Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 1, Episode 14 - Riding the Lightning - full transcript

(CLASSICAL CELLO PLAYING)

Sarah Jean and Jacob Dawes
butchered what, 12 girls?

Thirteen, counting the girl
that was just found.

Hilary Dickson.

Disappeared 15 years ago.

Buried her
under Sarah's mother's living room.

-You think that was their last victim?
-Well, that's what we're here to find out.

There's nothing about the dynamics
of Sarah Jean and Jacob's relationship.

The state isn't interested
in dynamics or profiles.

They just want this case to go away.

They were caught. They confessed.
They got the death penalty.



You guys do realize that visiting death
row is not part of my job description?

Garcia, this will be

the first serial killer couple
ever recorded for ViCAP.

They slaughtered 13 young girls
with blonde hair. Hello?

Sarah Jean Dawes.

Media called her "The Ice Queen."

That's how they interpreted
her demeanour during the trial.

-You see different?
-No, I didn't say that.

She killed her two-year-old son
and 12 teenage girls.

She only confessed to the murder
of her son, Riley.

Well, she hasn't cooperated
with any requests to interview her.

Well, if she doesn't talk now,

she's going to take that story with her
to "Old Sparky."

For the next 36 hours,
a guard will remain outside your cell.



Your personal effects
will be along shortly.

You will remain in the deathwatch cell
until the hour of execution.

Your last meal cannot exceed $20.

It'll be a full moon tomorrow.
Is there any chance I could see it?

That's against regulations.

Open on four.

(LOCKS BUZZING)

MORGAN: Here it is.

GIDEON: They call themselves
the Women of Jacob.

-Try to look like his victims.
-Creepy.

There's only 12 of them.
Should we tell them they're one short?

At least.

GIDEON: I think we'll find Hilary Dickson

was by no means Jacob's last victim.

GIDEON: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood,

"by man shall his blood be shed."
Genesis 9:6.

MONDAY, 8AM
35 Hours Remaining

In 1985, there was a string of missing
girls reported in Northern Florida.

Police subsequently got
an anonymous call from a woman

claiming to have seen Jacob
with some of the girls.

Did they ever find out
who the anonymous woman was?

-No.
-Police interviewed Jacob Dawes.

Also present were Sarah Jean Dawes
and their 2-year-old son, Riley.

Police were suspicious.

They came back three hours later
with a search warrant

only to find that Riley had vanished.

They also eventually found
the dismembered bodies

of 12 missing girls buried in the ground
underneath Jacob's workshop.

Fearing that the police were onto them,

Jacob figured Riley would slow them down

so he ordered Sarah Jean to kill him
and dispose of the body.

Sarah confessed to killing Riley,

but never admitted her role
in the deaths of the girls.

Yeah, but she never denied it, either.

Well, according to Jacob,
Sarah Jean was fully complicit

in the targeting, abduction
and murder of all 12,

and, well, now 13 victims.

REID: Prison records show
that Jacob is a sexual psychopath.

They were inconclusive
on Sarah Jean, though.

They said her demeanour
was more like that of a war victim's.

And as with all sexual psychopaths,

Jacob is obsessed with the idea
of the total possession of his victims.

He's shown no remorse or guilt.

Well, Jacob saw Sarah Jean
as a possession.

Somebody to control. To dominate.

Just so we're clear,
they've agreed to these interviews?

-Yes, sir.
-Wait. I'm sorry.

-Who are you, exactly?
-I'm Sam Shapiro.

I'm their appeals attorney.

Not only have they agreed to them,
they were initially requested by them.

Yeah, I can't get them a stay
of execution.

Garcia. Remember,
75% of all communication...

Is non-verbal.

Hotch, interview Jacob. Morgan, Elle?

I'm not going to get anything new, but...

Well, find a new way to ask.

696 Hennessy Street,
Jacob and Sarah Jean's home.

It's due for demolition.
Take a look around.

ELLE: Okay.

Jacob's workshop was out the back.

He claimed that Sarah Jean would lure
the victims from mall parking lots.

She'd invite them to smoke pot in
her truck. They'd find Jacob but no pot.

And they'd bring them here.

ELLE: I studied this case.
I'll never forget it.

This is where the workshop stood.

There was an arch, right here.

He used his workspace as a torture room.

The marks on the bodies matched
many of his tools.

He used a bench saw to dismember
the bodies.

And then he buried them under the floor.

Until he ran out of room.

We know that Jacob was abused as a child.

