Once they escaped from Disneyland with the capsule secure, Lance drove straight to Kimberly’s house. The drive had been one of companionable silence. As Lance listened to classical music on the radio, Kimberly leaned back into the corner of her seat in the Jag, quickly falling into a tranquil nap until they reached her house. After she was sent off to her bedroom, Lance collapsed on the couch in the living room and instantly fell asleep.

The next morning, Lance was amazed to learn that, because of their exhaustion and excitement, they had slept for nearly twenty hours. Glancing up the stairs, he wondered why it still so quiet. He had expected Kimberly to come bounding down the stairs, eager to begin the day. But, instead, he was greeted with silence. Tiptoeing up the first flight of stairs, Kimberly’s door had been left slightly ajar. A light tap elicited no response. He gave the heavy oak door a push and debated the wisdom on whether or not he should actually look into her room. Natural curiosity overcame the propriety of the situation. Lance peeked in, spotting Kimberly on her bed as she was curled around a body-length pillow, still sleeping soundly.

Leaned against the door jam for a moment, Lance simply took in the sight of Kimberly in that moment of quiet solitude. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with her but, seeing her in such a disarming position on the bed—still wearing the shorts and blouse she had worn for their adventure—Lance enjoyed just watching her as she slept.

Knowing her a little better, as he now did, he knew she was getting more and more excited by the search they were on, perhaps more so than he since this was all so new to her. But he also knew that she was stressed and pondered on all that she was going through. A lot had happened in a short period of time: Her father had brought a stranger into their home and declared that he might be the next Guardian. Her father had suddenly died from his heart problem. She had the emotional tasks of privately interring him next to her mother at Forest Lawn and then illegally spreading some of his ashes as he had requested. There was the ongoing pressure being exerted by her uncle, Daniel Crain, to be her father’s successor. She had started proceedings to have Daniel removed from her property and her life. They had to locate and retrieve two clues hidden within Disneyland with the chance of being caught—and who knows what the consequences of that could have been. Yet, the intensity of those situations, and the subsequent success they so far had enjoyed, seemed to be creating an emotional bond between them. To Lance, it was a bond that was as unique as it was potent and he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t end as quickly as it had begun.

Never had he been so drawn to a woman. It wasn’t just the physical attraction—though he couldn’t deny the sensual, yet innocent allure Kimberly’s entire being seemed to radiate. It seemed a lifetime ago that he was chasing—and catching—potential conquests. Kimberly presented a challenge that he had never before encountered in a woman. He seriously felt that he had experienced an emotional epiphany. And his concern for Kimberly was not just sensitive, but truly sincere. Lance also thought about the night they had just spent in the Treehouse. While it was innocent—certainly as harmless as anyone could describe spending a night hiding out at Disneyland could possibly be—Lance also had the memory of her gentle kiss still on his mind and on his lips.

Looking away from her profile on the bed, he gave a small smile. He liked the kissing part just fine. And, he had the feeling she liked it just fine, too. Quietly shutting her door, he walked back downstairs to the kitchen.

Two hours later, awakened by the comforting smell of bacon sizzling in the kitchen, Kimberly was momentarily transported back in time. Feeling like she was daddy’s little girl again, she used to awaken on Saturday mornings to the smell of bacon and the delight of knowing she didn’t have to go to school. Treading silently down the stairs, Kimberly peered into the kitchen and smiled as she spied Lance frying up some bacon and eggs. He had bread propped up in the toaster, ready to toast, and two glasses of orange juice sitting on the table.

Realizing that she had fallen asleep in the same clothes she had worn the entire day and night before and had not showered for more than twenty-four hours, she felt the immediate need to clean up before announcing her presence. After a quick shower, she fixed her hair, and slipped into a summer dress that matched her current mood: Flirty.

Throughout her life, Kimberly had led a sheltered existence. Her father protected her, to the point of arranging dates for her; his deep-seated fear of who might discover their ‘Family Secret’ made such situations unavoidable. Yet, Kimberly made her father’s decisions easier as her interest in boys was not only minimal, but her greater quest for knowledge and information seemed to dictate her interests. While many boys at the private school in Orange she attended paid her many compliments, her shy personality made her appear aloof—if not disinterested—-in any of them.

When she turned twenty, the cruise that her father planned—one of the few vacations of any duration—introduced her to the feelings of affection and even romance. For some reason, the combination of being on a ship, cut off from the world and cut off from her father’s responsibilities, plus the tropical romantic setting—brilliant sunsets across infinite ocean horizons, enticing music and exotic foods—made her discover and explore a different side of her personality that she hadn’t even known existed.

It was while she washed her hair, letting the soothing aloe fragrance clear her mind, that Kimberly remembered those romantic feelings she had first experienced on that cruise ten years earlier. She felt a tug at her heart as she thought about Antonio. Handsome Antonio. Leaning against the side of the shower, she let the warm memories flow over her, mixing with the warm water that flowed from the showerhead. She hadn’t thought about him in years. Antonio was one of the officers that she had met while dining at the Captain’s Table. His offer to go dancing after dinner had been shyly, yet eagerly accepted. It was in one of the smaller lounges, a more private and quieter setting for dancing and talking. They had found a lot in common as they talked over a bottle of fine Italian wine that Antonio had brought from his cabin. Their dancing continued into the small hours of the morning, extending down the Esplanade and into the moonlit night overlooking the ever-moving ocean, her hair a halo of silver in the moonlight. That was when they had kissed for the first time—a kiss as soft and warm as the tropical breeze that surrounded them. Antonio promised to meet her again the following evening after he had finished his duties. It was a heavenly week for Kimberly, torn at the end by the inevitable pain of parting that they had both known was coming. Still, the remembrance of their special passion was there, safe and warm in her memory.

