No problem. Have a good night.Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 12 of 30 · 5'05" · B2
Kathleen Johns Escapes the Zodiac, Explained: the more the merrier
A stranded mother with a baby accepts a ride, and the driver is friendly until he calmly threatens her — "Before I kill you, I'm gonna throw your baby out the window." She jumps from the moving car to survive, and the cruelty lingers in a later letter that lists her as a target.
What happens
A woman with an infant flags down a car at night and is offered a lift. The driver seems helpful, even welcoming, until he suddenly threatens to kill her and throw her baby from the window. She escapes by jumping from the car, and the episode returns later as a name on the killer's own list.
Listen for
the more the merrierdone with themcheer someone upgive someone a lift
00:00 / 05:05Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
the more the merrier
the more people, the better
对方看到车里多了个婴儿有点犹豫，开车的人用这句话欢迎她们一起上车。
Bring your friends along; the more the merrier.
Also in this scene
- done with them
finished with someone, in a lethal sense
- cheer someone up
to make someone feel happier
- give someone a lift
to give someone a ride in your car
Everything marked in this scene
31 notes across 51 lines
Are you okay?Must have been worse than I thought.must have done for deduction
Must have been worse than I thought.to give someone a ride in your car
I can give you a lift to a service station.can for offering help
I can give you a lift to a service station.weak form
I can give you a lift to a service station.the more people, the better
The more the merrier.liaison
The more the merrier.You shouldn't smoke. It's a bad habit.Do you always go around helping people in the night?finished with someone, in a lethal sense
When I'm done with them, they don't need much help.gonna for immediate future
I'm gonna throw your baby out the window.She was on the side of the road. She flagged me down.flap
She was on the side of the road. She flagged me down.-What happened to her? -She said she jumped from a car.-You hid it? -In case he came back.present perfect question
"By the way, have you cracked the last cipher I sent you?"I'm mildly curious as to how much money you have on my head now."I hope you do not think I was the one who wiped out that blue meanie"I hope you do not think I was the one who wiped out that blue meanieto make someone feel happier
"It would cheer me up considerably "if I saw a lot of people wearing my button."The map coupled with this code will tell you where the bomb is set."You have until next fall to dig it up."until for a deadline
"You have until next fall to dig it up."liaison
"You have until next fall to dig it up.""So, I now have a little list, starting with the woman and her baby "that I gave a rather interesting rideThe new policy. Our brothers in blue want us to hold back and see how he reacts.want someone to do
The new policy. Our brothers in blue want us to hold back and see how he reacts.The new policy. Our brothers in blue want us to hold back and see how he reacts.Four letters in three months, and this is the first mention of Kathleen Johns. That's very weird.Kathleen Johns Escapes the Zodiac, explained
What's really going on
The horror here comes from politeness turning into menace without a pause. The driver jokes that "the more the merrier," then answers a question about why he helps people at night with the quietly awful "when I'm done with them, they don't need much help." Nothing about his manner changes, which is exactly what makes the threat land. The scene also shows the survivor's quick thinking: she hides her baby and later tells the police only part of the story, keeping the child out of reach. Her terror is not just the attack but the calm, and the letters that come afterward confirm her fear, repeating her as a name on a list.
Theme
SurvivalThe woman survives only by jumping from a moving car and hiding her baby from the driver.
DeceptionA friendly offer of a ride turns into a trap, and the killer's tone stays calm throughout.
What you'll learn
- Treat we're fine as possible shutdown
- Use give a lift for a ride
- Split merrier as welcome vs threat
- Catch blue meanie as cartoon and cop
Listen for
- give you a lift — weak form
- The more the merrier — liaison
- flagged me down — flap
- dig it up — liaison
When I'm done with them, they don't need much help.A chilling understatement: the driver admits the people he 'helps' are dead by the time he finishes with them.
Do you always go around helping people in the night?A seemingly casual question that invites the driver to describe the pattern of his night-time attacks.
"You have until next fall to dig it up."From a letter: the writer sets a deadline for the paper to dig up the bomb he claims to have planted.
"I'm mildly curious as to how much money you have on my head now.From a letter: the writer asks, with mock politeness, what reward the police are offering for his capture.
Questions about this scene
Why does the driver threaten the woman and her baby?
The friendly help was a trap. He has driven her to a remote spot, and the threat about throwing the baby out the window is meant to control her before the attack.
How does the woman survive?
She jumps from the moving car with her baby and reaches help. Later she hides the baby so the attacker cannot find the child if he returns.
Why does she tell the police she had no baby?
She had hidden the infant out of fear the man would come back, so at first she gives only a partial account, which is why the officers are puzzled.
How does this attack appear in the Zodiac letters?
A later letter lists the woman and her baby as targets and claims the driver burned her car, tying the roadside ambush directly to the writer.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's Source
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
Watching · 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 12 of 30 · about 91 min to go