Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 10, Episode 21 - Mr. Scratch - full transcript
The BAU searches for a suspect who controls minds; the hunt puts one team member in danger.
[thunder]
Look, there's been some kind
of misunderstanding, all right?
I'm innocent!
I didn't--I--
I couldn't do this!
Will someone please
listen to me!
[door opens]
Who are you?
I'm agent hotchner,
mr. Merrin.
Have you been advised
of your rights?
Yeah.
Do you know where you are?
Some fbi place, right?
You're at the behavioral
analysis unit
in quantico, virginia.
You know why you're here?
Because you think
I'm a killer.
Are you a killer?
No.
Why won't anybody
believe me?
I am not--
Stop.
Sit down.
Take a deep breath.
[breathes, clear throat]
I want you to tell me
exactly what happened
two nights ago.
Don't leave anything out.
Can you do that?
Yeah.
Yeah, I can do that.
So, uh, me and...
Me and my wife tabitha,
We were getting ready
for bed and she says...
I think I heard something,
Downstairs.
Again?
Maybe outside.
It's--it's a dog
or a cat or squirrel
or something.
It's nothing.
Go.
[sighs]
So I did.
I checked the front door
and it was fine.
Everything was fine.
Until...
Until I--I smelled
like...Sage.
Sage?
Like burning sage.
'cause that's when I...
[door creaking]
[growling]
[growling]
Tabitha?!
Hold on! I'm--
Aah!
A shadow monster?
Yeah.
With talons for hands?
I know how it sounds.
I--I knew I needed
to get upstairs,
Because...
Because I--I--
I could
hear her screaming.
Tabitha: Larry, no!
Larry, please, stop!
[screaming]
No! No! No!
No! No! Larry, please!
No! Larry, no!
Please don't! Larry, no!
[screaming]
Stop, larry!
Stop! Aah!
[gasps]
I passed out,
And when I woke up,
the cops had arrested me.
I didn't do it.
I swear to god, it is
exactly what happened.
No, it's not.
Yes, it is.
Mr. Merrin, what happened
was you took a kitchen knife
And you stabbed
your wife to death.
No, no.
Neighbors heard the screaming
and they called 911,
And when the police arrived,
they found you still on the bed
Holding the knife.
I didn't do that.
You've been scratching
yourself, mr. Merrin.
Are you aware of that?
Open your shirt
and you will see why.
That's--that's from
the shadow monster.
No, that's from your wife.
Forensics matched your skin
under her fingernails
As she fought to keep you
from killing her.
Think back to the words
she was screaming.
Larry, please, please,
please! Larry!
Larry...
Why would I do that?
Do you recognize
either of these people?
No, I--no.
This is daniel karras
and this is christine mcneil.
Each of them claims
to have been attacked
in their homes
By a shadowy figure.
When in reality, daniel
stabbed his mother to death
And christine her boyfriend.
And like you, they have no
recollection of the murders.
What does it mean?
It means that someone
found a way
To induce a psychotic break
in the 3 of you.
Why--why us? Why me?
Well, that's why you're here
instead of a holding cell
in topeka,
So my team can answer
that question.
Agent hotchner.
I'm not a murderer.
Yes, you are.
And I'm going to find out
who turned you into one.
Hotch: "your memory
is a monster.
"it summons with will
of its own.
You think you have a memory,
but it has you."
John irving.
Why don't we just start
with the simplest explanation?
There are easier lies
to tell to cover for murder.
Why tell the same one,
especially when
it doesn't make sense?
Their similar age range
all points in
that direction,
33 to 34 years old,
but the geographic diversity
kind of rules that out.
Yeah. Larry merrin's
from topeka.
Christine mcneil is from
roswell, georgia,
Daniel karras
is from derry, maine,
All different economic
levels, social circles,
Obviously different
racial backgrounds.
So if he's an unsub,
he's not killing
but creating killers.
Murder by proxy,
if you will.
It's gotta be drugs.
Larry merrin's story
just sounds like a bad trip.
According to the police
reports, all 3 tox screens
came up negative.
Well, they only screen
for known compounds.
This could be a cocktail
we've never seen before.
Every drug affects
every person differently,
Yet somehow this unsub
is able to make his drug
Affect 3 completely
dissimilar people
exactly in the same way.
Maybe they're not
dissimilar at all.
Maybe the drugs are
just the tipping point
And these 3 share some
sort of pre-existing
mental condition
He knows he can tap into
to induce them to kill.
We find that, we find him.
Did she feel a lot of pain?
Did I kill her quickly?
Mr. Karras, we want to get
to the bottom of this, too.
So we'd like
to take you through
a cognitive interview.
What's the point?
It could help you
remember details
you couldn't before.
And those details
could help us understand
what happened.
So, please.
Close your eyes.
And put yourself
back in your home
a week ago.
You got home from
work early, right?
Right.
How did you feel
when you walked
through the door?
Happy.
Hey, ma.
Hey, ma, you home?
She wasn't.
And then I remembered
She said that she was
going to the movies
with some friends.
I thought my beer
tasted funny.
And then I realized
it wasn't my beer,
That it was a smell
that was coming
from somewhere else.
What was the smell?
Sage.
You're sure about that?
Yeah. Yeah, because
once I placed it,
I was out.
Jj: How long
were you out?
I don't know.
All I know
is that when I came to,
It was dark
and I couldn't move.
Help!
Somebody help me!
Help!
[growling]
[growling]
It did sexual things to me.
[crying]
He had these--these--
these talons for hands,
And...
Uh, I got--I got free
and then I, um...
And then I hid
somewhere in the house,
And, uh...
Next thing I remember,
I was standing over
my mom's body...
[sobbing]
And the cops
were cuffing me.
