Volume 2 - Hammerhead Ranch Motel

Chester “Porkchop” Dole

A Florida safety officer who is desperate to keep his cushy graveyard shift job of monitoring the southbound traffic along the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Guy Rockney

Florida Cable News’ weatherman saddled with having the network’s animal mascot, Toto the Weather Dog, as his co-host.  He lives in the penthouse of Calusa Pointe Tower Arms and is a regular customer at the neighboring Florida Room bar.

Johnny Vegas, the Accidental Virgin

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; appears next in The Stingray Shuffle.

Boris the Hateful Piece of Shit

The popular shock-jock at Tampa Bay’s Blitz-99 radio station whose show combines mean-spirited, intolerant rants with sophomoric sexual innuendo.  Boris is five-and-a-half feet tall and weighs almost four hundred pounds.

Inez Fawn “If” Rawlings

A Vassar graduate and rising reporter at The Tampa Tribune who meets Johnny Vegas at a fundraising event at the Tampa Aquarium.  She is attractive and has emerald-green eyes.

Serge Alexander Storms

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; appears next in The Stingray Shuffle.

Edna Ploomfield (A.K.A. Margarita de Cortez)

The notorious Mata Hari of 1940’s Venezuelan politics, who has been recruited, along Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez, into the Diaz Boys’ drug smuggling organization.  Posing as the Ramirezes’ elderly grandmother, she lives on the ground floor of the Calusa Pointe Tower Arms condominiums.  Edna is a regular customer at the neighboring Florida Room bar.  Despite her meek and aged appearance, she is a surly, abusive woman who uses violence and deception to achieve her goals.

Pedro Diaz

One of the four members of the Diaz Boys cocaine trafficking gang.  He is also the brother of Tommy and Rafael Diaz.  It is revealed in Atomic Lobster that he also has a younger brother named Benito.

Rafael Diaz

First appearance; appears next in Atomic Lobster as a member of the Diaz Brothers.  Rafael is one of the four members of the Diaz Boys cocaine trafficking gang.  He is also the brother ofTommy and Pedro Diaz.  Aside from Tommy and Pedro, it is revealed in Atomic Lobster that he also has a younger brother named Benito.

Sean Breen

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; no further appearances to date.

David Klein

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; no further appearances to date.

Zargoza (A.K.A. Harvey Fiddlebottom)

A Tampa Bay-area crime boss who has branched out of the cocaine business and has diversified into criminal activities such as: Medicare scams, chop-shops and sweepstakes scams.  He is the owner/operator of the Hammerhead Ranch Motel, which also serves as the base of operation for his criminal empire.  Zargoza is five-foot eleven, one hundred eighty pounds, with neatly trimmed black hair and rugged good looks.

Tommy Diaz

First appearance; appears next in Atomic Lobster as the head of the Diaz Brothers.  Tommy has been in the cocaine trafficking business for the past fifteen years and is the leader of four-man Diaz Boys smuggling gang.  He is the older brother of Pedro and Raphael.  It is revealed in Atomic Lobster that he also has a younger brother named Benito.

Captain Brian Xeno

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; no further appearances to date.

Mayor Malcolm Kefauver

The Republican mayor of the Gulf Coast community of Beverly Shores who suffers from an unknown medical condition that is causing him to shrink in size and stature.  Kefauver is a petty and vindictive man, who uses the power of his office to get revenge upon those who did not vote for him.  He lives on the second floor of the Calusa Pointe Tower Arms condominiums, directly above Edna Ploomfield and the Ramirezes.  He is currently five-foot two-inches tall.

C.C. Flag

A famous disc jockey from the 1950s and 1960s who is currently employed as the celebrity spokesman for Zargoza’s bogus sweepstakes contest.  Flag is a greedy opportunist who is willing to exploit his fading celebrity for wealth and attention.  He holds the distinction of being the first person in rock ‘n’ roll to destroy a musical instrument on stage at the end of a performance.  Flag is sixty-four years old, has a husky physique, a thick head of hair, and a ruddy complexion.

Fred McJagger

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; no further appearances to date.

Sidney Spittle (A.K.A. Sid the Fuckhead)

A small-time grifter working the Tampa Bay area. Sidney is extremely unscrupulous, preferring to prey upon the elderly with his scams.  He is currently romantically linked to Patty Bodine, a seventeen-year-old runaway.  Sid is twenty-eight years old, has a doughy, untoned appearance and a dark mustache.

Patty Bodine

A seventeen-year-old runaway who is romantically involved with Sidney Spittle.  She is an uncouth, immoral, spoiled brat.  Patty is waif-like thin, has long dirty-blond hair, and freckles;however, any physical desirability on her part is ruined by the ursine-like qualities of her lower face.

The crew of The Rapacious Reno

The seven-member hurricane-hunting crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron based out of Biloxi includes: Major Larry “Montana” Fletcher - the all-American, square-jawed, blond-haired, stalwart pilot from Southern California; Ex-Lieutenant Colonel Lee “Southpaw” Barnes - the crusty, foul-mouthed co-pilot; Milton “Bananas” Foster - the high-strung flight engineer with a talent for all-things mechanical; Marilyn Sebastian - the fiery red-headed aerial reconnaissance officer; Pepe Miguelito - the lovelorn navigator with a pencil-thin mustache; “Tiny” Baxter - the thickset and virtuous weather officer from Oklahoma; William “the Truth” Honeycutt - instrument operator and former all-services bantam-weight boxing champion.

Jethro Maddox

First appearance; next seen in The Stingray Shuffle.  An Ernest Hemingway look-a-like who serves as jumpmaster for the Flying Hemingways - a group of parachuting impersonators.  Jethro is garrulously philosophical, has a burly physique, and sports a white beard.

Country (A.K.A. Ingrid Praline)

First appearance; next seen in The Stingray Shuffle.  The daughter of third-generation Swedish immigrant, Olga Svjörlvladablatt, and Jebediah “Jeb” (“Bo”) Praline, a fifth-generation Alabama redneck.  Ingrid was raised in a narrow-minded and intellectually stifling home.  Her cloistered existence changed after meeting the worldly LaToya Olsen, who christened Ingrid with the nickname “Country” shortly after the two became inseparable friends.  Country is a twenty-one-year-old statuesque blonde with an athletic build, who bears a striking resemblance to actress Ursula Andress.

City (A.K.A. LaToya Olsen)

First appearance; next seen in The Stingray Shuffle.  Originally born in the Bronx, LaToya spent much of her formative years overseas as a Navy brat; so much so that, thanks to her teen years in London, she speaks with a British accent.  While working at the Piggly Wiggly in Tuscaloosa, she and her co-worker, Ingrid Praline, instantly became best friends.  Acknowledging the ‘odd couple’ nature of their friendship, LaToya gave herself and Ingrid the nicknames “City” and “Country”.  This dichotomy is further exemplified by LaToya’s endless stories about her travels and experiences overseas, which the far-less worldly Country enjoys listening to and learning from.  City is college-aged and assumed to be in her early twenties; has a beautifully angelic face; tall stature; athletic build; and is said to resemble a combination of singer Lena Horne and actress Haley Berry.

Aristotle “Art” Tweed

Under the impression that he only has weeks left to live, Art has decided to leave his home in Montgomery, AL and devote his remaining time on earth to making the world a better place. Art is twenty-eight years old, lanky, freckle-faced, and has red hair.

Lenny Lippowicz

First appearance; appears next in The Stingray Shuffle.  Born in Pahokee, FL, Lenny is a high-school dropout who spent his adult life bouncing from one job to another. A slacker by nature, he, nonetheless, has engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial enterprises.  Despite bearing an uncanny resemblance to actor James Woods, Lenny is currently a Don Johnson/Sonny Crockett impersonator.  Although not to the same degree as Coleman, Lenny is an avid user of illegal substances and alcohol.  In The Stingray Shuffle (16: 122), it is stated Lenny’s father is dead.  In the same novel, it is also revealed that he lives with his widowed mother in Pompano Beach, FL.  Cadillac Beach (7:66) reveals that Lenny has a sister.  It is also stated in The Stingray Shuffle (25: 189) he is currently forty-two years old, which means he is about seven years older than Serge.

Paul the Passive-Aggressive Private Eye

First appearance; next seen in The Stingray Shuffle.  Paul is a Montgomery, AL-based private investigator hired by Montgomery Memorial Hospital to find Art Tweed to give him the good news regarding his presumed medical condition.  Paul’s shy nature and averseness to conflict resulted in his being pressured to take an early retirement from his twenty-three-year career as an insurance claims adjuster because his company wanted to replace him with a younger agent.  Those same traits also allowed his wife to cuckold him until he granted her a divorce.  Forced to give up half his assets in the divorce, Paul found himself having to make ends meet working as a shoe salesman.  Paul finally reached his breaking point and started his own, one-man detective agency.  Embittered by his experiences and eschewing human contact, Paul quickly made a name for himself as a savant in the field of locating and recovering lost assets for his clients.  He is fifty-eight years old, five-foot four-inches tall; one hundred ten pounds; has a pale complexion; and thinning gray hair which he regularly hides underneath a fedora.  Last name unrevealed.

