Zodiac Quotes

[from trailer]

Robert Graysmith: I've been thinking...

Paul Avery: Oh God, save us all.

Robert Graysmith: Doesn't it bother you that people call you Shorty?

Shorty: Doesn't it bother you that people call you retard?

Robert Graysmith: Nobody calls me that.

Shorty: Right.

Paul Avery: Welcome, please put your stuff down. You're going down five rows and left. You're looking for the Modesto Bee from March. I'm going to stand here and attempt not to vomit.

[Graysmith turns right]

Paul Avery: Left.

Robert Graysmith: Left. What I am looking for?

Paul Avery: Kathleen Johns. Also, you might want to pull the Chron from - never mind, I'll see to that.

[pulls out Zodiac letter]

Paul Avery: Okay, now tell me what facts he gives.

Robert Graysmith: Woman and her baby abducted.

Paul Avery: Mm-hmm. Fact.

Robert Graysmith: The car on fire?

Paul Avery: Anything else?

Robert Graysmith: Everything in the letter already appears in the article.

Paul Avery: Yep. And he's done it before.

[pulls out a newspaper article]

Paul Avery: Officer Richard Raditech, shot sitting in a parked car.

Robert Graysmith: Zodiac claimed he shot someone in their car.

Paul Avery: Yeah, a couple days after this article came out. Zodiac didn't do it, but he took credit for it anyway, because he's in it for the press. He even stole his symbol.

Robert Graysmith: What?

Paul Avery: [winces, realizes he's given out privileged information] Yeah, shit.

[leans close to Graysmith]

Paul Avery: If I show you something, you promise not to tell anyone?

Robert Graysmith: [defensive] Who would I tell?

Paul Avery: [calming] Okay. Totally solid point. Okay.

[pulls a clipped out magazine ad featuring a watch labeled "Zodiac"]

Paul Avery: That's the only time that word and that symbol ever appeared before the letters.

[scoffs]

Paul Avery: Guy stole his logo off a watch.

Paul Avery: How can somebody who's killed 13...

Paul Avery: He claims he's killed 13 people, but which ones can we actually confirm? There's three in Vallejo, one in Berryessa, the cabby. That's it.

[bemused at Graysmith's confused reaction]

Paul Avery: Bobby, you almost look disappointed.

Dave Toschi: [bedside phone rings. In a tired attempt to answer the phone, accidentally knocks over a lamp, which shatters]

[into phone]

Dave Toschi: Whoever this is, you owe me another lamp.

Robert Graysmith: Paul, are you okay?

Paul Avery: No... but thanks for asking.

Robert Graysmith: [Both are brushing their teeth] Spit.

Aaron Graysmith: I swallowed it.

Robert Graysmith: Why?

Aaron Graysmith: It was minty.

Robert Graysmith: Dave! He made a mistake!

[pointing frantically at the case files in his hands while standing outside Toschi's window]

Dave Toschi: Get away from the window!

Robert Graysmith: I'll meet you around front!

Dave Toschi: No, you won't!

Paul Avery: Right, this can no longer be ignored.

Paul Avery: [points at Graysmith's drink, which is blue. Graysmith looks confused]

Paul Avery: What is that you're drinking?

Robert Graysmith: It's an Aqua Velva. You wouldn't make fun of it if you tried it.

Paul Avery: [tastes it. Time passes and they've both had a few more]

Robert Graysmith: We met at the movies once.

Dave Toschi: Must've been magical.

Paul Avery: I cover crime in Vallejo?

[pause]

Paul Avery: Yeah, I cover crime in Vallejo.

Robert Graysmith: I just want to help.

Ken Narlow: What are you, some kind of boy scout?

Robert Graysmith: Eagle Scout, actually... First class.

Robert Graysmith: Did he say they got a print?

Paul Avery: A partial.

Robert Graysmith: Whoa. Dude, he wears his gun like Bullitt.

Paul Avery: No, McQueen got that... from Toschi.

Robert Graysmith: Does he think that Zodiac's gonna send another code? 'Cause I think Zodiac's gonna send another code.

Paul Avery: Jesus Harold Christ on rubber crutches, Bobby, what are you doing? You're doing that thing. The thing that we discussed, the thing that I don't like, starts with an L...

Robert Graysmith: Oh, looming.