What about Sarah Jean?

Her mother refused to give
any testimony in her defence.

She never talked to anybody.

Maybe she's willing to talk now.

Let's go pay Sarah Jean's mother a visit.

WARDEN: The guards call this
dead man's alley.

Has she had any contact with Jacob?

Well, until today
she's declined contact with anyone.

For her own safety, we keep her away
from the other prisoners.

The hate for this woman is
as fresh today as it was 15 years ago.

Open on four.

(LOCKS BUZZING)

Accomplished work.

I've had plenty of time.

What is it you want to know?

I think it's time
the mothers of those girls learned

why their children had to die.

Don't you?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Hello?

Anybody? Hello?

-MORGAN: Mrs. Mason?
-Yeah?

Are you Sarah Jean Dawes' mother?

Who the hell are you?

FBI. We're from
the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

My daughter and her son of a bitch husband

buried a 13-year-old girl under my floor.

What more do you need to know?

Ma'am, Sarah Jean agreed to meet
with our colleagues

to talk about why they killed those girls.

We'd like some background
information, if you don't mind.

Yeah. Come in.

MORGAN: Extensive remodeling.

Jacob built the original extension?

I see he liked arches.

Teenage girls is what he liked.

How was Sarah Jean growing up?

Fine, until she met Jacob.

She was shy, quiet

and oh, so smart.

And her relationship with her father?

Was Sarah Jean ever abused?

He was strict. He was a military man.

They didn't always see eye to eye.

That's all history. He's dead.

She's about to die.

Mrs. Mason, if we better understand
the dynamics of her relationships,

we can get a better idea
of why and what actually happened.

Dynamics?

Well, it might answer why
Jacob never killed Sarah Jean.

They shared something.

They shared pain.

How strict was your husband?

How did he discipline Sarah Jean?
Was he physical?

He was a mean bastard,
but he only hurt me.

-Why didn't you leave?
-Because we had no place to go.

An anonymous caller tipped the police
off about Jacob. Was it you?

No, but I know who it was.

This came this morning.

What's it say?

It's a statement of innocence.

A doctor and so young.
Your mother must be very proud.

Sarah Jean. Sarah Jean.

You look so fine, baby cakes.

This was meant to be.
Our names will live forever.

HOTCH: Let's go.

-It's a beautiful thing.
-Let's go!

It's a beautiful thing.

You designed that to happen.

Did you learn anything, Agent?

You want to see a trick?

Pick a card.

You're a diagnosed psychopath.

Sexual psychopath.

-Now pick a card.
-How many other girls did you kill?

Do you ever smile?

I mean, it's hard to trust a guy
who never smiles.

Are there more bodies?

If I told you that,
what would I have left for myself?

You can help these families get closure
before you die.

Oh, pass. Come on. Just one trick.

It's a good one. Pick a card.

Come on. Just one card.

So what did you see in Jacob?

-Freedom.
-Freedom from what?

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

-Garcia.
-Hey, it's Elle.

-Hey, Elle.
-I need Gideon, please.

Yeah. Yeah, I'll patch you through.

Gideon? It's Elle. She says it's urgent.

We're at the mother's house.

She gave me a letter
I want to read to you.

-Read the letter, Elle.
-What?

"Mom, I know how difficult this must be."

"...difficult this must be."

"Things between us
were never what they should be..."

"...between a mother and her daughter."

That is a private letter.

"I want you to know
that the best part of me,

"the most important part of me..."

"...is now in a better place than you
or I will ever be."

-Stop it!
-"I am responsible..."

REID: "...for the deaths of those girls.

"I neglected my duty
as a woman and as a mother."

(PANTING)

-Stop it.
-Take it easy.

You neglected your duty?
That doesn't make you responsible.

You didn't kill those girls.

Why didn't you say this in court?

I knew he brought women
back to his workshop.

That's a long way from knowing
he was killing them.

They died as a result of my neglect.

This letter suggests to me

that an innocent woman
is about to be executed

for crimes she did not commit.

SARAH JEAN: They died as a result
of my neglect.

MONDAY, 9PM
24 Hours Remaining

This letter suggests to me

that an innocent woman
is about to be executed

for crimes she did not commit.

Well, I can tell you right now,
it's not enough to get a stay.

You want facts? Reid.

Human sexuality is a complex dynamic
of three components,

biological, physiological and emotional.

Jacob's needs were informed
by the emotional and sexual abuse

that he received
at the hand of his mother.

