Zodiac Page #7

TOSCHI:

Lighting's the same there so maybe

I see somebody walking their dog.

ARMSTRONG:

You don't want a witness so you

say "go down a block". Cabbie

pulls over-

TOSCHI:

And I wait till he puts it in park

cause I'm smart and I don't want

him hitting the accelerator after

I shoot him.

Toschi stands behind the Uniform, using him as he acts out

the rest.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 35.

48 CONTINUED:
(4) 48

ARMSTRONG:

Cabbie stops, puts it in park,

boom.

TOSCHI:

I shoot him on the right - he

slumps right?

ARMSTRONG:

Maybe you've got your hand on his

collar when you shoot.

TOSCHI:

Either way, I just dumped a quart

of blood into the front seat.

ARMSTRONG:

So why do you get into the front

seat?

TOSCHI:

The money?

ARMSTRONG:

But he's dead. You could justreach over the seat, pull his

wallet and never get near all the

blood. Why do you get into the

front seat?

TOSCHI:

Cause I'm an idiot?

ARMSTRONG:

You're not an idiot, you waited

for him to put it in park.

TOSCHI:

Let me see the fare book...

Armstrong hands it over. Toschi peruses it.

TOSCHI (CONT'D)

I am an idiot, I'm his third fare

of the night. I just killed a guy

for eight bucks.

(to Armstrong)

You have any more animal crackers?

UNIFORM:

What?

ARMSTRONG:

They're in the car.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 36.

48 CONTINUED:
(5) 48

TOSCHI:

I was gonna finish them later.

(pause)

Fine.

Toschi rises and goes back towards the car...

49 INT. WASHINGTON STREET HOUSE -- NIGHT 49

The DOORBELL RINGS. The FATHER answers it. Toschi holding

crackers.

FATHER:

Are you a reporter?

TOSCHI:

(flashing a badge)

No, sir, SFPD. I need to have a

word with your children alone, one

at a time-

FATHER:

They just saw a man die. I'm not

letting them out of my sight.

50 INT. WASHINGTON STREET HOUSE -- UPSTAIRS -- NIGHT 50

Toschi sits across from the SIX KIDS, who inhale the animal

crackers as they talk, breathlessly overlapping:

16 YEAR OLD (TEEN BOY)13 YEAR OLD (TEEN GIRL)

It looked like they were Yeah, and he had a rag-

drunk and fighting-

TOSCHI:

Inside the car, he had a rag?

13 YEAR OLD (TEEN GIRL)16 YEAR OLD (TEEN BOY)

No outside-He came around the side of

the car and was wiping stuff

12 YEAR OLD (FRIEND)13 YEAR OLD (TEEN GIRL)

(mouth full of crackers)No, he was, and then he put

I didn't see him wiping stuff-it in his pocket-

TOSCHI (CONT'D)

First time you saw him he was in

the front seat. Then he gets out

16 YEAR OLD (TEEN BOY)

And comes around to the driver's

side with the rag

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 37.

50 CONTINUED:
50

TOSCHI:

Did you see his face?

16 YEAR OLD (TEEN BOY)13 YEAR OLD (TEEN GIRL)

Yeah-Sort of-

TOSCHI (CONT'D)

What did he look like?

The kids think about this for a second.

Normal.

16 YEAR OLD (TEEN BOY)

51 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- MAIL ROOM -- DAY 51

October 14, 1969. Carol Fisher, sorting through letters. She

stops at the last one. A CROSSED CIRCLE in the return

address corner. On the front in BLUE FELT PEN:

SF CHRONICLE, SAN FRAN, CALIF..

PLEASE RUSH TO EDITOR

PLEASE RUSH TO EDITOR.

She takes a letter opener and slices open the top...

52 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- MORNING 52

Graysmith, sketching. From down the hall, CAROL'S SCREAM!

AVERY (V.O.)

This is the Zodiac speaking...

53 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- DAY 53

54

Toschi and Armstrong enter the newspaper's lobby...

AVERY (V.O.)

