When it comes to this case there are the facts that are non disputable and therefore accepted with evidence, and there are certain things that get believed by so many that it almost becomes or appears as this also has moved from 'Not Known' to 'We believe this is probably true' and as such, it rarely gets challenged.
One of these seeming Universal beliefs, or at least one held by the Overwhelming Majority, is that Z was heading for The Presidio after executing Stine. After all, He was last observed going in that general direction, a dark and logical place to disappear as A Fleeing Killer and above all, Zodiac Himself told you this was His destination at least six times over Two letters. It seems very important to the Writer of these letters that the readers of them come away without any question as to where He, Zodiac, was headed that night and concealed from view.
Now in the meantime people have paid close attention to and wondered why it was that Zodiac gives His destination as 'Washington and Maple streets' when entering the Cab, but actually ends up a block further coming to a stop at Washington and Cherry streets instead. Well here is my answer to this mystery: Let's change the question. Let's ignore the cherry vs maple as the Destination He was to get to in the cab and focus on a new line of inquiry instead: Where was His true Destination after leaving The Taxi? Let's have a look. . .
Now it won't be a shock to some people that I have never believed the theory generally accepted of Zodiac fleeing to the Presidio. Why? Well, for a number of reasons. Two give just two of my reasons for doubt:
- Zodiac Himself stating He directed The Police Car with Eric and Don occupying it to Arguello and He watched it "Go around the corner as I had directed them" which is the corner directly leading off Jackson and Arguello Streets and onto West Pacific Avenue. So Zodiac's directed the cops onto W. Pacific Av. which is into The Presidio itself and He then claims that He "Disappeared into the park a block and half away never to be seen again!" How does He turn down Maple and drop through to West Pacific Avenue crossing to the Presidio foliage and down to JK Park specifically cross W.P Avenue unseen when Don and Eric are either coming down this short road or are already the other side of the wall at Maple Entrance? Does it make sense and sound right that Z is going to direct The Police into the exact area He Himself is planning to use to secure His escape? He ain't going that way and it's my contention that this is the reason He sends Eric and Don off on a wild search for Non existent Gun Waving nut cases in these very Ground, directing them to an area away from His own planned route, not directly into it and ballsing up your own planned escape route.
- I echo Chief of Homicide Inspector's Martin Lee's no nonsense dismissal of Zodiac's brag of the police could have caught Him if they had searched the park properly. He responded to this in the Chronicle by rather nicely declaring that Zodiac is full of shit, He's a liar and there was simply no way He was, as He claimed, in the park. Lee asserts further that Zodiac was not even in the general vicinity of the Presidio and pointed to having several search lights illuminating the Park as if it were day time, a small army of SFPD Cops searching tree by tree and bush by bush, and having Seven K-9 units on site leading to Lee Concluding: "He was not in that Park. A Mouse could not have escaped our attention" And I agree with that rebuttal of Lee's.
So the question most ask is why Cherry when He seems to give Maple and maybe this question is a valid one but if it is, it surely has to take a backseat to the clearly overlooked Elephant there in the room and that is: Why Washington and any Street,? If it's the Presidio He's looking to get to, Jackson is surely the street of choice! Why not direct Paul to Jackson and Maple??
Let's remember that most believe He's planning to escape into The Presidio, so why give your destination as Washington and any street, being on Washington means you give yourself an extra Block to backtrack over before arriving on Jackson Street where His Presidio is. All this will do is simply increase the potential to be spotted by numerous witnesses in homes all along your escape route & make His capture far more likely when, Had He so wished, He could have directed Paul to take Him directly to Jackson and Maple right where the Presidio itself is located and almost guarantee nobody would see Him leave the cab. Instead, He walks casually down Cherry and again is seemingly totally disinterested with the offer of The Cherry Street Presidio Entrance where everyone is sure He's heading.
It doesn't make any sense nor is it logical, even by the Zodiac's standards, to ignore the Cherry Entrance through to the Presidio if that is where He is heading but instead decide to turn down Jackson. And after He makes this puzzling decision to go down Jackson Street He encounters cops responding to His own outrage who call over to Him and He then subsequently directs them to go searching in The Presidio, the same Presidio He is planning to go in a few seconds. It's so counter intuitive it's almost unbelievable.
My idea or theory is, as already mentioned and always has been that He never intended to escape into that Park, or anywhere within The PRESIDIO grounds itself and He opting to stop and walk an extra block in my own opinion and view backs this up. How and why? Well lets assume It is a residence He is making a B-Line for situated on Jackson Street somewhere close or in the vicinity of, let's say an example only, Kjells Home of 3636. Well, If I live there, or my family member does, or If I am known locally to have a connection to any house near there where I am fully planning to dash to, I ain't going to pull up outside or even a few doors down and kill Paul because if spotted by someone that likely will instantly recognize me, I am done and all but caught. If you as my next door but one Neighbor spot me at or leaving that cab and heading toward my House it's game over so How can you best try to ensure that nobody close to your house will see you or can connect you in any way at all to the cab? Do exactly what Z did, go one street over.
If your heading for A home your associate or linked to, it makes perfect sense now to kill Paul away and a street over, your not going to want any of your neighbors seeing you in or near a cab that instantly will recognize you and link you and the house you've just fled into with the cab 4 doors away on the street.
He has motive to misdirect you, He has an agenda to require you to look at His waving right hand as He doesn't want you to see what He has in the Left.
THE ART OF SUGGESTION!
The simple yet effective art of SUGGESTION! Followed by a sprinkle of Misdirection and He gets you to look in all the wrong places simply by repeatedly offering you to accept one thing, PARK! He makes reference to it over half a dozen times in 5 pages of writings and this is no accident! If you believe Him and His little park destination, well, I'll borrow His own declaration of "You deserve to have holes in your heads."
If I had committed a vicious homicide next to a golf course and I wrote telling the Police over and over and over and over that "As i was walking down the Green on the 7th parr 4 hole to the bunker to hide, this cop buggy puled up..." Then "Hey Meanie Pig, I was in the sand trap on the 7th hole...." and "The Filth could have detained me last evening if they had searched the 7th Parr 4 properly instead of ignoring the bunker believing I wouldn't have submerged myself below the surface...." If I kept telling you this over and over, you'd start wondering why!
Below are just three examples of His offer to you to accept His park Story & Destination lest, God forbid, you may start to look elsewhere near by and Z doesn't want you doing this and this is why He goes to such effort to use two arts, the art of suggestion, followed by the art of Misdirection. He subtly makes a suggestion several times your not even aware He is making to you, so you accept the suggestion He offered you. Successfully and easily misdirected people's attention by repeating the word Park over and over, job done!