Twelve Mile Limit Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Epigraph

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Part Two

  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

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Author’s Postscript

  Praise for Randy Wayne White and TWELVE MILE LIMIT

  “Randy Wayne White and his Doc Ford join my list of must-reads. It is no small matter when I assert that White is getting pretty darn close to joining Carl Hiaasen and John D. MacDonald.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Fellow Travis McGee fans, rejoice. His spiritual heir has appeared in the person of Doc Ford.” —The Charlotte Observer

  “The best new writer since Carl Hiaasen. Packed with finely drawn characters, relevant social issues, superb plotting and an effortless writing style.”

  —The Denver Post

  “A series to be savored.”

  —The San Diego Union-Tribune

  “A fine book to read on the beach—or anywhere else. Just don’t take it down from the shelf the day before the deep-sea diving expedition.”

  —The New Orleans Times-Picayune

  “White relates his story with his usual seasoned skill.”

  —The Orlando Sentinel

  “Its plot (based on a true incident) is harrowing, and White—a longtime fishing guide—excels at evoking the feels of life on the waters of South Florida.”

  —The Seattle Times

  “The rightful heir to John D. MacDonald [and] Carl Hiaasen . . . White’s novels are always more than thrillers.”

  —The Tampa Tribune

  “Guaranteed to heat up your summer reading.”

  —The Florida Times-Union

  “Crisp action, thoughtful reflections on human relations, and some of the best writing about the sea by anyone in or out of the crime-fiction genre.”

  —Booklist

  “Plenty entertaining . . . will have fans shouting ‘encore.’ ”

  —Publishers Weekly

  SHARK RIVER

  “Woven knot by knot, the work of a master.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “White’s meticulous and loving description of Florida’s vanishing natural landscape . . . sets the book apart from those by a host of other ‘Florida’ mystery writers.”

  —The Raleigh News & Observer

  “Doc Ford fans will not want to miss Shark River, which gives a revealing look at Ford’s dark background and explains his curious bond with Tomlinson. But readers do not need to be familiar with the series to relish a novel that shows one of the nation’s most accomplished wordsmiths at the top of his game.”

  —The Tampa Tribune

  “His mano-a-mano action scenes adhere to the muscle-flexing style of writers like James W. Hall and Les Standiford.”

  —Marilyn Stasio

  “A real winner here. I am an instant fan in search of the author’s earlier books. More, please.”

  —The Washington Times

  TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS

  “A taut story of modern greed and violence. Plenty of great twists . . . make this one of the most satisfying thrillers in recent memory.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “We can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon than curled up with this book . . . A wild dangerous adventure . . . Breathless action.”

  —The Denver Post

  “A powerful look at Florida’s heart of darkness . . . A rapid-fire tale that will snare readers like a treble hook . . . No one around today writes as well about Florida . . . Rough-edged and violent . . . One of the best in a series that is as good as anything being written today.”

  —The Tampa Tribune

  “When it comes to Florida, White is positively lyrical . . . Marvelous description, good plotting, and plenty of action.”

  —The Florida Times-Union

  THE MANGROVE COAST

  “Captivating.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “White reels in readers with another effective combination of atmosphere and action.”

  —The Orlando Sentinel

  “[White] seems more than a match for any of Florida’s fictioneers.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  “Action-packed and skillfully plotted . . . a pleasure to read.”

  —The Dallas Morning News

  “A first-rate thriller.”

  —The Tampa Tribune

  “White is a master of the finishing touch.”

  —The Miami Herald

  CAPTIVA

  “Packed with finely-drawn characters, relevant social issues, superb plotting, and an effortless writing style. We’ll drop anything we’re doing to read a new Randy Wayne White book and be glad we did.”

  —The Denver Post

  “White tells one whale of a story.”

  —The Miami Herald

  “An enticing brew of hard-drinking, thick-skulled anglers, plodding detectives, and plotting marina bosses. White knows a thing or two about friendship, love, and honor.”

