One Hundred Years Of Tanner

by Remington Kane

  Eight weeks after O’Connell was wounded, Michael Waller came to visit him and Eloise. He was staying in Chicago, after having satisfied himself that O’Connell was past the risk of infection and on the mend.

  The three of them sat around the kitchen table with cups of coffee, as Waller pointed out the huge classified ad in the center of the page.

  TANNER. ALL IS FORGIVEN. CALL THE USUAL NUMBER AND LET’S TALK. LUMPY AIELLO SAYS HELLO.

  O’Connell sighed. Whoever had placed the ad was telling him that they had a man named Lumpy Aiello with them.

  Aiello got the nickname Lumpy back in 1917, after O’Connell had shoved him down a flight of stairs along with another man. The resultant fall had left Aiello with a huge bump on his forehead.

  “You know this man, Aiello?” Waller asked.

  “Yes, and he knows what I look like. That means they’ll have him nearby until they’re sure they have me in whatever trap they’re setting.”

  “What’s the usual number?” Eloise asked.

  “I assume it’s the same number I used to call Jimmy Maloney at his bar.”

  “Don’t call it, Keane,” Eloise begged. “You’re retired, remember? You said that you would retire.”

  O’Connell jabbed a stiff finger against the ad and spoke in an angry tone.

  “This ad was placed by a man named Gus Tucci. Tucci is calling Tanner out publicly. If I don’t respond, they’ll assume they no longer have to fear me.”

  “They don’t have to fear you,” Eloise said. “You’re done with work. You said that you would retire. Are you going back on your word?”

  O’Connell sighed in frustration, as conflicting desires battled within him. He wanted to retire, but he couldn’t stand the thought of Tanner’s reputation being sullied. If Tanner failed to respond to such an obvious challenge it would be tantamount to displaying cowardice.

  He had not spent over two decades creating the legend of Tanner just to have it die an ignominious death.

  “Maybe they just want to talk,” O’Connell said, but there was no conviction in his voice.

  Eloise slid her chair closer and put her arms around him.

  “I don’t want you to meet with anyone, and you yourself said it would be a trap.”

  O’Connell kissed her cheek.

  “I don’t want to go either.”

  “Then don’t go. I can’t lose you, Keane. I can’t.”

  There was silence in the kitchen. It was only interrupted by the humming sound made by the new contraption O’Connell had surprised Eloise with, a refrigerator.

  Waller spoke first.

  “Could you dictate the terms of the meeting, Keane?”

  “Maybe, why?”

  Waller grinned.

  “I have an idea.”

  24

  The Changing Of The Guard

  Tanner contacted Gus Tucci and agreed to meet in the village of Thornton, Illinois, which was just south of Chicago.

  They would meet inside a quarry early on a Sunday morning when the business was closed and most of the residents around them would be asleep.

  Tanner knew it was a trap and that he was risking much, but he also had faith in the plan devised by Michael Waller.

  He checked his watch when he saw three cars drive through the gates at the quarry’s entrance. Tucci was an hour early. On the phone, Tucci had told him that he would arrive with only three men, but apparently, that was a lie.

  Tanner had arrived early as well, for he was too wise to ever trust a man like Tucci.

  One of the cars stayed at the gate and four men got out of it. They were all holding weapons, but they were revolvers, and given the distance, their guns weren’t a threat. They were there to keep Tanner from driving away.

  Tanner stood in the center of the wide quarry, which had been in operation for years. The other two cars parked a short distance away, and seven men climbed out.

  One of the men was Lumpy Aiello. Aiello had run the numbers racket for Recti and hadn’t been a street soldier for years. He was a few years younger than O’Connell but hadn’t aged well. He had a gut, was balding, and wore thick glasses.

  With his right hand, Tanner was holding a Tommy gun with the barrel pointed at the ground. In his left hand was a box. The box had an antenna sticking out of it and several switches on top. Two of Tucci’s men also had Thompson submachine guns, while the rest carried revolvers. They approached Tanner slowly, their guns lowered, their eyes watchful.