Sammie Pedantic

Georgia Tech theology student who, along with his friend Joe Varsity, is duped by the Diaz Boys into smuggling a shipment of cocaine from Daytona Beach to Tampa.

Joe Varsity

University of Tennessee English major who, along with his friend Sammie Pedantic, is duped by the Diaz Boys into smuggling a shipment of cocaine from Daytona Beach to Tampa.

Juan Diaz

One of the four members of the Diaz Boys cocaine trafficking gang.  Juan is the younger cousin of Tommy, Rafael and Pedro Diaz, and is rightly paranoid that his cousins are looking to shed themselves of him so they can rename the gang the Diaz Brothers.  It is revealed in Atomic Lobster that Juan has a fourth cousin named Benito Diaz.

Blaine Crease

Last seen in Florida Roadkill; appears next in Orange Crush.

Posse Comatose

Three bigoted, male high school students who are all avid fans of Boris’ radio show

         NOTE - The novel's hardcover edition was used for the (Chapter : Page) notations

     Hammerhead Ranch Motel picks up immediately after conclusion of Florida Roadkill, with Serge following Sean and David west, along the Tamiami Trail.  It concludes on the same day that The Stingray Shuffle begins.  According to the Florida Roadkill timeline, Serge pursues Sean and David on the evening of Thursday, October 30, 1997.  Serge checks into the Hammerhead Ranch in this novel later that same evening.

     After reviewing the ensuing scramble to retrieve the briefcase containing five million dollars which is in Sidney Spittle and Patty Bodine’s possession, it is concluded that Serge kills Patty in the early hours of Tuesday, November 4, 1997.  However, when Serge appears next in this novel - faking his own death - is it “December” (P: 4) 1997.  A review of the remainder of the events in Hammerhead Ranch Motel, as well as those in The Stingray Shuffle, indicates that Serge fakes his death on Monday, December 1, 1997.  This means that he spent the entire month of November holed-up in his motel room at the Hammerhead Ranch.

     The date which Hurricane Rolando-berto arrives is established as Thursday, December 11, 1997.  This date is established by the amount of days needed for the events of The Stingray Shuffle to unfold.  It is stated in The Stingray Shuffle (3: 21) that the hurricane came ashore on a “Thursday.” Also, in The Stingray Shuffle (3: 22), it is mentioned that the following “Wednesday” (i.e. Wednesday, December 17, 1997) Jethro and Paul left the Tampa Bay area and headed towards the Atlantic Coast.  It is assumed that Jethro and Paul’s almost week-long delay is because many of the roads in and around the area are shut down due to Rolando-berto’s devastation.

     The placement of Jethro and Paul’s flight from Tampa on Wednesday, December 17, 1997 and the numerous references to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (1998) in The Stingray Shuffle indicates that Lenny’s rescue from the chain(less)-gang at the end of Hammerhead Ranch Motel cannot occur “on the first day of the new year” (E: 287), as stated at the end of this novel.

   NOTE - The novel's hardcover edition was used for the (Chapter : Page) notations

                                                    MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 1995

Serge is sent to Chattahoochee (Florida State Hospital) after being arrested for posing as the legendary hermit Trapper Nelson. (10: 104)

                                                 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1995

Serge escapes Chattahoochee by dosing his psychiatrist with LSD. (10: 104-107)

                                                 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1997

The Cerbezas are hired by the Diaz Boys to smuggle cocaine. (2: 33)

• The Cerbezas move into their Diaz Boys-provided mansion on a “Saturday night”. (2: 33)

                                                   SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1997

The Diaz Boys kill the Cerbezas after the couple is arrested for fighting in their front yard. (2: 33-34)

• The Cerbezas are arrested on a “Sunday”. (2: 33)
• The Cerbezas are released from jail “at sunset”. (2: 33)

                                                    MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1997

Mayor Kefauver is arrested after he stabs his neighbor with a lawn dart. (4: 49-51)

                                                WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1997

C.C. Flag learns that he is under federal indictment for his role in Zargoza’s bogus sweepstakes contest. (5: 53-55)

Posing as a federal investigator, Sidney Spittle dupes Deloris Hastings into helping him capture an embezzler at her bank. (6: 61-63)

• Sidney Spittle first approaches Deloris Hastings on a “Wednesday”.  This is Wednesday, October 29, 1997. (6:61)

Zargoza orders Flag over to Vista Isles to deal with the reporters investigating the recent disappearances of Medicare patients at the retirement community. (5: 5-56)

The Diaz Boys hire Edna Ploomfield and get her a condo at Calusa Pointe Tower Arms. (13: 133-135)

                                                    THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1997

Fred McJagger praises Zargoza for getting rid of the Medicare patients at Vista Isles. (5: 57)

Sidney’s girlfriend arrives at Deloris’s home and accidentally spoils his scam.  When Deloris threatens to call the police, Patty panics and kills the elderly woman. (6: 64-66)

Sean Breen and David Klein drive back home to Tampa.  Unbeknownst to them, the briefcase with the five million dollars, as well as and Serge’s GPS tracker, are still in hidden in their car trunk. (P: 1)

• Sean and David are returning home from the Keys “late one Thursday”.  This coincides with the timeline in Florida Roadkill, which establishes they head back to Tampa on Thursday, October 30, 1997. (P: 1)

While holed-up in a motel on the Overseas Highway, Serge’s GPS signal receiver alerts him that Sean’s Chrysler New Yorker is approaching. (1: 21-25)

• “Two hours before sunset” the GPS receiver alerts Serge to Sean and David’s approach on the Overseas Highway. (1: 23)

Johnny Vegas strikes out with Gigi when a forest fire forces the mandatory evacuation of Everglades City. (1: 25-27)

Serge pursues Sean’s New Yorker west along the Tamiami Trail. (1: 27-28)

• The “sun went down” as Serge, Sean and David travel west along the Tamiami Trail. (1: 27)
• PLACEMENT NOTE: This scene occurs simultaneously with Florida Roadkill (29: 272-273).

Serge steals the New Yorker while Sean and David exit the car to stretch their legs at the forest fire roadblock. (1: 28-30)

• Sean and David cross the Everglades “at dusk”. (1: 29)

Zargoza shows Tommy Diaz his criminal base of operations in the back room of the Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Meanwhile, Serge rents out a room at the Hammerhead Ranch. (3: 42-44)

• Since Serge arrives at the Hammerhead Ranch in the “white Chrysler New Yorker sedan with scorch marks down the sides”, it is assumed this scene occurs the same evening Serge steals the car. (3: 44)

Zargoza berates his chop-shop crew for their poor performance. (5: 57-58)

• Serge sees the Chrysler sedan being stolen “minutes” after checking into the Hammerhead Ranch Motel. (5: 58)

Zargoza's crew steals the New Yorker.  Serge follows the thieves back to their chop-shop in Ybor City. (5: 58-59)

• Serge enters the chop-shop at “midnight”.  Therefore, it is now Friday, October 31, 1997. (5: 59)

                                                   FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1997

Serge narrowly avoids capture by the trio of car thieves.  As Serge flees the chop-shop, the thieves discover the briefcase filled with five million dollars in the New Yorker’s trunk. (5: 59-60)

The three car thieves celebrate their good fortune over drinks at the Wharf Rat bar.  Sidney steals the briefcase from the intoxicated men. (6: 66-68)

• Sidney runs across the chop-shop crew celebrating their new wealth “six hours” after Deloris is killed.  Therefore, Deloris innocently took part in Sidney’s scam on Thursday, October 30, 1997. (6: 66)

Serge captured the hungover chop-shop crew.  After learning Sidney stole the briefcase from them, Serge begins taxidermining them. (6: 68-71)

• Serge begins taxidermining the car thieves “late the next morning”, which is Friday, October 31, 1997. (6: 68)

                                                    MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1997

Zargoza learns someone killed his chop-shop crew. (9: 91-92)

• Skinner states that Serge’s taxidermy work took place “over the weekend". Therefore, it is assumed that this scene occurs on Monday, November 3, 1997. (9: 92)

Serge and Zargoza’s men both track Sidney to the Tampa bus station.  Inside the station, Sidney covertly switches briefcases with Patty.  Spotting Zargoza’s men eyeing him, Sidney panics and runs outside to grab a cab.  Unfortunately for Sidney, he hops into a cab Serge stole. (9: 92-96)

