Zodiac Page #2

GRAYSMITH:

Do daddy a favor and don't yell

that at preschool, okay?

DAVID:

Rapist!

GRAYSMITH:

Much better.

He finishes David's shoes.

DAVID:

Are we gonna see Mom and Aaron

tonight?

Graysmith winces a little. Glances at the clock.

GRAYSMITH:

We're gonna be late.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 7.

9 EXT. PRESCHOOL -- MORNING 9

Graysmith kisses his son on the forehead and sends him

inside. Then turns and RUNS...

10 INT. GRAYSMITH'S CAR - INCHING ALONG IN TRAFFIC - DAY 10

Traffic's bad. Graysmith sketching something in his lap as

he inches along. We get a good look - FOUR CARTOON SKETCHES.

Very rough, but good...

11 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS -- MORNING 11

Graysmith hustles down the sidewalk amongst pedestrians.

Behind him, a MAIL TRUCK passes him on the street Both,

coming up to the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, a grand old

building on Fifth and Mission. The logo above the entrance.

Graysmith pushes through the doors into

12 OMITTED 12

13 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- LOBBY -- MORNING 13

Graysmith hurries across the lobby towards and OPEN ELEVATOR.

The DOORS CLOSE just before he can reach it...

13A EXT. ALLEY NEXT TO CHRONICLE -- MORNING 13A

The TRUCK halts by a LOADING DOCK. TWO MEN get out and begin

unloading large DUFFEL BAGS of mail onto a FLATBED DOLLY...

14 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 14

DING! Graysmith emerges from the elevator into the

controlled chaos of the paper's editorial offices. Phones

ring. Typewriters clack. Reporters hustle. Graysmith headsto a small COFFEE STAND manned by an ill tempered white

haired midget named SHORTY.

GRAYSMITH:

How's the coffee today, Shorty?

Shorty points upward at his sign - "DELICIOUS AS HELL COFFEE

AND SANDWICHES".

14A INT. ELEVATOR -- MORNING 14A

The Mailmen ride up towards the third floor with a smaller

MAIL CART that's marked "Editorial".

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 8.

14B INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 14B

Graysmith gets his coffee from Shorty and heads to his desk,

getting hung up by a CROWD OF PEOPLE standing around PAUL

AVERY'S DESK. Avery, 30's, well dressed, crime

reporter. Currently entertaining the crowd with a joke.

AVERY:

...and the bartender says,

"Superman, you are one mean son of

a b*tch when you're drunk!"

The others laugh. Graysmith pushes through them. Reachinghis own desk. Devoid of people, away from the action. He

opens his briefcase, just settling in when

HYMAN:

Editorial in two!

Graysmith begins regathering up his things as -

The ELEVATOR doors across the room open and the MAILMEN

emerge. We pick them up again, traveling the length of the

Third Floor offices and into

15 OMITTED 15

16 INT. CAROL FISHER'S OFFICE -- MORNING 16

Where the cart is DUMPED OUT onto a CAROL FISHER'S desk.

stay on the LETTER PILE as the she begins to sort them.

We

We zoom in on follow ONE LETTER in particular. Rush to

Editor is chickenscrawled twice on it. Through the door, wesee GRAYSMITH - last through into the EDITORIAL ROOM.

PECK (O.S.)

All right let's get going.

Graysmith shuts the door. Carol begins opening the letters.

17 INT. EDITORIAL ROOM -- MORNING 17

TEMPLETON PECK, privileged and ascoted runs the Editorial

Meeting around a long oak table. As he goes through

Graysmith's sketches one by one:

PECK:

Horrid, horrid, not horrid, and

horrid. I'm thinking we go with

not horrid, don't you?

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 9.

17 CONTINUED:
17

Graysmith just nods meekly and takes the sketches back.

17A INT. CAROL FISHER'S OFFICE -- MORNING 17A

Carol slices open the Rush To Editor letter...

17B INT. EDITORIAL ROOM -- MORNING 17B

PECK:

Paul, what's on the crime beat?

AVERY:

Janice in Datebook won't let me

take her to dinner.

(off Peck's look)

What? It's a crime.

Graysmith cracks the slightest of smiles. Interrupted as the

door opens revealing Carol Fisher. Face grave.

PECK:

Carol, what do you-

CAROL FISHER:

You need to see this.

She lays the Rush to Editor letter on the table. The others

crowd around. Scanning it. Peck looks up to Carol.

PECK:

Go get the publisher.

CUT TO:

18 INT. EDITORIAL ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER 18

CHARLES DE YOUNG THEIRIOT - sits at the head of the table.

Old, patrician, reading the letter aloud.

THEIRIOT:

Dear Editor. This is the murderer

of the two teenagers last

Christmas at Lake Herman and the

girl on the 4th of July near the

golf course in Vallejo. To proveI killed them, I shall state some

facts which only I and the police

know. Christmas - Brand name of

ammo Super X. Ten shots were

fired. The boy was on his back

with his feet to the car. The

girl...

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 10.

18 CONTINUED:
18

He hands the letter to Peck with distaste. Motioning for him

to continue.

PECK:

The girl was on her right side,

feet to the west. July 4th - Onegirl was wearing patterned slacks.

The boy was also shot in the knee.

Brand name of ammo was Western.

Here is part of a cipher. The

other two parts of the cipher are

being mailed to the editors of the

Vallejo Times and S.F. Examiner.

NEXT PAGE - Full of strange symbols. A CODE.

PECK (CONT'D)

I want you to print this cipher on

the front page of your paper. In

this cipher is my identity. If

you do not print this cipher by

the afternoon of Fry. The 1st of

August 69, I will go on a kill

rampage Fry night. I will cruise

around all weekend killing lone

people in the night then move on

to kill again until I end up with

a dozen people over the weekend".

(pause)

It's unsigned except for a symbol.

Peck puts the letter down. The others move forward to

examine it. Seeing the SYMBOL:

AVERY:

Is it me, or does that look like a

gunsight?

Lost among them, Graysmith picks up THE CODE. WEIRD SYMBOLS

litter the page in UNBROKEN BLOCK PARAGRAPHS...

THEIRIOT:

Today is August first. He wants his

code in the afternoon edition.

HYMAN:

If the Examiner doesn't have the

balls to run it, we scoop the Bay-

PECK:

Charles, this man is talking about

shooting twelve people

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 11.

18 CONTINUED:
(2) 18

HYMAN:

And not running this could make

him do that-

PECK:

If we run it we could be setting a

very dangerous precedent-

HYMAN:

Oh, come on, it's newsworthy-

PECK:

We'd be giving this sick bastard a

soapbox. What does that say to

people?

THEIRIOT:

Back up. The Vallejo stuff, is it

true?

HYMAN:

Paul?

AVERY:

What, I cover crime in Vallejo?

(off Theiriot's look)

I cover crime in Vallejo.

He rises and exits to make calls. Hyman, to Theiriot:

HYMAN:

Let's shoot the code and call

SFPD. If it turns out to be real,

at least we'll have the material.

A beat. Theiriot nods.

HYMAN (CONT'D)

Copy!

A COPY BOY sticks his head in.

HYMAN (CONT'D)

Get Grant in here, we need some

photos. Graysmith?

Graysmith looks up from the code, his reverie broken.

HYMAN (CONT'D)

Don't you have a cartoon to

finish?

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