Paul Avery: Yeah.

Paul Avery: So... what's new?

Robert Graysmith: I've been thinking. Somebody should write a book.

Paul Avery: Somebody should write a fucking book, that's for sure.

[beat]

Paul Avery: About what?

Robert Graysmith: About Zodiac.

Paul Avery: That's not new.

Robert Graysmith: I've been thinking that if you put all the information together, maybe you could jog something loose. And I was thinking you know the case best.

Paul Avery: Yeah, that's true.

Robert Graysmith: And you know all the players and you have all the files.

Paul Avery: Lost them.

Robert Graysmith: You lost them?

Paul Avery: Or I tossed them. I don't know. I moved onto a boat. You know we work in the daily business, right? As in, today? What do you think we were doing back then? Do you know more people die in the East Bay commute every three months than that idiot ever killed? He offed a few citizens, he wrote a few letters and then he faded into a footnote.

[beat, menacingly]

Paul Avery: Not that I haven't been sitting here idly waiting for you to drop by and reinvigorate my sense of purpose. It was four years ago. Let it fucking go.

Robert Graysmith: You're wrong. It was important.

Paul Avery: [sighs] Then what did you ever do about it... if it was so important? What did you do? You *hovered* over my desk, you stole from wastebaskets. AM I BEING UNKIND? Oh, that's right. I forgot. You went to the library.

[smiles darkly]

Robert Graysmith: I'm sorry I bothered you.

Dave Toschi: Hey, how do we know that this lead is real?

Inspector William Armstrong: It's very real. How do I know? Because I saw it on TV.

[last lines]

Mike Mageau: [after identifying Arthur Leigh Allen as his shooter] The last time I saw this face was July 4th, 1969. I am very sure that's the man who shot me.

Robert Graysmith: Tell me about this painting party.

Linda del Buono: I told the cops about that so long ago. Darlene always had a lot of boys around, even though she was married. This one guy was weird though. He used to bring her presents from Tijuana. I don't know why she was friends with him. She once told me he'd killed somebody.

Robert Graysmith: Really?

Linda del Buono: I think maybe when he was in the service.

Robert Graysmith: Navy?

Linda del Buono: I think so.

Robert Graysmith: Was he into movies? Was he a movie buff?

Linda del Buono: I can tell you that he was not into people. The party that Darlene threw, people were just supposed to show up, drink beer, help paint, but this guy showed up in a suit, and just sat in a chair all by himself all night long and didn't talk to anyone. And Darlene told me to stay away from him. She was scared of him. Couple weeks later she was dead.

Robert Graysmith: I'm sorry. Do you remember his name?

Linda del Buono: It was short. Like a nickname, like Stan.

Robert Graysmith: Rick?

Linda del Buono: No, I don't think so.

Robert Graysmith: Are you sure?

Linda del Buono: Yeah.

Robert Graysmith: How can you be sure? It was a long time ago. Think hard.

Linda del Buono: I am thinking hard.

Robert Graysmith: It was Rick. It was Rick Marshall. Say it!

Linda del Buono: It wasn't Rick.

[thinks for a moment, as Graysmith prepares to leave]

Linda del Buono: It was Leigh.

Robert Graysmith: [stopped in his tracks] Leigh?

Linda del Buono: Yeah, Leigh.

[beat]

Linda del Buono: Sounds right.

[first lines]

Mike Mageau: Where have you been? I've been waiting since 7:00.

Robert Graysmith: You lost them?

Paul Avery: Or I tossed them... I don't know, I moved onto a boat.

Officer George Bawart: Who was that?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: That's Graysmith. He's a cartoonist. He thinks he's going to solve the Zodiac.

Officer George Bawart: Well, good for him.

[after the shooting of Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau]

Police Officer: [over the phone] Vallejo Police Department.

Zodiac 1 & 2: I wanna report a murder. No... a double murder.

Police Officer: May I have your name and...?

Zodiac 1 & 2: [interrupting] If you go one mile east on Columbus Parkway, to a public park, you'll find kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year

[referring to David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen]

Zodiac 1 & 2: ... Good... bye...

Melvin Belli: Inspectors, he sent this letter directly to my residence. It is a cry for help intended as a private communique.

Dave Toschi: Which is why you contacted The Chronicle.

