But at least she was gone, for now. Benny let out a relieved breath and turned away from the door.
Patrick Boniface sat behind his desk, elbows on the desk and hands steepled in front of him. A fire burned in the fireplace behind him, and soft music played in the background, some classical thing, which Benny knew nothing about. A bunch of violins, and maybe a clarinet, who knew? “Sit down, Benny,” Boniface said, giving a slight lean of his head toward one of the chairs opposite his. Benny hurried over and sat.
“Would you like a drink?” Boniface asked politely.
“No, sir. No, thank you,” Benny said.
“Are you sure? You look a little out of sorts.”
Benny nodded. “I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Boniface,” he said.
“That’s always a good idea,” Boniface said with a thin smile.
“That woman. Bernadette. I’m sorry, sir, but—she makes me very damn edgy.”
Boniface’s smile widened slightly. “She has that effect,” he said. “But she is very useful to me. And very loyal.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Benny said. “Still . . .”
Boniface lifted a hand and waved it, dismissing the subject of Bernadette. “You said you’ve heard from Riley Wolfe,” he said.
Benny nodded. “I did, yeah. Yes, sir. As you instructed, I gave him a phone number, a burner, and said to call if he needed to. And so, he did. He called.”
“All right,” Boniface said. “And what did he have to say?”
“He said he needs to come here. To come and see you,” Benny said.
Boniface frowned. He thought for a moment. “Did he say why?”
“No, sir. He did not say why,” Benny said. “I asked him, of course. Several times. He was kinda like—I’d say evasive? Just said he had to talk to you.”
“Has he had any more visitors?”
Benny shook his head. “No, sir, not since the day I was there. But after he left that cabin?” He shrugged. “He can be slippery. So anything’s possible.”
Boniface swiveled his chair away from Benny and stared into the fire. Benny sat and waited patiently. He was good at patience. If Boniface wanted to keep him sitting, fine. Boniface was the thinker, not Benny. And he was the boss, one who paid better than anybody else. There were those consequences, too. So whatever Boniface did was fine with Benny.
After a couple of minutes Boniface turned back to face Benny. “Tell me your impressions of Mr. Wolfe,” he said.
“He’s very damn smart,” Benny said. “Maybe almost as smart as he thinks he is.”
“Why almost?” Boniface asked.
Benny snorted. “Nobody could be as smart as he thinks he is,” he said. “But he’s not far off. And I think, he says he’s gonna do something? It gets done. But he don’t care about a goddamn thing in the world except himself.”
“And his mother,” Boniface said.
“Yeah, sure. His mother. Yes, sir. But that’s it. I think what makes him tick is, he’s got to prove to himself that he’s the best, that he can do impossible shit, every time out. But . . .” Benny hesitated.
“But what?” Boniface said.
“I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him,” Benny said. “Be very careful with this guy, Mr. Boniface. And when you’re done with him . . .” Benny shook his head vigorously. “You don’t want him loose out there, not knowing what he’s gonna know about you. Because he’ll see you as a threat. And that makes him a threat.”
“A threat to me? Really?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely. Like I said, he always finds a way to do whatever he needs to do. And if you got ahold of him somehow— Yes, sir. He’s a threat. Which is why . . . I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this—but you should maybe give him to Bernadette.”
“That thought had already occurred to me,” Boniface said. “Why do you think he wants to come all the way out here to see me?”