I am the murderer of the taxi

driver over by Washington Street

and Maple Street last night...

INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE HALLWAYS -- DAY 54

Toschi and Armstrong stride down the corridor towards the

conference room, past staring REPORTERS...

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 38.

54 CONTINUED:
54

AVERY (V.O.)

To prove this, here is a blood

stained piece of his shirt...

CUT TO:

54A A 3 by 5 PIECE of grey and white SHIRT CLOTH, SOAKED IN

BLOOD. Neatly torn, not cut. It sits on a table in

54A

55 INT. EDITORIAL CONFERENCE ROOM -- AFTERNOON 55

Surrounded by Graysmith, Avery, Theiriot, and the Editorial

staff. Avery, reading the letter aloud:

AVERY:

I am the same man who did in the

people in the North Bay Area. The

S.F. Police could have caught me

last night if they had searched

the park properly instead of

holding road races-

The doors open and Toschi and Armstrong enter.

Dave.

AVERY (CONT'D)

Paul.

TOSCHI:

Where's the shirt?

Theiriot leads him over to the bloodstained cloth.

ARMSTRONG:

There's your rag from the kids.

TOSCHI:

So he sits in the front seat to

rip off a piece of the shirt...

AVERY:

Is this on the record-

TOSCHI:

What do you think, Paul?

No.

ARMSTRONG:

HYMAN:

He takes credit for Vallejo

and Napa-

GRAYSMITH:

It's worse than that.

The room turns to look at him.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 39.

55 CONTINUED:
55

PECK:

You get your cartoon in yet, Robert?

Graysmith frowns. Heads for the door once again. When he's

gone, Toschi turns back to Theiriot.

TOSCHI:

What did he mean "worse"?

THEIRIOT:

Read the last part.

TOSCHI:

School children make nice targets.

I think I shall wipe out a school

bus some morning. Just shoot out

the front tire and the pick off

the kiddies as they come bouncing

out- Jesus, who handles buses-

Department of Transportation?

ARMSTRONG:

School board.

Toschi, scoops up the letter, heading for the door...

56 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE THIRD FLOOR -- DAY 56

Graysmith, by Avery's empty desk. Digging in his trash for

info on Zodiac. He straightens up when he sees the

Detectives exit the Conference Room. Toschi and Armstrong in

rapid conference as they walk:

ARMSTRONG:

We need matches on blood and fabric-

TOSCHI:

I'll call Napa and Vallejo, pull the

other letters and get them up to

Sacramento for handwriting-

AVERY:

Dave, hold up! Is it true you got

a print off the cab?

TOSCHI:

Yeah, we got a partial in blood,

but that's not for publication-

AVERY:

Hey, it's me.

Toschi and Armstrong step on the elevator and are gone.

Avery heads back to his desk. Graysmith follows.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 40.

56 CONTINUED:
56

GRAYSMITH:

Did he say they had a print?

Partial.

AVERY:

GRAYSMITH:

Wow. Wow. Did you notice he was

wearing his gun like Bullit?

AVERY:

Steve McQueen got that from Toschi.

He sits and begins typing his notes.

GRAYSMITH:

Does he think Zodiac's gonna send

another code? I think he's gonnasend another code-

AVERY:

(still typing)

Robert? You're looming.

Graysmith slinks back to his desk. People bustle around him,

electricity in the air. And there's nothing for him to do.

57 INT. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- EDITORIAL ROOM -- EVENING 57

Twilight through the windows. Theiriot has gathered the

entire Editorial staff. We PAN across them as he speaks...

THEIRIOT:

In cooperation with SFPD, we will run

the Zodiac letter without includingthe threat on school children. We do

not want to start a citywide panic so

I'm asking all of you to keep this

confidential. Just go about your

daily business...

58 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET -- MORNING 58

Graysmith stands on a corner with David.

his father's presence.

Uncomfortable with

DAVID:

You don't have to wait with me.

It's okay.

GRAYSMITH:

I want to.

A YELLOW SCHOOL BUS rounds the corner.

them. Graysmith exhales.

Rumbling towards

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