He Gave Langley The Keys To Every Underground Kingdom

Somewhere On The Coast Of New England - Allston's Home

I have been going through Gerry Tanner's files, which were all on the thumb drive, that  Eve and I went to great lengths to keep away from the FBI.  Sophie was right. Gerry Tanner was a good guy right up to the end and was killed for being a good guy.

From the time he got out of the Navy until the day he was shot by an assassin in his home, Gerry was on the payroll of the CIA. His contributions to the agency and the U.S. were enormous all through the 80s up to about three months ago, when he died.

If a large construction project outside the United States involved underground bunkers, tunnels, or factories, Tanner The Planner was brought in as a partner of WLT.

Some of his larger consultancies were in Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Egypt, and Ukraine. 

He was known worldwide as a man who would do anything for money and kept quiet about things. He was a man "not concerned with politics." By the time the 1990s were ushered in, his reputation as a greedy builder was solidified, and whichever country vetted him for their projects all heard the same story and believed his legend. 

There may have been some skepticism at times, and a competitor may have been hired, but eventually, they would hit a snag in a solid rock field, or the Command And Control Centers would not be up to the "Wet Dream" level the leaders had in mind, and Tanner would get the call.

What Tanner provided was the pure James Bondian Villian Headquarters experience.

If you needed large metal doors that glided closed in a light-as-a-feather fashion, Tanner knew where to have them built and drop shipped to any spot on the earth. 

Underground Submarine Pens, Industrial ladders and catwalks, Missile Launch facilities, factories that made nuclear weapons or trucks, and Communications monitoring stations—Gerry knew how to plan them and procure everything. His talent was a finished job, under budget and on time.

Here's the skinny on what was going on. 

Tanner delivered finished products but left the keys to the castles at the CIA. 

On each project, Langley received blueprints for every entrance and an exact list of all equipment used to control and monitor communications and factories. There was no facility America could not crack because they had the can opener, thanks to Gerry Tanner.

The last project was Tanner's un-doing.

The 2023 World Of Concrete Convention - Las Vegas, Nevada

Tom Welch counted his lucky stars that the World Of Concrete Convention was in Las Vegas again!  BlackJack, Craps, Hot Weather, Las Vegas Shows, and legalized prostitution were all things Tom loved.  He loved them a lot, and WLT paid for his largesse.  

Tom's Punch List for the trip included at least three buffets, six blow jobs, and winning at least $100,000 in BlackJack to cover up a few loans Welch had taken from the WLT coffers.

New Hampshire, "the live free or die state," was great for raising a family, but Tom could truly live free in Vegas. 

The World Of Concrete Convention brought together anyone in the concrete industry. Attendees backslap, say hello, go to dinners, and make deals.  

Tom Welch was exhausted at the end of the first day of exhibits. He crossed the casino, stopped at a few slot machines, and lost a couple of twenty-dollar bills.

He found the elevators and reached the eleventh floor, where his room was. He would order steak from room service tonight, have a few frosty beers, and then go to bed and watch the Celtics game.

He tried to remember if he ordered a hooker when he saw a beautiful young Asian woman sitting at the table in his room.

"Who are you? Are you in the wrong room, or am I in the wrong room?" Tom asked.

"You are in the correct room, and so am I Tina Cheung said.

She continued, "We need to talk about one of your co-workers." "Please sit down," she said.

Tom sat across from her at the round table. He was unafraid of her and wouldn't question how she got in. Tom knew she was from China's Ministry Of State Security, and he wouldn't be getting a blowjob from her.

The unidentified woman turned her tablet around and showed Tom a photo of Gerry Tanner.

"This man works for your country's Central Intelligence Agency."

"We know this for certain," 

"We will eliminate him, and we thought you should know."

"The CIA?" "Are you sure?"

"He is about to tell them everything." "Do not question us."  "We know for certain."

"You must have all your workers, including Mr. Tanner, bring their computers back to the office."

"You will go home tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Mr. Welch."

With that, she picked up her tablet and crossed the room.

The door shut, and she was gone.

Stratham, New Hampshire - The Tanner House -Yesterday

Sophie could not bring herself to go back into the house since her parents were murdered. After she killed Andrei, she saw her father's body in the study and then her mother's in the kitchen. She still cried and thought of that day all the time. She hoped she could shake it off someday but the sights of it all were overpowering and unforgettable.

The Striers have been wonderful since that day. 

She still would not go in the house but drove her Jeep to the mailbox across the street.

Today's mail included a few supermarket flyers and a postcard from a new gym opening next month. On the outside of the pile was a small cream-colored envelope with embossed blue ink, addressed to "Sophie Tanner." 

She opened it with great care because it looked important, maybe something from her college.

The Invitation card read,

You are invited to attend the Annual Memorial Service to honor Fallen Colleagues of the Central Intelligence Agency. This year, we honor your father, Gerry Tanner, for his lengthy service to the Agency and his country. Please contact .....

Sophie looked down, and her tears fell on the invitation.