Time To Throw Axes?

MCMULLIN'S TAVERN, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Chief Strier and I had an interesting evening involving darts, beer, wings, and a discussion about the Feds.  Ron said he was tired when I suggested we enter the axe-throwing area. Hmmm. I was beating him in darts, beer, and wings, and perhaps he didn't want another point in the loss column. 

We have things to discuss, and at McMullin's, there is no beer shortage on Saturday nights. The music is loud, the beer is cold, and the company is what you make it.

It took me a minute to realize why Ron wouldn't throw axes with me. Sophie and Ron's daughter Meghan were here with their high school friends. On the dance floor, Meghan is downing the backwash in her longneck, and some guy is holding her in certain areas a little too tight. 

"How long do you sit back and let that go on?"  Ron asked me as he pointed to the dance floor.

"What the underage drinking?" I said

"No, look at the way Mr. Octopus is holding Meghan."  "It's too tight and controlling."

"Part of life is learning how to handle situations. You raised a good girl, Ron. See Sophie over in the corner." 

I leaned my bottle to the left a bit. Ron looked and realized Sophie was watching the situation, and it was getting close to action time. "Teammates forever, Ron said."  Sophie then crossed the floor and talked Meghan away from the situation, leaving the young guy dancing with his beer.

"Ron, I gotta ask you.  What are you hearing about the drill down at Gerry Tanner's company?"   

Ron was forthcoming, "Two days ago, the F.B.I. had a black SUV party at the WLT building, and they kicked everyone out and searched the offices." 

"They had warrants and showed up with lots of firepower."  As each person stepped out of the office, they were searched before they could move on." 

"The whole town is going crazy wondering what's going on." "I keep getting calls from the concerned."

"They confiscated all the company-owned computers and went through the place thoroughly."

"What about Welch?" I asked.

"He is hiding something,"  I said.

Strier said, "I have not heard a peep about Welch."

Ron said, "You know, Allston, the whole thing stinks from the beginning." You have a dead foreign national who was wanted by Interpol and was an experienced contractor who killed two people. 

"After the initial questioning of Sophie, all the international participation angles just died."  "It was weird." "The only news outlets looking at the foreign angle was the British Press."

"They call me daily and ask me if I have anything new."  "They are the only media doing their jobs."

"I got a few calls from a liaison officer at the State Department asking how Sophie was and whether she was adding anything to the story of that day?"

"Ron, Gerry Tanner's computer was destroyed like all the others in his firm."

"But... I saved a copy of the contents."

Holy Moly, Allston, I don't suppose you told the FBI?"

"I'm certain I figured out what Tanner, Welch, and Lemerise were up to," I said. 

"I'm waiting for a call back from someone regarding Gerry Tanner's background."

"Do you want me to tell you?" I asked Ron

Ron exhaled, took a sip of his beer, and gazed over at his daughter and Sophie, who were in a booth, happy, a little buzzed, and being silly girls.

"I want to deny all knowledge for a while still legally, but if you get jammed up, call me Allston."