Zodiac Page #5

NAPA POLICEMAN:

Napa Police Department?

Bryan rolls. Positioning his wrists by Cecelia's free hand.

THE MAN:

I want to report a murder - no, a

double murder.

With an incredible effort she begins tugging on his ropes...

THE MAN (CONT'D)

They are two miles north of Park

Headquarters. They were in a

white Volkswagen Kharmann Ghia.

Bryan's wrists come free...

THE MAN (CONT'D)

I'm the one that did it.

CLICK. He's hung up. Bryan, pulling the ropes from his

legs. He crawls to Cecelia. Kisses her once on the lips.

BRYAN:

I'll get someone...

Somehow, he manages to STAND. Stooped over, arms crossed

around his stomach. Just one step is an amazing effort.

Bryan takes three before COLLAPSING. He only made it six

feet. He rises again. Walks again. Falls again. Finallyhe gives up... And begins to crawl.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 24.

37 EXT. FOREST ROAD -- EVENING 37

...above the Lake. Bryan's car, still pulled off to the side

of the empty road. A PARK RANGER slows at the abandoned car.

Nothing out of the ordinary. He rolls his eyes. Kids. He

drives on. We stay on the car. Slowly moving to the

passenger side to reveal SCRAWLED IN MARKER ON THE DOOR:

O:

VALLEJO:

12-20-68

7-4-69

SEPT 27-69-6:
30

BY KNIFE:

CUT TO:

38 OMITTED 38

39 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 39

CLOSE ON - Graysmith's fingers grip a pencil. SKETCHING.

AVERY (O.C.)

The boy lived, the girl didn't.

Imagine surviving something like

that. And the dates on the car -

the two Vallejo killings and now

the one in Napa. Why Napa?

Pulling back to reveal it's a sketch of ZODIAC IN COSTUME.

AVERY (CONT'D)

What's he doing out of Vallejo?

And- Sweet Christmas, what are you

drawing?

By now we can tell we're by Graysmith's desk.

GRAYSMITH:

The kid who survived, this is what

he said Zodiac was wearing-

He stops, his EYES GOING WIDE as something clicks.

GRAYSMITH (CONT'D)

Oh, my God...

He leaps up and races off. Practically knocking over Hyman.

An odd duck, that one. Hyman sits and picks up the sketch.

HYMAN:

Jesus, where'd he come up with that?

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 25.

39 CONTINUED:
39

AVERY:

It's Zodiac at the lake.

(re:
Graysmith)

What's his story, anyway? He seems

a little farther out than far out.

HYMAN:

Graysmith? He's a f***ing boy

scout. Doesn't smoke, doesn't

drink, doesn't curse.

AVERY:

Horrible.

(seeing)

Aaand he's back.

As Graysmith returns to the desk clutching a FILM BOOK. He

puts it down, frantically paging through it. He turns the

book to Avery and Hyman and stabs the page: A black and

white FILM STILL from an old movie - a man DRESSED

IDENTICALLY AS THE ZODIAC.

HYMAN:

What is that?

GRAYSMITH:

A still from The Most Dangerous

Game.

AVERY:

"The Most Dangerous Game"?

GRAYSMITH:

It's a movie about a count who

hunts people for sport. "Man is

the most dangerous animal of all" -

I knew I'd heard it somewhere!

AVERY:

And this is the Count?

GRAYSMITH:

Exactly. "Count Zaroff".

AVERY:

"Zaroff" with a Z?

HYMAN:

Jesus. He's hunting people...

40 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO SKYLINE -- NIGHT 40

October 11, 1969. We SOAR OVER the CITY, passing through the

half completed TRANSAMERICA PYRAMID. A RADIO SHOW:

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 26.

40 CONTINUED:
40

RADIO HOST (V.O.)

...news on the Twenty. Because of

the recent attacks police have

ordered curfews in effect tonight

for the following counties - Napa,

Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda,

Marin, and San Mateo so please

everyone, stay safe, stay inside,

and keep calling.

Pushing down into the bustling streets of the city - people

way too busy with their urban lives to be bothered with

anything else.

RADIO HOST (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Vic in San Francisco, you're on

the line. So the Zodiac doesn’t

scare you?

CALLER 1 (V.O.)

Heck no, the guy’s just doing his

thing out in the sticks. What's

really scary is the yippies down

in the Haight with their "free

love".

41 EXT. MASON AND GEARY -- NIGHT 41

Heavy foot traffic. The THEATER CROWD just being let out. A

couple hippies play guitar for change.

RADIO HOST (V.O.)

Alfred from Vacaville feels

differently - Alfred, are you

gonna take that?

CALLER 2 (V.O.)

Well, I agree about the hippies,

but I resent him calling us "the

sticks" - those were nice clean

cut young people that man killed.

We have good solid Christian

communities here in the North Bay.

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 27.

42 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS -- NIGHT 42

We track the Cab's progress, moving from the business and

theater district towards the residential PACIFIC HEIGHTS...

RADIO HOST (V.O.)

You bring up a good question - is

the Zodiac a Satanist? Amber from

Oakland, what do you think?

CALLER 3 (V.O.)

Well, the symbols look Satanic,

but that’s not what I called about

- my question is where does the

Chronicle get off encouraging him

like that?

RADIO HOST (V.O.)

A great question, and I’d also ask

- since when did a big city paper

like the Chronicle even care about

what happens in rural communities

like Vallejo? Aren’t theycovering this just to sell more

papers? Alison in San Francisco?

CALLER 4 (V.O.)

I don’t know about them caring or

not caring but I do know The

Zodiac demanded they print his

letters or he'd kill more people-

CALLER 3 (V.O.)

(breaking in)

But they didn't have to. And he's

killed more people anyway.

43 EXT. PACIFIC HEIGHTS -- NIGHT 43

The cab slowing. A posh part of the city. The sidewalks,

empty. Pulling to halt at the corner of Washington and

Cherry. The Cabbie puts it in park...

RADIO HOST:

A great point Amber. So a generalquestion for all our callers, what

do you think he'll do next?

BOOM! The Cabbie's HEAD SNAPS FORWARD.

PASSENGER, who we don't see. Silence.

away from the CAB...

Shot by hisAs we begin to pull

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 27A.

43 CONTINUED:
43

The PASSENGER gets out. Moving around the car. Gets into

the FRONT PASSENGER seat. Leaves the door ajar. He seems to

be (but is not) cradling the Cabbie's head in his lap. We're

still pulling up and away slowly, across the street...

OVER THIS:
A phone ringing. Picked up.

SFPD OPERATOR (O.S.)

San Francisco Police-

TEENAGE GIRL (O.S.)

Yeah, there's a fight! In a cab!

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 28.

43 CONTINUED:
(2) 43

SFPD OPERATOR (O.S.)

What is your location?

TEENAGE GIRL (O.S.)

The corner of Washington and

Cherry, one's drunk! We think

he's robbing him!

The Man gets out again. Walks around the front to the

Driver's side door. Holding a RAG. Still PULLING BACK...

SFPD OPERATOR (O.S.)

Is the crime still in progress?

TEENAGE GIRL (O.S.)

Yes!

And then, the sound of a MACHINE GUN...

44 INT. GRAYSMITH APARTMENT -- DAVID'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT 44

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