  Tucci carried no weapon, nor did Lumpy Aiello. They stayed behind the other men, using them as a shield.

  When they were thirty feet apart, Tanner spoke.

  “You told me you’d only bring two men with you, Tucci.”

  Tucci smiled, revealing straight white teeth. “I lied,” Tucci said, then he spoke to Lumpy. “Is that Tanner?”

  Lumpy stepped around one of Tucci’s men to get a better look and a bullet shattered his glasses. The slug obliterated Aiello’s right eye and blew out the back of his head. The shocking sight of his death was followed by the boom of a rifle echoing off the walls of the quarry.

  “Anybody gets jumpy and Tucci dies next,” Tanner said, and held up the box.

  “Nobody shoots! Nobody shoots!” Tucci shouted, then pushed down the gun barrel of one man who wouldn’t listen. When he turned back to look at Tanner, there was fury in his eyes.

  “What the hell is that you’re holding? Is that a bomb?”

  “It’s a device that controls things using radio waves. I’ve rigged it to work with a rifle. If my thumb pushes the lever beneath it, the rifle will fire at you.”

  “Bullshit!” Tucci said.

  One of his men spoke up. He was in his forties and had a crooked nose.

  “Mr. Tucci, back when I was in the navy, they used these radio-controlled ships for artillery practice, and that was about fifteen years ago. Maybe he really did rig up a rifle to shoot.”

  “Could be,” said another of the men. “I know a guy who got something like that to make his garage door go up and down just by pushing a button. It’s the damnedest thing you’ve ever seen.”

  A third man looked as if he were trying to keep from laughing. He had a bushy black moustache and was standing at Tucci’s left.

  Tucci looked at the men who had spoken, then back at the box in Tanner’s hand, before pointing at the body lying at his feet.

  “Lumpy Aiello was a Made Man too. Nobody touches a Made Man!”

  “I do,” Tanner said. “I’m not a member of your little club, your Outfit, or any other crime syndicate. I’m an independent. I killed Frank Recti because he threatened me. Would you like to be next, Tucci?”

  “You’re not getting out of here, Tanner. Just look around at how many men you’re facing.”

  “I faced more men the night I killed Frank Recti. But we don’t have to kill each other, Tucci. We would both be better off if we worked together. From what I hear, you’ve got enemies of your own. Pay me what I ask, and I’ll kill them for you.”

  Tucci was quiet, as he seemed to be considering Tanner’s offer, but then he shook his head.

  “It’s no deal. I—”

  Tucci stopped speaking as he noticed the man on his left raise his gun. It was the man with the bushy moustache. An instant later, and the man shot Tucci in his open mouth.

  Then, two of Tucci’s other men shot the men who were standing beside them.

  Tanner eased his finger off the machine gun’s trigger, as he had nearly blasted all of them.

  The man who had killed Tucci ordered the other two men to start loading the bodies into the cars. He then holstered his gun and grinned at Tanner.

  “I’m Mike Scalia, Tanner. I’ll take that deal you offered Tucci.”

  Tanner cocked his head.

  “This was all sanctioned by the council, wasn’t it?”

  “It was, and my uncle just happens to sit on that council.”

  Tanner glanced back at the gate. The vehicle that had been blocking
it was gone.

  “I own a restaurant on State Street named Angelo’s,” Scalia said. “Call me there tomorrow and we’ll work out a system like you had before. A guy like you, I’m betting you don’t want too many people to know what you look like.”

  “You’re right.”

  Mike Scalia stared past Tanner, to the open window of the quarry’s office. When he spoke, there was a small smile playing on his lips.

  “A radio wave controlled rifle, huh?”

  “That’s what I said. Why, do you doubt that I’m Tanner?”

  “Hey, pally, no one but Tanner would have had the guts to show up here. Give me that call, let’s say five o’clock?”