• Sidney is “enjoying a morning beer” when he learns of the fate of the three chop-shop thieves. (9: 92)
• The Wharf Rat bartender tells Zargoza that the chop-shop crew was at the bar “the night before”.  However, since this scene is assumed to occur on Monday, November 3, 1997, the bartender’s statement should be considered a generalization. (9: 93)

Serge learns from Sidney that Patty has the briefcase.  Serge ties Sidney to the opposite ends of the underside of a drawbridge. (9: 96-97)

• There is a “moonlit sky” when Sidney’s body is ripped in half by the drawbridge.  On Monday, November 3, 1997, the moon was in its waxing crescent phase. (9: 97)

                                                     TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1997

Zargoza and his men catch up with Patty at the airport and take the briefcase from her.  Fleeing capture, she unwittingly jumps into Serge’s stolen taxi to make her escape. (9: 97-99)

• It is “shortly after midnight” when Zargoza confronts Patty inside Tampa International Airport.  Therefore, it is Tuesday, November 4, 1997. (9: 98)

Zargoza discovers Patty’s body taxidermied inside one of the stuffed hammerhead shark statues that serve as a decorative border around the Hammerhead Ranch’s swimming pool.  Seeing this gruesome sight, Zargoza begins to think the rumors might be true about the briefcase being cursed. (9: 99)

• It is “morning” when Zargoza discovers Patty’s taxidermied head attached to the hammerhead statue. (9: 99)

                                                     FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1997

Hurricane Rolando-berto hits the Cape Verde islands. (2: 31-33)

• Hurricane Rolando-berto hits the Cape Verde islands “at the end of November”. (2: 32)
• The hurricane hits Cape Verde “shortly after midnight.” (2: 32)

City and Country end their careers at the Tuscaloosa Piggly Wiggly. (28: 245)

• Country’s Pinto blows a gasket on a “Monday”.  This is Monday, November 24, 1997. (28: 245)
• County is fired from the Piggly Wiggly at “ten-forty A.M.” on “Friday.”  This is Friday, November 28, 1997, and is the same day Art Tweed receives the crank call convincing him he has only days left to live. (28: 245)

City and County flee Alabama after they inadvertently implicate themselves in the stabbing death of a sorority girl. (28: 245-251)

• After leaving their jobs at the Piggly Wiggly earlier that day, at “ten P.M.” on a “Friday”, City and Country wind up drinking at The Hole in the Wall roadhouse bar. (28: 245)

                                                  SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1997

Major Fletcher and his crew depart Keesler Air Force Base aboard The Rapacious Reno, on a mission to investigate Hurricane Rolando-berto. (7: 73-76)

• When the crew of The Rapacious Reno inspects Hurricane Rolando-berto, the storm “had just ripped through Cape Verde”.  Therefore, their mission occurs at the “end of November” (2: 32), or slightly thereafter. (7: 75)

Jethro Maddox drinks a beer at the Flora-Bama Lounge. (8: 77-78)

• Jethro is drinking at the Flora-Bama Lounge “on an uneventful day late in the year, at exactly noon”. (8: 77)

Returning to base, the crew of The Rapacious Reno fly over the Flora-Bama Lounge. (8: 78-79)

City and Country notice The Rapacious Reno in the sky as they drive east on Route 292. (8: 79-80)

Convinced he has inoperable cancer, a despondent Art Tweed leaves his home in Montgomery and aimlessly drives south until he reaches the Flora-Bama Lounge. (8: 81-86)

• City and Country’s “red Alfa Romeo blew by” Art Tweed as he vainly attempted to fix his broken-down Firebird along the highway.  This establishes City and County’s timeline is synched-up with Art’s, meaning they all left Alabama on the same day, Saturday, November 29, 1997. (8: 81)
• It is said that Art Tweed had “begun the day” getting a crank call claiming he had a tumor.  However, since it is already past “noon” (8: 77), and since it is later revealed that a teenage prankster phoned him on a “Friday afternoon” (12: 126), this statement is somewhat incorrect.  Art received the call on Friday, November 28, 1997, but he did not cross the Florida state line until Saturday, November 29, 1997. (8: 81)
• On the Florida-Bama Lounge’s television, Blaine Crease is reporting on the hurricane damage in “Cape Verde”.  This means City and Country, as well as Art, arrive in Florida at the “end of November.” (2: 32)  City and Country have been on the run since the previous evening, which was a “Friday” (28: 245).  Therefore, this scene occurs on a Saturday.  Backtracking from the events in The Stingray Shuffle, this scene must occur on Saturday, November 29, 1997. (8: 85)

City and Country continue their trek eastward across northern Florida. (8: 87-88)

While driving to Tampa with Jethro, Art silently vows to kill a bully before he dies. (8: 88-90)

Mayor Kefauver debates his challenger in the upcoming election. (13: 135-138)

                                                 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1997

Paul the Passive-Aggressive Private Eye gets a phone call in his office. (12: 125-126)

• Paul is hired to track down Art “one afternoon in November”. (12: 125)

Paul is hired by the hospital to track down Art, who, thanks to a crank phone call from a nurse’s daughter, has been tricked into believing he is dying. (12: 126-127)

• Art receives the crank call from a teenage girl on a “recent Friday afternoon”.  According to the timeline, this is Friday, November 28, 1997.  Most likely, the mischievous teenager’s mother took her to work at the hospital because the girl was out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday. (12: 126)
• The hospital has been trying to contact Art for “three days” by the time they hire Paul. (12: 126)
• Art’s neighbors tell Paul they haven’t seen Art for “at least a week”.  However, this is not to say Art received the crank call a week ago. Since Art is somewhat of a loner, it is not inconceivable his neighbors would not normally have contact with him for over a week. (12: 127)

While driving to Tampa with Jethro, Art vows to himself to kill Boris the Hateful Piece of Shit after hearing the shock jock’s spiteful anti-immigration rant. (12: 127-130)

City and Country meet Sammy Pedantic and Joe Varsity in Daytona Beach.  The two college students explain they have been hired by the Diaz Boys to drive a Lexus to Tampa in exchange for a free room at the Hammerhead Ranch.  City and Country agree to follow Sammy and Joe to Tampa in students’ car and follow them across the state. (12: 130-132)

• City and Country cross “over the St. Johns River at five A.M.”, so it is now Sunday, November 30, 1997. (12: 130)

Kefauver is re-elected as the mayor of Beverly Shores. (13: 138)

Sammy and Joe are arrested in Tampa after the police discover bags of cocaine hidden inside the Lexus’ engine compartment. (14: 142-144)

• As Sammy and Joe drive to Tampa, “news of the hurricane” is playing on the radio. (14: 142)
• Joe mentions the Diaz Boys offered them a “free weekend at the beach” to drive the Lexus to Tampa.  However, the timeline surrounding City and County’s activities indicates the day Sammy and Joe drive to the Gulf Coast is Sunday, November 30, 1997. Joe most likely meant to say he and Sammy were offered a free ‘week’ at the Hammerhead Ranch. (14: 142)

Realizing that Sammy and Joe were duped into smuggling the cocaine, the police decide to use the two students as bait to catch the Diaz Boys. (14: 144-145)

• After “seven hours into the interrogation”, the police determine Sammy and Joe are unwitting accomplices in the cocaine smuggling scheme. (14: 144)

                                                  MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1997

The National Hurricane Center downgrades the weakening Hurricane Rolando-berto. (12: 121-122)

Mayor Kefauver gets into a fight with Edna. (13: 138-140)

• Mayor Kefauver confronts Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez about not voting for him “the next morning” after “election night”. (13: 138)

Learning about Edna’s publicized spat with Kefauver, the Diaz Boys decide to kill her. (13: 140)

• The Diaz Boys learn about the fight between Kefauver and Edna “on the nightly news”. (13: 140)

After arriving in Tampa, Art and Jethro go their separate ways.  Art buys a Colt Python, and then gets a room at the Hammerhead Ranch to wait for Boris to show up for the Prop 213 rally. (24: 219-220)

• While at Crazy Charlie’s Gun Store, Art is told that there is a mandatory “Three-day cooling-off period”, and that he can get the gun on “Thursday.”  Since this occurs the same day that Art and Jethro arrive in the Tampa Bay area, this means that they arrive on Monday, which is assumed to be Monday, December 1, 1997. (24: 219)
• As Art checks into the Hammerhead Ranch, he notices the construction crew is “just about done building the stage” for the Proposition 213 rally. (24: 220)
• It is unclear why it takes Art and Jethro two days (from Saturday, November 29, 1997 to Monday, December 1, 1997) to drive from the Florida Panhandle to the Tampa Bay area.

