Disclaimer: I don't own Body of Proof and intend no copyright infringement.

"We need results, Kate. And as long as we don't have results we need to feed the media something else that keeps them occupied. Nobody needs another gun law discussion." Dan Russell was insistent. So was Kate Murphy. Classical Mexican standoff. Just without the sombreros.

"I'm not going to disclose any personal information about the physical state of the deceased children to you that is not directly related to the case. You're not going to tell that hyena from the broadcasting station that the last thing little Sally ever ate was cornflakes with bananas - I made that up, by the way. Asking me to reveal the stomach content and the children's old injuries and scars is disgusting. None of the kids showed any signs of maltreatment, let alone abuse. Your TV buddies won't fabricate lurid headlines and a gonzo story out of little Stan's five year old broken elbow! I made that up, too, by the way. The parents have just lost their kids! There's no way I'm going to let you use dead children for any of your political power plays!"

"Are you done?" The District Attorney reacted to Kate's rant with nothing but a patronizing smile. "The determination you demonstrate regarding your job is a definite plus. I'm absolutely confident it'll show in the upcoming debates and it'll transfer greatly to the public. Unfortunately your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. You act on impulse and emotion instead of cost-benefit calculation and long-term planning. Just like you left me high and dry the evening at the Royal Hotel where you were supposed to meet all the important people but chose to pursuit your own adventures instead."

"I apologized for that", Kate snarled.

"Simply apologizing won't do, Kate. I had to do a lot of explaining afterwards... your political career was this close..." Russell actually made the respective gesture. Kate felt the urge to bite his fingers off "...THIS close to being over before it had even started."

"And you saved it at the last minute. My knight in shining armor", she replied through clenched teeth.

"Your sarcasm is totally inappropriate, Kate. This is your chance to make up for your blunder at the Royal. Nobody wants to publish a story that makes the parents look bad. All I'm asking for are a few tiny bits that'll keep everyone happy till we've got the killer."

Kate stifled a sigh. Everything in her screamed at her to give the bastard the kick in the butt that he deserved. But on the other hand... she wanted to change things. Once she'd be settled firmly into office... She reached for one of the children's files on her desk.

Dan smiled. A broad, stomach turning cat-that-just-swallowed-the-canary smile, just this side of a triumphant smirk. Kate looked at the letter opener right next to the heap of files. Maybe she could say he accidentally fell...?

Probably not with Megan doing the autopsy and Tommy and Adam in charge of the investigation...

The ringing of the telephone saved Kate from both, murder and compromising her values. Russell's cell phone signaled simultaneously and they both took their calls at the same time.

For a moment the two of them listened intently.

"Saved by the bell", Russell chuckled as he disconnected the call.

"Yes, looks like we've got a suspect. Should be food enough for the hyenas."

... ... ...

Marvin Moorehouse had been an assistant janitor at Leo Ryan Elementary School. A school dropout with a pretty thick juvenile record file, closed after his 18th birthday, but the press found out about it in no time anyway. Apparently Martin Ballantine had caught the young man smoking marijuana in one of the school's garden sheds, which had caused him to lose his job and, subsequently, lose custody of his new born son from his teenage girlfriend who had RUN directly after birth. The child was at a foster family now, authorities were discussing adoption options with Marvin.

He owned both a Glock and a Beretta.

Maybe they were dealing with one shooter after all – chances were he had used both weapons at the same time, like in some Quentin Tarantino movie, the hero shooting his way to redemption with both hands…

The only problem was that nobody could identify Moorehouse and without the video footage…

The kids' witness statements were inconclusive and it was driving Adam nuts. "Some claim they saw two men – some say it was only one – he was dressed in black, he wore a clown mask, a Zorro mask, a Halloween mask… the teachers are not much better. Three people say they "think" they saw someone in the vicinity of the backdoor, two "might" have seen a stranger by the main entrance but they are "not sure" and didn't pay any attention because of the school's security system. The only thing at least the kids agree on is that there was shouting right before the shooting, something along the lines of "No!" and "Don't!" … very surprising…"

"Imagine the situation", Tommy, still stuck at the hospital, said. The psychologist had sat with Josh, who still wasn't talking, for about an hour, while Tommy had taken a shower at the hospital's facilities. Now it was his turn again. Riley had promised to bring him lunch later.

"Two groups of kids coming from some sort of an excursion, even though they hadn't left the premises – one group had a good time in the garden, the other had fun making breakfast with all that healthy stuff. They were excited, they were talking among themselves… then suddenly all hell breaks loose. Having your teacher and classmates die on you, so suddenly, from one moment to the next, it's incredibly hard to deal with… they try to put into perspective what they witnessed – through the only context they know, TV. Pretty much the same goes for the adults. They all want to help… what they experienced is horrible… their mind plays tricks on them. They don't even do this deliberately."

"Kids of that age know movies in which killers wear masks?" Lucas shook his head at the poor parenting, but Tommy's reasoning did make sense.

"We'll haul Moorehouse's ass in anyway", Adam decided.