Long-term repetitive abuse informed
the template of his love map,

something we refer to as a signature.
Jacob was an only child...

Thus he was alone when the abuse occurred.

So in order for him to fulfil his fantasy,
he has got to be alone with his victims.

If I told you that,
what would I have left for myself?

He said, "myself."

If Sarah Jean was present,
it would have destroyed his fantasy.

She confessed to killing her son.

Yes, true, but we're also convinced
that she was the anonymous caller

that made the phone call
that nailed Jacob.

Guilt-ridden, filled with remorse,
she called the police.

GIDEON: That's not the profile of
a woman who would then kill her child.

-What else do you need?
-Evidence.

If we prove Jacob killed Riley,
would that get a stay?

Absolutely.

She protects the painting.
She protects the boy.

What?

The paintings are a statement.
We need to figure out what they say.

(PEOPLE SHOUTING)

Tension is mounting here as the
FBI'S BAU team presence means

that they are conducting
a series of deathbed interviews

in an attempt to find
if there are any more victims.

Now, it is rumored
they are calling for a stay of execution.

-Who the hell told them that?
-It doesn't matter.

I don't see Hotch getting anything
out of Jacob.

...for both condemned inmates
up until the very last minute.

-The last second.
-Thank you, Lara.

Maybe I can help.

-What are you doing?
-Just get Hotch in here.

Oh, I know, I know,
one day these are going to kill me.

Come on, Hotch. That was funny.

(DOOR OPENING)

And who are you?

My friends call me JJ.

-Well...
-Sit down.

Sit down!

Hello, JJ.

You're not my friend.
You can call me Jennifer.

Ouch.

Sorry about before. You know,
breaking your ear thing and...

You have a lovely smile.

-Thank you.
-But you don't smile much.

Neither do you.

What's your excuse?

I took the liberty
of getting these from your cell.

No, those are private.

Thank you.

Riley running free.

The river. Flowing positive energy, maybe.

Twelve roses.
One for each girl Jacob killed.

Twelve. Not 13. We found number 13.

You didn't know about her.

You didn't really know about any of them.

I never said I did.

That was a nice touch,
bringing in the hottie.

You really want to know
if there was others, don't you?

I tell you what. Draw poker.

-You win, I'll give you another girl.
-So there are more?

-Do we have a bet?
-What if you win?

I get to smell Jennifer's hair.

-No.
-Oh, come on.

All she has to do is lean over
and I get to smell her hair.

No!

-I thought you wanted answers.
-Go to hell.

It's okay, Hotch.

You see that? "It's okay, Hotch."

Come on.

JJ deals. You think I'd let you deal
from your own deck?

You confessed to killing Riley.

Why would you lie
about killing your own son?

I didn't.

Well, where's the body?

-Do you have any children?
-That's irrelevant.

Do you carry pictures of your children,
Agent Gideon?

-We're getting off point.
-Are we?

You know how long it's been since
I could actually play with someone?

All I've had is solitaire.

-DAWES: Cards?
-Two.

I think I'll play these.

How old would your son be now?

Seventeen?
Imagine what he could have become.

Jacob put an end to any chance of that.

Does the strain of your work
affect your marriage?

-I'm not married.
-You wear a ring.

Why would you still be protecting Jacob?

Did you divorce because of putting
people like me away?

I think you're innocent.

We're all guilty of something.

But it's our children that suffers
for our sins, isn't it?

You'd have to ask him.

How old is he?

-He's 25.
-Oh!

-Do you have a picture of him?
-In my office.

-You don't carry him with you?
-No.

To protect him.

You want to leave him somewhere safe.
Somewhere clean.

You killed Riley
to protect him from Jacob?

I protect my son as you protect yours.

Where's he buried?

All that matters is that he's safe.

-Where is he?
-He's in a better place.

The chaplain's here to see you.

-DAWES: What do you got?
-I got aces and eights. Two pair.

(DAWES CHUCKLES)

The dead man's hand.

I should have had that,
but then, of course, I would have lost.

Straight to the jack.

And unless the rules of poker
have changed since I've been in here,

you lose.

Oh, sorry. Full house. Aces over eights.

Man,

it would have been so nice.

But to answer your question,
there are no other bodies.

JJ.

The Governor's just granted a stay
of execution to Sarah Jean.

What? They can't do that.

-They don't believe she killed your son.
-She killed him.

I can tell you exactly where he's buried.

MORGAN: It's got to be here.
Jacob built this gazebo.

We've searched everywhere else.