Lenny Lippowicz drives to Tampa for his next gig as a Don Johnson impersonator. (11: 113- 117)

Sammy and Joe are captured by the Diaz Boys. (14: 145-147)

• The Diaz Boys capture Joe and Sammy “after nightfall”.  Since this is the same evening Serge jumps from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the college students are kidnapped on Monday, December 1, 1997. (14: 145)

Realizing that the area-wide manhunt is too intense for him to flee town, Serge decides to fake his own death.  Serge obtains a Santa Claus suit to help him with his plan. (10: 107-111)

• Serge’s face has been “on the front page, third day in a row”.  Since this is the day that he jumps from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, it is Monday, December 1, 1997. (10: 108)
• With his face all over the news, Serge returns to his room at the Hammerhead Ranch Motel and “watched Florida fishing programs all day on TV and took a nap”.  He wakes up from his nap “after dark”. (10: 108)

Johnny Vegas meets journalist Inez Fawn “If” Rawlings at a charity fundraiser.  They agree to meet later at the Piano Bar in St. Petersburg. (P: 5-11)

• The fundraiser for the new Florida Aquarium is held on a “sticky December evening”.  Since this is the same night Serge jumps from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, he must fake his death in December. (P: 6)

Porkchop Dole spends his boring late-night shift inside the Sunshine Skyway Bridge safety booth watching Guy Rockney and Toto the Weather Dog’s forecast on TV. (P: 1-4)

• Porkchop Dole is watching the late-night weather segment on Florida Cable News from his monitoring station on a “December evening”. (P: 2)

Johnny Vegas drives to the Piano Bar. (P: 5)

• It is “almost midnight” when Johnny Vegas rushes to meet If Rawlings in St. Petersburg.  Therefore, it is after midnight when Serge jumps from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. (P: 5)

                                                    TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1997

Johnny and If cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Unfortunately for Johnny, his romantic chances with If are ruined when Serge, wearing a hidden parachute underneath the Santa suit, seemingly jumps to his death from the bridge. (P: 12-17)

Serge runs across Lenny parked underneath the bridge. (11: 117-119)

• It is “just after midnight” when Serge and Lenny first meet, so it is now Tuesday, December 2, 1997. (11: 117)

Copy editor Kirk Curtly comes up with a catchy headline for the Tampa Tribune’s story on Serge’s apparent suicide. (11: 119-120)

• While working as part of the “skeleton night crew” at the Tampa Tribune, copy editor Kirk Curtly receives the news of Serge’s jump from the bridge “shortly after midnight”. Therefore, this scene also takes place at the beginning of Tuesday, December 2, 1997. (11: 119)

Serge and Lenny go back to Serge’s room at the Hammerhead Ranch Motel. (15: 151-152)

• After returning to the Hammerhead Ranch, Serge begins “taking apart the homing signal receiver”. (15: 151)

After tying Sammy and Joe to lounge chairs, the Diaz Boys send the chairs soaring into the night sky with helium balloons.  Sammy’s chair drifts away over the Gulf of Mexico, while Joe’s chair crashes through the glass ceiling of the new Tampa Aquarium. (14: 147-149)

The guests attending the aquarium’s fundraiser watch Joe fall to his death. (P: 11-12)

Edna is confronted by Pedro Diaz but manages to kill him instead. (P: 17-20)

• Edna is attacked by Pedro Diaz on a “humid eight-two-degree December morning”. (P: 17)

                                                   WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1997

Zargoza threatens to call the police on some undercover cops using a motel room at the Hammerhead Ranch to stage a narcotics sting operation. (4: 45-49)

• The fact Lenny is “trying to arrange a black-market telephone auction” for his moon rock indicates this scene occurs after he moves in with Serge. (4: 46)
• The agents of three different groups of law enforcement organizations try to arrest each other in the “afternoon”. (4: 47)
• The news coverage of Hurricane Rolando-berto states it is “moving across the Atlantic after slamming the Cape Verde Islands”. (4: 49)

Thanks to El Niño, Hurricane Rolando-berto is restored to life. (14: 141-142)

• It is stated Hurricane Rolando-berto roared back to life in the Atlantic “three weeks into December”.  The length of time needed in December for the events in The Stingray Shuffle to unfold makes this statement impossible.  ‘Three days into December’ would be a more accurate statement. (14: 141)

                                                   THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1997

Serge trades his laser pointer for Lenny’s authentic moon rock. (15: 152-161)

• It is on the “third day” of their friendship that Lenny shows Serge his authentic moon rock.  Therefore, it is Thursday, December 4, 1997. (15: 152)

During a conversation with Zargoza, Tommy mentions a briefcase containing five million dollars is rumored to be floating around town.  Zargoza silently decides to put the briefcase in a better hiding spot. (16: 163-167)

• Zargoza muses that it is getting close to the “holiday season”. (16: 163)
• It is “early afternoon” when Tommy talks to Zargoza by the motel pool. (16: 163)
• According to Zargoza, the Proposition 213 anti-immigration rally is “tomorrow".  However, this cannot be the case because more than one day passes between his conversation with Tommy and the outdoor rally.  Their poolside chat occurs on Thursday, December 4, 1997, and the Prop 213 rally is held on Tuesday, December 9, 1997. (16: 165)

Using the GPS signal receiver, Serge discovers that Zargoza has the briefcase. Serge follows Zargoza down to the jetty near the motel.  The two become friends while dealing a group of obnoxious Jet Skiers. (17: 169-173)

• Serge has been taking apart and putting back together the GPS signal receiver for “the eleventh time in three days”.  His tinkering with the GPS signal receiver began in the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 1997, so it is still Thursday, December 4, 1997 when Serge meets Zargoza at the jetty. (17: 169)

Lenny meets City and Country and gets them stoned for the first time. (21: 197-201)

• It is stated, “Shortly after Serge and Lenny had set up their bunker in room one, City and County showed up at Hammerhead Ranch”.  City and Country arrive in the Tampa Bay area on Sunday, November 30, 1997, the same day they meet Sammy and Joe in Daytona Beach.  However, Serge does not invite Lenny back to the Hammerhead Ranch until the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 1997.  Therefore, either this statement is incorrect, or City and Country stayed a different motel the night of Sunday, November 30, 1997. If the latter is true, which the timeline assumes to be the case, then it would also mean City and Country’s whereabouts on Monday, December 1, 1997 are unaccounted for. (21: 197)
• City and Country don’t leave the Hammerhead Ranch for “the first two days” of their stay. Therefore, City and Country finally emerge from their room, and subsequently meet Lenny, on Thursday, December 4, 1997. (21: 197)
• It is “midafternoon” when Lenny meets City and County for the first time. (21: 198)

Edna is killed by a bomb planted in her condo by the Diaz Boys.  At the Hammerhead Ranch, Lenny is mistaken for an assassin when he inadvertently aims his new laser pointer at Zargoza.  Zargoza has his goons escort Serge and Lenny to his office.  The misunderstanding is resolved when Lenny shows the harmless laser pointer to Zargoza. (18: 175-178)

• Edna usually watches the “parrots at sunset”, but “tonight” she doesn’t because she is being interviewed by Florida Cable News. (18: 175)

                                                       FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1997

Zargoza takes Serge and Lenny cruising around the Tampa Bay area. (19: 179-187)

• Zargoza, Serge and Lenny leave the Hammerhead Ranch at “two A.M.”. (19: 179)
• Zargoza mentions that Santa Claus jumped from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge “the other night”. (19: 179)
• Boris tells his radio audience that the “big vote on Proposition 213 is only days away.” (19: 183)

Blaine Crease is assigned to accompany Toto the Weather Dog aboard The Rapacious Reno’s data-gathering mission on Hurricane Rolando-berto. (19: 187-188)

• Blaine is given his assignment during an “emergency three A.M. meeting”. (19: 187)

While cruising around the Tampa Bay area, Zargoza, Serge and Lenny become involved in a road race with the Diaz Boys. (20: 189-195)

Lenny gets City and Country stoned again. (23: 201)

• “The next morning”, City and Country ask Lenny for more marijuana.  This means they visit Lenny on Friday, December 5, 1997, which happens to be the morning after Lenny, Serge and Zargoza participate in the car race against the Diaz Boys. (21: 201)

As The Rapacious Reno flies over the revived Hurricane Rolando-berto, Blaine accidentally allows Toto the Weather Dog to jump out of the plane. (22: 203-208)

• The Rapacious Reno enters the Tropic of Cancer at “zero nine hundred hours Zulu”, which translates to 4:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. (22: 205)
• At “nine hundred thirty” Zulu Time, The Rapacious Reno “crossed the twenty-second parallel three hundred miles west of Havana”.  This translates to 4:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. (22: 205)
• Hurricane Rolando-berto formed near the Cape Verde Islands “more than three weeks ago”.  Despite this fact, it did not strike the Cape Verde Islands until Friday, November 28, 1997. (22: 205)

Zargoza orders Flag back to Vista Isles to deal with the controversy over the missing Medicare patients. (23: 209-210)

