Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 12, Episode 19 - True North - full transcript
Three victims are found tied to stakes in the Arizona desert.
Previously on
Criminal Minds...
-Stop!
-My shipment's coming through,
and you're gonna make sure
it get to me safely.
Help!
Today's the day you're supposed to
move Frasier's stuff, isn't it?
-Maybe I just won't do it.
-You know why they killed Delgado
instead of you?
That was me protecting you.
-There's only so far I can go.
-So can I.
There's a helplessness in here
that causes people to do things
they would never consider.
I'm starting to think like them,
starting to survive like them.
-Malcolm! You okay?
-They made me try it.
-What happened?
-Bad batch.
Medic, cell block C, now.
Medic, cell block C.
No one in here is honest.
They could just be numb to it all.
Well, I'm not.
You never will be.
Because you're a good person.
That's the difference.
-Hey, you wanted to see me?
-Tara, come on in.
Uh, what's up?
I need you to go
to the prison tomorrow
and conduct another
cognitive interview on Reid.
Mr. Scratch. Where?
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, last week.
A former associate of mine down there
on business recognized him.
This is huge.
This puts Scratch in Latin America.
And increases the likelihood
he passed through Mexico at some point.
That's why this cognitive
is so imperative.
It is critical that Reid remember exactly
what happened
in that motel room in Mexico.
Can I play devil's advocate
here for a second?
-Absolutely.
-Let's say the cognitive works,
all right, and Reid puts
Scratch in that motel room,
100%, no doubt about it.
What changes?
I mean, isn't he just another prisoner
proclaiming his innocence?
Tell her your idea.
What changes is I can then petition
the DOJ and the counterterrorism center
to put Scratch on a
high-priority watch list.
-How?
-By massaging the definition
of international terrorist.
Now, that photo proves that Scratch
is crossing borders
from one country to another.
And we already know
he's targeting the FBI.
I don't know, it sounds like a hard sell.
Well, I talked to one of my contacts
at the NSA
and she said they would be on-board if we
give them something tangible on Scratch.
I'm going to London tonight to pursue this
with my former colleagues at INTERPOL.
Okay, well, I'll give it
my best shot with Reid.
Tara, there's
one more thing.
The prison is on full lockdown,
but I got you an exemption
from the no-visitors rule.
-How'd you manage that?
-Medical necessity.
You are a doctor, right?
I have earned a doctorate degree, yes.
MD, PhD. Now's not
the time to split hairs.
Tomorrow, Reid is your patient,
so go in there and act doctorly.
I will make sure to
pack my stethoscope.
SAGUARO WILDERNESS, ARIZONA
Who says there ain't treasure out here?
"Is it progress if
a cannibal uses a fork?"
Stanislaw Lec.
Emily's en route to London,
so let's get started.
What have you got, Penelope?
What we've got is some awfulness,
awfulness so awful that it made me
temporarily forget about
the whole Reid awfulness. I miss him.
Okay, yesterday afternoon
in the Saguaro wilderness,
which is just east of Tucson, Arizona,
an old-timer out rock hounding
stumbled upon... This.
And this.
And also this.
-They were all together?
-Yeah. Within like 50 feet of each other.
The staging of the bodies
has the feel of a crucifixion.
Could this be the work
of a religious fanatic?
Well, the desert does attract
its share of nut jobs.
Don't forget the Manson family got
their training wheels out in the Mojave.
What's that around their neck?
- Shock collars.
- Torture?
Doubtful. There weren't
any batteries in them.
So the collars are symbolic,
a signature.
They're all wearing something
over their shoulders.
Yeah, it was just some
sort of blue, silky fabric.
Well, their bodies
are badly decomposed.
Looks like they've been there a while.
Preliminary ME report did say
the 3 victims are in
separate stages of decomposition.
So he's killing them
one by one over time,
but now his disposal site
has been discovered.
Why do I get the feeling
that's not going to stop him?
Because it won't.
Not with another thousand miles
of desert nearby for him to set up shop.
Okay, we've got a lot
of ground to cover.
Let's hit it.
You can conduct your
interview in here, Dr. Lewis.
-It's secure.
-Thank you.
-I'll see if your guy's ready.
-Yeah.
Spencer.
-What are you doing here?