I...
So...So, I--
Maybe--maybe--you know,
maybe the rape,
You know, uh...
Maybe I snapped.
You know?
You know what I mean?
Maybe I snapped
and, uh, I lashed out
At the first person
that I saw.
Mr. Karras--
Because this is the only
way that it makes sense.
At your lawyer's
insistence,
the maine police
Ran a rape kit on you.
There was no evidence
of assault,
sexual or otherwise.
Ok, well,
run another rape kit.
No rope burns
on your arms or legs.
No evidence
of a break-in at all.
What you guys trying
to tell me,
That this didn't happen
to me? 'cause it did!
There are others.
My lawyer said that
there were others
that this happened to.
That's right.
Well, can I talk to them?
No.
Why not?
Kate: Christine?
Christine?
Can you just blink
If you understand
what we're saying?
Georgia police say
that she started
to tell the story
Of being attacked
by a dark figure
And then stopped
and started doing this.
Can you blame her?
Sir. I'm sorry,
it's urgent.
No, it's all right.
Do what you can.
Yeah, sure.
I'll just, uh...
[door closes]
I did some digging.
All 3 of our victims
were adopted
And all in 1985.
All of them.
From where?
That's the thing.
It's from
different states,
They were
closed adoptions,
it's pre-internet.
I gotta go through
the analog rabbit hole.
All right, rossi and reid
just landed in topeka
To the family members
and find out if there's
any shared history
Sir, yes, sir.
In the foster care system.
Thank you.
No records or paperwork
in the house regarding
larry merrin's adoption.
Morgan struck out
with the vics.
They knew
they were adopted
But couldn't
recall anything.
Well, they were 3 to 4
years old at the time.
Firm memories don't imprint
on the developing brain
until about age 5.
Yet somehow the unsub
was able to make the victims
Hallucinate an almost primal
childhood fear of the dark
And of the monsters
that lurk within it.
Yeah, but how?
This place
was locked up tight.
Well, both men reported
smelling sage.
They must have inhaled
a drug.
They had to
breathe it in.
Rossi: Anything?
The plastic tested
positive for sevoflurane
and scopolamine,
Both powerful
disassociatives.
The first is used
to put you into
a waking dream.
Dentists often use it
during oral surgery.
The second, in high doses,
makes you completely
suggestible.
And the unsub uses the first
to make the victims
hallucinate their worst fear.
Then he uses the second
to make them attack
that fear
When it's really
the person next to them.
They don't realize that
they're actually killing
someone that they love.
And once they do, their
lives are ruined forever.
Even if they plead insanity,
we've got 3 victims
Who ain't never
goin' back to mayberry.
Let's go back to the part
about hallucinating
your worst fear.
Jj, what's your earliest
fear from childhood?
Being separated
from my parents.
Dave?
Lon chaney,
"phantom of the opera."
She takes off that mask,
forget about it.
Hotch: Kate?
Melissa gordner.
That bitch.
And yet each of these
victims saw exactly
the same thing.
The initial police reports
only called it a dark figure,
But our interviews revealed
shared details.
A shadow monster
with talons for hands.
And that level
of specificity says
It's not just
a childhood nightmare,
It's something they
actually experienced,
Though they were too young
to understand what it was.
But they were
from different states.
Maybe at some point
they shared the same
group home.
So the unsub has them
recall that memory
from childhood
To make them kill as adults.
How do we prove it?
Can you draw me
what you saw?
Dad?
Huh?
Bogeyman's in my room again.
There's no such thing.
Go to bed.
Will you check?
Come on.
Is there a bogeyman in here?
If there is,
you have to leave.
How about down here?
Cast him out, dad.
Bogeyman,
I cast you out!
I think we're good.
Do you have
a bogeyman, dad?
Yeah. He's called fica
and he haunts my paycheck.
Yeah, don't worry about that.
Listen, we can't do this
every night, bud.
I can't help it.
Are you and mom
ever gonna live
together again?
I don't know.
I want to.
Why don't you?
Because sometimes
dads make mistakes.
And I'm trying
to do everything I can
To fix that mistake
with your mom.
Go to sleep.
[groans]
[growling]
We sure this is
the same unsub?
Garcia set up
a search parameter
for closed adoptions.
Bill kinderman
was adopted may 5, 1985.
The m.E. Said this victim
slit his own throat.
That's a big change in m.O.
Well, what if that
wasn't the unsub?
What if that was bill?
So the only other person
in the apartment
was his son,
Who slept through
the whole thing.
What if the unsub
tried to get him
to kill his son,
But his paternal instinct
trumped the effects
of the drugs?
Thank god for that,
but we're still
at square zero.
This unsub committed
4 murders in 4 states.
How is he connecting
these victims so quickly?
Well, that is what hotch
is trying to figure out
right now
With kinderman's ex-wife.
No. I mean, yes,
bill knew he was adopted,
But it was closed.
He didn't know anything
about his past.
Neither did his parents.
Two other victims
drew these.
They were both adopted,
possibly from
the same house.
Did he ever talk about
anything like this?
No. I mean, he made up
all sorts of other stories,
But nothing about that.
What do you mean?
He cheated on me, repeatedly.
So I forced him into therapy,
If he wanted
to make the marriage work.
That's when
he started to come home
With all these, well, stories.
Uh, like how he was seduced
by a high school teacher,
But he couldn't remember
which one.
Or he was molested
by a catholic priest
at age 12.
I said, bill, was this before
or after your bar mitzvah?
So they were all
recovered memories?
Yeah.
And even though
I proved to him
that they weren't real,
He kept insisting
that they were.
Is this important?
All right, let's assume
all the victims share
Bill kinderman's propensity
for recovered memories.
