Paul Nandzik

Reacher: Why do you think he paid for parking?

Emerson: Pardon?

Reacher: He's about to fire six shots into a crowd of strangers... and he's worried about the meter maid?

Emerson: Simple loony won't do it for you?

Reacher: I like to have at least one alternate theory.

Emerson: Habit. Muscle memory. I don't think he knew he was doing it.

Reacher: Like I said, it's damn fine work.

Emerson: Hey, Army. What's the serial number on the rifle?

Reacher: What's the date on the quarter?

[beat]

Reacher: 1968. Forest for the trees, Detective. Forest for the trees.

Helen: You said on the phone you wanted to submit your findings.

Reacher: James Barr was a sniper. Not the best, not the worst. But he trained non-stop for two years. What does training like that do?

Helen: What does any training do? Skills become reflex. Muscle memory. You do without thinking.

Reacher: It also makes people who aren't necessarily smart seem smart by beating some tactical awareness into them. Now, 99% of the evidence your father has against Barr didn't exist in Baghdad; not because Barr was smart, but because he was trained. See, from that garage, the shooter had the sun in his eyes. Targets moving left and right. It's difficult conditions for any sniper.

Helen: But Baghdad -- you said Barr was in a parking garage then.

Reacher: Because in Baghdad, the sun's behind him. Targets coming straight ahead, single file. Ideal conditions for even an average shooter... and the exact same conditions he would've had up on that highway bridge. Up there, he would never even have to get out of the van. No parking meter. No camera. No trace evidence left behind. And his escape is assured. Now I'm not saying he couldn't have killed those people at the river, but he wouldn't have. Not that way.

Helen: So you're saying he's crazy.

Reacher: No.

Helen: Well, what exactly are you saying?

Reacher: Any single piece of evidence I'd buy. But all of it? Fibers, fingerprints, stray brass, I mean... and who the hell pays for parking? Sane or crazy, that just doesn't make sense.

Helen: Okay. So Barr, he wanted to get caught and he wanted you to catch him.

Reacher: That would not explain how Barr, an average shooter firing in poor conditions, never missed.

Helen: He did miss. He did.

Reacher: A pristine bullet, conveniently trapped by a liquid backstop. The same bullet that tied Barr's gun to the killings. And arguably the prosecution's most important piece of evidence. If Barr wanted to get caught, he didn't miss. If he wanted to get away with it, he likely would have and if he wanted to get caught, Barr was incapable of such perfection.

Helen: Or maybe he just got lucky, six shots out of six.

Reacher: That's what I was willing to accept; then those guys took a run at me. Whoever sent them made a mistake.

Helen: It was just a bar fight.

Reacher: Maybe. Or maybe somebody got nervous; tried to run me off. Or put me in a coma, right next to their patsy.

Helen: Patsy?

Reacher: It was such a great crime scene. Nobody ever stopped to think it might be too great. Not Emerson. Not your father. Not even Barr's own defense attorney. But Barr knew I would, no matter how much I wanted it to be true. That's why he asked for me.

Helen: Wait. Are you suggesting-- ?

Reacher: James Barr is innocent.