Melvin Belli: The people have a right to know. Toddy?

Informant: Have you ever thought Paul Avery might be the Zodiac?

Dave Toschi: Frequently.

Captain Marty Lee: You got any hard suspects?

Dave Toschi: Uh, about 90 an hour. I'm up to about 500.

Drag Queen: Only a little rat bastard like Andre could have done something like cut off all the victims' hands.

Inspector William Armstrong: Zodiac didn't cut off any of the victims' hands.

Drag Queen: Are you sure?

Inspector William Armstrong: Yes, sir.

"Suspect": I'm the Zodiac.

Inspector William Armstrong: And how did you kill your victims?

"Suspect": With a gun. No... with a hammer.

Robert Graysmith: Does anybody ever call me names?

Paul Avery: What, you mean like retard?

Robert Graysmith: Yeah.

Paul Avery: No.

Melvin Belli: Inspector, he sent this letter directly to my residence, since he couldn't get through to me here or on the Dunbar show.

Dave Toschi: He tried to contact you here?

Melvin Belli: Once, I was out. He spoke with my housekeeper. He didn't leave a number.

Inspector William Armstrong: Yeah, he's kinda crafty like that.

Robert Graysmith: Just because you can't prove it doesn't mean it isn't true.

Dave Toschi: Easy, Dirty Harry.

Robert Graysmith: Did he say they got a print?

Paul Avery: A partial.

Robert Graysmith: Whoa. Dude, he wears his gun like Bullit.

Paul Avery: No, Bullit got that... from Toschi.

Robert Graysmith: Does he thinks Zodiac is gonna send another code? Cause I think Zodiac's gonna send another code.

Paul Avery: Jesus Harold Christ on rubber crutches Bobby, what are you doing? You're doing that thing. The thing that we discussed, the thing that I don't like, starts with an L...

Robert Graysmith: Oh, looming.

Paul Avery: Yeah.

Arthur Leigh Allen: Oh. "The Most Dangerous Game."

Inspector William Armstrong: What?

Arthur Leigh Allen: "The Most Dangerous Game." That's why you're here isn't it? It was my favorite book in high school. It's about this man who waits for these people to get shipwrecked on this island. Because he was tired of hunting animals, he hunted the people for the challenge.

Dave Toschi: And man is the most dangerous animal of all?

Arthur Leigh Allen: That's the whole point of the story.

Robert Graysmith: I knew it! "Man is the most dangerous animal of all." I knew that I heard that from somewhere before. "The Most Dangerous Game."

Paul Avery: The most what?

Robert Graysmith: It's a movie about a count who hunts people for sport. People. "The Most Dangerous Game."

Paul Avery: Who's that?

Robert Graysmith: That's Count Zaroff.

Paul Avery: Zaroff? With a Z?

Robert Graysmith: This is a case that's covered both northern and southern California with victims and suspects spread over hundreds of miles, would you agree?

Dave Toschi: Yeah.

Robert Graysmith: Darlene Ferrin worked at the Vallejo House of Pancakes on the corner of Tennessee and Caroll. Arthur Leigh Allen lived in his mother's basement on Fresno Street. Door to door, that is less than 50 yards.

Dave Toschi: Is that true?

Robert Graysmith: I've walked it.

Dave Toschi: Jesus Christ.

Robert Graysmith: Not many people have basements in California.

Bob Vaughn: I do.

Robert Graysmith: Dave, he made a mistake! The birthday was the one time that he was weak, the one time he gave something away!

Dave Toschi: Robert...

Robert Graysmith: It's Arthur Leigh Allen!

Dave Toschi: Where did you get that name?

Robert Graysmith: December 18th. He called the Belli's house. "I have to kill. Today is my birthday." It was his birthday. Arthur Leigh Allen was born on December 18th.

Dave Toschi: Get in here.

Cecilia Shepard: Someone else is here.

Bryan Hartnell: It is a public park.

Cecilia Shepard: I think he's watching us.

Bryan Hartnell: Well, we're very good looking.

Cecilia Shepard: Where'd he go? He went behind that tree.

Bryan Hartnell: All right, so he's taking a leak.

Cecilia Shepard: He's coming towards us. Oh my god, he has a gun!

Paul Avery: What do you do for fun?

Robert Graysmith: I love to read.

