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there were two gunmen, one of whom may still be alive. And, more importantly, his statement confirms stories of some heroes arising out of this … maelstrom, if you will, particularly, this unknown teacher who, evidently, was able to wrestle a gun away from one of the shooters and stop them before they killed more today. Gail, back to you … ’
    Gail Summer’s eyes were large and moist, pupils dilated, excited. This was a story that was just going to keep giving.
    ‘Well, okay, thank you,’ she said as the camera focused back to her. ‘Thanks to Dave Gruber, our reporter with local affiliate, KBFT, Channel 7, out of Orlando, who was first on the scene with coverage for us. We will keep you posted on this … tragedy, yet another school shooting in a tight-knit community located right in the middle of Florida, really, in what some people might call idyllic, small-town America, typical of where so many of these types of incidents are occurring. Once again, we must ask ourselves, why is this happening and where will the next
human tornado
vent its fury? We have to take a break right now, but stay tuned as our coverage of this tragedy continues.’
    Governor Scott Croll watched the broadcast in his office as his private plane was being readied for his departure. He would be on the ground and at the school in less than an hour. Next to him was Commissioner Jim Bullock, the chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – the FDLE – and one of his top investigators, Special Agent Justin Thiery.
    Thiery was a broad-shouldered former quarterback for the University of Florida’s Gators, who maintained his upside-down triangle figure with a steady regimen of weights, running, and sparring. He’d originally been with the Capitol Police, the governor’s own dedicated police force, but as budgets shrank over the years – s
treamlined
, as politicos called it – the CPs were ‘absorbed’ by the FDLE in the 1990s. Thiery was not happy about being
absorbed
, but what’s a guy going to do when he’s halfway to a pension? He stayed put, and kept his mouth shut, and did his job. He did it well.
    Croll strode over to Thiery and, though the crown of his head barely reached the level of Thiery’s coat pocket, he stuck out his hand and shook Thiery’s with robust enthusiasm, his persuasive grip conveying a veiled challenge that belied his diminutive size.
    ‘Good to see you again, Agent Thiery. How’s the family?’ His wide-eyed gaze was engaging, yet unsettling.
    Thiery had no idea what Croll was talking about. His wife had left him long ago and his two sons were grown and gone. ‘Everyone’s fine,’ he replied. ‘Thank you. And yours?’
    Croll cocked his head. ‘Where does that accent come from, Agent Thiery? South Georgia?’
    ‘Close enough. I’m a Gainesville native, sir.’
    ‘Ah. Don’t meet many of those.’ Croll nodded and pursed his lips as if trying to recall something. ‘My eldest daughter just made the USA tennis team. We’re very proud of her.’
    ‘Outstanding.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Croll. ‘Did Jim, er, the Commissioner go over our expectations?’
    ‘Yes, sir. I’m to take the lead in the school shooting investigation.’
    ‘That’s right. Jim says you’re the best man for it.’
    Thiery glanced at Bullock, who simply raised his eyebrows.
    ‘I’ll do my best, sir. But, can I ask why you want our department to handle this?’
    Croll looked at Thiery as if it was obvious. ‘We’re consolidating our efforts. Trying to increase our efficiency; something I’ve been asking all of our departments to do. Frankly, there are so many departments on scene down there now, they’re tripping over each other. You caught the police chief from Podunk, right?’
    Thiery had seen the small town chief on the news, felt bad for him, but there was no way he was going to knock another cop just to cater to a politician. He asked, ‘What about ATF or the FBI? One of my associates in Lakeland said the