Captain Tony's Key West

We stayed at Captain Tony's later than anticipated. The rain is spitting off and on, but there is a forecast for heavier storms later. The Kid decided to shoot some pool and promised not to hustle anyone. What I can see from my stool though is there is some sharking going on. At least that is up front, even though it doesn't always pay off as big.
The pool playing is not why we stayed late. As we were about to head out to snoop around for our missing pirate friend, a customer came in and began flapping some loose lips about a wooden figure. I thought that this may be the real clue needed to track down our friend and be done with this mystery.
A shadowy character slipped by the front door, but before I could think clearly, it was gone. I looked down Fitzpatrick, Greene, and Duval, but it was mostly tourists doing tourist things, so I went back inside. I sat closer to loose lips.
"Wooden figure, did you say?"
"Yeah, you know like one of those butlers, or baker figure things where they hold a tray or something."
"Not a pirate, huh?"
Loose lips nodded no, said he had to go back to the head, but instead slipped out the front door and quickly disappeared around the corner.
Captain Tony's is about escape. When you are inside you can go almost anywhere in any period of time. Unless you go out the front door, the world is not out there. The history of the place, of the man, and about the patrons who added to the history and mystery of this legendary saloon are all about escapism and other places.
This Captain first met Captain Tony years ago. Whenever This Captain and The Kid come to Key West we escaped with Captain Tony to more places than Buffett sings about in Last Mango. Captain Tony could escape in the blink of a story,and those eyes could take you to other places you did not want to return from, while at the same time making sure you bought another beer.
Captain Tony died November of '08, but the legend never dies, so the escape is always at hand in his saloon.
I asked the bartender if he knew where Loose lips saw the wooden figure.
Breaking up The Kid's game, we headed to the turtle kraals per the barkeeps tip.
This may be the end of the chase, but this is the best tip yet. Loose lips was hiding something, the figure by the front door , and all of this at the legendary escape place of all time, Captain Tony's. If this isn't it, we are heading off the Keys.


The Captain and The Kid