Zodiac Page #15

GRAYSMITH:

You know, I don't think he knows

it's that far.

She laughs. He smiles.

MELANIE:

It sounds dangerous.

GRAYSMITH:

Yeah. What do you mean?

MELANIE:

Well, it's an anonymous tip,

right?

GRAYSMITH:

Yes...

MELANIE:

So it could be an ambush. It

could be Zodiac. Seems kind of

stupid.

GRAYSMITH:

Yes, well... Paul has a gun.

MELANIE:

Oh. Okay.

A beat. Melanie picks up her menu.

MELANIE (CONT'D)

So, what's good here?

GRAYSMITH:

(looking around)

Uhhh, I've never been here before.

The spaghetti?

A WAITER appears.

WAITER:

Are you ready to order?

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 85.

124 CONTINUED:
(3) 124

MELANIE:

Yes... I'll have the penne vodka,

but could you do it in a cream

sauce?

WAITER:

Of course. And you, sir?

She looks - he hasn't picked up his menu. Preoccupied.

MELANIE:

(to the waiter)

Could you give us another minute?

The Waiter departs. Instead of looking at the menu,

Graysmith begins searching his pockets.

GRAYSMITH:

You don't have any change, do you?

I don't have any- Wait.

(pulls a coin out)

No, that's a penny.

MELANIE:

Do you need to make a phone call?

GRAYSMITH:

Well, when you said it was

dangerous - I started thinking

that's true, it is dangerous-

MELANIE:

And stupid.

GRAYSMITH:

So stupid, that's right. I want

to call his wife to see if she's

heard from him.

Melanie stares at him. She picks up her purse.

MELANIE:

I have change.

125 OMITTED 125

126 OMITTED 126

127 OMITTED 127

128 OMITTED 128

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 86.

129 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET -- PAY PHONE -- NIGHT -- (RAIN) 129

Graysmith and Melanie, huddled half in and out of a phone

booth. Soaked as Graysmith feeds coins into the phone. Then

dials. Rotary. It's taking forever.

GRAYSMITH:

Sorry. I'm sorry. It would be so

much easier if we had wrist

radios, wouldn't it?

MELANIE:

I don't quite know how to answer

that, Robert.

He finishes dialing. Finally:

GRAYSMITH:

It's ringing. Hello? Mrs. Avery?

Oh, Ms. St. James. But you aremarried to Paul Avery? Good. Oh,

sorry, this is Robert Graysmith,

from the Chronicle. Is everything

all right?

(pause)

Well, no, of course everything

should be all right. I didn't

mean that it wasn't, I meant- I'm

sure you're fine, everyone's fine.

But, have you heard from Paul?

(pause)

I didn't mean you should have heard

from him-No, it's not a bad thing,

I just wanted to make sure he's, you

know... alive.

He winces at the response he gets...

130 EXT. RIVERSIDE -- NIGHT -- (RAIN) 130

Avery pulls up to a curb. Across the street, a fenced off

old CAR WASH. He rechecks the address. This is it. He

shuts the engine and gets out of the car. Crosses the

street. Hops the fence. Approaching the dark building...

Hello?

AVERY:

131 INT. PHONE BOOTH -- NIGHT -- (RAIN) 131

Graysmith, hanging up the phone. He turns to Melanie.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 87.

131 CONTINUED:
131

GRAYSMITH:

She'll call when she hears from

him.

MELANIE:

Good.

GRAYSMITH:

(can't believe it)

I actually have to go home. To

wait for the call.

Melanie stares at him.

MELANIE:

Is this some sleazy plan to get me

to come back to your place?

GRAYSMITH:

Oh, my goodness, no, I'm sorry-

MELANIE:

I'll get the food to go.

132 EXT. ABANDONED CAR WASH -- NIGHT -- (RAIN) 132

Avery tries the glass door. Locked. Knocks. Nothing.

Wipes some dirt off. Squints through. Nobody inside.