• Flag was at Vista Isles “yesterday”. (23: 209)
• While complaining to Flag about his troubles with the Diaz Boys, Zargoza mentions “a little old lady” that was “blown to bits”, which indicates this scene occurs after Edna’s death on Thursday, December 4, 1997. (23: 210)

Blaine tracks down Paul and tries to get him to divulge the details of the big investigation which has brought him to the Tampa Bay area. (23: 210-212)

• This scene occurs on Paul’s “third day in Tampa Bay”. (23: 211)

Boris’s radio show inspires the Posse Comatose to make plans to disrupt the upcoming Latin Heritage Festival in Ybor City. (23: 212-213)

• The Posse Comatose learns the “Latin Heritage Festival that weekend” occurs “the same night” as the Proposition 213 rally.  Unfortunately, neither event occurs during the weekend.  The Stingray Shuffle (3: 21) establishes Hurricane Rolando-berto makes landfall on a “Thursday”, which means that the Prop 213 rally and the Latin Heritage Festival both occur on a Tuesday evening. (23: 213)

The International Olympic Committee checks into the Hammerhead Ranch. (24: 215-219)

• Due to the ongoing heat wave, the beach behind the Hammerhead Ranch Motel is “filled with swimmers in numbers unusual for December”. (24: 217)

                                                     SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1997

Lenny introduces Serge to City and Country. (25: 221-224)

• It is stated Serge meets City and County for the first time “the next morning” after Art checks into the Hammerhead Ranch.  However, this cannot be the case because Art arrives on Monday, December 1, 1997.  Therefore, it is assumed this scene occurs the morning after City and Country’s last visit with Lenny. (25: 221)

                                                       SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1997

Serge shows City and Country the historic memorabilia on the walls Florida Room bar. (25: 224-227)

• Serge takes City and Country on a sight-seeing tour of the Florida Room “the next day, around noon”.  Therefore, their tour occurs on Sunday, December 7, 1997. (25: 224)

                                                        MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1997

After spending the day making homemade napalm, Serge leaves his motel room to watch the sunset.  Serge runs into Zargoza at the beach and concludes the pressure of being in possession of the ‘cursed’ briefcase is getting to the man. (25: 227-229)

• The “next morning”, after taking City and Country on a tour of the Florida Room, Serge begins making homemade napalm.  Since the Prop 213 rally occurs on Tuesday, December 9, 1997, this scene must occur on Monday, December 8, 1997.  This also means Serge’s tour of the Florida Room occurs on Sunday, December 7, 1997. (25: 227)
• Serge runs into Zargoza on the beach at “sunset”. (25: 229)

                                                      TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1997

Shortly before the Prop 213 rally kicks off, Serge tricks Boris into lathering himself up with the tropical-scented napalm.  Lighting a cigar, Boris instantly bursts into flames. (26: 231-235)

• After “wrapping up his morning shift” at the radio station, Boris arrives in Beverly Shores for the Prop 213 rally.  This is “the next day” after Serge makes his homemade napalm lotion.  Since the nighttime rally occurs two days before Hurricane Rolando-berto strikes, it is Tuesday, December 9, 1997. (26: 231)

With Boris dead, Mayor Kefauver asks Flag to host the Prop 213 rally.  Zargoza orders his goons to yank Flag off the stage and haul him back to Vista Isles. (26: 235-238)

Flag spends the evening drinking and having sex with one of the nurses at Vista Isles. (27: 239-240)

                                                  WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1997

Mistaking him for a Medicare patient, Juan and Rafael Diaz toss the drunken Flag into their van.  Flag escapes from the van while the two Diaz Boys stop off at the Latin Heritage Festival.  Recognized him as a celebrity, the organizers invite Flag to serve as Grand Marshall.  While riding atop the lead float, Flag is attacked by the Posse Comatose. (27: 240-243)

• It is a “little after midnight” when Juan and Rafael visit to Vista Isles, so it is now Wednesday, December 10, 1997. (27: 240)

The customers in the Florida Room watch TV as Guy Rockney assures his viewers Hurricane Rolando-berto will bypass the Tampa Bay area. (29: 253-255)

• The fact Flag stumbles into the Florida Room wearing a “shredded gold sash”, indicates he was at the Latin Heritage Festival the night before.  But, since he didn’t arrive at the street festival until the early hours of Wednesday, December 10, 1997, it is still the same day. (29: 253)
• According to Guy Rockney, Hurricane Rolando-berto is expected to pass by the Tampa Bay area “in twenty-four hours, missing it by a hundred miles”.  This will quickly be proven incorrect, but the “twenty-four hours” timeframe suggests the forecast is it given the day before the hurricane hits Tampa Bay.  Since The Stingray Shuffle (3: 21) states the hurricane made landfall on a “Thursday”, this scene is assumed to occur on Wednesday, December 10, 1997. (29: 255)

Jethro Maddox and his fellow Flying Hemingways parachute out of The Rapacious Reno for the Prop 213 Jamboree.  Jethro misses his mark and winds up dangling from a tall palm tree over the roof of the Florida Room.  Meanwhile, the crew of The Rapacious Reno notices Hurricane Rolando-berto has changed course and is heading straight for the Tampa Bay area. (29: 255-258)

• Jethro and the Flying Hemingways jump out over the “Proposition 213 Jamboree”.  Although it also takes place in behind the Calusa Pointe condos, the “Jamboree” is next day’s follow-up event to the Prop 213 rally. (29: 257)

                                                    THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1997

Guy Rockney curses on live-TV after Toto II bites him. (29: 258-259)

• It is Toto II’s “second day” on the job as the Florida Cable News’ weather mascot. (29: 259)

NASA agents are sent to investigate Lenny’s illegal moon rock auction. (29: 259)

Serge and Lenny make a last-minute supply run before the hurricane arrives. (29: 260-262)

• Serge and Lenny make a supply run to Island Groceries “in the afternoon”. (29: 260)

Shortly before Hurricane Rolando-berto makes landfall, Lenny is arrested and taken away by the NASA agents.  As the hurricane arrives, it sheers off the Hammerhead Ranch’s roof.  Serge and the rest of the motel guests seek shelter inside the nearby Florida Room bar. (30: 263-270)

• “Today the hurricane arrived.”.  The Stingray Shuffle (3: 21) establishes Hurricane Rolando-berto hit Tampa Bay on a “Thursday”. (30: 263)
• The hurricane arrives around “five P.M.”. (30: 265)

Paul arrives at the Florida Room and informs Art he does not have cancer.  Determined not to be Zargoza’s fall guy, Flag takes a young boy hostage and attempts to flee the bar.  Art runs outside and rescues the boy.  Flag and Mayor Kefauver are killed by the hurricane.  Thinking that she is protecting Serge, Country shoots Zargoza, who dies before revealing the briefcase’s location. (31: 271-280)

• Paul checked into the Hammerhead Ranch Motel “two days ago”. (31: 275)

                                                      FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1997

Serge takes advantage of the post-hurricane confusion to slip away. (E: 281-282)

• In the aftermath of Hurricane Rolando-berto, “several stretches of the beach roads remained impassable for a week”.  This might explain why it takes Jethro and Paul almost a week to leave the Gulf Coast.  According to The Stingray Shuffle (3: 22), the duo flees to Cocoa Beach on a “Wednesday”.  Also, The Stingray Shuffle (3: 21) states the hurricane came ashore the previous “Thursday”. (E: 281)
• “Sunrise approached” as the police arrive at the Hammerhead Ranch. (E: 282)

The Flying Hemingway are mistaken for the missing Medicare patients and taken to Vista Isles. (E: 282-283)

If invites Johnny Vegas to be her date to the upcoming Hubert Higgins Memorial Awards. (E: 283-284)

                                                     SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1997

During the awards ceremony, Johnny inadvertently becomes a hero when he stops Porkchop Dole from killing Kurt Curtly, whose Suicide Santa headline resulted in Porkchop getting fired from his job. (E: 284-286)

• Kirk Curtly, wins the “best headline on a breaking weekend news feature”.  However, since Serge’s jumped from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 1997, this award must be for a different headline. (E: 285)
• Johnny is approached by the Crying Game transvestite at “11:07 P.M.”. (E: 286)
• Since Johnny Vegas is in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, December 17, 1997 in The Stingray Shuffle, his appearance at the awards ceremony must occur before then.  For the timeline’s purposes, it is assumed the ceremony occurs on Sunday, December 14, 1997.