  “I’ll call,” Tanner said.

  Mike Scalia and his two men took off a few moments later. They had bodies to bury.

  Tanner strode toward the office, as Keane O’Connell walked out of the small building holding a rifle with a scope attached.

  “Did they buy our ruse, Michael?”

  “They did,” Waller said. He was brushing his fingers across his temples, removing the white powder he’d placed there to make himself appear older. “The hardest part was remembering to talk with an Irish accent.”

  O’Connell laid a hand on Michael Waller’s shoulder.

  “You’ve done it now, lad. There’s no turning back. From here on out, you’re Tanner.”

  “I know, and I promise that I’ll use the same rules that you did when you were Tanner.”

  They climbed in their car and drove out the exit. There were a few people coming to investigate the gunfire, but they were on foot and too far away to get a good look inside the car.

  Once they were back in Chicago, O’Connell called Eloise and let her know that all was well, and that he was returning to her in one piece.

  They had parked their own cars at the train station. After O’Connell finished his call home, he joined Waller by the vehicles and held out his hand.

  “Good luck, Michael. Being an assassin is not the worst life a man can have, but you’ll have to watch your back at every turn.”

  “I’ll make you proud, Keane. The name Tanner is respected. I’ll make sure it stays respected.”

  O’Connell had been shaking Waller’s hand. He stopped shaking and gave it a firm squeeze.

  “Goodbye, lad, and don’t be a stranger.”

  Keane O’Connell watched Michael Waller drive off, watched Tanner drive off, and felt a strange mix of emotions.

  He was no longer Tanner, and yet, Tanner still existed.

  It was the nearest thing to having a son he’d felt since his own child had died as a baby.

  O’Connell left the train station to head off to a life of leisure, of quiet study, and of peace.

  25

  More Than Curiosity

  As the sun was setting, Tanner and Romeo heard from Spenser, who told them he had handled the problem of the Greene brothers.

  He was also coming to the house to see Andrea, to assure her that Tricks was safe, and would stay out of her life.

  Tanner had spent the early evening thinking about the events that had occurred at the abandoned store. Whatever the phony Reverend and his men were up to, it wasn’t good. Tanner was also intrigued by Ethan’s tale of a disappearing truck.

  With Spenser still on his way to the house, Tanner informed Romeo that he was going to check out the store.

  “I’ll come with you,” Romeo said.

  “No, I’ll check it out alone. If I bite off more than I can chew, then you and Spenser can come and help me.”

  Romeo laughed.

  “More than you can chew? Bro, if you had been a Spartan fighting the Persians, that movie about the battle wouldn’t have been named 300, it would’ve been called 1.”

  “I still don’t know what’s going on there. It may be nothing, or all hell could break loose. It’ll be good to know I can count on you to come and pluck me out of the fire.”

  “Hell yeah, and if you’re not back by the time Spenser gets here, then we’ll come find you.”

  “It sounds like a plan,” Tanner said.

  Tanner reached the store, then walked around the building. There were no lights on inside and the parking lot was dark and devoid of vehicles. The moon overhead was just a crescent, but it gave off enough light to navigate by once your eyesight became adjusted.

  Tanner moved toward the building. He wore a bandana over the bottom half of his face to hinder being identified, while a baseball cap hid his eyes in shadow.

  He saw no signs of cameras but understood well that they could be concealed. Ignoring the front doors, Tanner returned to the spot where Ethan said the truck he’d seen had disappeared.

  The dumpster was still there. When Tanner looked inside it, he saw a jumble of old signage from the store that had once occupied the building, along with discarded merchandise displays.

  When he moved behind the dumpster to examine the brick wall, he received a surprise. There was threaded rod at the bottom of the wall connected to the base of the dumpster, while the brick surrounding the rods was fake and a type of simulated brick wallpaper.

  Tanner used his right hand and felt along the wall. Within moments he detected a zigzagging seam in the brick. The seam was lined up within the mortar.