AVERY:

Hello? I'm supposed to meet

someone?

No reply. Avery steps back. Collecting himself. He walks

around the building. Comes to the car entrance.

AVERY (CONT'D)

Hello? Is anyone in there?

No response. Avery takes a few tentative steps in.

AVERY (CONT'D)

I got your letter?

Still nothing. He fumbles out his gun. Waving it around in

a terrible parody of a cop. More steps in.

AVERY (CONT'D)

I have a gun!

MOVEMENT behind him. He whips around and points the shaky

gun at A MAN STANDING THERE. An awkward moment.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 88.

132 CONTINUED:
132

AVERY (CONT'D)

Hi. Paul Avery.

VOICE (O.S.)

That's not what your button

says...

133 INT. GRAYSMITH HOME -- DAWN 133

Graysmith, phone by his side. Up all night. Melanie curled

up on the couch, still in her dress. She blinks awake.

MELANIE:

Anything?

GRAYSMITH:

No. You don't have to stay-

MELANIE:

Are you kidding? This is the most

interesting date I've ever had-

THE PHONE RINGS. Graysmith, snatching it up:

GRAYSMITH:

Paul?

134 INT. QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS -- MORNING 134

Avery on the pay phone in the hallway. Through a door, we

see SHERWOOD MORRILL examining something...

AVERY:

You're not gonna believe this...

135 INT. HALL OF JUSTICE -- HOMICIDE UNIT -- MORNING 135

Toschi entering to find the place in an uproar - phones

ringing off the hook. Glares from other cops.

TOSCHI:

What the hell is this?

ARMSTRONG (O.S.)

Dave, in here!

Toschi looks - the voice came from

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 89.

136 INT. CAPTAIN LEE'S OFFICE -- MORNING 136

Toschi finds Captain Lee and Armstrong watching a MORNING

NEWSCAST on Lee's small portable black and white TV:

NEWSCASTER:

(on TV)

...in a bizarre twist, the hunted

has become hunter. Chronicle

Reporter and Zodiac target Paul

Avery claims to have uncovered new

information regarding the only

unsolved homicide in Riverside

County's history - a 1966 Southern

California murder that Avery now

believes was the Zodiac's first

victim.

TOSCHI:

What?

CAPTAIN LEE:

He didn't call you about this?

ARMSTRONG:

(pointing at TV)

Hang on.

Now showing FOOTAGE of an INTERVIEW with Avery:

AVERY:

(on TV)

The Riverside killer wrote to the

press letters that I took

personally to the Office of

Questioned Documents.

INTERVIEWER:

(on TV)

And what did this expert tell you?

AVERY:

(on TV)

What I knew in my gut, Ron. The

handwriting matches Zodiac's...

ARMSTRONG:

How'd he get the evidence out of

Riverside?

TOSCHI:

He took it to Sherwood without

telling us, that son of a b*tch...

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 90.

136 CONTINUED:
136

Lee goes over and turns off the television.

CAPTAIN LEE:

You know how bad this looks?

TOSCHI:

We don't know how real the lead is-

ARMSTRONG:

It's very real. You know how I

know? Because I saw it on TV.

Silence. They know he's right.

CAPTAIN LEE:

Get on a plane, but keep it quiet.

If it hits the press you're

meeting in Riverside, it

automatically confirms Avery's

story, right or wrong.

137 INT. PLANE -- DAY 137

November 16, 1970. Toschi finding his seat next to Narlow

and MEL NICOLAI.

NARLOW:

Dave, you know Mel Nicolai, he's

working the case for Justice?

TOSCHI:

Good to see you, Mel.

NICOLAI:

All due respect, can someone explain

to me why I'm reading about breaks

in this case in the Chronicle

instead of getting calls from you?

TOSCHI:

They screwed us.

NARLOW:

Dave, you do get your name in the

paper a lot. People talk.

TOSCHI:

I don't talk about open

investigations period, Ken.

PILOT (O.S.)

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