What does that mean
for the unsub?
It means his drugs
would have more of
an effect on them.
Because when something's
remembered for the first time
on a therapist's couch,
It's often a fantasy
the patient is talking
themselves into believing.
Popular thinking
is that recovered memories
Are actually just
a form of self-hypnosis.
That's why the patients
are so convinced
the delusion is real.
So if these victims
are already talking
Themselves into
believing fiction,
They would be more
suggestible
when they're dosed.
We profiled these victims
had a pre-existing condition.
I think this is it.
How would the unsub
know that?
Because he was there
the last time they
made up a story, in 1985.
Kids that age can't
distinguish fantasy
from reality.
Exactly. And their age
plus the time period
Puts us right at the height
of the satanic ritual
abuse allegations.
Oh, crap.
This is a completely
different set
of circumstances.
Was it? Throughout
the 1980s,
pre-school-age kids
Made accusations
against their teachers.
Mcmartin, fells acres,
kern county.
Numerous innocent teachers
had their careers
and lives ruined,
And all the cases
were ultimately debunked.
By the bau and the lanning
report, thank you very much.
Except that was
a mass hysteria
Involving teachers
and kids,
And these victims
were adopted.
Well, that's the deviation
that made us miss
the profile until now.
30 years ago these victims
could have made similar
accusations
In a foster home,
all saying the same thing,
that they saw this.
3-year-old larry merrin
would have said
The monster dragged him
down the stairs.
And 4-year-old daniel karras
one-upped it by adding
a sexual detail.
That's how kids
tell stories,
Especially when
they're reinforced
By well-meaning parents,
therapists, and cops.
And in doing so,
they ruin the unsub's life,
And now he's taking revenge.
Ok, so if this is
the why, how do we
find him?
We talk to christine mcneil.
Maybe she can tell us
where the foster home was.
Flag on the play there.
She's not talking
to anyone.
Maybe she will.
So what's your plan?
I want to see if
the unsub's signature
has any effect on her.
Oh, we do. Scopolamine
and sevoflurane are both
odorless and tasteless,
But he introduces
the smell of sage
to the drugs.
Clever. But why her
and not the others?
The act of recounting
a false memory
hardens it into fact.
Larry merrin and daniel
karras have both told us
their stories.
Christine hasn't.
You're thinking you can
interrupt the process.
Maybe.
And if you're wrong,
You can return that stuff
to garcia.
Christine.
Can you hear me?
Yes.
I'm hungry.
Is it snack time?
Yes, of course.
We can get you
something to eat.
What would you like?
I want
a snoopy sno cone.
Grape flavor.
How old are you, christine?
4.
And where do you live?
Where's home?
Home is scary.
Christine, you're safe here.
Nothing's going to happen
to you.
That's not true.
That's not true.
[growling]
He's coming.
He's--he's coming.
Who's coming?
He's on the other side
of the door.
He's coming! He's coming!
He's coming! He's coming!
Aah!
[indistinct]
Right? What...
No, no. No, no, no, no, no.
[electricity zaps]
What the hell?
Unplug everything!
He's coming!
He's coming!
Christine, stop!
Aah!
He's coming! He's coming!
He's coming!
He's coming!
Shh, shh, shh.
Christine, where's home?
I can't. I can't.
He's coming.
He's coming.
Who is coming?
Who is coming?
Mr. Scratch.
[gasps]
He's already here.
[gasps]
This is cozy.
Do we have any idea
what's going on yet?
Garcia's trying
to get some answers.
Power's out
in the whole building.
Backup generator, too.
This guy's got
some mojo.
He knocked us out
right when we got
our best lead.
We could cross-reference
the name mr. Scratch
against old statements.
We'd have to go
to the paper files.
We don't have time.
This unsub's probably
already found
Every kid that made
an accusation
from back then.
If we don't get back
online soon or get
a lucky break in this case,
We're gonna be looking
at more drugged victims
and dead bodies.
Ahem. Getting online
is gonna be a lot
harder than you think.
Whoever engineered this,
He did a complete
and total network
But I thought we had
firewalls to protect
from this kind of breach.
We totally do. And
that's what scares me.
Ok? Look, look.
I managed to capture
some of his hacking code
On one of the hard drives
before he could fry it.
I printed this out
at the copy shop.
This is what I can tell you.
It's the only thing,
but it's good news.
He was looking for something in
the witness protection files,
'cause that's what
he raided first.
Do we know who
in witness protection?
Well, that's the $64,000
question, isn't it?
And that I will pay you
$64,000 if you can
answer it.
His encryption algorithms
are beyond the beyond
the beyond.
We're not gonna find him
through his computer expertise.
Certainly not now.
We need to figure out
Why he'd take the risk
to hack us.
It's like jj said.
He's looking for every kid
who made an accusation.
One of them
is in witness protection.
And he saved them for last
because if he kills
that target first,
We'd be on him immediately.
Huh.
What? You see something?
Encryption's a highly
specialized skill set,
But it's fundamentally
a mathematical process,
But sometimes your technique
can reveal where you learned it.
I think I know where
he learned how to do this.
Where?
Harvard.
Which oddly enough
Isn't known for its
advanced math program,
But it is known for
one particular class.
When you're good at math,
you're good enough
to get into harvard,
You take a math class
called math 15.
When you're better
than that, you take math 25,
But when you're the best,
the absolute best,
you take math 55--
Honors advanced calculus
and linear algebra.
Graduates are immediately
employed by the u.S. Government
Because they're too dangerous
to work anywhere else.
More specifically,
they're employed at the nsa.
Oh, sir, that would
make a lot of sense.
This is agent hotchner
for mr. Axelrod.