-I might have some good news.
Then run it through Fiona.
You shouldn't be here.
It's better if everyone just
stays away from me right now.
I'm here about Scratch.
Walker thinks he might have a new way
to find him, but to do so,
I need to walk you through
another cognitive.
I understand what you're doing,
and I really appreciate it, but I...
Emily already tried and it didn't work.
That was over a month ago.
You were still under the influence.
As you know, distance from the incident
can sometimes yield additional insights.
-When's the last time you slept?
-I don't know,
which is why I don't really have
the energy to do this right now.
Well, exhaustion's
not necessarily a bad thing.
If your resistance is down, you might be
more receptive to the cognitive.
Okay?
Okay.
Three victims have just been identified.
I sent updates to your tablets.
Okay, Carol Brandom, Oscar Benitez,
and Peter Jones, all in their early 20s.
Each one had just returned to the Tucson
area after attending college out of state.
Exceptional students,
graduated at the top of their class.
And all three had been
featured separately in local media,
hometown kids done good
sort of thing.
The public exposure
must be what put them
on the unsub's radar.
So, Walker, you talked
about the crucifixion element earlier.
Apparently, there is a quasi-religious
cult not too far away.
Yeah, I already
checked into that.
I know I'm not the profiler here,
but they didn't do it.
What makes you so sure?
Because that cult
is so respectful of life...
Okay, they don't eat carrots
because they grow in the earth.
I practice non-violence with my food
choices, but that's a whack-a-doodle.
Luke, when we land, why don't you and JJ
go to the crime scene?
Stephen, see what's
new with the ME.
I'll set up with local law enforcement
and talk to the victims' families.
Maybe the three of them
had a common enemy
that we don't know about.
Pima County sheriff's department
has jurisdiction on any homicide
inside the national park.
Also, park police will be assisting.
Well, we look forward
to working with you.
Our killer couldn't do all of this
without a vehicle.
Have you seen
any tire tracks, sheriff?
No, but it gets pretty windy up here.
So if there were any tracks,
they wouldn't have lasted.
And you said there
were empty water bottles
found in front of
each of the bodies?
That's right. Hopefully
we can pull some DNA.
All right, so all the bodies
were positioned in that direction.
These boulders in front of the victims,
they've all been moved recently.
-How can you tell?
-Because the side facing up
has less weather exposure
than the side facing down.
That's where we found the water bottles,
next to all the rocks.
The killer moved these.
He's a strong guy...
-Or had help.
-Okay, it's like he rolled up
a front-row seat
to watch the executions.
Kick back, enjoy a cold
bottle of water,
and watch your victims
slowly bake to death.
Yeah, that's not a good sign.
Our unsub isn't just killing,
he's savoring every minute of it.
So you can't determine
the COD for any of the victims?
Afraid not. Got a long list
of what they didn't die of.
No bullet or stab wounds,
no evidence of blunt force trauma
or asphyxia.
-Toxicology?
-Clean.
They were neither
drugged nor poisoned.
-What's left? Dehydration?
-Most likely.
In that heat it wouldn't take long.
-Hours, not days.
-Do we have a time of death?
The first victim, roughly a month.
Second victim, around two weeks.
Last victim, less than a week.
Syncs up with when family members
reported them missing.
So bottom line is, we may never know
for certain what caused the deaths
-of these three young people.
-Afraid not.
There's a saying around here,
that the desert does
not give up her secrets.
This may be one of them.
Are you there?
- Yes.
- Tell me what you see.
She's waiting for me.
Nadie Ramos.
Is she alone?
Yes.
She seemed upset.
And we were standing by a window.
Was there somebody there?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Who is it, Spencer?
Think.
I don't know. I blacked out.
It's okay. It's all right.
What happens when you wake up?
She's struggling.
Nadie was struggling.
Because the other man
is stabbing her.
Yeah.
And I think that I should try CPR,
but there's just so much blood.
My heart's beating fast,
and it feels like
I'm moving in slow motion.
Wait. Something's wrong.
There's a knife...
-And blood.
-Who has the knife?
It's in my hand. I'm bleeding.
Okay. Because you cut your hand.
It all goes blank after that.
That's about how far
you got with Emily.
You're psychologically blocking
whatever happens next.
-Why?