  —Entertainment Weekly

  “Edginess is what sets White’s work apart from the rest of the pack . . . a prickly, enigmatic hero . . . ambience, compelling characters, and straightforward suspense.”

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  “An inventive story . . . White knows how to build a plot . . . with touches John D. MacDonald would have appreciated.”

  —Playboy

  Titles 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

  Nonfiction

  Batfishing in the Rainforest

  The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua

  Last Flight Out

  An American Traveler

  Tarpon Fishing in Mexico and Florida (An Introduction)

  Randy Wayne White’s Gulf Coast Cookbook

  (with Carlene Fredericka Brennen)

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia
), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  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, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  TWELVE MILE LIMIT

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / June 2003

  Berkley mass-market edition / January 2006

  Copyright © 2002 by Randy Wayne White.

  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.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-14386-5

  BERKLEY®

  Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  This book is dedicated to my extended family at Sanibel’s old Tarpon Bay Marina, where for thirteen years I was a fishing guide: Mack and Eleanor Hamby, George and Willy, Capt. Graeme Mellor, Capt. Nick Clements, Capt. Neville Robeson, Capt. Alex Payne, and Carlene Brennen, as well as all the guides at Sanibel Marina, South Seas, ’Tween Waters, and Jensen’s Marinas who provided much good humor and help while on the water. I would also like to thank my pals Dr. Brian Hummel, Gary Terwilliger, Stu Johnson, and Rob Wells for their unfailing support and lots of great sunsets on the porch.

  Finally, this book honors David Madott, Omar Shearer, and Kent Monroe, three bright stars on the Gulf Stream, wherever they may now be.

  Acknowledgments

  The islands of Sanibel and Captiva and the old Conquistador city of Cartagena, Colombia, are real places, and, I hope, faithfully described, but they are all used fictitiously in this novel.

  The same is true of certain actual businesses, marinas, bars, and other places frequented by Doc Ford, Tomlinson, and their friends. In all other respects, this novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are 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 entirely coincidental.

  The author would like to thank Dr. Allan W. Eckert for his friendship and his invaluable research on the Amazon Valley, its flora and fauna and its indigenous people. In South America, during my research there, William Dau, Alvaro Sierra, and Jorge Arauja were all extremely helpful. Dave Lara, Margarita Rosa, Mayra Salgado, and Haroldo Payares provided valuable social and political insights. Claudia Vinueza was helpful in translating English words into Jivaro or similar dialects.

  I would also like to thank Cmdr. Larry Simmons, formerly of SEAL Team One, and CPO Bobby Richardson of SEAL Team Two for their patient assistance over the years. The good people at Mote Marine Laboratories—Capt. Peter Hull, Dr. John Miller, and J. Robert Long to name a few—were, once again, very generous with their time and expertise in the field of marine biology.

  Others who contributed to this novel include Paul Rhynard, Dr. Alan Steinman, rear admiral, retired, of the U.S. Coast Guard Health Service; Capt. Denis Bluett, Ed Deloreyes, and Eric Spurlock of the U.S. Coast Guard; veterinarians Dr. Laura E. Bogert and Dr. Robert B. Miller; Renee T. Humbert for her expertise on octopi, Sue Williams, Clair Lamb, Patti Haase, Dr. Thaddeus Kostrubala, Chuck Krise of Underwater Explorers, Karen Bell of Bell Seafood, John Mc-Neal and Bill Haney, and also Ric Antey, Barbara Scott, Vivien Godfrey, John Mann, Dorie Cox, Rick Harrison, and all my pals at Bluewater Charts in Ft. Lauderdale.

  I would also like to especially thank John Camp for his excellent advice, and Bill Madott for his support and encouragement. He and other family members who braved their way through the tragic sinking, and the search that followed, have been through hell, and they prove the resiliency and brilliance of the human spirit.