No, I won't hold.
Tell him he has
20 minutes to meet me.
It sucks for you
right now, huh?
Can you help us?
I can tell you that
nobody who ever worked
at fort meade
Well, of course not.
He'd be too psychologically
unstable for you to hire him.
But he was good with computers,
so you watched him.
You monitored him as he broke
into adoption records...
I can't be having
this conversation.
And decided
who he wanted to hurt.
I took an oath.
And you kept tabs on him
And then he learned
what he needed to learn
My oath is to protect
the laws of this country
And not to spy
on u.S. Citizens.
I cannot help you.
Don't tell me that.
You already know who it is.
If I were to cooperate
with your investigation
Electronically or otherwise,
I could be fired.
You understand?
Fired.
So I'm sorry. You'll
have to find another way.
Tell penelope I said hi.
Peter lewis. Born and raised
in jacksonville, florida.
To call him a math genius
would be an understatement.
Where was he
in the foster system?
He was--gahh!
This wi-fi hot spot
is the worst.
He was not in
the foster care system.
He had two very biological
parents and they ran
the foster home
Until it--
Oh, dear.
Looks like we found
mr. Scratch.
Jj: So one of the boys
in the house
Said peter's dad would
dress up as the devil
And the other kids
would follow suit.
This has to be where
all the victims stayed
Before they were adopted
and their names were changed.
Did lewis' father
serve any time?
Uh, the case was pending,
And then he was killed
in jail for being a pedophile.
Peter's residency
is still listed as florida.
Then he broke into
the fbi files to find out
Who went into
witness protection.
Did any of the kids
from the home
go into witsec?
That would be a...
No. No, none of them.
Who the hell
is he still hunting.
Garcia, who ran
the investigation
in florida?
Uh, hold on.
Dr. Susannah regan,
Who was responsible for
many of the investigations
during the day.
She was a member of the
"believe the children" movement,
Which encouraged cops
to believe anything
the kid said about the sra,
And if the kiddos didn't
have anything to say,
She'd tell the cops
to twist their arms
until they did.
And then her book
was published.
And we came out with
the lanning report
And debunked her.
Uh-huh. Her career flopped
And she received
numerous death threats
And she went into
witness protection.
She's such
a high-profile target,
Peter had to wait
before he could kill her.
If he's bold enough
to hit quantico,
This is a suicide mission
if he locates her
before we do.
Which would be on
a very nice estate
in columbia, maryland.
I'm closest.
Send me the address.
Garcia: Sent.
Dr. Regan.
Woman: It's open. Come in.
Are you all right?
Agent hotchner?
I got agent rossi's
message.
Doctor, you're in danger.
You need to leave the house.
I understand.
I'm in the study.
I'm so glad you're here.
You need to see this.
He wants you
to see this.
No!
Aah!
Uhh! Aah...
[groans]
Aah...
[cell phone ringing
on vibrate]
[whispering] you can't move.
Because I say
you can't move.
Do you see how this works?
You do what I say.
Peter...
I didn't say
you could talk.
Don't cry for her.
She was stupid.
And wrong.
She used to burn sage
during the sessions.
She said that made it safe
to talk about mr. Scratch.
What do you see
when you look at me?
Do you see mr. Scratch?
You can talk now.
I want to know what--
I want to know
what you're feeling.
[cell phone vibrating]
That's my team.
They know I'm here.
They're gonna come looking
for me, and if you harm me--
What are you talking about?
Your phone isn't ringing.
It was ringing.
No, it wasn't.
Very interesting.
You gave yourself away
just now.
I did?
You slipped up.
How do you figure?
You have no idea, do you?
[chuckling]
You said that she...
She would...
Burn sage.
But how would you know that?
Unless she questioned you, too.
I know, peter.
I know how
those interviews worked,
How coercive they were...
With children who were
innocent and helpless.
Shut up.
She questioned you
about your father.
And she wouldn't stop
Until she got
the answers she wanted.
So you gave them to her.
Shut up.
Oh, that was good.
Oh, that was so good.
That was so impressive.
The way you
got into my head.
It makes me want to know
how I get into yours.
[vehicles approaching]
You were right.
They did coming
calling for you.
They'll kill you.
Are you sure about that?
[gunshot]
Spence!
Stop fire! Spence is down!
Oh, my god.
Oh, no.
[gunshot]
Rossi, where are you hit?
Hotch! Sound off, damn it!
Here.
Go. Go.
Where?!
Here.
In the study.
Where?
Where is he?
I shot him. He's down.
[gunshot]
morgan!
Uhh!
[gasping, choking]
Now I know
what scares you.
[gunshot]
no!
No!
Son of a bitch.
Son of a bitch...
It's ok.
You can move now.
Here.
I have something for you.
I'm about to come
through that front door.
Kill me
Before I kill you.
Rossi, reid, take the front.
Jj and I will take the back.
Watch your front
sight. One of ours
is in there.
My gun.
I need my gun.
Look. Here I come.
Kill me.
Hotch!
We need a medic in here!
Rossi, take it.
They made me see things.
They made me see things.
Ok.
He's gone.
We got him.
I win.
I don't think so.
You have no idea
what I did to him.
I win.
Reid:
He surrendered.
Ambulance is on its way.
He surrendered?
That doesn't make sense.
We need to get you
looked at.
I'm fine.
Hey, this is
not a suggestion.
[emergency vehicle
radio chatter]
I'm fine. Thank you.
You have to talk
about it.
Not tonight.
Yes, tonight,
While it's still fresh.
I can't.
It doesn't...
Parts of it don't
make sense to me.
They don't have to.
Tell me
what it smelled like.
Start at the beginning,
start at the end,
I don't care. But start.