                                                      TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1997

While holed-up in Kefauver’s abandoned condo, Serge spots Paul and Jethro on TV leaving town with the missing briefcase. Serge grabs the GPS signal receiver and races out the door. (E: 286-289)

                                                    WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1997

Serge, City and Country spring Lenny from a roadside prisoner work detail. (E: 289-290)

• It is stated Jethro was stuck “in a palm tree the night before the hurricane”.  This means the Flying Hemingways parachuted on Wednesday, December 10, 1997. (E: 289)
• This scene occurs on the “first day of the new year.”  Unfortunately, due to the numerous references to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in The Stingray Shuffle, this cannot be true.  This scene occurs on Wednesday, December 17, 1997. (E: 289)
• PLACEMENT NOTE: The scenes in The Stingray Shuffle (2: 14-15), (3: 20-23), (3: 23-29), (5: 34-41), (7: 52-55), (10: 70-72), (13: 98-105), (15: 112-116), (15: 116-117), (16: 118-125) and (18: 140-145) also occur on this date.

While driving towards the Atlantic coast, Sean and David are passed on the road by Lenny’s pink Cadillac. (E: 290-291)

• As the novel concludes, Serge and his friends are “a hundred miles away” from Jethro and Paul, who are already relaxing by the pool at the Orbit Motel in Cocoa Beach, FL.  This cannot be the case.  In The Stingray Shuffle (5: 35), Serge, Lenny, City and Country are only “five miles behind” Jethro and Paul on the stretch of Interstate 4 between Tampa and Winter Haven. (E: 290)

                                                         (in order of appearance)

“C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)”

Written by Barry White, C.C. Lemonhead, Jay Ski & Michael Phillips

Performed by Quad City

“Free Bird”

Written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant

Performed by Lynyrd Skynrd

“New Sensation”

Written by Andrew Farriss & Michael Hutchence

Performed by INXS.

“A Change Would Do You Good”

Written by Sheryl Crow, Jeff Trott & Brian MacLeod

Performed by Sheryl Crow

“Tequila”

Written by Daniel Flores

Performed (hummed) by Captain Brian Xeno

“Electric Avenue”

Written and performed by Eddie Grant

“All Right Now”

Written by Andy Fraser & Paul Rodgers

Performed by Free

“Last Child”

Written by Steven Tyler & Brad Whitford

Performed by Aerosmith

“Dixie”

Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett

(Referenced by Serge)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (album)

All songs written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney, except George Harrison’s “Within You Without You”

Performed by the Beatles

“Peter Gunn”

Composed by Henry Mancini

Performed by Henry Mancini and his orchestra

“Old Folks Home (Suwannee River)”

Written by Steven Foster

(Sheet music printed on a highway sign)

Nebraska (album)

All songs written and performed by Bruce Springsteen.

“In the Air Tonight”

Written and performed by Phil Collins

“Lawyers, Guns and Money”

Written and performed by Warren Zevon

“Abacab”

Written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins & Mike Rutherford

Performed by Genesis

“Burnin’ Sky”

Written by Paul Rodgers

Performed by Bad Company

“Biko”

Written and performed by Peter Gabriel

Led Zeppelin IV (album)

All songs written by Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, except “Black Dog” and “Misty Mountain Hop” by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Paul Jones, “Rock and Roll” by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Bonham, and “When the Levee Breaks” by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham & Memphis Minnie

Performed by Led Zeppelin

“Black Dog”

Written by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Paul Jones

Performed by Lenny Lippowicz (Serge Storms on air guitar and Zargoza on air drums)

“Free Ride”

Written by Dan Hartman

Performed by the Edgar Winter Group

“Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”

Written by Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield

Performed by Neil Sedaka

“Brown Sugar”

Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards

Performed by the Hole in the Wall’s house band

“Born on the Bayou”

Written by John Fogerty

Performed by the Hole in the Wall’s house band

“Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)”

Written by Allan Clarke, Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway

Performed by the Hole in the Wall’s house band

“Big Time”

Written and performed by Peter Gabriel

Let It Bleed (album)

All songs written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, except Robert Johnson’s “Love in Vain”

Performed by the Rolling Stones

“Gimme Shelter”

Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards

Performed by the Rolling Stones

“Theme to Miami Vice”

Written and performed by Jan Hammer

“Will It Go Round in Circles”

Written by Billy Preston & Bruce Fisher

Performed by Billy Preston

                                                         (in order of appearance)

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

1180 Seven Seas Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge (Interstate 275)

Crosses Tampa Bay; connects Pinellas and Manatee Counties, FL.

USCG Blackthorn memorial

Rest area on the north side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Skyway Fishing Pier State Park (the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge)

Parallels the new Sunshine Skyway Bridge (Interstate 275); crosses Tampa Bay.

Gandy Bridge (West Gandy Boulevard / U.S. Highway 92)

Crosses Old Tampa Bay; connects South Tampa and Gandy, FL.

I.C. Sharks (likely the bait shop on the west side of Gandy)

13040 Gandy Boulevard N (U.S. Highway 92), St. Petersburg, FL.

Florida Aquarium

701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL.

Hillsborough County Circuit Court

301 North Michigan Avenue, Plant City, FL.

Tampa City Hall / Tampa Municipal Building

315 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

Ten Beach Drive Piano Bar

10 Beach Drive. NE, St. Petersburg, FL.

Rainbow Bend Motel (likely Serge's motel)

57784 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Marathon, FL.

Long Key Viaduct (Overseas Highway / U.S. Highway 1)

Crosses Long Key Channel; connects Grassy Key and Long Key, FL.

Long Key Fishing Club Historical Marker

65700 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Layton, FL.

Channel Five Bridge (Overseas Highway / U.S. Highway 1)

Crosses Channel Five; connects Fiesta Key and Craig Key, FL.

Caloosa Cove Resort

73801 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Islamorada, FL.

Safari Lounge

73814 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Islamorada, FL.

Whale Harbor Seafood Buffet (& miniature lighthouse)

83413 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Islamorada, FL.

Everglades Rod & Gun Club

200 Riverside Drive, Everglades City, FL.

Dade Corners Travel Plaza (Shell / Pilot Travel Center / Airboat in Everglades)

17696 Southwest Eighth Street (U.S. Highway 41), Miami, FL.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office impound lot

5525 College Road, Key West, FL.

Pro Player Stadium (currently Sun Life Stadium)

347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, FL.

Ochopee Post Office

38000 Tamiami Trail E (U.S. Highway 41), Ochopee, FL.

Hillsborough County Jail

1201 Orient Road, Tampa FL.

Friendship Trail Bridge (Old Gandy Bridge)

Crosses Old Tampa Bay; connects Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, FL.

Misener Marine Construction

5440 West Tyson Avenue, Tampa, FL.

Radio Shack

(possibly) 1291 South Missouri Avenue, Clearwater, FL.

Office Depot

(possibly) 1660 South Missouri Avenue, Clearwater, FL.

Tampa Jai Alai Fronton & the Courtview Club

5125 South Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL.

Tampa International Airport

4100 George J. Bean Parkway, Tampa, FL.

Twistee Treat (see page 58 in Chapter Notes & Vital Trivia)

​​6900 Gulf Boulevard (State Road 699), St. Pete Beach, FL.

Howard Frankland Bridge (Interstate 275)

Crosses Old Tampa Bay; connects Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL.

Home Depot

(Possibly) 1712 North Dale Mabry Highway (U.S. Highway 92), Tampa, FL.

Tampa Bay Downs

11225 Race Track Road, Tampa, FL.

Ma Barker’s house

13250 East Highway 25, Ocklawaha, FL.

Bayfront Park

301 Biscayne Boulevard (U.S. Highway 1), Miami, FL.

Keesler Air Force Base

(Street address not applicable) Biloxi, MS.

National Hurricane Center

11691 Southwest 17th Street, Miami, FL.

Flora-Bama Lounge, Package, and Oyster Bar

17401 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola, FL.

Naval Air Station Pensacola

190 Radford Boulevard, Pensacola, FL.

Piggly Wiggly

1721 Greensboro Avenue or 1503 Culver Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL.

Trader Jon’s Aviation Grill

511 South Palafox Street, Pensacola, FL.

Tyndall Air Force Base

7800 Tyndall Avenue, Panama City Beach, FL.

Indian Pass Raw Bar & Trading Post

8391 Indian Pass Road, Port St. Joe, FL.

John Gorrie Memorial Bridge (Big Bend Scenic Byway Coastal Trail / U.S. Highway 98)

Crosses Apalachicola Bay; connects Apalachicola and Eastpoint, FL.

Greyhound Bus Station

610 East Polk Street, Tampa, FL.

Belleair Causeway Drawbridge (Causeway Boulevard / West Bay Drive)

Crosses the Intercoastal Waterway; connects Belleair Bluffs and Belleair Beach, FL.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

500 Captain Armours Way, Jupiter, FL.

Peanut Island & Detachment Hotel (A.K.A. the Kennedy Bunker)

Lake Worth Lagoon, at the mouth of the Lake Worth Inlet, West Palm Beach, FL.