What that cruise had done for her when she was twenty, she now realized Lance was doing for her at thirty. And, even though she missed her father so much, she also felt a compelling sense of freedom that she had never felt before.

“Well, if it isn’t Julia Child in my own house!” Kimberly had a twinkle in her eye as she strode into the kitchen and stopped at the large granite-topped island in the middle of the room. Lance, holding a spatula in one hand and a pan with a folded omelet in the other, turned from the stove and nearly dropped the spatula upon seeing her.

For a moment, he could only stare at Kimberly, the spatula dangling at his fingertips. The sun radiating in through the large bay windows that surrounded the kitchen angled across Kimberly like a spotlight. The radiance of Kimberly’s blond hair accented her tan arms and legs, framed within the thin straps and short, flared hem of the white dress she wore. Recovering his voice, he affected with a high-pitched French accent, “Your breakfast will be done in a moment, my dear.”

Kimberly laughed. “I sincerely hope that your cooking is better than your accent!” She noticed a strand of his brown hair had fallen across his forehead while he had cooked their breakfast. Walking up to him, she reached out a tentative hand toward his face. Some of her latent shyness rushed through her and she started to lower her fingers. At his inquisitive look, she mentally told herself to knock it off, and reached back and smoothed his errant hair back in place. His warm smile made her stomach flutter. And she knew it wasn’t from being ravenously hungry. “You’re going to spoil me.” She turned away from his intent look and indicated the fine meal he had taken the effort to prepare for her.

Lance had to turn back to the food which was in serious danger of burning if he didn’t snap out of his trance. “Well, we all could use a little spoiling now and then.”

“Now and then, huh? So, I shouldn’t get used to this, is that what you’re telling me?” She had snitched a piece of bacon from the ones drying on a paper towel. “Where is Kevin, by the way?”

Lance tried to swat her hand with the back of the spatula, but she’d been too quick. “I gave him the morning off. It’s just you and me.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to get by the best we can. Shall I set the table? Where do you want to eat? Here or in the dining room?”

Lance looked back at her, a little surprised. “Dining room? That’s a little too formal for my tastes for breakfast. Have you been talking to my mother?”

Kimberly appeared to be deep in thought. “Your mother? Hmmm, not a bad idea. She might be able to give me some wonderful insights into your soul.”

Lance gave a fake shudder. “Let’s not and just say we did….”

With a twinkling laugh, Kimberly took out some woven placemats from the pantry and set a friendly table for two at the family table.

It was one of the most enjoyable breakfasts Lance had ever had. And, Kimberly discovered that the food was indeed much better than his accent.

“So, have you been up all morning thinking about the clue?” Finished with the meal, Kimberly wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin.

“Yes. I even spent time on the Internet this morning, looking up and cross-referencing the clues with anything Walt had done or that might be remotely connected to him in any way.”

“Nothing yet, I assume?”

“Nada. Zilch,” Lance replied, finishing a bite of his omelet.

“Well, it has to connect somehow.” Deep in thought, Kimberly pushed her chair out from the table and walked over to Lance. Without thinking, she leaned down to kiss him. “Thank you for a wonderful breakfast.” She gazed into his eyes, and Lance noticed that something was different. There was a sparkle in her green eyes indicative of someone who was very excited about life. He hadn’t seen that in her eyes before.

“What do I get if I fix lunch and dinner too?” asked Lance with a smile.

“Don’t get greedy, Brentwood.” With that mild chide, Kimberly picked up their plates and started cleaning up.

“Hey, I’ll do that,” Lance offered. “Why don’t you have a go at the clues while I clean up the kitchen. Then I’ll head home to get cleaned up and changed. I have a feeling there’s quite a lot of work ahead of us.”

“Okay.” Kimberly seemed to have gone into slow motion. “But please don’t be gone too long.” Her bright mood faded as a worried look seeped into her eyes.

“Keep the alarm on.” When he saw the sparkle suddenly vanish, he knew what she was thinking. “I don’t think Crain’ll be coming around here since we changed the locks and alarm codes. Besides, you gave him plenty of money. It was more than fair. Hopefully he’ll find a nice place to stay and figure out what he is going to do with his life.”

“I know…,” Kimberly was hesitant, not wanting to state her fears out loud.

“Kimberly, listen, I don’t trust him either. But, I’m sure if he thinks about it, he’s getting a lot from you…and your father.” Lance leaned back against the kitchen chair to hopefully give her a feeling of casualness.

“I guess so.” Not buying it, her look of concern still visible.

“I’ll be quick.” Lance gave his promise as he started to load the dishwasher and clear the stove. “I want you to relax and enjoy the rest of the morning. After all we went through at Disneyland, you deserve a little R and R.”

As she looked at him, Kimberly gave a small smile. She walked over to Lance who was rinsing off a plate at the sink. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning against his back. “You make me feel very safe.”

Lance turned his head at her whispered words and silently kissed her cheek.

It was six o’clock that evening when Lance tossed his Disney research book aside. He and Kimberly had been cloistered in her father’s office, searching every book, magazine, and Internet site that could have been remotely associated with hearts, windows and Disney.