Now, what do you remember?
Aaron.
Aaron.
Hotch?
This is what happened.
Look, there's been some kind
of misunderstanding, all right?
I'm innocent!
I didn't--I--
I couldn't do this!
Will someone please
listen to me!
[door opens]
Who are you?
I'm agent hotchner,
mr. Merrin.
Have you been advised
of your rights?
Yeah.
Do you know where you are?
Some fbi place, right?
You're at the behavioral
analysis unit
in quantico, virginia.
You know why you're here?
Because you think
I'm a killer.
Are you a killer?
No.
Why won't anybody
believe me?
I am not--
Stop.
Sit down.
Take a deep breath.
[breathes, clear throat]
I want you to tell me
exactly what happened
two nights ago.
Don't leave anything out.
Can you do that?
Yeah.
Yeah, I can do that.
So, uh, me and...
Me and my wife tabitha,
We were getting ready
for bed and she says...
I think I heard something,
Downstairs.
Again?
Maybe outside.
It's--it's a dog
or a cat or squirrel
or something.
It's nothing.
Go.
[sighs]
So I did.
I checked the front door
and it was fine.
Everything was fine.
Until...
Until I--I smelled
like...Sage.
Sage?
Like burning sage.
'cause that's when I...
[door creaking]
[growling]
[growling]
Tabitha?!
Hold on! I'm--
Aah!
A shadow monster?
Yeah.
With talons for hands?
I know how it sounds.
I--I knew I needed
to get upstairs,
Because...
Because I--I--
I could
hear her screaming.
Tabitha: Larry, no!
Larry, please, stop!
[screaming]
No! No! No!
No! No! Larry, please!
No! Larry, no!
Please don't! Larry, no!
[screaming]
Stop, larry!
Stop! Aah!
[gasps]
I passed out,
And when I woke up,
the cops had arrested me.
I didn't do it.
I swear to god, it is
exactly what happened.
No, it's not.
Yes, it is.
Mr. Merrin, what happened
was you took a kitchen knife
And you stabbed
your wife to death.
No, no.
Neighbors heard the screaming
and they called 911,
And when the police arrived,
they found you still on the bed
Holding the knife.
I didn't do that.
You've been scratching
yourself, mr. Merrin.
Are you aware of that?
Open your shirt
and you will see why.
That's--that's from
the shadow monster.
No, that's from your wife.
Forensics matched your skin
under her fingernails
As she fought to keep you
from killing her.
Think back to the words
she was screaming.
Larry, please, please,
please! Larry!
Larry...
Why would I do that?
Do you recognize
either of these people?
No, I--no.
This is daniel karras
and this is christine mcneil.
Each of them claims
to have been attacked
in their homes
By a shadowy figure.
When in reality, daniel
stabbed his mother to death
And christine her boyfriend.
And like you, they have no
recollection of the murders.
What does it mean?
It means that someone
found a way
To induce a psychotic break
in the 3 of you.
Why--why us? Why me?
Well, that's why you're here
instead of a holding cell
in topeka,
So my team can answer
that question.
Agent hotchner.
I'm not a murderer.
Yes, you are.
And I'm going to find out
who turned you into one.
Hotch: "your memory
is a monster.
"it summons with will
of its own.
You think you have a memory,
but it has you."
John irving.
Why don't we just start
with the simplest explanation?
There are easier lies
to tell to cover for murder.
Why tell the same one,
especially when
it doesn't make sense?
Their similar age range
all points in
that direction,
33 to 34 years old,
but the geographic diversity
kind of rules that out.
Yeah. Larry merrin's
from topeka.
Christine mcneil is from
roswell, georgia,
Daniel karras
is from derry, maine,
All different economic
levels, social circles,
Obviously different
racial backgrounds.
So if he's an unsub,
he's not killing
but creating killers.
Murder by proxy,
if you will.
It's gotta be drugs.
Larry merrin's story
just sounds like a bad trip.
According to the police
reports, all 3 tox screens
came up negative.
Well, they only screen
for known compounds.
This could be a cocktail
we've never seen before.
Every drug affects
every person differently,
Yet somehow this unsub
is able to make his drug
Affect 3 completely
dissimilar people
exactly in the same way.
Maybe they're not
dissimilar at all.
Maybe the drugs are
just the tipping point
And these 3 share some
sort of pre-existing
mental condition
He knows he can tap into
to induce them to kill.
We find that, we find him.
Did she feel a lot of pain?
Did I kill her quickly?
Mr. Karras, we want to get
to the bottom of this, too.
So we'd like
to take you through
a cognitive interview.
What's the point?
It could help you
remember details
you couldn't before.
And those details
could help us understand
what happened.
So, please.
Close your eyes.
And put yourself
back in your home
a week ago.
You got home from
work early, right?
Right.
How did you feel
when you walked
through the door?
Happy.
Hey, ma.
Hey, ma, you home?
She wasn't.
And then I remembered
She said that she was
going to the movies
with some friends.
I thought my beer
tasted funny.
And then I realized
it wasn't my beer,
That it was a smell
that was coming
from somewhere else.
What was the smell?
Sage.
You're sure about that?
Yeah. Yeah, because
once I placed it,
I was out.
Jj: How long
were you out?
I don't know.
All I know
is that when I came to,
It was dark
and I couldn't move.
Help!
Somebody help me!
Help!
[growling]
[growling]
It did sexual things to me.
[crying]
He had these--these--
these talons for hands,
And...
Uh, I got--I got free
and then I, um...
And then I hid
somewhere in the house,
And, uh...
Next thing I remember,
I was standing over
my mom's body...
[sobbing]
And the cops
were cuffing me.
I...
So...So, I--
Maybe--maybe--you know,
maybe the rape,
You know, uh...