Jerry Thomas Memorial Bridge (Blue Heron Boulevard / State Road A1A)

Crosses Lake Worth Lagoon; connects Singer Island and Riviera Beach, FL.

Florida State Prison (“Starke”)

23916 Northwest 83rd Avenue, Raiford. FL.

Florida State Hospital (“Chattahoochee”)

100 North Main Street, Chattahoochee, FL.

Cypress Gardens & Florida Pool (currently LEGOLAND Florida)

1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL.

Trapper Nelson’s Cabin / Jonathan Dickinson State Park

16450 Southeast Federal Highway, Hobe Sound, FL.

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park

11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, FL.

Tampa Airport Marriott

4200 George J. Bean Parkway, Tampa, FL.

Publix

2511 East Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach, FL.

Tampa Tribune building

202 Parker Street, Tampa, FL.

Eastdale Mall (most likely the “Mega Mall”)

1000 Eastdale Circle, Montgomery, AL.

Fanning Springs Bridge (Kentucky Avenue / U.S. Highway 98 & 19)

Crosses the Suwannee River; connects Fanning Springs and Old Town, FL.

Shands Bridge (Leonard C. Taylor Parkway / State Road 16)

Crosses the St. Johns River; connects St. Johns County and Green Cove Springs, FL.

Pinewood Cemetery

300 block of Main Street, Daytona Beach, FL.

Boot Hill Saloon

310 Main Street, Daytona Beach, FL.

Hog’s Breath Saloon

400 Front Street, Key West, FL.

American Gladiators Orlando Live!

7127 West U.S. Highway 192, Kissimmee, FL.

Rio Café (most likely the unnamed sandwich shop)

602 East Polk Street, Tampa, FL.

Tampa Police Department

411 North Franklin Street, Tampa, FL.

Pinellas Bayway Drawbridge (35th Avenue / State Road 682)

Crosses Boca Ciega Bay; connects Isla Del Sol and St. Pete Beach, FL.

Pelican Diner

7501 Gulf Boulevard (State Road 699), St. Pete Beach, FL.

Johns Pass Bridge (Gulf Boulevard / State Road 699)

Crosses Johns Pass; connects Treasure Island and Madeira Beach, FL.

Fontainebleau Hotel

4441 Collins Avenue (State Road A1A), Miami Beach, FL.

Miami International Airport

2100 Northwest 42nd Avenue, Miami, FL.

Miami Beach Convention Center

1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL.

Ice Palace (currently Amalie Arena)

401 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL.

Tampa Bay Hotel (Henry B. Plant Museum) and Plant Park

401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

Café Creole Seafood House (El Pasaje / Cherokee Club)

1320 East Ninth Avenue, Ybor City, Tampa, FL.

Ybor Factory Building

1911 North 13th Street (takes up the entire block), Ybor City, Tampa, FL.

Temple Terrace Lounge Club (currently Gaspar’s Patio Bar & Grille)

8448 North 56th Street, Tampa, FL.

Char-Pal Lounge

3711 East Busch Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

Zoo Tampa at Lowery Park

1101 West Sligh Avenue, Tampa, FL.

University of Tampa

401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

University of South Florida

4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL.

Tampa General Hospital

1 Tampa General Circle, Tampa, FL.

St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital

3030 West Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

Clearwater Christian College (likely location for the all-night revival)

3400 Gulf to Bay Boulevard, Clearwater, FL.

Courtney Campbell Causeway (State Road 60)

Crosses Old Tampa Bay; connects Tampa and Clearwater, FL.

Columbia Drive Bridge (Columbia Drive)

Crosses Hillsborough Bay; connects Hyde Park and Davis Islands in Tampa, FL.

Mosaic Four Corners Phosphate Mine (Fort Lonesome phosphate mining depot)

21679 Kickliter Road, Wimauma, FL.

Salvation Army Family Store

(Possibly) 9926 East Adamo Drive, Tampa, FL,

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL.

Venice Arena (Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Clown College)

1401 Ringling Drive S, Venice, FL.

Fort East Martello Museum

3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL.

Miami Orange Bowl (currently Marlins Baseball Stadium)

1501 Northwest Third Street, Miami, FL.

Ayres Diner (lunch counter Fidel Castro visited)

​​603 1/2 West Lafayette Boulevard, Tampa, FL.

The Wild Boar

13604 North Nebraska Avenue (U.S. Highway 41), Tampa, FL.

Jack Kerouac’s home #1 (circa 1964-1966)

5155 10th Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL.

Jack Kerouac’s home #2 (circa 1968-1969)

5169 10th Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL.

St. Petersburg College

6605 Fifth Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL.

Beaux Arts Coffeehouse

7711 60th Street N, Pinellas Park, FL.

Cotanchobee Fort Brooke (midpoint location of Fort Brooke)

601 Old Water Street, Tampa, FL.

Fort King National Historic Landmark

3925 East Fort King Street, Ocala, FL.

Toys “R” Us

(Possibly) 1900 Tyrone Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL.

Hurricane Seafood Restaurant & Lounge

809 Gulf Way, St. Pete Beach, FL.

Universal Studios Orlando

6000 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL.

MacDill Air Force Base

6801 South Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL.

Tropical Isle (currently Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle)

84001 Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1), Islamorada, FL.

Coliseum Ballroom

535 Fourth Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL.

Myakka River State Park

13208 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL.

David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

1010 North Macinnes Place, Tampa, FL.

Hub bar (likely the unnamed bar on Zack Street)

400 East Zack Street, Tampa, FL.

Fort DeSoto State Park

3500 Pinellas Bayway S, St. Petersburg, FL.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

NASA Parkway W (State Road 405), Merritt Island, FL.

                                                      (in order of appearance)

Calusa Pointe Tower Arms condominiums 

Gulfside of Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Shore (A.K.A. Beverly Shores), FL.

Hammerhead Ranch Motel 

Gulfside of Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Shore (A.K.A. Beverly Shores), FL.

Orbit Motel 

Oceanside of North Atlantic Avenue (possibly 7800 block), Cape Canaveral, FL.

Purple Pelican Hotel 

500 block (north side) of Fleming Street, Key West, FL.

Mr. & Mrs. Cerbeza’s waterfront mansion 

Culbreath Isles neighborhood, South Tampa, FL.

Tampa High School 

Tampa, FL.

Zargoza’s old second-floor apartment 

Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa, FL.

Zargoza’s chop-shop

Unknown brick warehouse in Ybor City, Tampa, FL.

Unnamed pawn shop 

Dania Beach, FL.

Puerto Lago Boca Vista Isles (West) 

Off U.S. Highway 301, Ellenton, FL.

Florida National Bank 

Palma Ceia neighborhood, Tampa, FL.

Deloris Hastings’ home 

Palma Ceia neighborhood, Tampa, FL.

Wharf Rat bar 

Gulf Boulevard, somewhere between Indian Shores and Madeira Beach, FL.

Montgomery Memorial Hospital 

Montgomery, AL.

Unnamed shellfish restaurant 

Apalachicola, FL.

Unnamed gas station 

Perry, FL.

B.F. Skinner Taxidermy shop 

Near the Belleair Causeway Drawbridge, Belleair Bluffs, FL.

Unnamed breakfast diner 

Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Shore or Belleair Beach, FL.

Unnamed art deco hotel 

South Beach, Miami, FL.

Indian Swamp Village 

somewhere in the Everglades, FL.

Sunken Parrot Gardens 

Fort Myers, FL.

Lenny’s old apartment 

Fort Myers, FL.

Prop Wash Bar

Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, AL.

Paul’s old house 

Cloverdale suburb, Montgomery, AL.

Paul’s current apartment 

Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL.

Paul’s private detective agency 

Montgomery, AL.

Unnamed gas station

U.S. Highway 19, south of the Suwannee River, likely in Fanning Springs or Chiefland, FL.

Unnamed convenience store 

Dunedin, FL.

Unnamed wedding rental shop 

Near Belleair Shore, FL.

Unnamed convenience store 

Treasure Island, FL.

Unnamed video rental store #1 

Somewhere between Johns Pass and Belleair Shore, FL.

Unnamed thrift store 

Somewhere between Johns Pass and Belleair Shore, FL.

Fried-chicken-skin restaurant 

U.S. Highway 19, Clearwater or Largo, FL.

Rapid Response convenience store #1 

Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Beach, FL.

International House of Belgian Waffles

Belleair Shore or Belleair Beach, FL.

Toot-Toot Tugboat Inn 

St. Pete Beach, FL.

Happy Clam restaurant 

St. Pete Beach, FL.

Florida Room 

Gulfside of Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Shore (A.K.A. Beverly Shores), FL.

Rapid Response convenience store #2 

Tampa, FL.

Crazy Charlie’s Gun Store 

Tampa, FL.

Big Al’s Garage and Beverage 

State Road 67, Tuscaloosa, AL.