“I’m going stir crazy.” Lance rubbed his tired eyes and his temples. They had only taken the time to stop for a quick lunch of frozen lasagna and some tea. Comparing notes, they had discussed and then dismissed items when they found each new lead led to a dead end.

Her golden head shot up at his sudden voice. Deeply into the hunt, she sat in front of the computer, trying to research the ‘heart’ portion of their last clue. The 1948 movie So Dear to My Heart kept coming up, but she could find no correlation between the movie and the rest of the clue. She was getting frustrated and actually welcomed Lance’s distraction—whatever it was. “Yes?” she slowly drawled out.

“Let’s go grab dinner. I’m starving.”

Just about to say, “You’re always starving,” she was astonished to realize it had been almost six hours since lunch. Kimberly readily agreed, her stomach rumbling from neglect. After setting the alarm and locking up the mansion, they headed off to El Toro, a Mexican restaurant in Anaheim that was a regular eating and drinking joint for many Disneyland cast members after they finished their shifts. Both Kimberly and Lance knew several of the diners, stopping to chat with a few of them. They spotted a private booth near the back of the place and sat down.

“How about a margarita?” Lance eyed the bar menu while Kimberly handled the food.

“Sounds good right about now.” Chips and salsa were promptly delivered to their table and drink orders taken.

Kimberly dove into the chips with gusto, earning an appreciative chuckle from Lance. Their server delivered their Margaritas in cute little glasses shaped like cactus. Taking her glass, she licked a little salt from the edge, and sipped the frozen lime-colored mixture.

Televisions were mounted in each of the four corners of the back room where they were seated. Lance took a sip of his drink and glanced up at the screen behind Kimberly. A basketball game was being featured on ESPN. It was the commercial that came on that caught his eye. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Lance got an idea.

“Uh, Kimberly,” Lance started, bringing his brown eyes to meet hers.

“Uh Lance.” Kimberly mimicked Lance’s serious tone. The tequila in the margarita was taking effect on Kimberly; her empty stomach was no match for the alcohol. It took an extra effort just to keep from giggling at him.

“I’m thinking we need a break from this whole adventure.” Lance took a chip and dipped it in the small bowl of salsa. He caught Kimberly’s concerned look. “No, really, hear me out.” Lance knew that all this clue-hunting and discovery was new and exciting for her. Yet, at the same time, he understood the frustration they were experiencing because of the lack of progress on the current clue. Added to the mix was the difficulty with Daniel Crain, and all of it coming on the heels of her father’s death. Lance felt they needed to simply get away.

“I’m listening.”

“I have a proposition for you.”

Her eyebrows shot up at the word he had chosen. “Oh?” as her eyes narrowed. “How intriguing.”

He grinned at the look on her face. “You don’t look intrigued and you haven’t even heard it yet.”

She sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “Any time anyone uses the word ‘proposition,’ it has to be intriguing.”

“I think we need a break.”

“From each other?” Kimberly sounded incredulous, not understanding the direction Lance was taking. She tried in vain to hide her disappointment.

“No! No…not that at all.” Lance waved a chip at her and tried to use a more consoling tone. “No, in fact, just the opposite.” Lance held his breath before telling her the rest of his idea. “I am proposing the idea of taking you to Las Vegas.”

This wasn’t what she expected. “Las Vegas? What would we do there?”

Get married. The immediate, unplanned thought flashed through Lance’s mind like a thunder bolt. It stunned him. His mouth fell open into an ‘O’ and then he snapped it shut. Where did that come from? His heart started to pound in his chest.

Kimberly saw his mouth open to answer her, and then it inexplicably closed. The oddest look crossed over his face that was now ashen in color. “Are you all right? Is the salsa too hot for you?” She reached across the table to put her smooth hand on his clammy one.

His eyes, which stared at the wall behind their booth all this time, darted back to her face. He looked over her delicate features and his glance stopped on her red lips. Those lips curled into a confused smile. “Are you all right?” they repeated.

A sudden warmth infused Lance. His heart stopped pounding. His shoulders visibly relaxed. A look of contentment overshadowed the look of complete astonishment that had been there moments earlier. Color flooded back into his white face. “Yes, everything is fine.” He even managed s warm smile. “Perfect, actually.”

“Glad to hear it…. Wow, a proposition to take me to Las Vegas.” Kimberly was thinking over the possibilities. “But, it doesn’t seem to fit anything that Walt has us searching for.”

“No. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking of a trip for research or anything,” Lance clarified, and then thought about what ‘anything’ might include. He hurriedly added, “I was wondering if you’d like to take a break and go to dinner and a show with me. I think we both could use the diversion. It might also clear our minds to come up with some other avenue of research we haven’t thought of yet.”

Kimberly thought about his offer. “Lance, I’ve never even been to Las Vegas.” She was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that she hadn’t, other than the few trips with her father, been outside of California very many times.

Lance looked at her with a slightly stunned expression. “Really? Everyone goes to Vegas.”

Kimberly shook her head. “I really haven’t been many places in my life.” She perceived this as a shortcoming on her part.

Lance now clearly understood. Without another Guardian, it would have been difficult for her father to absolve his responsibilities long enough to travel…with or without Kimberly. He felt another tug on his emotional strings and he felt he would very much like to show her more of the world he knew and share new discoveries together.