Paul Avery: Mhmm.

Robert Graysmith: Umm, I enjoy books.

Paul Avery: Those are the same things.

Robert Graysmith: [arriving to their date] How late am I?

[he knocks over a drink]

Melanie: Just a few minutes really. I just got here myself.

Robert Graysmith: Traffic was bumper to bumper. I was at the gun range.

Melanie: Glynis said you were a cartoonist.

Robert Graysmith: Oh, yeah.

Melanie: What were you doing at the gun range?

Robert Graysmith: Reading.

Arthur Leigh Allen: Can I help you?

Robert Graysmith: No.

Paul Avery: So Robert, what are your hobbies?

Robert Graysmith: Well, I like to read.

Paul Avery: Uh-huh.

Robert Graysmith: Uh, I enjoy books.

Paul Avery: Those are the same things.

Paul Avery: Hey Bullitt, it's been almost a year. You gonna catch this fuckin' guy or not?

Dave Toschi: Go fuck yourself!

Paul Avery: Gladly.

Paul Avery: What's your angle, here? This is good business for everyone but you.

Robert Graysmith: What do you mean, "business"?

Robert Graysmith: Are you alright?

Paul Avery: No. Thanks for asking.

Templeton Peck: Paul, what's on the crime beat?

Paul Avery: Janice in Datebook left the fondue party before everyone got naked.

Templeton Peck: That's a crime.

[the men laugh]

Templeton Peck: Have you seen her? Wouldn't kid you. It may be the beginning of a crime wave.

Inspector William Armstrong: Cabbie's been shot three blocks from the Presidio.

Dave Toschi: Mm-hmm. Well, it wasn't me. I've been with my bride all night. She can vouch.

Mrs. Toschi: I'll go put on the Folger's.

Inspector William Armstrong: You'll pick me up?

Dave Toschi: Let me just describe the lamp you're gonna buy me.

Inspector William Armstrong: We're playing catch-up, Jack. I'd like to set up a meeting with your survivor, Michael Mageau.

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: I can't. He skipped town.

Inspector William Armstrong: The only guy who's seen Zodiac without a mask is missing?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: When he was still in the hospital, we could show him lineups all day long. As soon as he got out, he split.

Inspector William Armstrong: Really? Why?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: I don't think he wanted to have anything to do with this.

Inspector William Armstrong: Can you send us everything that you have?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: Well, the road goes both ways. Now, we need that print you lifted from the cab, and we should have been in on the handwriting.

Inspector William Armstrong: I apologize. Things have been moving fast. Who should I talk to in Napa so we can coordinate?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: Talk to Ken Narlow.

Ken Narlow: We really should have been in on the handwriting.

Inspector William Armstrong: I apologize. You know, things have been moving fast. Listen we're gonna need your scene photos.

Ken Narlow: Can't help you.

Inspector William Armstrong: Ken, I don't want to get into a jurisdiciontal thing here.

Ken Narlow: No, no, no, no, no. We didn't have a crime scene. The ranger that found the kids literally swept everything into a picnic blanket. All we have are the Wing Walker prints.

Inspector William Armstrong: The what?

Ken Narlow: Boot prints to and from the crime scene were made by size 10 1/2 Wing Walkers, military-style boots sold only at military PXs designed to walk on the wings of planes.

Inspector William Armstrong: And you can't buy at a PX without a military ID, so our suspect could be military. Did you guys narrow your list off of this?

Ken Narlow: Yeah.

Inspector William Armstrong: Did Vallejo?

Ken Narlow: I don't know. I don't work in Vallejo. I work here.

Inspector William Armstrong: I'm gonna need photos of those boot prints.

Ken Narlow: Sure, if you send me the handwriting.

Inspector William Armstrong: I thought Questioned Documents already did.

Ken Narlow: Nope. Vallejo's got 'em, not us.

Inspector William Armstrong: All right. I'll have Questioned Documents... forget it. I'll telefax it to you.

Ken Narlow: We don't have telefax yet.

Inspector William Armstrong: Okay, I'll put it in the mail.

Ken Narlow: We'll mail ours, too. And call Mulanax in Vallejo. Maybe he can get you a mimeo.

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: Why don't you get a photo off the original plaster cast?

Inspector William Armstrong: We'd have to wait, because they don't have a fax.

