Fantasy in Florida

Kenneth Taragano is a research scientist for a bio-tech company in Palm Beach, Florida. He has discovered the magic bullet that promises cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and whatever else ails you, to age 200, at least. His company won't believe him, so he sells it to a company in Brazil, and this story is about the contest for control of the formula and its promised multiple fortunes. It takes place, mostly, in the unique world of Key West, where, during the annual FantasyFest on Halloween weekend, body paint is an acceptable, and preferred, substitute for clothing. All the people, and most of the places are fictional and never really existed, but FantasyFest is not fiction The parties and the costumes really are just as described. The adventure is related by the typical fictional Private Investigator, here named Thad Branson. Other characters are Joi, whose neck-to-toe dress is just not quite totally transparent, and Betsy, who is lounging on the sidewalk along Duval street in a skirt, "all of 8 inches long, and nothing else, not even paint." This is pretty normal for FantasyFest. . Thad is an airplane pilot, and an ex-naval officer, so airplanes and boats are part of the adventures. He is admonished at one point to "watch your six", and this is how he does it. 227 words