The workshop and extension
in Deb Mason's house had arches.

I know he had to have built this one
for Riley.

Hey, got something here.

Guys, the body's ID's coming through.

TUESDAY, 1PM
8 Hours Remaining

It's not Riley Dawes.

It's Ashley Farley.
She was 14 when she was killed.

Why would Jacob give us another victim?

It completely goes against his need
for power, manipulation and control.

Taking the secret of an old victim
to his grave satisfies that need.

Why give it up? I mean, what's the payoff?

Sarah Jean's the payoff.
Sarah Jean will be his last victim.

That'd be the ultimate of control.

Gideon, check this out.

Guess who used to be
the Farleys' house cleaner?

(LOCKS BUZZING)

My last supper. Like some?

Look, came with a toy.

-May I sit down?
-Please.

Ashley Farley.

You cleaned her parents' house. Remember?

Fondly.

We found her buried
beneath a children's gazebo.

At another house Jacob renovated.
He put her there.

I might as well have brought her home
to that bastard.

Thanks, Doc.

You lied to me. It wasn't Riley.

-It wasn't?
-But she was 14 years old.

Oh, and really pretty.

How many others are there?

I only have a few hours left and,
though I like you,

and I do like you,

I'd like to be alone now.

Good meeting you, Hotch.

-I'm not done yet.
-Oh, me neither.

The high reeds. The river.

This here, what is this, a basket?

The boy in that painting is what, 10?

Maybe more.

Is that how you see him, or how he is?

I only have a few hours left.

I'm respectfully asking you to leave.

Where is he? Where is Riley?

Please see Agent Gideon out.

Open four.

(DOOR CLOSING)

Garcia, pull up the interview
with Sarah Jean.

-REID: What is it?
-Exodus 2:3.

Moses?

Hebrew sons were supposed to be drowned.

Moses' mother sent him down the Nile
in a basket.

Where's he buried?

All that matters is that he's safe.

-Where is he?
-He's in a better place.

Jacob didn't bury Riley anywhere.

Sarah Jean had already taken care of him.

Then she did kill him.

No, she sent him somewhere
where she believed he'd be safe.

He's alive.

We're running out of time.

GIDEON: This is the proof we need
to save Sarah Jean.

Check all police and hospital records
dating back to September, 1990.

REID: You know, you should check
local newspapers, too.

See if anyone reported
any abandoned babies.

Yeah, I don't give a damn
where the Governor is.

We may have found proof
that Sarah Jean is innocent.

REID: She really only had a maximum
of three hours between police visits.

It was 4:00 p.m.,
so traffic was pretty heavy.

Whatever she did with Riley,
it had to be local.

1990. Three babies were abandoned
in September.

Two-year-old boys?

None.

Why doesn't she just tell us
where Riley is?

She'll protect him
for as long as Jacob is alive.

Look, they're being executed
within an hour of each other.

What hope do we even have
of finding him in time?

You know, it's quite possible she
doesn't even know where he is anyway.

No. She'd know.
We've got to get into her cell.

DAWES: You come to see the show?

We need to get into Sarah Jean's cell.

-I believe the proof we...
-I can't do that.

All official lines of communication
are now over.

-I just need five minutes.
-Agent,

they want the memory
of these two individuals erased.

Five minutes. That's all I need.

-Five minutes.
-Thank you.

Come on.

-I thought it was against regulations.
-Well, don't tell anybody.

It's cold.

You need a jacket.
Vincent, give me your jacket.

Oh, no. I'm fine, really.
It makes me feel, you know, alive.

-How are your sons, Warden?
-Well, they're good.

Good.

-Darren just graduated.
-Yeah?

Did you ever tell them
about the man in the moon?

Sure.

I used to tell Riley

that no matter where we were,

the man in the moon
would be looking down on both of us.

We should get back.

Sarah, if there's something you know
that can save you...

Thank you, Warden.

This has been wonderful.

Your kindness to me... I thank you.

That's Riley. That's her son. Isn't it?
Someone tell me it's him, please.

JJ, circulate this photo to the press.
See if anybody recognizes this boy.

Do I say who we think he is?

No, just put him out as a Missing Persons.

Okay.

(BEEPING)

What does that mean?

It means Jacob is being moved
to the execution chamber.

Sarah Jean! I'll be waiting for you.

Do you wish to make your peace
with God, Jacob?

I've made my peace 18 times,
and each one was prettier than him.

Why take them with you, Jacob?

You know why.

Take him down.