Maybe I snapped.
You know?
You know what I mean?
Maybe I snapped
and, uh, I lashed out
At the first person
that I saw.
Mr. Karras--
Because this is the only
way that it makes sense.
At your lawyer's
insistence,
the maine police
Ran a rape kit on you.
There was no evidence
of assault,
sexual or otherwise.
Ok, well,
run another rape kit.
No rope burns
on your arms or legs.
No evidence
of a break-in at all.
What you guys trying
to tell me,
That this didn't happen
to me? 'cause it did!
There are others.
My lawyer said that
there were others
that this happened to.
That's right.
Well, can I talk to them?
No.
Why not?
Kate: Christine?
Christine?
Can you just blink
If you understand
what we're saying?
Georgia police say
that she started
to tell the story
Of being attacked
by a dark figure
And then stopped
and started doing this.
Can you blame her?
Sir. I'm sorry,
it's urgent.
No, it's all right.
Do what you can.
Yeah, sure.
I'll just, uh...
[door closes]
I did some digging.
All 3 of our victims
were adopted
And all in 1985.
All of them.
From where?
That's the thing.
It's from
different states,
They were
closed adoptions,
it's pre-internet.
I gotta go through
the analog rabbit hole.
All right, rossi and reid
just landed in topeka
To the family members
and find out if there's
any shared history
Sir, yes, sir.
In the foster care system.
Thank you.
No records or paperwork
in the house regarding
larry merrin's adoption.
Morgan struck out
with the vics.
They knew
they were adopted
But couldn't
recall anything.
Well, they were 3 to 4
years old at the time.
Firm memories don't imprint
on the developing brain
until about age 5.
Yet somehow the unsub
was able to make the victims
Hallucinate an almost primal
childhood fear of the dark
And of the monsters
that lurk within it.
Yeah, but how?
This place
was locked up tight.
Well, both men reported
smelling sage.
They must have inhaled
a drug.
They had to
breathe it in.
Rossi: Anything?
The plastic tested
positive for sevoflurane
and scopolamine,
Both powerful
disassociatives.
The first is used
to put you into
a waking dream.
Dentists often use it
during oral surgery.
The second, in high doses,
makes you completely
suggestible.
And the unsub uses the first
to make the victims
hallucinate their worst fear.
Then he uses the second
to make them attack
that fear
When it's really
the person next to them.
They don't realize that
they're actually killing
someone that they love.
And once they do, their
lives are ruined forever.
Even if they plead insanity,
we've got 3 victims
Who ain't never
goin' back to mayberry.
Let's go back to the part
about hallucinating
your worst fear.
Jj, what's your earliest
fear from childhood?
Being separated
from my parents.
Dave?
Lon chaney,
"phantom of the opera."
She takes off that mask,
forget about it.
Hotch: Kate?
Melissa gordner.
That bitch.
And yet each of these
victims saw exactly
the same thing.
The initial police reports
only called it a dark figure,
But our interviews revealed
shared details.
A shadow monster
with talons for hands.
And that level
of specificity says
It's not just
a childhood nightmare,
It's something they
actually experienced,
Though they were too young
to understand what it was.
But they were
from different states.
Maybe at some point
they shared the same
group home.
So the unsub has them
recall that memory
from childhood
To make them kill as adults.
How do we prove it?
Can you draw me
what you saw?
Dad?
Huh?
Bogeyman's in my room again.
There's no such thing.
Go to bed.
Will you check?
Come on.
Is there a bogeyman in here?
If there is,
you have to leave.
How about down here?
Cast him out, dad.
Bogeyman,
I cast you out!
I think we're good.
Do you have
a bogeyman, dad?
Yeah. He's called fica
and he haunts my paycheck.
Yeah, don't worry about that.
Listen, we can't do this
every night, bud.
I can't help it.
Are you and mom
ever gonna live
together again?
I don't know.
I want to.
Why don't you?
Because sometimes
dads make mistakes.
And I'm trying
to do everything I can
To fix that mistake
with your mom.
Go to sleep.
[groans]
[growling]
We sure this is
the same unsub?
Garcia set up
a search parameter
for closed adoptions.
Bill kinderman
was adopted may 5, 1985.
The m.E. Said this victim
slit his own throat.
That's a big change in m.O.
Well, what if that
wasn't the unsub?
What if that was bill?
So the only other person
in the apartment
was his son,
Who slept through
the whole thing.
What if the unsub
tried to get him
to kill his son,
But his paternal instinct
trumped the effects
of the drugs?
Thank god for that,
but we're still
at square zero.
This unsub committed
4 murders in 4 states.
How is he connecting
these victims so quickly?
Well, that is what hotch
is trying to figure out
right now
With kinderman's ex-wife.
No. I mean, yes,
bill knew he was adopted,
But it was closed.
He didn't know anything
about his past.
Neither did his parents.
Two other victims
drew these.
They were both adopted,
possibly from
the same house.
Did he ever talk about
anything like this?
No. I mean, he made up
all sorts of other stories,
But nothing about that.
What do you mean?
He cheated on me, repeatedly.
So I forced him into therapy,
If he wanted
to make the marriage work.
That's when
he started to come home
With all these, well, stories.
Uh, like how he was seduced
by a high school teacher,
But he couldn't remember
which one.
Or he was molested
by a catholic priest
at age 12.
I said, bill, was this before
or after your bar mitzvah?
So they were all
recovered memories?
Yeah.
And even though
I proved to him
that they weren't real,
He kept insisting
that they were.
Is this important?
All right, let's assume
all the victims share
Bill kinderman's propensity
for recovered memories.
What does that mean
for the unsub?
