elision
We got screwed.Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 15 of 30 · 5'05" · C1
Riverside Investigators Compare Notes, Explained: beat the bushes
Detectives from San Francisco and Riverside trade files on the Cheri Jo Bates killing, and the visit turns testy when one side doubts the case is Zodiac's. A reporter leaks a meeting, tempers flare, and someone doubts the trip paid off: "in my opinion, you guys came south for nothing."
What happens
San Francisco detectives travel to Riverside to compare files on Cheri Jo Bates, whose murder might be a Zodiac case. The hosts question the handwriting match and call the search a snipe hunt. Later a reporter's leak enrages the police, and the scene ends in open resentment.
Listen for
a snipe huntbeat the bushespin it on himcome in peace
00:00 / 05:05Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
beat the bushes
to search everywhere for something
Avery 说自己在外头到处翻找线索、想把凶手引出来，beating the bushes 就是形容这种漫无头绪的搜寻。
Reporters beat the bushes for anyone who knew the family.
Also in this scene
- a snipe hunt
a pointless wild-goose chase
- pin it on him
to blame or pin a charge on someone
- come in peace
to arrive with friendly intentions
Everything marked in this scene
50 notes across 98 lines
We got screwed.You do get your name in the paper a lot. People talk.I don't ever talk about an open investigation, period. Okay, Ken?simple present for a standing rule
I don't ever talk about an open investigation, period. Okay, Ken?Paul Avery. Can I catch a ride with you gents when we get there?liaison
Paul Avery. Can I catch a ride with you gents when we get there?Not a good idea, Paul.He's gonna make me take a cab when we're going to the same place.Great. Thanks for having us down today.Not at all. I hear you have some files for us.Here's what we know.Her body's found the next morning in a parking lot, stabbed to death.passive voice
Her body's found the next morning in a parking lot, stabbed to death.A woman outside of Modesto, might be a Zodiac victim.past passive
A typewritten confession was sent to the Riverside Press Enterprise"I'm not sick. I am insane. But that will not stop the game.should with passive
"This letter should be published for all to read."He wants to be published. He calls it a game.I mean, this could be our boy.This was found a couple of months later by a janitor in RCC storage.To be honest with you,weak form
To be honest with you,How did Paul Avery get his hands on the exemplars?We talked on the phone the other day for about an hour.-You don't think this is Zodiac? -We got a guy we like for it.to blame or pin a charge on someone
We don't have enough to pin it on him yet, but we're pretty sure it's him.enough to do something
We don't have enough to pin it on him yet, but we're pretty sure it's him.I'm trying to cooperate.Zodiac reads it in the paper, and he writes a letter taking credit for it.present participle as adverbial
Zodiac reads it in the paper, and he writes a letter taking credit for it.Now, that's something he's done before.But, in my opinion, you guys came south for nothing.FUBAR, gentlemen, FUBAR.Well, there's your press agent. Talk to him about it.to arrive with friendly intentions
I come in peace. I don't want any trouble.liaison
I come in peace. I don't want any trouble.and you just freaked out the entire state.a pointless wild-goose chase
I have got Napa, Vallejo, and DOJ looking at me sideways and Riverside's telling me I'm on a snipe hunt!This may not be Zodiac. Does that matter to you?be able to make a case against their suspect because of you?to search everywhere for something
Tell it to Sherwood. I'm out here, beating the bushes, trying to draw him out. We're in this together.Tell it to Sherwood. I'm out here, beating the bushes, trying to draw him out. We're in this together.Tell it to Sherwood. I'm out here, beating the bushes, trying to draw him out. We're in this together.No, we're not in anything together, Paul, because I'm not interested in upping my circulation.Oh, boy. He wrote me. He threatened my life.Been a year-and-a-half, you gonna catch this fucking guy or not?You should have called me, Paul.Only a little rat bastard like Andre could have done something like cut off all the victims' hands.Zodiac didn't cut off any of the victims' hands.Riverside Investigators Compare Notes, explained
What's really going on
The scene is about credibility as much as evidence. The Riverside officers can't see the handwriting match at all, yet the visiting detectives need the case to fit, so the disagreement is really about who gets to define Zodiac. A reporter's involvement makes everything worse: he shares an exemplar and a meeting time, and the police see publicity where he sees cooperation. "No, we're not in anything together, Paul, because I'm not interested in upping my circulation," one detective snaps, drawing the line between the job and the story. Both sides think they are serving the truth, and neither can afford the other's version of it.
Theme
JusticeDepartments disagree over whether a killing is Zodiac's, and the fight is about whose case it becomes.
TrustA reporter's leak breaks the fragile cooperation between police and press, and nobody is in it together.
What you'll learn
- Hear name in the paper as publicity
- Use snipe hunt for a fake search
- Read FUBAR as totally wrecked
- Catch show you mine as files not bodies
Listen for
- got screwed — elision
- catch a ride — liaison
- To be honest — weak form
- come in peace — liaison
"I'm not sick. I am insane. But that will not stop the game.From a typewritten confession: the writer denies being ill, calls himself insane, and promises the killings will continue.
But, in my opinion, you guys came south for nothing.A blunt parting shot: the Riverside hosts think the visiting detectives wasted the trip.
This may not be Zodiac. Does that matter to you?A pointed question to the reporter, asking whether the truth of the case matters more than a good story.
No, we're not in anything together, Paul, because I'm not interested in upping my circulation.A detective refuses the reporter's claim of shared purpose, saying he has no interest in selling more papers.
Questions about this scene
Why do the Riverside and San Francisco police disagree?
The hosts don't see a handwriting match in the Bates evidence and doubt it is Zodiac's work, while the visitors need the case to be part of the series.
Why is the reporter's involvement such a problem?
He receives an exemplar and learns about a private meeting, then writes about it. Police see a leak that undermines the case, not collaboration.
What is the Riverside confession letter?
A typewritten note sent to a local paper claiming the Bates killing. It says the game will not stop and asks to be published, which makes reporters suspect it is Zodiac.
What happens after the letters get published?
The publicity brings a wave of false confessions, and police complain that the whole state is convinced while the attention only floods them with useless tips.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh Allen
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
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
Watching · 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 15 of 30 · about 76 min to go