Another very interesting pattern is that the move used in z340—the “knight’s move”—is exactly where you find the letters on the grid below

1. Cipher Symbol Structure

• Top Line (17 symbols):          -.--.-..--...----                 
• Bottom Line (15 symbols):     .-...--....-..-
• Total: 32 symbols (Z32)

2. Dual Polarity Conversion Rule

• Top Line (17 symbols):
  • Alphabetic Characters = Dashes (-)
  • Non-Alphabetic Characters = Dots (.)
• Bottom Line (15 symbols – Inverted Rule):
  • Alphabetic Characters = Dots (.)
  • Non-Alphabetic Characters = Dashes (-)

Alphabet Delimitation & Morse Translation Boundary Anchor: The full A–Z alphabet maps directly between the C symbols of the cipher, establishing the primary extraction window.

. Alphabet Delimitation & Morse Translation

• Boundary Anchor: The full A–Z alphabet maps directly between the C symbols of the cipher, establishing the primary extraction window.
• Core Segment (Inside the A–Z Delimitation):
  • Morse Sequence: - .- | -.- . .--. .. - | ---.-. . .- -..
  • Decoded Text: “TAKE PI TO”
• Remainder Segment (Outside the Alphabet Boundaries):
  • Morse Sequence: .. - .. -
  • Decoded Text: “IT IT”

Decoded Message

Inside boundaries: “TAKE PI TO”
Outside boundaries: “IT IT”

IT IT ??!!

The Halloween card sent by the Zodiac continues to fascinate researchers due to its disturbing visual elements and complex codes. In the lower right-hand corner of the correspondence, preceding the classic signature containing the letter “Z” and the crosshair circle, an intriguing unknown symbol in the shape of a zigzag or angular mark stands out.

By incorporating this initial character into the analysis of the keys derived from the Z408 and Z340 cryptograms, the letter set E, R, D, A is obtained. From this four-letter group, striking anagrams emerge that directly converse with the atmosphere of the case:

• DARE: Reflects the defiant and provocative posture that the criminal adopted toward the press and law enforcement authorities.

• DEAR: Recalls the traditional header used by the killer at the beginning of his letters, such as the famous “Dear Editor”.

• READ: Makes a direct allusion to the exhaustive task of deciphering and interpreting between the lines of the ciphered messages.

The presence of this mysterious symbol preceding the signature reinforces the thesis that every graphic detail of the card was meticulously planned, keeping the enigmas surrounding the Zodiac’s identity alive.

Marcelo

Hi Marcelo.

I, like you, have in the past been drawn to seek relevance in the last six characters of the Z32 and the potential for the symbol translations to derive from prior ciphers, but for a different reason.

I would, first of all, be inclined to set aside the Z340, as this had not been deciphered at the time the Z32 arrived. So, the interest for me lies more in just the following:

Now, we don’t have to blindly just accept all of these character encodings into any candidate proposal for the Z32, but the two ‘I’s would appear to stand out as the Δ → I decryption was the very first that the Harden’s settled on for well documented reasons and it may have been the author’s assumption that we wouldn’t need reminding of that fact; that we might start there again.

If, however, we look next to the Z13, we see a run of symbols again starting in a manner similar to what we find in the last six of the Z32, that is:

and here, if we make the bold but plausible inference that the two are encrypting the very same word in both the Z32 and the Z13, then we get a testable apparent confirmation that the last and the second-from-last letters in the Z32 are the same, and are ‘I’.

It would then appear that we might want to look for a six-letter word of the following form:

_ _ _ I _ I

and here, I’d be surprised if any online crossword puzzle solvers came up with more than one or two alternatives.

Try it! 🙂

What a coincidence.

It might just be my imagination, but I see—based on the post I wrote about the Halloween card, READ PI—

lol

if we apply the z340E 408 keys together, we can generate countless results. I honestly think that only by starting with the keys from the long ciphers can these short codes be deciphered or validated.

I don’t know if you’ve tried this yet.

Anyway, it’s an unsolvable puzzle—we’re just feeling our way around something we don’t know what it is, and we don’t even know if it’s there.

Anyway, it’s all part of the fun.

🙂