Crimson Tide Pawn 

Tuscaloosa, AL.

Hole in the Wall bar 

West Tuscaloosa, AL.

Beverly Shores Laundromat 

Belleair Shore or Belleair Beach, FL.

Island Grocery 

Belleair Shore or Belleair Beach, FL.

Unnamed video rental store #2 

Bellaire Bluffs or Harbor Bluffs, FL.

                                                      (in chronological order)

• Canoe up the Loxahatchee River to search for the ghost of Trapper Nelson
• Swim around in Cypress Gardens’ Florida Pool
• Spend some time at Florida State Hospital
• Channel your inner hermit at Jonathan Dickinson State Park
• Spend some more time at Florida State Hospital
• Lay low inside a (fictional) pink budget motel room in the Middle Keys
• Head east on the Overseas Highway, crossing the Long Key Viaduct
• Take photos of the Long Key Fishing Club Historical Marker
• Drive east over the Channel Five Bridge
• Take a detour to the Caloosa Cove Resort and snap some photos at the Safari Lounge
• Take photos of the Whale Harbor miniature lighthouse
• Resume driving northeast on the Overseas Highway to mainland Florida
• While traveling west on the Tamiami Trail, drive past the Ochopee Post Office
• Switch vehicles near Carnestown, FL.
• Make base camp at the (fictional) Hammerhead Ranch Motel
• Follow some car thieves across the Howard Frankland Bridge into Tampa
• Drive past the (fictional) brick warehouse chop shop in Ybor City
• Make a supply run at Home Depot
• Return to the Ybor City chop shop
• Run away on foot from the chop shop
• Hitch a ride with an anhydrous ammonia tanker on Adamo Drive
• Return to the apartment above the Ybor City chop shop to give a seminar in taxidermy
• Donate some artwork to (fictional) B.F. Skinner Taxidermy shop
• Do some people-watching at the (fictional) Wharf Rat bar
• Take the Gandy Bridge and Lee Roy Selmon Expressway to downtown Tampa
• Do some volunteer work as a cab driver outside Greyhound Bus Station
• Split the cab fare underneath the Belleair Causeway Drawbridge
• Do some more volunteer cab work outside Tampa International Airport
• Return to the Hammerhead Ranch Motel with more artwork
• Return the taxi cab and pick up your car at the Greyhound Bus Station
• Have a morning jog up Gulf Boulevard
• Eat breakfast at a (fictional) diner shaped like an Airstream
• Jog back to the Hammerhead Ranch Motel
• Driver over the Howard Frankland Bridge into Tampa
• From long-term parking, take the shuttle to Tampa International Airport
• Get into the Christmas spirit at the Tampa Airport Marriott
• Hide a change of clothes at the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park
• Base jump off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
• Retrieve your clothes and make a new friend at the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park
• Take your new friend back to the Hammerhead Ranch Motel
• Tour the barrier islands of south Pinellas County
• Drive west across the Pinellas Bayway
• Pass by the Pelican Diner
• Buy a laser keychain at a (fictional) convenience store
• Drive north over the Johns Pass Bridge
• Peruse the Florida section of a (fictional) local video rental store
• Buy t-shirts at a (fictional) thrift store to blend in with the locals
• Take a tour of Tampa and St. Petersburg, including:

                         - Cross over the Gandy Bridge into Tampa

                         - Drive past the Florida Aquarium and the Ice Palace

• Head west on Kennedy Boulevard
• Pull over at Plant Park to take photos of the old Tampa Bay Hotel
• Take photos outside Café Creole
• Sprint up 15th Street to take photos of the Ybor Factory Building
• Pop into Temple Terrace Lounge Club
• Visit the Char-Pal Lounge
• Head west across the Courtney Campbell Causeway
• Attend an all-night revival at Clearwater Christian College
• Hit the drive-thru line at a (fictional) fried-chicken skin restaurant on U.S. 19
• Drive back into Tampa across the Howard Frankland Bridge
• Head south down South West Shore Boulevard to Gandy Boulevard
• Drag race to the Columbia Street Bridge via Bayshore Boulevard
• Return to the Hammerhead Ranch Motel
• Hang out at the (fictional) Florida Room beach bar
• Buy a Junior Wizard chemistry set at Toys “R” Us
• Make a pre-hurricane supply run to the (fictional) Island Grocery
• Stock up on hurricane-themed movies at a (fictional) second video store
• Conclude your pre-hurricane run at a (fictional) convenience store
• Watch Key Largo in the Florida Room
• Move into the (fictional) Calusa Pointe Tower Arms condominiums
• Pick up your friend on the side of Interstate 275 in St. Petersburg
• Head north on Interstate 75

                                                      (in order of appearance)

Eight-year-old Serge steals a canoe and takes it up the Loxahatchee to look for Trapper Nelson’s isolated cabin.  When he spots the legendary hermit on the shore, covered in blood and skinning a wild boar, Serge becomes frightened and paddles back home. (10: 101-102)

• Since Serge is “eight” (10: 102) years old, this occurs sometime between October 1970 and October 1971.  However, since Trapper Nelson was found dead of a shotgun blast to his chest on Tuesday, July 30, 1968, Serge must have mistaken someone else for the legendary hermit.
• NOTE: This is not the same canoe trip to find Trapper Nelson that Serge took when he was five years old in The Pope of Palm Beach (5: 48-50) & (6: 58-60). (see page 102 in Chapter Notes & Vital Trivia)

Serge begins a series of short-term jail sentences for petty larceny and simple assault. (10: 102)

• This begins “twelve years” after his canoe trip up the Loxahatchee, when Serge is twenty years old, so between October 1982 and October 1983.

Serge is arrested for breaking into Cypress Gardens and swimming in the Florida-shaped pool.  Determined to be insane, Serge is admitted into the psyche ward at the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee for the first time. (10: 103)

• This occurs in the “early eighties”, placing Serge in his early twenties.

Lenny is born in Pahokee, FL. (11: 114)

• Since Lenny is “forty-two” years old in The Stingray Shuffle (25: 189), his birth occurs sometime in 1955.

Lenny drops out of high school and ends up bouncing from one job to another. (11: 114)

• Considering that Lenny is forty-two years old in December 1997, he likely dropped out of school around 1972, and bounced around from job to job for the next two decades.

After impressing the management with his Native American costume, Lenny is hired as an alligator wrestler at the Sunken Parrot Gardens in Fort Myers. (11: 114)

• This is assumed to occur in the latter half of 1996, or the beginning of 1997.

Lenny is fired from his job at Sunken Parrot Gardens after one of his alligators gets loose while he is off smoking a joint. (11: 114)

• This is assumed to occur sometime in the early months of 1997.

Lenny reads about the incident that led to his getting fired in the local newspaper. (11: 114)

• This occurs the “next day” after Lenny was fired from Sunken Gardens and is assumed to occur during the early months of 1997.

A few days after losing his job, Lenny reads a very-embellished account of the alligator’s escape in the British tabloid, The Weekly Mail of the News World.  Figuring that he is pretty good at embellishing the truth himself, Lenny decides to get a job as a freelance reporter for the tabloid. (11: 114-115)

• This occurs a “few days” after losing his job at Sunken Gardens and is assumed to occur during the early months of 1997.

In a scheme to drum up a headline-grabbing story for the tabloid, Lenny feeds a retention pond alligator until the animal is sated enough to be safely handled.  Lenny is arrested for freeing the sluggish creature inside a crowded shopping mall. (11: 116)

• This is assumed to occur in early autumn of 1997.

 Lenny convinces the judge to let him wear his tribal costume to jail.  Lenny sells the tabloid a story about how he, a Native American, was arrested after setting the alligator loose in protest of the white man’s encroachment upon his people’s land.  Lenny uses the profits from his story to make bail. (11: 116)

• This is assumed to occur in early autumn of 1997.

Lenny becomes a Don Johnson impersonator. He convinces Angie to join his act. (11:116-117)

• This occurs in early November 1997.

As Hurricane Betsy rages outside their home in Riviera Beach, Serge and his parents huddle together in their hallway. (20: 189-190)

• This occurs in the late hours of Tuesday, September 7, 1965 and the early hours of Wednesday, September 8, 1965.

Serge watches the ill-fated pass by Garo Yepremian during Super Bowl VII. (29: 261)

• This occurs during Super Bowl VII, which was played on Sunday, January 14, 1973.

During Hurricane Betsy, Serge’s parents bribe him into staying away from the windows with a big can of Charles Chips potato chips. (30: 268)

• This occurs in the late hours of Tuesday, September 7, 1965 and the early hours of Wednesday, September 8, 1965.
• NOTE: Serge mentions this incident again in Hurricane Punch (P: 5).  The events of that evening are also told in greater detail in The Pope of Palm Beach (2: 25-28).