When Jim and Mary Galloway first traveled from New Jersey to Fort Myers Beach in the 1940's, they fell in love with the quaint island and it' srelaxed lifestyle. Even better, they found a local business - The Mermaid Club - for sale. The couple moved down, bought the club and settled in happily.

"Our martinis are so dry, they're made with powdered gin," Jim Galloway reportedly used to say.

But their new island life wasn't to last. In 1955, a fire tore through the building. No one survived.

"Jim, Mary and their little dog perished." said Barbara Thiel, a tour guide with Ghost Tours of Fort Myers. "The whole Beach was in mourning."

A week later, the sheriff of Lee County pulled oever a suspicious car. The driver jumped out and shot at the sheriff. He missed and was arested. An Accomplice in the car confessed that the man had actually robbed Galloways, shot them, and torched The Mermaid Club to cober his tracks. The killer went to jail, but his victims' souls couldn't rest in peace.

Over the years, employees and diners have reported seeing ghostly Mary Galloway reflected in a mirror combing her hair. Other report having seen her carrying trays or cleaning silverware. Items in a storeroom are mysteriously rearranged when the door is closed. And then there's the little dog, whom customers still see wandering among the restaurant's tables. "One day a man was sitting there eating a burger." Thiel tells. "He felt a nudging on his legs. He looked down and saw the cutest little dog brushing against him." But when the man went to feed it a little bite of burger, the dog opened its mouth, then disappeared.

Today, the building is still there - right on Estero Boulevard - where it's the popular pub called The Beached Whale.