Zodiac Page #3

Graysmith takes the hint. Puts down the code and leaves.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 12.

19 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 19

Graysmith, wandering back to his desk. Passing Avery who

sits, dialing. Graysmith, hoping to hear the conversation...

AVERY:

(into the phone)

This is Paul Avery from the San

Francisco Chronicle, I'm looking

for someone to shed some light on

a letter we received...

20 INT. VALLEJO POLICE DEPARTMENT -- MORNING 20

SERGEANT JACK MULANAX (40's hook-nosed), on the phone.

MULANAX:

You want to run it, run it-

SECRETARY:

Jack, you got a guy from the

Chronicle on two!

MULANAX:

Lenny, hang on...

(clicks over)

Sergeant Mulanax.

21 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 21

AVERY:

Sergeant, this is Paul Avery at

the Chronicle. I just wanted to

check if you had an unsolved

firearm related homicide on

Christmas and maybe one on July

4th?

MULANAX:

(through phone)

Sh*t, you got one too?

22 INT. EDITORIAL ROOM -- MORNING 22

Avery re-enters to find Hyman on the phone.

PECK:

Al's on with the Examiner, they

got the same letter, but with a

different code.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 13.

22 CONTINUED:
22

AVERY:

(checking his notes)

So did the Times Herald. VPD

confirmed the shootings; Christmas,

two teenagers on lover's lane, both

DOA, David Farraday and Betty Jensen

- July 4th, Darlene Ferrin and

Michael

(trying to pronounce)

Mah-Mag-I think it's "Mayhew".

He lived. She didn't.

THEIRIOT:

The murder weapons?

AVERY:

Match the calibers he gives in the

letter. I bet the Times Herald

will go with it.

Hyman cups his hand over the receiver to update them:

HYMAN:

Examiner says they're going but

won't go front page. I say we go

front page and if he kills twelve

people, it's not our fault.

Theiriot heaves a long sigh as the debate continues...

23 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- LATER 23

Graysmith, at his desk. Unfinished cartoon pushed aside. He

doodles something else - THE CODE. Recreated from memory.

He looks up to see the ENTIRE EDITORIAL STAFF of the paper is

now in with Theiriot. Carol Fisher stops by his desk.

CAROL FISHER:

Robert, we need-You're not done

yet?

GRAYSMITH:

Sorry.

He switches to the cartoon.

GRAYSMITH (CONT'D)

Theiriot's still here.

CAROL FISHER:

He's never here this late...

Graysmith scoops up his finished cartoon and heads for

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 14.

24 INT. EDITORIAL ROOM -- DAY 24

Hyman speaks as Graysmith slips in.

HYMAN:

...ten minutes to press, Charles.

Theiriot, quiet. Thinking. Graysmith hovers with his

cartoon near Peck who whispers:

Leave it.

PECK:

THEIRIOT:

(deciding)

Okay, replate, we'll go page 4.

Weary, but happy a decision has been made, the staff heads

for the exit. Avery, commenting to the others:

AVERY:

Twenty bucks to the first person

who cracks the guy's name.

GRAYSMITH:

(quietly)

He won't give his name.

Avery turns, surprised the quiet cartoonist has spoken.

Graysmith looks a little surprised too.

AVERY:

(to everybody)

Anyone wanna grab a drink?

25 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET -- EVENING 25

Graysmith heads home. Passing "MORTI'S", a BAR near the

CHRONICLE. Looking through the window - Avery and several

others from the paper laughing, carousing. He watches for a

moment, then moves on.

26 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- EVENING 26

THE CODE - Sitting on a white table, CAMERA mounted above.

CHOOM! CHOOM! Flashbulbs go off. Being shot for print.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 15.

27 INT. GRAYSMITH'S APARTMENT -- EVENING 27

28

Graysmith dumps a stack of LIBRARY BOOKS on his desk. David

grabs the top one happily -Yertle the Turtle. All the

others, about CODEBREAKING or MURDER. Graysmith looks atthe wall - covered with reproductions of JAMES BOND NOVEL

COVERS. He sighs. Begins taking some down. We can't see

his hands. He moves away and we see he's tacked THE CIPHER

up in their place. As we push in on SYMBOLS...

NAVY PROJECT LEADER

All right, people, listen up...

INT. NAVAL BASE -- SAN DIEGO -- NIGHT 28

SUPERIMPOSE -U.S. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE - CRYPTOGRAPHY

A group of CRYPTOGRAPHERS seated around a table with the

cipher. The PROJECT LEADER addresses them.

NAVY PROJECT LEADER

The cipher is broken into three

sections - each one is eight lines

with seventeen symbols...

29 INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING -- WASHINGTON D.C. -- NIGHT 29

SUPERIMPOSE -U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CODE INTEL

A similar gathering of codebreakers.

D.O.D. PROJECT LEADER

No breaks between the symbols

denoting different words, no

numbers or clues to substitution

keys...

30 INT. FBI BUILDING -- SAN FRANCISCO -- NIGHT 30

Two codebreakers sit at their desks, splitting a sandwich.

SUPERIMPOSE -FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

F.B.I. CODEBREAKER

And you got symbols from at least

seven different sources - Greek,

Morse Code, Navy Semaphore,

Weather Symbols, Astrological

Signs...

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 16.

31 INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE -- SALINAS, CALIFORNIA -- MORNING 31

SUPERIMPOSE -RESIDENCE OF DONALD HARDEN - BREAKFAST NOOK

DONALD and BETTYE HARDEN sit perusing their morning papers.

Donald examines the PRINTED CODE. He studies it. A beat.

DONALD:

Hey, take a gander at this code

thingy.

He passes it to his wife. She looks intrigued.

DONALD (CONT'D)

Want to give it a go?

32 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- DAY 32

August 7, 1969. Graysmith, working on the day's cartoon.

AVERY (O.S.)

The guy who used to sit there was

a great cartoonist.

Graysmith looks up to see Avery.

AVERY (CONT'D)

Bob Bastion. Now he's on public

television for some reason...

Paul Avery.

GRAYSMITH:

Robert Graysmith. I've been here

nine months.

AVERY:

You were right, by the way.

didn't give his name.

He

That gets Graysmith's attention.

GRAYSMITH:

Who cracked it?

AVERY:

A history teacher and his wife in

Salinas.

He lays the translation of the code down on the desk.

Graysmith picks it up. Begins reading aloud, the horror

growing on his face with every sentence.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 17.

32 CONTINUED:
32

GRAYSMITH:

I like killing people because it

is so much fun. It is more fun

than killing wild game in the

forest because man is the most

dangerous animal of all to kill.

Something gives me the most

thrilling experience, it is even

better than getting your rocks off

with a girl. The best part of it

is that when I die I will be

reborn in paradise and they - They

I have killed will become my

slaves. I will not give you my

name because you will try to slow

down or stop my collecting of

slaves for the afterlife.

Silence. Graysmith, shaken.

AVERY:

Methinks our friend is a tad bit

fuckered in the head. I heard he

even sent Vallejo a code key to

help. Impatient prick, isn't he?

GRAYSMITH:

What are those letters at the

bottom?

He points and we see them - EBEORIETMETHHPITI

AVERY:

Leftovers? Maybe an anagram?

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