If you don't mind, gentlemen,

this is one walk I can make myself.

Sarah Jean,

I told you we'd be together forever!

He's just confessed
to killing four more girls.

There's nothing I can do.

DAWES: Are you ready, Sarah Jean?

Going to ride the lightning, baby!

She cut around the photo
so no one can read the text.

He was two when he disappeared.

This boy's 16 or 17.

If it's Riley,
it would mean it's a recent photo.

Once Jacob's dead,

you think Sarah Jean will tell us
if this is Riley?

Any last words?

Bring it on.

Riley.

You lose.

No!

Jacob is gone.

He's no longer any threat to Riley.

Tell me where he is.
We can stop this madness.

There is no greater gift in life
than that of being a parent.

Yet so many of us abuse
and squander that gift.

You can change that right now.

I made my decision 15 years ago.

This has never been about Jacob.

It's always been about Riley.

That's why I can't let you do this.

-This isn't about you or me.
-I know it isn't.

That's why I'm not going to let Riley lose

the greatest gift he never knew he had.

But that is my gift to him.
And I'll not let you destroy that.

The only people Jacob allowed
Sarah Jean to know

were the families she cleaned for.

Sarah Jean worked for wealthy families,

all of whom lived in Hampton.

Let's go over all the families
in the state of Florida

who were looking to adopt in 1990

and let's see how many lived in Hampton.

Families looking to adopt? Hundreds.

-How many from Hampton?
-Three families.

The Jameses, the Kopples
and the Sheffields.

Looks like the Sheffields removed
themselves from the list

in October 1990
and then moved out of Hampton.

That's one month after Riley vanished.
Where'd they go?

Keystone Heights.

We got a match on the photo.
It was in the local daily news.

Call Morgan and Elle.
Tell them to get to the Sheffield house.

REID: Byron Sheffield.

"Local cello prodigy,
17-year-old Byron Sheffield,

"won a scholarship to play cello."

-How many miles to Keystone Heights?
-Way too many.

We're never going to make it in time.

Not if you keep running your mouth.

Well, you better buckle up.

(SIREN WAILING)

We found him, Warden Diehl.
We found her son.

Unless I receive an official
stay of execution from the Governor,

I am duty-bound to see this through.

My son is dead, Agent Gideon.

I have agents on the way
to his house as we speak,

and the Governor is standing by.

-Why can you not accept the truth?
-I can. This isn't it.

My agents are within minutes of finding
her son alive.

I am truly sorry.

Hold here.

What wouldn't you do for your son
to give him a life

you could never hope to dream of?

I am at peace in the knowledge

that my son is free to be
whatever he chooses to be.

If he knew who you were,

do you think he'd choose to allow you
to walk in there?

If he knew who his parents were,

can you imagine the damage
my legacy would leave him?

Can you imagine what he would feel

knowing his mother spent 15 years
on death row,

innocent of all charges,
just so he could be free of her?

Not me.

Jacob.

It isn't just my life you have
in your hands, it's Riley's life, too.

You have the chance to save my son's life.

I choose to save yours, too.

My life ended the day I met Jacob.

Garcia. We made it.

Hello? Open up, FBI. Hello?

Garcia, tell Gideon we're here.

Yeah, but I'm afraid nobody else is.
Garcia, patch us through.

Gideon, I've got Elle.

She says they're at the Sheffield house.

It's time.

Take your hands off her.

Tell Morgan to kick the door down
if he has to.

Morgan, you're gonna get in the house,
whatever it takes.

FBI!

-I said take your hands off her.
-Agent Gideon.

A few moments, please.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

FBI!

Morgan.

Just stay in the car. Can I help you?

Frank Sheffield?

-What is this about?
-This is about your son.

My son.

Is that your son in the car?

I don't understand.
What is this about? Tell me.

-We're federal agents.
-Hey, Hotch.

We got him. He's here. What do we do?

Gideon, they've got him.
What are we doing here, Gideon?

I am standing here
because of choices I made.

Don't let my son be Jacob's last victim.

Let me go. Let us both go.

Tell Morgan

it's not her son.

That we made a mistake.

Let him go. It's not the boy.

Hey, Derek.

Wait there, sir.

(WHISPERING)

Mr. Sheffield, I'm very sorry.
We have the wrong house.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Agent?

Thank you.

Would it be too much to ask
if yours is the last face I see?

GIDEON: Albert Pine said,

"What we do for ourselves dies with us.

"What we do for others and the world
remains and is immortal."