It means his drugs
would have more of
an effect on them.
Because when something's
remembered for the first time
on a therapist's couch,
It's often a fantasy
the patient is talking
themselves into believing.
Popular thinking
is that recovered memories
Are actually just
a form of self-hypnosis.
That's why the patients
are so convinced
the delusion is real.
So if these victims
are already talking
Themselves into
believing fiction,
They would be more
suggestible
when they're dosed.
We profiled these victims
had a pre-existing condition.
I think this is it.
How would the unsub
know that?
Because he was there
the last time they
made up a story, in 1985.
Kids that age can't
distinguish fantasy
from reality.
Exactly. And their age
plus the time period
Puts us right at the height
of the satanic ritual
abuse allegations.
Oh, crap.
This is a completely
different set
of circumstances.
Was it? Throughout
the 1980s,
pre-school-age kids
Made accusations
against their teachers.
Mcmartin, fells acres,
kern county.
Numerous innocent teachers
had their careers
and lives ruined,
And all the cases
were ultimately debunked.
By the bau and the lanning
report, thank you very much.
Except that was
a mass hysteria
Involving teachers
and kids,
And these victims
were adopted.
Well, that's the deviation
that made us miss
the profile until now.
30 years ago these victims
could have made similar
accusations
In a foster home,
all saying the same thing,
that they saw this.
3-year-old larry merrin
would have said
The monster dragged him
down the stairs.
And 4-year-old daniel karras
one-upped it by adding
a sexual detail.
That's how kids
tell stories,
Especially when
they're reinforced
By well-meaning parents,
therapists, and cops.
And in doing so,
they ruin the unsub's life,
And now he's taking revenge.
Ok, so if this is
the why, how do we
find him?
We talk to christine mcneil.
Maybe she can tell us
where the foster home was.
Flag on the play there.
She's not talking
to anyone.
Maybe she will.
So what's your plan?
I want to see if
the unsub's signature
has any effect on her.
Oh, we do. Scopolamine
and sevoflurane are both
odorless and tasteless,
But he introduces
the smell of sage
to the drugs.
Clever. But why her
and not the others?
The act of recounting
a false memory
hardens it into fact.
Larry merrin and daniel
karras have both told us
their stories.
Christine hasn't.
You're thinking you can
interrupt the process.
Maybe.
And if you're wrong,
You can return that stuff
to garcia.
Christine.
Can you hear me?
Yes.
I'm hungry.
Is it snack time?
Yes, of course.
We can get you
something to eat.
What would you like?
I want
a snoopy sno cone.
Grape flavor.
How old are you, christine?
4.
And where do you live?
Where's home?
Home is scary.
Christine, you're safe here.
Nothing's going to happen
to you.
That's not true.
That's not true.
[growling]
He's coming.
He's--he's coming.
Who's coming?
He's on the other side
of the door.
He's coming! He's coming!
He's coming! He's coming!
Aah!
[indistinct]
Right? What...
No, no. No, no, no, no, no.
[electricity zaps]
What the hell?
Unplug everything!
He's coming!
He's coming!
Christine, stop!
Aah!
He's coming! He's coming!
He's coming!
He's coming!
Shh, shh, shh.
Christine, where's home?
I can't. I can't.
He's coming.
He's coming.
Who is coming?
Who is coming?
Mr. Scratch.
[gasps]
He's already here.
[gasps]
This is cozy.
Do we have any idea
what's going on yet?
Garcia's trying
to get some answers.
Power's out
in the whole building.
Backup generator, too.
This guy's got
some mojo.
He knocked us out
right when we got
our best lead.
We could cross-reference
the name mr. Scratch
against old statements.
We'd have to go
to the paper files.
We don't have time.
This unsub's probably
already found
Every kid that made
an accusation
from back then.
If we don't get back
online soon or get
a lucky break in this case,
We're gonna be looking
at more drugged victims
and dead bodies.
Ahem. Getting online
is gonna be a lot
harder than you think.
Whoever engineered this,
He did a complete
and total network
But I thought we had
firewalls to protect
from this kind of breach.
We totally do. And
that's what scares me.
Ok? Look, look.
I managed to capture
some of his hacking code
On one of the hard drives
before he could fry it.
I printed this out
at the copy shop.
This is what I can tell you.
It's the only thing,
but it's good news.
He was looking for something in
the witness protection files,
'cause that's what
he raided first.
Do we know who
in witness protection?
Well, that's the $64,000
question, isn't it?
And that I will pay you
$64,000 if you can
answer it.
His encryption algorithms
are beyond the beyond
the beyond.
We're not gonna find him
through his computer expertise.
Certainly not now.
We need to figure out
Why he'd take the risk
to hack us.
It's like jj said.
He's looking for every kid
who made an accusation.
One of them
is in witness protection.
And he saved them for last
because if he kills
that target first,
We'd be on him immediately.
Huh.
What? You see something?
Encryption's a highly
specialized skill set,
But it's fundamentally
a mathematical process,
But sometimes your technique
can reveal where you learned it.
I think I know where
he learned how to do this.
Where?
Harvard.
Which oddly enough
Isn't known for its
advanced math program,
But it is known for
one particular class.
When you're good at math,
you're good enough
to get into harvard,
You take a math class
called math 15.
When you're better
than that, you take math 25,
But when you're the best,
the absolute best,
you take math 55--
Honors advanced calculus
and linear algebra.
Graduates are immediately
employed by the u.S. Government
Because they're too dangerous
to work anywhere else.
More specifically,
they're employed at the nsa.
Oh, sir, that would
make a lot of sense.
This is agent hotchner
for mr. Axelrod.
No, I won't hold.
Tell him he has
20 minutes to meet me.
It sucks for you
right now, huh?