  These people all provided valuable guidance and information. All errors, exaggerations, omissions, or fictionalizations are entirely the fault and/or the responsibility of the author.

  The Simiadae then branched off into two great stems,

  the New World and the Old World monkeys;

  and from the latter at a remote period,

  Man, the wonder and the glory of the Universe, proceeded.

  CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN

  Part One

  Prologue

  On Sunday, November 4, a Coast Guard helicopter was operating fifty-two nautical miles off Marco Island on the west coast of Florida, when a crewman spotted a naked woman on the highest platform of a 160-foot navigational tower.

  In the crew chief’s report, the woman was described as a “very healthy and fit” redhead. The woman was waving what turned out to be a wet suit. She was trying to attract the helicopter crew’s attention.

  The helicopter, a Jayhawk H-60, was in the area searching for a twenty-five-foot pleasure boat that had been reported overdue nearly two days earlier. According to the report, the motor vessel, Seminole Wind, had left Marco on Friday morning with a party of one man, three women. According to relatives, the foursome had planned to spend the day offshore, fishing and SCUBA diving, but did not return Friday afternoon as expected. The Coast Guard had been searching for the Seminole Wind since Friday night. The crew of the Jayhawk was looking for a disabled boat, not a naked woman waving a wet suit from a light tower.

  The helicopter flew east past the tower, banked south, then hovered beside the platform. One of the crew signaled the woman with a thumbs-up. It was a question. The woman signaled a thumbs-up in return—she was okay. Then the woman wiggled into her wet suit, climbed down to a lower platform, and dived into the water. The crew of the Jayhawk dropped a basket seat and winched her aboard.

  It was 9:54 A.M.

  The woman they rescued was thirty-six-year-old Amelia Gardner of St. Petersburg, a passenger on the vessel that had been reported overdue, the Seminole Wind.

  According to the Coast Guard report, the woman was given a mug of coffee from a Thermos and asked what happened. She replied that she’d been a guest on a boat that sank. When the crew chief asked where the boat had sunk, Gardner replied, “Oh dear, God! You mean you haven’t found them?”

  She was referring to the two women and one man who’d been aboard with her: the boat’s owner, Michael Sanford, age thirty-five, of Siesta Key; Grace Walker, twenty-nine, a Sarasota realtor; and Janet Mueller, thirty-three, who lived on a houseboat at Jensen’s Marina on Captiva Island and worked part-time for Sanibel Biological Supply, a business owned by a man named Marion Ford.

  A Coast Guard crewman shook his head and told the distraught woman, “Nope. We’ve had crews searching for thirty-six hours straight and no one’s seen a thing.”

  Gardner told the crew that Sanford’s boat had swamped and capsized at around 3 P.M. Friday while anchored over the Baja California, a wreck they’d been diving. She said the four of them had held on to the anchor
line until the boat finally sank at around 7 P.M. and they were set adrift. By then, it was dark, waves had gotten bigger, the wind stronger, and she was gradually swept away from the others in rough seas. Because she had no other options, Gardner began swimming toward the light tower, which she’d been told was approximately four miles away.

  “I never thought I was going to make it,” she told the crew chief. “I was sure I was going to die.”

  She said that it was a little after 11 P.M., according to her dive watch, when she finally reached the tower, climbed up the service ladder, and collapsed, exhausted, on the lower platform. She’d been on the tower since 11 P.M. Friday—thirty-five hours—and she told them she was very thirsty. She was sunburned, she had barnacle cuts on her hands and legs, and she appeared to be suffering from exposure.

  When Gardner was offered the option of being flown to a hospital or remaining on station, she replied that she wanted the helicopter to continue searching. She told crewmen that all three of her companions were wearing wet suits and inflated BCD vests, buoyancy compensator devices. “We’ll find them, we’ve got to find them,” she said, and offered to help the crew get Loran—an electronic navigational system that aids mariners in determining positions at sea—coordinates for the California wreck from her former dive instructor, who lived aboard a trawler at Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda.