“"I'm not sick. I am insane. But that will not stop the game.”
Por qué es buena
Three short sentences that calmly turn murder into a game.
Registro
literary
Úsala tú
I'm not careless. I'm obsessed. But that won't make me stop.
00:00 / 05:05
00:00 / 05:05
Riverside Investigators Compare Notes, Explained
Zodiac · 2007
Capítulo 15 de 30 · 5'05"
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."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:26–1:56
The Riverside Confession Letter
30s - 3:48–4:17
A Reporter and a Detective Fall Out
28s
Riverside Investigators Compare Notes, explained
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.
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.
Key lines & what they mean
- “"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.
Theme
- Justice — Departments disagree over whether a killing is Zodiac's, and the fight is about whose case it becomes.
- Trust — A reporter's leak breaks the fragile cooperation between police and press, and nobody is in it together.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel0/4
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“But, in my opinion, you guys came south for nothing.”
Por qué es buena
A polite frame around a blunt verdict, which makes it sting more.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Honestly, you drove all this way for nothing.
“This may not be Zodiac. Does that matter to you?”
Por qué es buena
The real question isn't the fact, it's whether the truth matters to you.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Maybe it's not even true. Does that bother you at all?
“No, we're not in anything together, Paul, because I'm not interested in upping my circulation.”
Por qué es buena
Refusing a fake 'we' by naming the real motive: not justice, just circulation.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
No, we're not partners in this, because I don't want my name dragged in.
Siguiente · 16lost in the shuffleLa escena: The Informant Describes Leigh AllenIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- 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
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy 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.