“Well, then it’s decided.” Lance gave an adamant hand-slap on the table. “Tomorrow we lock everything up, set the alarm on the house, fill up the tank on my Jag and head north on I-15.” Lance paused. An awkward moment passed between them and he offered a meek, “Okay?”

Kimberly, taking another sip of her margarita, was thoughtful. She didn’t want to reveal her excitement.

Lance watched her eyes; Kimberly’s were glued on his. “Is that a yes?” Lance asked as he lean forward toward her.

Kimberly pushed her glass away. “You had me at proposition.” She then gave him a stunning smile.

Looking at her, Lance couldn’t suppress a laugh.

“I think the diversion is just what we need. We can get away from town and have a change of scenery. Enjoy some good food and a good show.” Waiting in her room, Lance called out to Kimberly who was packing in her bathroom. “I know of a chick singer you would probably like,” he teased, “You know—all that mushy romantic ballad crap.” Lance bent over to pick up her day bag. “Geez, what’ve you got packed in here…a set of weights?” he grumbled as he carried the bag from her room.

“I packed a couple books on Disney that I thought we could read on the way to Vegas.” Kimberly checked herself one last time in the bathroom mirror. She had on minimal blush and no other makeup. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she anticipated the chance to spend more time with Lance. A real date with Lance, she thought to herself. She wore a layered, peasant top and a pair of white jeans. Cute and just a little flirty, especially for her. “And what do you mean ‘mushy, romantic ballad crap’?” Kimberly, hands on her hips, stopped in the arched opening of her bathroom, to face Lance.

Lance looked up as he put the strap of her suitcase over his shoulder. “Wow,” he mumbled appreciatively, catching sight of her. He had to clear his throat before he could continue. “Oh, I mean, mushy, romantic, ballads that everyone loves,” he amended with a chuckle.

“That’s better.” Kimberly gave him a sly, half-smile. “You know, we could always look for some twangy, my-dog-died country crap for you, if you prefer.”

“No, no, that’s fine.” His hands were held up in a mock surrender. “Are you ready? I think you might have forgotten a pair of shoes….or ten….in the closet.”

“I guess so.” Looking around to see if she missed anything, Kimberly didn’t really hear him.

“Then, let’s go.” Lance reached out to her with his hand.

She took his hand and then pulled him back toward her. “Kiss me first.”

Lance looked into her beautiful eyes, wanting nothing more than that kiss. He had remained a little reserved up to now, not sure if Kimberly was on the same romantic page as he. But, he also knew how to play hard to get. “What do I get if I kiss you?” His head tilted to the side and the essence of a grin etched on his lips.

“If you kiss me,” Kimberly began, and then paused for effect, “I’ll let you drive my car to Vegas.”

“You have a car?” Lance didn’t even think that she drove, let alone own a car.

“Of course I have a car!” His hand was dropped. “How do you think I get back and forth to work?”

“Broom?”

“Oh, you will pay for that, Mr. Brentwood! You can just forget about my request for a kiss.”

“You’ve been holding out on me,” Lance mumbled as he slowly walked around her car.

“Well, I needed a little something to zip around town in. Daddy thought this would be cute.”

“Cute…,” Lance repeated, unable to believe the word she was using to describe her car, as he ran his fingers over the two-tone beige and green Connolly leather bucket seats. “Cute?”

“You’re repeating yourself.” A huge grin spread across her face as she tied a scarf over her hair and slipped into the driver’s seat. “You coming?”

As the twelve-cylinder engine roared to life, Lance hurried around to the passenger door. Resisting the urge to vault over the door frame, he sedately opened the door instead.

As he settled into the plush leather, Kimberly gave a knowing laugh. “You wanted to jump in, didn’t you?”

Lance was running his hands lovingly over the burlwood interior of the cockpit. “Did it show?”

“Oh, yeah! I actually did once when no one was looking,” she admitted with a grin. “Just about killed myself on the shifter.”

Her 2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante backed out of the four-car garage and slid to a stop as the garage door slowly lowered. Kimberly was about to slap it into drive when Daniel came running down the stairs that led to his suite over the garage. He positioned himself in front of the car so she couldn’t just drive off without first running him down. Daniel was wise enough to recognize that she would indeed like to run him over.…

“Hey, Kimberly, Lance.” He tried to sound pleasant, but came across as desperate and demanding. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“Out to lunch.” Lance’s answer was brusque.

“Wonderful! I was hoping you’d ask. Let’s just let bygones be bygones and forget that silly notice you hammered into my door. Why don’t we take the Caddy and I’ll drive?” He now sounded whiney.

Kimberly revved the engine, making him jump back. “Sorry, Daniel. I’m afraid it will be just Lance and me today. We have some things to discuss. And, you only have a few days left. You might want to spend them packing.”

Daniel could see there would be no arguing with the little hussy. He gave a smile that looked anything but sincere as he backed away from the car. “Well, it was worth a try. Ha ha. You two kids run along and have a good time. We’ll talk later.”

“Yes, we will.” Kimberly slipped the car into first and smoked the tires, showering Daniel with gravel from the driveway.

Daniel watched until her car made the first turn in the drive. He ran to the small carport off to the side of the garage where his Cadillac now sat. Jumping into the driver’s seat of the dusty car, Daniel jerked it into reverse. ”Two can play that little game, Missy,” he spat out. “Let’s just see where you and that slummer are going this time.”

