Elizabeth joined them a few minutes later, after having a look at the deputy’s car. When she sat down next to Rhiner, she could smell beer on his breath. “I’ve never understood it before,” he said. “What’s that?” she asked him. “You know how sometimes you’ll be looking for a guy—maybe somebody called in a complaint, or there’s a warrant out for him. And when you find him, as soon as he sees you he starts running. So you chase him down, and when you’ve got him on the ground he always says the same thing: ‘I didn’t do anything.’ And you have to ask him, ‘Why did you run, then?’ And it’s always the same answer: ‘Because you chased me.’” Shan had taken off the cuffs and poured Rhiner a mug of coffee. Rhiner sat with his elbows braced on either side of the mug. “I always laughed at guys like that,” he said. “But this time it’s true. I didn’t do anything, and I only ran because you chased me.” “How much have you had to drink, Paul?” Elizabeth asked him.
