Frog Head Key

By Eric Douglas

Bootleggers destroy a boat near Withrow Key, killing the passengers. When two young men from Jackson Pauley’s dive shop visit Frog Head Key to investigate, one of them is killed and the other is put in the hospital. More than illegal whiskey, the bootleggers might just be up to something more sinister. When Jackson Pauley learns what happened, he is determined to keep them from hurting anyone else and putting a stop to their operation.

This is the fourth Withrow Key thriller short story. Set on a bypassed key in the Florida Keys, life moves a little slower and a little weirder.

Each Withrow Key thriller short story features scuba diving, adventure, boats, the ocean and mystery along with beautiful locations and scenery. Jackson Pauley and Randy Littlebear work to bring the men to justice who killed a promising young man and keep them from hurting anyone else.

Illustrations for this story by Rick Melvin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eric Douglas
• Release date: Oct 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310892882

Eric Douglas

Life is an adventure for Eric Douglas, above and below the water and wherever in the world he ends up. Eric received a degree in Journalism from Marshall University. After working in local newspapers, honing his skills as a story teller, and following a stint as a freelance journalist in the former Soviet Union, he became a dive instructor. The ocean and diving have factored into all of his fiction works since then.As a documentarian, Eric has worked in Russia, Honduras and most recently in his home state of West Virginia, featuring the oral histories of West Virginia war veterans in the documentary West Virginia Voices of War and the companion book Common Valor.Visit his website at: www.booksbyeric.com.Eric talks about adventure and taking time to be creative, along with diving and writing, on his blog at www.booksbyeric.com. He would love it if you dropped by to say hello.You can also follow him on Twitter, get in touch on Facebook or through Google+. Lastly, you can always send him an email: [e-mail]

Book preview

Frog Head Key

A Withrow Key

Adventure Short Story

By Eric Douglas

Frog Head Key

By Eric Douglas

Copyright Third Edition 2015 at Smashwords

Second Edition 2013 by Eric Douglas. First Edition 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Visibility Press, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Illustrations for Frog Head Key by Richard Melvin.

This is a Visibility Press original.

Copyright © 2015 Eric Douglas

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue

About the Author

Chapter 1

That was some strange storm, Tim Baker said to his friend as they patrolled the waters off the Florida Keys.

I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like it, Steve Frame agreed. It came up from the wrong direction.

The two men were searching the waters around some of the small unpopulated islands that rise up from the water around the Keys. Typically covered with mangrove and scrub, most of these islands have never seen human habitation. Some, however, are used by campers and anglers looking to get away from the crowds. Or for college kids wanting to party for the weekend.

The storm was winding down just as quickly as it had come up. It was well after midnight, but the two men knew that if someone were on one of these islands during the storm, they would be in trouble. They couldn’t wait until morning. As members of the local Coast Guard auxiliary, they wanted to make sure no one needed their help.

What the hell is that? Baker asked as he slowly guided his boat around the side of a small island called Frog Head Key. The small, oblong bump on the water was covered with thick mangroves, birds roosted in the trees and normally there wasn’t any break in the vegetation. Except now. Through the trees, both men could clearly see something. They just weren’t sure what. They probably wouldn’t have even seen it if they weren’t shining a light on the trees and saw a reflection. In the daylight, they never would have.

No clue, Frame agreed as he moved the spotlight he was using toward the island. It looks like a building of some sort. But there isn’t supposed to be anything out here. These islands are a protected national park. You can’t build out here

I know, I know. Let’s take a closer look, Baker said.

The last thing the two men saw was a flash of light out of the corner of their eyes. The bright light and the loud woosh made them both turn their heads just in time to see the glowing, screaming rocket make contact with the outboard engines on their boat. The detonation killed them instantly, even before the burning fuel ignited. The boat was destroyed and underwater in seconds. All that was left on the surface was some light debris and an oil slick. Both were sure to be distributed by the waves and churned up currents in the aftermath of the storm.

*****

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