” After seeing the couple asleep on the floor of the Tarzan Treehouse, the mother grabbed his hand and drug him away from the window. “Let’s go ride Jungle Cruise. Now!”

Lance was now fully awake. He had fallen asleep against the side wall of the hut where he had been sitting earlier. Kimberly now had her head on his thigh, her blond hair splayed out over his leg. He nudged her shoulder.

“Kimberly….Kimberly, wake up.”

Raising her head, the green eyes slowly opened. With a push to get up onto her hands, she turned her stiff neck toward Lance. Their precarious situation became instantly apparent to her. “Oh, my god,” Kimberly panicked. “What time is it, Lance?”

Lance started to get up from the floor. “It’s after nine.” Pain shot through his stiff legs as he got to his feet. He reached down to help her up. Without having to look, he hear more people on the stairs.

“We’d better get going before someone else sees us and calls security. It probably won’t be Wolf who comes.”

Lance quickly replaced the diary page and the animation cels inside the gray capsule, zipped them securely out of sight in one of the pockets of his backpack, and stepped out the window. He held the window frame open for Kimberly and helped her over the wall. As soon as her foot hit the wooden floor, a young family came off the steps and onto the landing around the other side of the hut. Trying to look natural, Lance and Kimberly shuffled through the rest of the attraction. Finally, at the bottom landing, they heaved a sigh of relief as they exited the Treehouse and blended into a growing number of guests who were just starting their day at Disneyland.