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: We don't have a fax, either.

Inspector William Armstrong: Look, I'm just trying to get us coordinated.

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: Have you called Solano Sheriff's Office?

Inspector William Armstrong: Why would I call Solano?

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: Because the two kids that got killed last Christmas were Solano's.

Inspector William Armstrong: I thought they were Vallejo.

Sgt. Jack Mulanax: No, they were over the county line, so you're gonna need to coordinate with them, too.

Dave Toschi: I talked to Sherwood. He got the samples. What are you having?

Inspector William Armstrong: BLT.

[seeing Dave's look, Bill hands over the other half]

Dave Toschi: So, the check stubs are a wash. There's not enough handwriting. The application's got more, but it doesn't look like Z's, so he can't rule him in. But he can't rule him out, either.

Inspector William Armstrong: Well, that's vague.

Dave Toschi: He needs more samples. Also, our guy is a pervert. When Mel got the application from Valley Springs, they told him that Allen had been fired for touching kids.

Inspector William Armstrong: Touching?

Dave Toschi: Polite euphemism.

Inspector William Armstrong: Avery's on two.

Dave Toschi: Tell him to screw.

Inspector William Armstrong: You want me to communicate that verbatim or can I spice it up a little?

Robert Graysmith: You're staying with your mom and Aaron tonight.

David Graysmith: [sighs]

Robert Graysmith: You don't like having a little brother?

David Graysmith: No, not really.

Robert Graysmith: Oh... that's honest.

[walking into a packed police station, filled with "Zodiac informants"]

Inspector William Armstrong: Here comes every lunatic in California.

Robert Graysmith: [Avery is about to meet a secret informant] So who is this guy?

Paul Avery: He wants to remain anonymous, I wish to remain infamous... so we'll get along great.

[while waiting for Zodiac to call in the TV studio]

Jim Dunbar: I saw your "Star Trek" by the way. It was excellent.

Melvin Belli: A shame about the show. Good people. You know, I've often thought about becoming an actor full-time.

Jim Dunbar: What was your character's name?

Melvin Belli: Gorkon.

Melvin Belli: Inspector Toschi.

[holds up bloodied shirt piece]

Melvin Belli: It is my belief that this is a window into this man's soul. Killing is his compulsion. Even though he tries to ignore it, it drives him. It's in his blood.

Dave Toschi: Maybe. Or maybe he just likes the attention.

[Graysmith visits with Ken Narlow in Napa]

Robert Graysmith: Does the name Rick Marshall mean anything to you?

Ken Narlow: [it does] What are you after?

Robert Graysmith: What have you got?

Ken Narlow: Hypothetically, you just named my favorite suspect in the whole case. This is off the record. Couple of years back, I was trying to get Marshall's prints. I handed him a photo. He looks at it. He's about to give it back and he says, "My goodness, I got fingerprints all over this." And he wipes them off.

Robert Graysmith: Why didn't you test him for handwriting?

Ken Narlow: Because when they finally did run his prints... they cleared him against the one in Stine's cab.

Robert Graysmith: So it's not him?

Ken Narlow: Maybe yes, maybe no.

Robert Graysmith: No? What do you mean?

Ken Narlow: Zodiac left gloves behind at the scene. If he had the foresight to bring gloves with him, how the hell's he gonna accidentally leave a print behind?

Robert Graysmith: But it was in the victim's blood.

Ken Narlow: Could have been one of the bystanders, or a cop just reaches out... Boom. False print.

Robert Graysmith: But that print disqualified 2,500 suspects.

Ken Narlow: Which is why we used handwriting.

Robert Graysmith: But not for Rick Marshall.

Ken Narlow: S.F.P.D. saw a handwritten sign in the window of his house, decided it looked nothing like the Z letters, so they moved on.

Robert Graysmith: How do they know Rick Marshall wrote the sign?

Ken Narlow: [smiles] My thoughts exactly. Rick Marshall was a Navy man. He received code training. He was also a projectionist at a silent film theater.

Robert Graysmith: How do I get a copy of Rick Marshall's handwriting?

Ken Narlow: Three ways. One, get a warrant; which you can't. Two, get him to volunteer; which he won't.

Robert Graysmith: Yeah, and three?

Ken Narlow: Get creative.