Tom Voigt thinks he knows who was behind the crime of the century.
By
Jordan Michelman
12/16/2020 at 5:00am
Published in the December 2020 issue of
Portland Monthly
âJordan?â I feel a tap on my shoulder. Once I confirmI am indeed the writer who asked him to meet me here, at a well-distanced two-top outside NE 28th Avenue German beer bar Stammtisch on a crisp fall day, the man hands me a small cellophane package.
âHere, I brought this for you,â he says in the quick, deep voice of a former radio announcer. The package contains a customized face mask, flecked in arcane symbols, handwritten in black letter notation. Even inside the plastic, I know these images: itâs a 50-year-old cipher code from the deranged mind of a murderer, remade into the grand totem of 2020. In the center of the mask sits the unmistakable crosshair mark of a pistol, blood red.
and pendants. and with this discovery, they were able to decipher the zodiac s secret message. it said, this is the zodiac speaking, i am in control. who mastery be ready for more, yours truly. sir, we re going to need you on the runway later don t let a severe cold hold you back. get theraflu. it has the power of three medicines to take on your worst pain and fever, cough and nasal congestion. theraflu breaks you free from your toughest cold and flu symptoms. so you never miss a day. theraflu. serious power. i bring the gift of the name your price tool to help you find a price that fits your budget. uh-oh. the name your price tool. she s not to be trusted.
with this letter he made a mistake. he liquid the envelope flap and left enough saliva for dna testing. police now had the dna profile of the zodiac killer. the letter also included another clue. i knew it was a code. it was a nine towers because there were nine victims. and i wrote down all the different symbols. and i think i had 23. very close to an alphabet. and then i did something called a frequency count. which is, you write down how many times each letter is used. because for example e is the most commonly used letter in the alphabet. karen crawly s father-in-law had been a code breaker in world war ii. together they discovered the alphabet was based on a maritime system of international flags and pendants. and with this discovery, they were able to decipher the zodiac s secret message. it said this is the zodiac