Whoever this is, you owe me a new lamp.Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 6 of 30 · 5'03" · C1
The Presidio Cab Murder, Explained: flag a cab
On the surface it is a routine crime scene: a cabbie shot, a missing wallet, kids who saw a man run off. Underneath it is a puzzle about a description that doesn't add up, with one detective noting, "The odd thing is, we also got gloves." Even the birthday and the food talk can't soften the night.
What happens
A cab driver is found shot in the head near the Presidio, his wallet and keys gone. Detectives work the scene, ask about witnesses, and get a description from the children who called it in. Evidence turns up, including a casing and a pair of gloves, as the team tries to reconstruct the killer's route.
Listen for
get around to itthe odd thing isflag a cabdead asleep
00:00 / 05:03Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
flag a cab
to stop a taxi by raising your hand
警探在推演凶手当晚的路线，从招手叫车讲到报出目的地，一步步还原案发前的行动。
We flagged a cab outside the station.
Also in this scene
- get around to it
to finally find the time to do something
- the odd thing is
what is strange about this is
- dead asleep
sleeping very deeply
Everything marked in this scene
47 notes across 87 lines
present perfect passive
Cabbie's been shot three blocks from the Presidio.Well, it wasn't me. I've been with my bride all night.-She can vouch. -Go put on the Folgers.You'll pick me up?weak form
You'll pick me up?Walt's on scene, locked up the cab and secured the crowd.sleeping very deeply
Seriously, dead asleep. I lost feeling in my arm and everything.Crackers.You ever try Japanese food?-I always wanted to try it. -So, why don't you?to finally find the time to do something
Haven't got around to it.Evening, gents. What a lovely night for a botched robbery.Evening, gents. What a lovely night for a botched robbery.Evening, gents. What a lovely night for a botched robbery.Yeah, third this week. Must be end of summer rush.I got foot patrols going through the park, dogs are on the way.Suspect fired one shot to the back of the head.Driver's wallet and car keys are missing.Leroy, there, came down from Yellow Cab to ID him.Neighborhood's pretty high-end for this kind of thing, so I already set up transpo for the cab.Kids who called it in saw the suspect from that window.relative clause with who
Kids who called it in saw the suspect from that window.Oldest kid ran downstairs to get a better look from the dining room,described him as a white male, glasses, crew-cut, stocky, and wearing a darkjacket.-You guys need anything else? -No. Get out of here.liaison
-You guys need anything else? -No. Get out of here.-Body or scene? -It's your birthday, I'll take the body.Dave, looks like he wiped the cab down pretty good.what is strange about this is
The odd thing is, we also got gloves.-Who rolled him? -Stewarts.-Who rolled him? -Stewarts.Okay. I'm your shooter, Negro male adult, who also happens to be a stocky, crew-cut Caucasian.to stop a taxi by raising your hand
I flag a cab. I give him this address.liaison
I flag a cab. I give him this address.tell someone to do something
You don't want any witnesses so you tell him to go down a block.He pulls over.I wait for him to put it in park because I'm smartwait for someone to do something
I wait for him to put it in park because I'm smartAll right. So, eitherway, I just dumped a quart of blood in the front seat.-So, why do you get in the front seat? -For the money.You don't have to go anywhere near the blood.It's his third fare of the night. Does anyone have any animal crackers?Sir, I was wondering if I'd be able to talk to your children, one at a time and preferably alone?be able to for ability
Sir, I was wondering if I'd be able to talk to your children, one at a time and preferably alone?-Did you get a chance to see his face? -I did.Well, sort of.The Presidio Cab Murder, explained
What's really going on
The scene is less about the killing than about how hard it is to see clearly. The first description sent out is wrong—a Black suspect—while the children actually describe a white man with glasses and a crew cut, and the mismatch is played almost as a punchline. The detectives talk food, birthdays, and animal crackers while working a body, which keeps the horror at arm's length. Then they walk the killer's route step by step, from flagging the cab to waiting for the car to be put in park before firing. The most human moment is also the coldest: one of them, standing over the evidence, says, "The odd thing is, we also got gloves."
Theme
JusticeDetectives comb a murder scene for evidence, chasing a suspect whose description keeps shifting.
DutyEven on a birthday and over dinner, the team keeps working the case step by step.
What you'll learn
- Use get around to for delayed tasks
- Hear botched as badly done
- Use put it in park for the gear
- Treat wipe down as a full clean
Listen for
- pick me up — weak form
- Get out of here — liaison
- flag a cab — liaison
Whoever this is, you owe me a new lamp.A comic opener from someone woken up by the case, treating the intrusion as a household debt.
Well, it wasn't me. I've been with my bride all night.A detective jokes that his alibi is airtight, name-dropping his new wife to shrug off suspicion.
Evening, gents. What a lovely night for a botched robbery.The greeting turns a murder scene into gallows humor, calling the crime a failed robbery.
Yeah, third this week. Must be end of summer rush.Grim sarcasm: the killings are treated like a seasonal spike in business.
Okay. I'm your shooter, Negro male adult, who also happens to be a stocky, crew-cut Caucasian.The detective sums up the absurd contradiction between the two descriptions, mocking the uselessly vague suspect profile.
Questions about this scene
Why is the suspect description so confusing?
The first description sent to patrol cars says the suspect is Black, but the children describe a stocky white man with glasses and a crew cut, so the two accounts don't match.
Who saw the killer?
The children who called in the crime saw him from a window, and the oldest ran downstairs for a better look before he left.
What evidence do the police find at the scene?
They find a 9mm casing and a pair of gloves with blood on them, along with blood in the cab and the missing wallet and keys.
How do the detectives reconstruct the shooting?
They walk through it in order: the killer flags a cab, gives an address, waits for the car to be put in park, then shoots and takes the money.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi Murder
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last Drive
Chapter 2I wouldn't kid youThe Zodiac Confession Call
Chapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle
Chapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the Lake
Chapter 5a hell of a get-upZodiac's Lake Berryessa Attack
Watching · Chapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab Murder
Chapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi Murder
Chapter 8skip townPolice Bicker Over the Zodiac Case
Chapter 9at a moment's noticeZodiac Calls the TV Talk Show
Chapter 10crack the codeBelli Tries to Catch the Zodiac
Chapter 11What's your angle?Graysmith Cracks the Zodiac Cipher
Chapter 12the more the merrierKathleen Johns Escapes the Zodiac
Chapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's Source
Chapter 14in my gutGraysmith Talks Zodiac on a Date
Chapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare Notes
Chapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh Allen
Chapter 17the whole pointPolice Question Arthur Leigh Allen
Chapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's Mother
Chapter 19home turfPolice Build a Case Against Allen
Chapter 20tore out of herePolice Search Allen's Trailer
Chapter 21holding the bagBill Transfers Out of the Chronicle
Chapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac Book
Chapter 23yesterday's newsGraysmith Talks His Way In
Chapter 24more than just a coincidenceGraysmith Follows the Birthday Clue
Chapter 25tread lightlyGraysmith Chases Rick Marshall
Chapter 26blow overThe Letter That Framed Toschi
Chapter 27put yourself out thereGraysmith Chases the Case at Home
Chapter 28get it in your headGraysmith Meets the Theater Owner
Chapter 29the date that didn't endLinda Recalls the Painting Party
Chapter 30cancel each other outRobert Confronts Dave About AllenChapter 6 of 30 · about 121 min to go