Can you help us?
I can tell you that
nobody who ever worked
at fort meade
Well, of course not.
He'd be too psychologically
unstable for you to hire him.
But he was good with computers,
so you watched him.
You monitored him as he broke
into adoption records...
I can't be having
this conversation.
And decided
who he wanted to hurt.
I took an oath.
And you kept tabs on him
And then he learned
what he needed to learn
My oath is to protect
the laws of this country
And not to spy
on u.S. Citizens.
I cannot help you.
Don't tell me that.
You already know who it is.
If I were to cooperate
with your investigation
Electronically or otherwise,
I could be fired.
You understand?
Fired.
So I'm sorry. You'll
have to find another way.
Tell penelope I said hi.
Peter lewis. Born and raised
in jacksonville, florida.
To call him a math genius
would be an understatement.
Where was he
in the foster system?
He was--gahh!
This wi-fi hot spot
is the worst.
He was not in
the foster care system.
He had two very biological
parents and they ran
the foster home
Until it--
Oh, dear.
Looks like we found
mr. Scratch.
Jj: So one of the boys
in the house
Said peter's dad would
dress up as the devil
And the other kids
would follow suit.
This has to be where
all the victims stayed
Before they were adopted
and their names were changed.
Did lewis' father
serve any time?
Uh, the case was pending,
And then he was killed
in jail for being a pedophile.
Peter's residency
is still listed as florida.
Then he broke into
the fbi files to find out
Who went into
witness protection.
Did any of the kids
from the home
go into witsec?
That would be a...
No. No, none of them.
Who the hell
is he still hunting.
Garcia, who ran
the investigation
in florida?
Uh, hold on.
Dr. Susannah regan,
Who was responsible for
many of the investigations
during the day.
She was a member of the
"believe the children" movement,
Which encouraged cops
to believe anything
the kid said about the sra,
And if the kiddos didn't
have anything to say,
She'd tell the cops
to twist their arms
until they did.
And then her book
was published.
And we came out with
the lanning report
And debunked her.
Uh-huh. Her career flopped
And she received
numerous death threats
And she went into
witness protection.
She's such
a high-profile target,
Peter had to wait
before he could kill her.
If he's bold enough
to hit quantico,
This is a suicide mission
if he locates her
before we do.
Which would be on
a very nice estate
in columbia, maryland.
I'm closest.
Send me the address.
Garcia: Sent.
Dr. Regan.
Woman: It's open. Come in.
Are you all right?
Agent hotchner?
I got agent rossi's
message.
Doctor, you're in danger.
You need to leave the house.
I understand.
I'm in the study.
I'm so glad you're here.
You need to see this.
He wants you
to see this.
No!
Aah!
Uhh! Aah...
[groans]
Aah...
[cell phone ringing
on vibrate]
[whispering] you can't move.
Because I say
you can't move.
Do you see how this works?
You do what I say.
Peter...
I didn't say
you could talk.
Don't cry for her.
She was stupid.
And wrong.
She used to burn sage
during the sessions.
She said that made it safe
to talk about mr. Scratch.
What do you see
when you look at me?
Do you see mr. Scratch?
You can talk now.
I want to know what--
I want to know
what you're feeling.
[cell phone vibrating]
That's my team.
They know I'm here.
They're gonna come looking
for me, and if you harm me--
What are you talking about?
Your phone isn't ringing.
It was ringing.
No, it wasn't.
Very interesting.
You gave yourself away
just now.
I did?
You slipped up.
How do you figure?
You have no idea, do you?
[chuckling]
You said that she...
She would...
Burn sage.
But how would you know that?
Unless she questioned you, too.
I know, peter.
I know how
those interviews worked,
How coercive they were...
With children who were
innocent and helpless.
Shut up.
She questioned you
about your father.
And she wouldn't stop
Until she got
the answers she wanted.
So you gave them to her.
Shut up.
Oh, that was good.
Oh, that was so good.
That was so impressive.
The way you
got into my head.
It makes me want to know
how I get into yours.
[vehicles approaching]
You were right.
They did coming
calling for you.
They'll kill you.
Are you sure about that?
[gunshot]
Spence!
Stop fire! Spence is down!
Oh, my god.
Oh, no.
[gunshot]
Rossi, where are you hit?
Hotch! Sound off, damn it!
Here.
Go. Go.
Where?!
Here.
In the study.
Where?
Where is he?
I shot him. He's down.
[gunshot]
morgan!
Uhh!
[gasping, choking]
Now I know
what scares you.
[gunshot]
no!
No!
Son of a bitch.
Son of a bitch...
It's ok.
You can move now.
Here.
I have something for you.
I'm about to come
through that front door.
Kill me
Before I kill you.
Rossi, reid, take the front.
Jj and I will take the back.
Watch your front
sight. One of ours
is in there.
My gun.
I need my gun.
Look. Here I come.
Kill me.
Hotch!
We need a medic in here!
Rossi, take it.
They made me see things.
They made me see things.
Ok.
He's gone.
We got him.
I win.
I don't think so.
You have no idea
what I did to him.
I win.
Reid:
He surrendered.
Ambulance is on its way.
He surrendered?
That doesn't make sense.
We need to get you
looked at.
I'm fine.
Hey, this is
not a suggestion.
[emergency vehicle
radio chatter]
I'm fine. Thank you.
You have to talk
about it.
Not tonight.
Yes, tonight,
While it's still fresh.
I can't.
It doesn't...
Parts of it don't
make sense to me.
They don't have to.
Tell me
what it smelled like.
Start at the beginning,
start at the end,
I don't care. But start.
Now, what do you remember?
Aaron.
Aaron.
Hotch?
This is what happened.