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〃Or turn it loose at the county mission。〃
〃You're bad。〃
〃I know；〃 Augustine said。 As legal custodian of the menagerie； he felt a twinge of responsibility for Bonnie Lamb's predicament。 Without a monkey to chase； her husband probably wouldn't have been abducted。 Maybe the culprit was one of Uncle Felix's rhesuses； maybe not。
Without reproach； Bonnie asked： 〃What'll you do if one of those critters kills a person？〃
〃Pray it was somebody who deserved it。〃
Bonnie was appalled。 Augustine said； 〃I don't know what else to do； short of a safari。 You know how big the Everglades are？〃
They rode in silence for a while before Bonnie said： 〃You're right。 They're free； and that's how it ought to be。〃
〃I don't know how anything ought to be； but I know how it is。 Hell； those cougars could be in Key Largo by now。〃
Bonnie Lamb smiled sadly。 〃I wish I was。〃
Before entering the chill of the Medical Examiner's Office； she put on a baggy ski sweater that Augustine had brought for the occasion。 This time there were no preliminaries to the viewing。 The same young coroner led them directly to the autopsy room； where the newly murdered John Doe was the center of attention。 The corpse was surrounded by detectives； uniformed cops； and an unenthusiastic contingent of University of Miami medical students。 They parted for Augustine and Bonnie Lamb。
A ruddy； gray…haired man in a lab coat stood at the head of the steel table。 He nodded cordially and took a step back。 Holding her breath； Bonnie lowered her eyes to the corpse。 The man was potbellied and balding。 His olive skin was covered from shoulder to toe with sprouts of shiny black hair。 In the center of the chest was a gaping； raspberry…hued wound。 His throat was a necklace of bruises that looked very much like purple fingerprints。
〃It's not my husband；〃 Bonnie Lamb said。
Augustine led her away。 A tall black policeman followed。
〃Mrs。 Lamb？〃
Bonnie； on autopilot； kept moving。
〃Mrs。 Lamb； I need to speak with you。〃
She turned。 The policeman was broadly muscled and walked with a hitch in his right leg。 He wore a state trooper's uniform and held a tan Stetson in his huge hands。 He seemed as relieved to be out of the autopsy room as they were。
Augustine asked if there was a problem。 The trooper suggested they go someplace to talk。
〃About what？〃 Bonnie asked。
〃Your husband's disappearance。 I'm running down a few leads； that's all。〃 The trooper's manner was uncharacteristically informal for a cop in uniform。 He said； 〃Just a few questions； folks。 I promise。〃
Augustine didn't understand why the Highway Patrol would take an interest in a missing…person case。 He said； 〃She's already spoken to the FBI。〃
〃This won't take long。〃
Bonnie said； 〃If you've got something new； anything； I'd like to hear about it。〃
〃I know a great Italian place；〃 the trooper said。
Augustine saw that Bonnie had made up her mind。 〃Is this official business？〃 he asked the trooper。
〃Extremely unofficial。〃 Jim Tile put on his hat。 〃Let's go eat；〃 he said。
In the mid…1970s； a man named Clinton Tyree ran for governor of Florida。 On paper he seemed an ideal candidate； a bold fresh voice in a cynical age。 He was a rare native son； handsome； strapping； an ex…college football sensation and a decorated veteran of Vietnam。
On the campaign trail； he could talk smart in Palm Beach or play dumb in the Panhandle。 The media were dazzled because he spoke in plete sentences； spontaneously and without index cards。 Best of all； his private past was uncluttered by slimy business deals； the intricacies of which taxed the prehension of journalists and readers alike。
Clinton Tyree's only political liability was a five…year stint as an English professor at the University of Florida； a job that historically would have marked a candidate as too thoughtful； educated and broad…minded for state office。 But； in a stunning upset； voters forgave Glint Tyree's erudition and elected him governor。
Naively the Tallahassee establishment weled the new chief executive。 The barkers； pimps and fast…change artists who controlled the legislature assumed that； like most of his predecessors； Clinton Tyree dutifully would slide into the program。 He was； after all； a local boy。 Surely he understood how things worked。
But behind the governor's movie…star smile was the incendiary fervor of a terrorist。 He brought with him to the capital a passion so deep and untainted that it was utterly unrecognizable to other politicians； they quickly decided that Clinton Tyree was a crazy man。 In his first post…election interview； he told The New York Times that Florida was being destroyed by unbridled growth； overdevelopment and pollution； and that the stinking root of those evils was greed。 By way of illustration； he cited the Speaker of the Florida House for possessing 〃the ethics of an intestinal bacterium；〃 merely because the man had accepted a free trip to Bangkok from a Miami Beach high…rise developer。 Later Tyree went on radio urging visitors and would…be residents to stay out of the Sunshine State for a few years； 〃so we can gather our senses。〃 He announced a goal of Negative Population Growth and proposed generous tax incentives for counties that significantly reduced human density。 Tyree couldn't have caused more of an uproar had he been preaching satanism to preschoolers。
The view that the new governor was mentally unstable was reinforced by his refusal to accept bribes。 More appallingly； he shared the details of these illicit offers with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation。 In that manner； one of the state's richest and most politically connected land developers got shut down； indicted and convicted of corruption。 Clearly Clinton Tyree was a menace。
No previous governor had dared to disrupt the business of paving Florida。 For seventy glorious years； the state had shriveled safely in the grip of those most efficient at looting its resources。 Suddenly this reckless young upstart was inciting folks like a damn munist。 Save the rivers。 Save the coasts。 Save the Big Cypress。 Where would it end？ Time magazine put him on the cover。 David Brinkley called him a New Populist。 The National Audubon Society gave him a frigging medal。。。。
One night； in a curtained booth of a restaurant called the Silver Slipper； a pact was made to stop the madman。 His heroics in Southeast Asia made him immune to customary smear tactics； so the only safe alternative was to neutralize him politically。 It was a straightforward plan： No matter what the new governor wanted； the legislature and cabinet would do the opposite…a voting pattern to be ensured by magnanimous contributions from bankers； contractors； real estate brokers； hoteliers； farm conglomerates and other special…interest groups that were experiencing philosophical differences with Clinton Tyree。
The strategy succeeded。 Even the governor's fellow Democrats felt sufficiently threatened by his reforms to abandon him without punction。 Once it became clear to Glint Tyree that the freeze was on； he slowly began to e apart。 Each