Night Moves
Authors: Randy Wayne White
ALSO BY RANDY WAYNE WHITE
Sanibel Flats
The Heat Islands
The Man Who Invented Florida
Captiva
North of Havana
The Mangrove Coast
Ten Thousand Islands
Shark River
Twelve Mile Limit
Everglades
Tampa Burn
Dead of Night
Dark Light
Hunter’s Moon
Black Widow
Dead Silence
Deep Shadow
Night Vision
Gone
NONFICTION
Randy Wayne White’s Ultimate Tarpon Book
Batfishing in the Rainforest
The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua
Last Flight Out
An American Traveler
Gulf Coast Cookery
(and Recollections of Sanibel Island)
Tarpon Fishing in Mexico and Florida (An Introduction)
FICTION AS RANDY STRIKER
Key West Connection
The Deep Six
Cuban Death-Lift
The Deadlier Sex
Assassin’s Shadow
Grand Cayman Slam
Everglades Assault
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
Publishers Since 1838
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com
Copyright © 2013 by Randy Wayne White
Copyright © 1981, Cane Garden Music/Coral Reefer Music,
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN 978-1-101-60925-5
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is for my father, Floyd L. White, member of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles and a generation of men and women who rescued the world
DISCLAIMER
Sanibel and Captiva Islands are real places, faithfully described but used fictitiously in this novel. The same is true of certain businesses, marinas, bars and other places frequented by Doc Ford, Tomlinson, and pals.
In all other respects, however, this novel is a work of fiction. Names (unless used by permission), characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is unintentional and coincidental.
Contact Mr. White at WWW.DOCFORD.COM
Contents
Also by Randy Wayne White
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Disclaimer
Author’s Note
Epigraph
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
AUTHOR’S NOTE
One of the joys associated with researching Florida’s social and natural history is that the facts often exceed the boundaries of believable fiction, which is why writing about the state also presents its challenges. I’ve published a number of books that prove this point, but none employ as many factual curiosities as
Night Moves
. For example, the Bone Field exists and is accurately described except for its location. I’ve walked that ancient place, seen the human bones entwined by roots, and will continue to protect the spot, along with the few others who know about it, until archaeologists agree to investigate.
The disappearance of five Navy torpedo bombers is another Florida mystery that plays a role in this novel, and I’ve used the most dependable information available to describe the event accurately in each detail—as fantastic as those details may seem to the reader. I relied heavily on the foremost authority on the subject, researcher and author Gian J. Quasar, who was kind enough to reply to my e-mails, and to discuss a theory that the five Avengers ultimately crashed in or near the Gulf of Mexico (a theory that is at odds with Mr. Quasar’s own conclusions). As noted by Doc Ford, Mr. Quasar’s book,
They Flew Into Oblivion
, contains the most exhaustive original research by far on the subject, and is highly recommended to those who want to learn more about that tragic incident.
There is nothing mysterious about the population boom of exotic snakes in the Everglades, and the situation is portrayed accurately, as are facts regarding the so-called jig-fishing techniques used in Boca Grande Pass tarpon tournaments. Hopefully, lawmakers and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission are finally awakening to the fact that jig-fishing is a euphemism for snag-fishing and will put an end to a practice that is detrimental to all but TV production companies that profit from the fast action which snag-fishing guarantees.
I learned long ago, whether writing fiction or nonfiction, that an author loses credibility if he’s caught in a factual error. Because of this, I take research seriously, and my research benefits from experts in varied fields. Before recognizing those who provided assistance, though, I would first like to remind the reader that all errors, exaggerations and/or misinterpretations of fact, if any, are entirely the fault of the author.
Much thanks goes to my good friend Captain Mark Futch, a superb floatplane pilot who advised me (sometimes daily) on everything in this novel associated with airplanes, and who was my enthusiastic partner while researching Flight 19. Dr. Marybeth B. Saunders, Dr. Peggy C. Kalkounos, and Dr. Brian Hummel all provided invaluable expert medical advice. Sports psychologist Don Carman, once again, contributed unerring insights into human behavior, aberrant and otherwise, and his advice regarding Marion Ford’s fitness routine is much appreciated. Pedro and Hannah Franco also deserve thanks.