Bonnet rolled his eyes. “C’mon, we’re friends here. We already talked about it. Gilles was attacked, you were concerned about it. Plus what happened to you when you first got here. I get it.”

“I figure you have bigger things to worry about now.”

“Listen, Keeler. Normally, I shouldn’t be discussing police matters with a civilian. But, given what happened to you.” He made a shrugging gesture and sighed. “We have big problems in this town. I’ve had to step up here. If there is anything that you have discovered, anything that might help the investigation, I’d appreciate you telling me.”

I said nothing.

Bonnet pressed on, “I saw you yesterday. What you did with that kid. You and me, we’re on the same side here. We want the same thing. Justice and resolution.”

I said, “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Bonnet’s face went blank, like he was deflated, disappointed, or both. If it was an act it was a pretty good one. I didn’t trust the mayor, and Bonnet was the mayor’s man. But, it was wiser to conceal my suspicions.

I said, “The kid on the bike was one of the guys who attacked me in town. I’m not a cop, I’m just a guy who doesn’t like to be threatened.”

“So you wanted to teach him a lesson.”

“Something like that.”

Bonnet picked up a tennis racket and examined the strings. “I don’t know if those kids are capable of learning lessons, if you know what I mean.”

I said, “You’re probably right. But I don’t see it as my business if the kid doesn’t know how to learn. Then he just gets the pain without the lesson.”

Bonnet laughed. “That’s a good way to put it, Keeler. The pain without the lesson.”

“Maybe I should have been a poet.”

He said, “Well, if there’s any way I can help you, just let me know. My door is always open.”

There were three new tennis ball cans on the edge of his desk. They had the word ‘pro’ on the label, which was gold.

I stood up. “Good to see you.”

We shook hands across the desk.

A glass door on the other side of the police station led to stairs. These wound up and back to the squad room, currently being used by the Research and Intervention team from the bigger town up north, the BRI unit. I walked through the glass door and climbed the stairs. Then up the switch-back to the second floor. The door to the squad room was on my left and the interview room straight ahead. I used my visitor ID to buzz into the squad room and was mildly surprised when it worked.