He had no trouble spotting the metallic racing-green Aston Martin as Kimberly navigated the twists and turns as she headed down the hill. With a reasonable distance behind them, he relied on the fact that they wouldn’t expect to be followed. He was surprised when she headed for the 91 freeway, and even more surprised about a mile later when she merged onto the 57, heading north. Fifteen miles further, she merged onto Interstate 15 and sped over to the fast lane. “What the…?” He narrowly avoided a semi and wove in and out of the lanes to get into a better position to watch them. “Vegas? Is that where those idiots are going?” He glanced at the gas tank and was relieved to see it read three-quarters full. If that was where they were heading, he had plenty of gas to get there. “What could they possibly find in Vegas? I thought everything was at that stupid amusement park. This’d better be worth it,” he groused as he switched on the radio to keep him company during the long drive.

As Daniel Crain hung his elbow out the window of the Cadillac feeling the dry desert air mix with the cold refrigerated air blowing out the vents of the Caddy, he again wondered what in the world Las Vegas had to do with Walt Disney. He was following the Aston Martin from varying distances, coming closer when there were off ramps approaching, further back when the desert stretched for dozens of miles. In the event they pulled off in some isolated town or took Highway 395 north out of Barstow or stopped in Baker, Daniel just wanted to make sure he didn’t lose sight of them. He came close when they pulled over in Barstow and Lance took over the driving. Daniel knew if they got into Vegas without him on their tail, it would be impossible to find them.

Crain watched as the Aston Martin passed the little used—but famous—Zzyzx off-ramp, the last alphabetical listing of any North American landmark. The little sports car didn’t slow up and he knew that not much lay between Zzyzx and the next town of Jean, another fifty-five miles ahead. Daniel now allowed his Caddy to drift back about three miles, confident that they were indeed headed to the gambling capital of the world.

However, he had no idea what their ultimate destination might be.

“Hey, I like that song,” Kimberly protested as she reached for the radio dial.

“I thought you were asleep.” Lance glanced over at Kimberly as she hunted for the station that had been playing a song by Boston.

“I was, until you decided to ride the ‘wake-up’ ruts in the side of the road for a mile.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking about the clue again.” Lance sounded a little sheepish. “And it wasn’t for a mile…it was only about three seconds.”

“That’s okay,” Kimberly waved him off once she found the song ‘More than a Feeling’ on the radio. “Sorry I haven’t been much of a driving companion.” She could see Lance’s hair was blowing softly in the wind that trailed over the windshield and into the convertible. It was mesmerizing.

“That’s alright. I know you needed some rest, considering what the past week has been like for you.”

Kimberly smiled at Lance, now enthralled by that cute dimple he had on his right cheek. She was content in his presence. It was an emotion she was surprised to find herself feeling. Only a month had passed since she had learned what little she knew about him from her father. Kimberly had immediately felt that she could never trust—let alone fall—for someone like Lance. She had labeled him ‘Hollywood’ in her mind; she saw herself as the complete opposite to that label. If he was the Film-Making Capital of the World, Hollywood, then she saw herself as some quiet, sleepy little town.

Yet, now she knew a different side to this good-looking man. And she found her heart racing every time he looked at her.

“I guess I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.” Arms stretched over her head, Kimberly took a deep breath, feeling the wind blow through her fingers for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Lance watched her out of the corner of his eye. He found it difficult to keep his eyes on the road.

“How much further?” The asphalt stretched out and vanished in a shimmering mirage miles ahead. She could see the little casino-town of Jean poking out of the glistening haze that radiated from the hot desert floor.

Lance couldn’t resist. “Are we there yet? Man, can I picture you as a child!” He broke off the teasing at the look on her face. “I’m just kidding. You were probably precocious.… In answer to your question, we’re about fifty miles outside Vegas right now.” He gave a nod toward the distance. “That’s Jean up ahead. Need to stop for a bathroom break or something to eat?” Lance knew that there was a couple of fast food stops in Jean as well as an Outlet Mall.

“Nope, I’m good.” She suddenly chuckled and shook her head.

“What?” Lance was intrigued by the unknown reason for her levity.

She turned her smiling face to his. “Oh, I just had a sudden random memory pop up. This trip of ours reminded me of a date I once went on.”

“Should I be jealous?”

“Hmm, I’ll let you figure that out. Let’s see, I had to have been about seventeen or eighteen. He was so dreamy! He worked the canoes.…”

“What is it about those canoe guides?” Lance broke in, disbelieving. “They always have all the girls waiting for them when they get off work. I don’t get it.”

“Then transfer to the canoes and you’ll find out!”

Lance scoffed at her idea. “Naw, too much work. Go on with your story.”

“Todd was his name. That’s right, it was Todd. Gosh, I haven’t thought about him in years.”

“Glad I could help,” Lance good-naturedly groused.

“Now, don’t get frumpy. Let me finish.” She gave his arm a light, reproving tap. “We decided to go for a drive one day. We got on I-5 and just started driving south, talking the whole time, not really paying attention to where we were. I swear Dad must’ve been tracking me with GPS or LoJack or something. We got all the way to San Diego when suddenly two highway patrol cars pulled up behind us, lights flashing! Scared the bejeebers out of Todd. Well, out of me, too, I guess. We didn’t know what was going on. They made us pull off the freeway and checked our IDs and all. One of them went back to his car and made a call. Guess who? To my dad! I guess I was getting way too far away from my usual habits and he was worried that something had happened to me and I was being taken to Mexico. Guess whose date ended right then?” She laughed again. “Yeah, Todd turned us right around and drove straight back to the house. Never saw him again. Well, I never dated him again. I saw him in the Park now and then. He avoided me every time.”