  Tanner had no crowbar, but he had taken a tire iron from his trunk before leaving the house. After several minutes of effort, he managed to wedge the tool in the seam.

  When he attempted to widen the gap, the tool slipped through and struck something, which caused a spark. Tanner was shoved backwards violently as the dumpster and the wall rolled aside with great speed.

  Tanner had also heard a sound before the noise of the moving wall had eclipsed it. It was a whooshing sound, and he understood that he had somehow activated the airbags that were used to power the hidden opening into the building.

  Or rather, he had damaged one airbag, while activating the other, because the dumpster had failed to move more than six feet.

  He waited a moment, listening for any sounds of movement or voices. He heard neither, but the faint sound of machinery drifted up from below. Tanner shone a flashlight into the darkness while keeping his body behind cover.

  Nothing happened, but his beam revealed a concrete ramp that showed signs of much use.

  He understood then. He was looking at a ramp that led down to an underground loading dock. Some older retail buildings had them, and apparently, this was one such building.

  After attempting in vain to move the dumpster and widen the gap, Tanner gazed down into the underground passage and saw that it curved out of view. He took a step inside, but then hesitated.

  He was not out to fulfill a contract and his business in the town was finished. Once Spenser spoke to Andrea, he and Romeo could trail along behind Spenser and return to Spenser’s home.

  He was on an overdue vacation, spending time with friends and family. What was he doing exploring hidden underground chambers?

  There was no sense risking himself just to appease his curiosity.

  Then, he thought about Ethan. The men he’d seen earlier had gotten a good look at the boy. If they decided that he knew something he shouldn’t, they might harm the kid, and perhaps Andrea and Jasmine as well.

  Tanner moved the flashlight to his left hand, then took out his gun and headed down the ramp. If there was trouble, he’d handle it, just like he always had.

  Back at Spenser’s house, Amy had received a call from Spenser telling her that they would all be back later that night.

  After hanging up, Amy decided to cook something for dinner, and both Sara and Nadya agreed to help her. The women had watched their fourth Drake Diamond video and had started on their third bottle of wine.

  The baby woke up again, and so they decided to play music to soothe her. Soon after, the kitchen filled with the aroma of food and laughter.

  As Tanner moved deeper along the winding underground loading dock ramp, the sound of machinery grew more distinct. It was
a high-pitched noise. There was light as well, and it grew brighter as Tanner neared the bottom.

  The noise he heard was coming from a solar inverter which was behind a four-foot high enclosure made of chain link fencing. There were also storage batteries lined up.

  Tanner found the white straight truck that Ethan had seen earlier. It was parked at the loading dock at the end of the tunnel. There were no keys in the cab, but the rear of the truck was loaded with what Tanner assumed were stolen goods.

  There were an assortment of TV’s, cameras, and computers. None of it looked new, yet it could bring a price on the streets.

  A collection of firearms had been wrapped in a blanket, among them a pump-action shotgun which was clean and fully loaded. Tanner left the truck but carried the shotgun with him.

  As Tanner walked by what had once been a glass-enclosed office for the security guards who manned the loading dock, he saw three monitors. All three showed different angles of the parking lot, including the gaping entry to the underground dock.

  He wondered where the cameras were hidden and decided to remove the DVD from the machine that was recording the video.

  The parking lot was still empty, and so Tanner stayed a while to explore. He came across more stolen goods, but this batch was sitting on a wooden pallet and wrapped with plastic.

  A huge cardboard box held movies, game, and music discs, while another one was half-filled with name-brand celebrity footwear.

  Tanner chuckled as he realized what he’d stumbled upon.

  The good Reverend Smith and his friends were part of a home invasion team, and they were using the abandoned store as a base.

  Given the amount of stolen goods, they were either prolific or had many members. Perhaps they were even a gang.

  Having seen enough, Tanner decided to leave the way he’d entered. Once he returned to Andrea’s home he would make an anonymous call to the police.