I love the Florida Keys, especially Key Largo! This episode of "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean" takes place at a mom and pop restaurant and bar along Highway 1 in Key Largo. It is the entranceway to the Florida Keys, an island in the upper Florida Keys, just a stone's throw away from the southern coast of Florida. You don't have to go all the way to Key West to find a good time!
Don't forget to see this issue of "Caribbean Best-Kept Secrets" newsletter. It is all about Key Largo! This newsletter features all of Key Largo's onshore and offshore state parks and the many wildlife encounters awaiting you. So, enjoy reading excepts from this episode of "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean." It's all about Key Largo...enjoy!
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), loves the Florida Keys and Caribbean Islands, and authors the "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean" spy series.
Don't forget to see this issue of "Caribbean Best-Kept Secrets" newsletter. It is all about Key Largo! This newsletter features all of Key Largo's onshore and offshore state parks and the many wildlife encounters awaiting you. So, enjoy reading excepts from this episode of "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean." It's all about Key Largo...enjoy!
Scene from "Corey Pearson" spy series. Location: Key Largo:
"Corey Pearson sat at a table by the front
picture window of the Key Lime Café in Key Largo, enjoying a conglomeration off
the breakfast menu of steak and eggs, hash browns and grits, coffee and Key
Lime pie. It was past 4pm, but with no time for breakfast or lunch, he didn’t
care about the unusual request. Neither did the waitress.
A customer decked out in cut-off jeans,
sandals and a ‘Wastin’ Away In Margaritaville’ T-shirt sat at the counter
watching a small Motorola black and white TV, complete with rabbit ear
antennae. The Parrothead wannabe sipped a Corona and snacked on a complimentary
cheese plate which was frequented by flies. A large tarpon hung over the bar.
Every picture and sign hung slightly askew, including a Karaoke poster that read,
“No Refunds For Songs We Don’t Play!”
Corey thought to himself: Caribbean
Basin Interdiction Force, CBIF, went all
out acquiring this joint. Definitely doesn’t draw the sport’s bar, country
western, college, punk rock, yuppie or corporate community. A class all its
own.
The owner bragged to the Jimmy Buffett
Parrothead about how he miraculously acquired a state liquor permit, his plans
for a backyard patio for bands, and a remodeling of the downstairs bathroom.
I wonder how much the CBIF invested
to take over this joint…and their reasons for doing so. Poor guy doesn’t know
he’s working for them, or that his newly-hired waitress is most likely a plant
for the counterintelligence teams. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Parrothead is,
too.
He gazed outside past the column of coconut
palms and pink hibiscus decorating the front of the mom and pop bar and
restaurant. It was Friday and an endless flow of traffic ventured west on US
A1A, heading to Key West.
The waitress tapped a series of buttons on the aged jukebox in the corner. It
took a while for her selections to play, but finally a medley of Buffet tunes
began, beginning with “Turnin’ Around”.
Corey noticed two men talking in front of
a small grocery store across Highway 1, and wondered if they were a section of
CBIF’s counterintelligence (CI) team. Probably not. They’re too
obvious. The real guys wouldn’t be noticed. They’re out there, somewhere,
blending into the daily activities, invisible, and they tracked me since I left
the Jamaican safe house.
(Two pages deleted)
A cell phone musical chime interrupted his
thoughts. The waitress retrieved it from her apron and spoke guardedly, while
retreating to the back kitchen.
Hope this is the signal for me to
come home. The counterintelligence teams must not have detected anyone tailing
me from Jamaica.
(Two pages deleted)
As instructed, Corey ended up at the Key
Lime Café after climbing aboard an American Eagle at Miami International and
flying to Fort Myers-RSW airport, then catching a 1:15pm Cape Air Cessna which
was forced to weave around a large flock of gulls before touching down on the
tarmac at Key West International at 2:05pm. He climbed into a green Ford-250
pickup in log-term parking space No. 43 and drove to this unpretentious eatery
at mile marker 102.8 in Key Largo and ordered a meal, as directed.
I wonder how many CBIF
counterintelligence agents have copies of my itinerary?
Corey finished chugging down his iced tea
and savored the last bite of Key Lime pie. The waitress reappeared from the
back kitchen, stuffing the cell phone back into her apron. She walked across
the peanut shell-littered floor to his table and laid a receipt on the vinyl,
red-checkered table cloth. He stared at the blank tab and understood, handing
her an arbitrary amount of cash.
“Keep the change.”
She smiled and replied, “Thanks. Have a
safe trip.”
Corey returned the smile. “The pleasure’s
all mine. I must have a look at your wine list sometime.”
In the pickup, Corey took a miniature
penlight from the glove compartment and shined it upon the blank receipt. Under
the special UV light, the words “You’re cleared, Come on home” appeared."
End
Don't forget to check out this issue of "Caribbean Best-Kept Secrets" newsletter...it's all about Key Largo!
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), loves the Florida Keys and Caribbean Islands, and authors the "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean" spy series.