“And I remind you of the studly Todd? The buff canoe guide?”

Kimberly made a show of looking him up and down as he drove. “Well, Todd did have brown hair….”

Lance slapped the steering wheel. “There you go. Spitting image.”

“Actually,” she drawled out, “this whole adventure reminds me of the studly Todd. Jumping in the car and driving somewhere new. Wind blowing through my hair. Handsome man driving my car.… The whole thing.”

“Ah, so know we know the studly Todd was also handsome. I think I should find him and beat him up.”

“Poor Todd. He was pretty shook up. Gosh, I was mad at my dad for weeks.… Say, do you need to stop?” Kimberly suddenly realized Lance had been driving since they left Barstow, at least two hours ago.

“No, I’m doing fine. Relax and we should be checking in…,” Lance looked at his watch and then at the speedometer which read eighty-three mph, “in about thirty-three minutes.”

“Checking in?” She hadn’t even ask Lance about where they would be staying. Or how they would be staying.… She felt her heart start to pound. “Uh, Lance, where are we staying? And how many rooms?”

Lance gave an understanding smile, knowing exactly what Kimberly was thinking. “Hey, I’m nothing if not a true gentleman. We’re staying in a two-bedroom suite on the Strip at the Luxor.”

Kimberly thought about how that sentence could be turned around. Then she smiled, thankful that Lance was not assuming anything. She didn’t know what the ‘Luxor’ was. But it didn’t matter to her at this point.

Reassured, she leaned in and kissed his dimple. “I trust you.”

Lance gave a little laugh. “And…I…trust…you,” he replied, accenting each word as he cupped her chin in his fingers.

Kimberly was almost giddy with excitement as the Aston Martin cruised down the Strip. Alternately looking out one side of the convertible and then the other, Kimberly saw landmark hotels. Each one was a colossal structure that she had only seen in postcards and on television. Like Disneyland, each resort hotel offered guests a world of fantasy; unlike the world Disney had created, however, each one of these worlds was often a jarring sense of contradicting themes. Nothing tied one hotel to the next. Fom Medieval themes to Egyptian, from the skyline of New York to the fabled Emerald City, Las Vegas was a city in perpetual competition; each resort vying for each tourist’s particular imagination—as well as each tourist’s last dollar.

Outside the glitz of the Strip, unseen to most guests was another form of conflicting chaos. Just as Disneyland had built a berm that separated the Park from the outside world, Vegas had its own berm of parking structures and freeway sound barriers that blocked the view of a small portion of the city with run-down homes with metal bars protecting each window, and residents who sat on beat-up couches. The popular saying was: ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’. But to Lance, who had been to Las Vegas many times, he always thought the saying should have been: ‘What you lose in Vegas is lost forever’.

Yet, where money produced multiple havens of man-made fountains and high-rise steel, glass and concrete hotels, Kimberly only saw the world that the architects and the visionaries wanted the people with money to see.

“Wow.” That seemed all Kimberly was able to say over and over, seeing one mega hotel after another as Lance slowly drove through the congested Las Vegas Boulevard. “Is that a rollercoaster going around that hotel?”

Lance glanced to his left and saw the ‘Manhattan Express’ rocketing down a steep hill at the New York, New York hotel. “Yep.” A moment later, the a speeding coaster moved through a cork-screw that was elevated above the entrance to the hotel and the screams emanating from the riders could be heard over honking horns and other sounds on the busy street.

“Want to do some shopping before we check in?” Lance checked his watch. They had an hour to kill before they could officially check in at the Luxor.

“Sure.” Kimberly was ready and eager for anything. “I can’t imagine what shopping must be like here. Is there a mall around?”

Lance laughed. “I’ll take you to the most decadent mall I know.”

Making a left turn into Caesar’s Palace, he pulled into the parking garage. After a series of left turns, he found a level with some empty parking spots near double glass doors that had a large gold sign above them that read ‘The Forum Shops.’

“Should we put the top up on my car?” As they pulled into the parking space, Kimberly wondered on the wisdom of leaving her convertible open. There were people everywhere and she was a little concerned about her car.

“Well, you’ll have to show me how to pull up the top.” Lance glanced at the back of the car where the retractable roof was stored. “Every convertible is different, you know.... Why are you looking at me funny?”

Kimberly did have an odd smile on her face. “Yeah, it is pretty tricky.” She nodded sagely as she pushed a button on the console, right next to the shifter. With a soft hum, the top started to lift and quickly settled in place.

Lance took it well. He laughed as he opened his door and went around to assist Kimberly out of the car. “Are you ready to follow me down the rabbit hole, Alice?” Lance locked the car with the remote and took her hand as he led her to the glass doors and the elevators that would take them down to the luxurious casino and equally opulent Forum Shops.

Behind them, Lance and Kimberly were unaware of headlights that reflected off those glass doors as they shut them off from the garage—the headlights of a car that moved very slowly through the parking structure. It pulled into a nearby empty stall and the lights were quickly extinguished.

