They brought the bodies by airboat to the Coast Guard substation in the South Beaches Marina. Jenner drove down to meet Flanagan and Calvin Major and the morgue wagon; they waited by the boat ramp, drinking vending machine Cokes and watching the French and German vacationers climb into the tour boats at the commercial dock, off to look at manatees and dolphins.
The afternoon Mangrove Meander tour was almost fully boarded when the airboats came into view, buzzing under the low bridge and swinging wide into the harbor. The tour boat captain shut down his engine, climbed back onto the dock, and stood peering into the south. The tourists chatted obliviously, passing around bottles of water and sunscreen. A handful of Coast Guard crew members ambled out of the dormitory to watch.
The airboats surged into the marina, the roar of Chevy engines and huge propellers drowning out all other sound. On the tour boat, the passengers covered their ears, and took photos and videos of the unfamiliar craft, still unaware of the load they carried.
Then someone pointed and said something in German, and suddenly all the cameras were aimed at the biggest airboat and the black bags heaped against the first row of seats. The sheriff stood at the very front, next to the body bags, hand on the front railing, looking like a big game hunter boasting over his kill. Since Jenner had last seen Anders on the hammock, he’d managed to find a cowboy hat, which he wore tipped back on his head.
Flanagan tapped his shoulder, and Jenner turned to see a white TV news van, the insignia of the local FOX affiliate on its side, pulling into the parking lot; the members of the camera crew started bailing out even before the van had come to a full stop.
Jenner scowled. He tapped Flanagan’s shoulder and yelled, “I’ll see you at the office!”
Flanagan gave him the thumbs-up, and shouted back, “Okay, doc. We got it here.”
As Jenner left, he passed a CNN van pulling into the lot; over at the FOX truck, the mast with the microwave transmission dish was already rising.