Welcome back to Avery After Dark. I'm your host, Avery Ross, and today's episode is one I've been

working on for a while. I told you all in last week's

episode I'd be doing this in two parts, but I was able to package today's case an interview into one

action-fact episode. Let's go. If you're familiar with the infamous Zodiac case, the case that's

been described as the most famous unsolved murder case in American

history, then you probably know Paul Avery. He was portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in 2007's Zodiac film.

Paul was an investigative journalist with the San Francisco Chronicle who fearlessly covered the

killings and, as you'll hear,

became intertwined in the investigation. At every turn, Paul Avery was there tracking down leads.

The case became even more personal for Paul Avery when he himself was targeted when the Zodiac wrote to him.

The Zodiac had never called out anybody by name until

October 27, 1970, when the calculated killer mailed a Halloween card to Paul at the Chronicle.

The card read, from your secret pal, I feel it in my bones. You ache to know my name.

And so I'll clue you in. But then why spoil the game? Happy Halloween.

The card contained the phrase, peekaboo, you are doomed, and an apparent sinister and veiled threat

towards Paul. Also, on the rear of the card had the word paradise written, and was crossed with

the word slaves to form four quadrants, where the zodiac placed the wording

by fire, by gun, by rope, and by knife. On the front of the card, added to the decorative

skeleton's hand was the number 14, possibly inferring that Paul Avery was to become his 14th victim.

Here's a clip of an interview with Paul Avery from October 31st,

1970, just a few days after he received that card. Don't you think you're going to start

looking over your shoulder once in a while now? Oh, very definitely. As I say, I think it's an idle

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