Sensory overload was the term in Kimberly’s mind. The casino they entered was magnificent; an understatement, really, where it appeared that money was no object when it came to building and decoration. As they passed through the entrance to the Forum Shops, beautiful boutiques, designed to resemble a Roman city, were lined one after another; fountains, columns, gold-painted statues, and a dome-shaped ceiling that had lights emitted from hidden projectors to convey a perpetual purple dusk-like sky where pink clouds actually moved slowly across the fictional skyline. It felt like dusk even at one-thirty in the afternoon.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Kimberly was in awe as they walked along the marbled floors.

He held her hand as they visited various shops; elegant and sparkling retail outlets that sold everything from clothing to toys, from perfume to electronics.

Lance soon found that Kimberly was like her father—frugal. She enjoyed everything she saw, but was hesitant to try anything on or to purchase something that happened to catch her eye. Yet, Lance was finally able to convince her to buy a beautiful soft pink dress that was marked down from $250 to $94.99. It flowed in appealing, flattering lines when she emerged from the dressing room, pirouetting in front of a full-length three-sided mirror. Lance’s wide-eyed look had approved the dress and the pleased smile he saw upon Kimberly’s face.

“It’s you,” Lance said simply.

“Oh, I’ve never owned anything like it.” Kimberly grinned as she adjusted the shoulder straps and looked herself over in the gilded mirror. Her blond hair fell gracefully over her shoulders. “I feel so…pink,” Kimberly laughed, watching the mid-length hem dancing around her thighs.

Lance smiled, feeling very pleased with himself.

Waiting for Kimberly just outside the doors of the shop, Lance watched people pass by. He spied a magic shop two doors down and on the other side of the Mall from where he stood.

As he stepped back into the clothing shop, he called out, “Kimberly?” The saleswoman who had patiently helped Kimberly try on the dress was folding the lovely chiffon creation neatly into a box. “I’m going to be over at the magic shop right across the way,” Lance pointed in the right direction.

“Okay. I’m almost done here.”

Lance turned and headed out across the mall. Back home, his tennis partner, Mike, was an avid amateur magician in addition to being a tennis instructor. Many a time after a tennis match, Mike would astound opponents with slight of hand and card tricks. Lance thought a little magical gift, like a book or a new trick, might be fun to give his friend.

Lance was always impressed with such feats of dexterity and manipulation by his friend and other magicians he’d seen perform. Through the shop window he watched as a small crowd gathered in front of the counter. The clerk, obviously a magician himself, made a playing card magically float, spin and fly around the spectators. Lance smiled, knowing the secret of that trick. Even as the secret had been revealed to him years ago, he still enjoyed watching a professional execute the effect, and seeing the resulting look of awe the visual trick inspired on those who watched.

Lance continued to watch as the magician finished his trick and the crowd began to disperse, many of whom were still talking about what they had seen as they exited the shop. A few stragglers were begging him to perform the trick again. The magician, well trained in both the performance of magic as well as making sales, convinced two young boys to “invest” in purchasing that particular magic trick for themselves.

Just as he was about to enter the shop and look around, Lance noticed the shop address on the upper corner of the large plate glass window. He tilted his head at the numbers, each one being spelled out with playing cards that overlapped each other as if in a fan. The letters before the numbered cards said ‘Magic Masters’, the name of the shop.

Kimberly came up beside him, her package under her arm.

“I didn’t know you liked magic.” She looked inside the shop at a number of people who milled about the displays, books, and counters that housed interesting magical devices.

“Uh, Kim.” He sounded distracted. Kimberly had never heard him call her that. “Does the shop address look familiar to you?”

Kimberly looked up and saw the numbers two, seven, and three displayed as fanned cards, a diamond, spade and hearts representing the suits.

At first she was going to say “No,“ but then it hit her. “The cards on the animation cels,” Kimberly gasped, putting her free hand on his shoulder as he turned to face her.

They looked at each other for a moment and instantly said at the same time, “Walt’s clue!”

They laughed at their simultaneous remark.

“Do you think it could be an address Walt was trying to tell us?”

Eyes bright, Lance looked back at the numbers, smiling. “Perhaps, Kimberly. Perhaps.”

Forgotten were the remainder of the shops, the intermittent show held in the middle of the mall every hour, and even the reason they were in Vegas—relaxation.

Lance and Kimberly made a beeline back to the parking garage.

“Since the break-in, I didn’t want to leave the animation cels or the clue at my place,” Lance told her as they speed-walked to the car. He cast a sideways glance at Kimberly next to him. “I also thought we might need something to pass the time in the hotel room.”

Kimberly looked over at Lance with a gleam in her eye. “What, you didn’t want to play cards or watch television?”

“Nah.… But I did have other interests in mind.”

They reached the car and Lance opened the trunk, put in her new dress box, then closed it quickly, not taking anything out.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Too dark in the parking garage to look at the cels the way we need to.” Lance was still thinking about what he wanted to do with them. “Let’s go to the hotel, check in and then let’s look at the cels in the quiet….” Lance looked around the shadowy parking structure, then finished, “and in the security of our room.”

Kimberly agreed as the two jumped in the car.

Exiting the garage and turning right, they headed back down the Strip the way they had come earlier. The Luxor Hotel was back another mile.

After waiting for traffic to let up for a moment, Lance chirped the tires and gunned the small car into traffic and made it without any cars honking at him.

Less than a minute later, a black Cadillac pulled out into the rush of traffic.

Lance tossed their two bags onto the king-sized bed in his portion of the suite and sat down. Kimberly sat next to him as he pulled the briefcase onto his lap.

Where sitting on a bed in a hotel room with Lance might have otherwise been awkward for Kimberly, or at least dangerously exciting, she didn’t have anything on her mind other than what Lance had in the briefcase.

“Why didn’t we think of this before?” His mysterious question baffled her.

“Think of what?” Kimberly wasn’t sure what he was referring to. She figured Lance thought that the playing cards on the animated cels might represent an address. But, an address number without a street or even a city would be pretty hard to determine…if the cards represented a numbered address at all.

“I think these three cels are hiding something else.” Lance pushed the little tabs to open the case with a loud click. Propping open the lid and pulling out a manila folder, he handed it to Kimberly while he set the case on the floor.

Kimberly held the folder on her lap and opened it, the opening pointed toward Lance. He pulled out the three clear plastic sheets and held them up in front of him, spread between his hands. Besides the colored animated playing cards and the characters from Alice in Wonderland on each eight by nine-inch clear plastic sheet, there was something else; centered along the bottom of each sheet was a set of hand-written letters. When Lance had originally examined the sheets, he thought the letters identified the production position of each cel—where each particular sheet fell within the tens of thousands of cels that would need to be produced for a full-length animated motion picture. Or, it was possible that they were identification markings for music and/or dialogue that would be recorded later after an entire scene had been drawn. He hadn’t given the random letters much thought.

That was until he saw the playing-card address at the magic shop.

“See these letters?” Lance pointed to the handwritten, unidentifiable letters along the bottom of each frame.

Kimberly nodded, looking at the letters which seemed to have no meaning.

The first sheet had the letters M N T E U, the second sheet read, A __ R T S; the third sheet had, I S E __ A

“Do you think those could be abbreviations for something?” Kimberly indicated the letters on the first page. “Like that could be ‘minute’ or ‘miniature’ or something?”

“Well, that’s what I thought at first, too.” Lance looked up from the lettering. “Then I thought it stood for initials of the animators responsible for drawing each page or markings for dialogue and music that would be added later.”

“So that magic shop didn’t make you think of an address with these playing cards on each sheet, like these, then?” Kimberly pointed to the three different playing cards depicted on the three cels.

“Not at all.” A sly smile was beginning to form on his lips. Kimberly looked at him and slapped his shoulder playfully.

“What!? Tell me what you know,” Kimberly demanded with a laugh, her eyes wide and expectant.

Lance took his time, not because he was trying to drive Kimberly mad, but because he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that he was correct.

He started to explain. “The address on the magic shop had three cards fanned out like a magician holding a deck of cards out for a spectator to choose one.” Lance paused. As if to clarify his last sentence, he added, “You see, I have a friend who does some card tricks.”

“I don’t care about some magician friend of yours!” Kimberly laughingly shouted. “What is it about that address?”

“Well, see? The cards were overlapped.” Lance held the three plastic sheets so that the ace, which was drawn in the left-middle of the sheet, was on the bottom. The next sheet, the three of hearts, was drawn nearly in the middle. The last sheet, which had the two of spades being drawn slightly on the right side of its sheet, Lance put on top of the others. He held the sheets out like three cards fanned out. Instead of saying something like, “Here, pick a card,” he took the three sheets and held them up toward the window where the afternoon sun was still bright.

“Watch.” Lance lined the three sheets up together. The way the cards were drawn looked just like the cards that were on the magic shop…fanned apart but still overlapping.

“I don’t get it,” Kimberly murmured with her eyebrows pinched together as she stared intently at the playing cards on the sheets.

“It isn’t the cards.” Lance gave her a knowing grin. “Look at the letters.”

With a gasp, Kimberly now saw exactly what Lance had seen.

“I can’t believe we didn’t see it before!” exclaimed Kimberly, her hand covering her mouth.

“It was right there all along.” Lance shook his head as he looked at the three cels he held together in his hand. “But, like Walt’s other clues, it required more than just a little work….” He paused, thinking back to what Walt had written in the diary he and Adam had found. He smiled oddly. “It all started with a moose, you know.”

“Daddy used to say that, too. I was never exactly sure what he meant.”

“Walt had written it in his diary, and then he explained about the cartoon it referred to. The moral of the story was to choose your friends wisely and that two heads were better than one.”

“But, I didn’t come up with anything, you did.” Once the words were out of her mouth, Kimberly looked somewhat deflated by her recognition of her lack of help.

“I would never have seen that magic shop, its address, and the layered cards had you and I not come here together.” Lance took hold of Kimberly’s chin with two of his fingers. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “And, for us, it all started!” he murmured, gazing into her eyes.

Kimberly smiled, excited by what they had just discovered and the emotions she felt when Lance had kissed her. Lance reached over to the dresser next to the bed to set the cels down. He had seen the discouraged look in her eyes and would do anything in the world to make it go away. He had one more thing to tell her. “And Kimberly, I really like working with you. You’re a lot more fun than Adam.” He then kissed her again, firm and promising. Kimberly’s fingers reached up and ran through his thick hair as she kissed him back. “Now that that’s settled, let’s go out and celebrate!”

On the dresser, the three cels neatly sat together. Along the bottom of the three pages, the letters that had been an enigma just moments before now fell in a straight line together.

M A I N S T R E E T U S A

Lance and Kimberly now had a street name to go with the numbers.