-I'm not sure.
Uh, why don't we take
a short break. Yeah? Okay.
So Oscar Benitez was the one who initially
set the unsub off.
I wonder why.
I watched the piece the local TV channel
did on him last month.
He was a hard-working kid.
Humble background,
got a scholarship.
He was the first one
in his family to go to college.
All three were like that.
Each one came home to give
back to the community,
Help make a better life for their parents
and people who helped them.
That might have thrown
more salt in the unsub's wound.
We should have Garcia see if
other returning graduates
got any type of publicity. If so,
they should be in protective custody.
- That's a good idea.
- Thanks.
Same DNA found on
all three water bottles,
but no hits in CODIS.
Our unsub isn't in the system.
What do you make of the shock collars?
They're used to train dogs.
I mean, maybe the unsub is
trying to make a statement
about conformity and obedience.
Cookie cutter universities
churning out cookie cutter students.
Yeah, something like that.
It could explain the fabric
draped over their shoulders,
Mocking the valedictorian sash
each of them wore at their graduation.
If the unsub's disapproving,
envious, or both...
Envy is one thing,
roasting people to death is another.
So what tipped him?
Please, don't! Please!
I'll do whatever you want. Please, don't.
I'll do whatever you want. Please.
Please.
Please, Ben. Please, don't.
You don't have to do this. Please.
Please, don't.
Name's Joey Fletcher.
Couple of dirt bikers found him.
10 miles from
the other crime scene,
but the MO's the same.
Dog collar, blue cloth,
and the water bottle.
He dragged another
rock up close again.
It's half full.
Maybe our guy was in a hurry this time.
Yeah, the victim
is staged to face north,
just like the others.
Hmm.
-What's up?
-It's true north.
Which means?
True north is
geographically accurate,
unlike magnetic north.
So he's trying to
get his bearings?
I hate to say it, but he's got his
bearings just fine.
Let's head back.
Mom!
Mom?
Why didn't you answer?
What's that?
It's for you.
Whose grave did you
steal those off of?
I... I didn't steal it.
I made it myself, for... For you.
These flowers, every one of them,
they're all native to Hawaii.
See?
It's a lei.
They grow fake flowers
over there in Hawaii?
They don't sell the real ones here.
And they're expensive, but...
In the future,
when we go there, we can...
Oh, stop with the future talk!
I can't take it no more.
The future's right here.
I'm sitting in it.
I'm gonna live and die
and rot right here
in this hell hole!
Hawaii.
Who's gonna make that happen?
Not your useless father,
wherever the hell that son of a bitch is.
I'll take you there,
like I promised I would.
You? With all your
millions in the bank?
We've got our first
deviation of victimology.
Joey Fletcher flunked
out of college first semester.
No job, either.
His girlfriend said he spent his days
playing video games and smoking weed.
So why did the unsub
shift from overachievers
-to a stoned slacker?
-We've disrupted his routine.
Could have forced him
to be less selective.
The unsub starts
choosing his victims at random.
Our job just got a lot tougher.
We need to give the profile.
The person we're looking for
is a physically fit male
in his early to mid-20s.
Despite his youth, he's intelligent,
and criminally sophisticated.
Because of his familiarity
with the surrounding desert,
we believe he is a local
who owns or has access
to a vehicle that can
navigate rough terrain.
Until the most recent
victim, his targets
have been those who
excelled at university.
If the killer was an academic failure,
this could be his way of lashing out.
Aspects of his ritual
support this theory.
And all the victims
were positioned
to face geodetic, or true north.
It's a geographic term,
but we think the unsub
is using it more
in a philosophical sense.
It's likely that he works a menial job,
something below his abilities.
The final victim represented
a dramatic shift in victimology.
Academically, Joey Fletcher was a bust.
So the killer's starting to lose focus.
He may actually be
refining his mission,
inching closer
to the true target of his rage.
Thank you.
Did Alvez say what he wanted us for?
No. Huh.
The same DNA was on
the outside of the water bottle
at Joey Fletcher's crime scene,
but none in the water itself.
-So he's not drinking it.
-Apparently not.
Then why is he taking
water to the crime scene?
Hey!
In here.
Uh, is everything okay?
You guys ready for
a little show and tell?
I don't know.
Third grade was a long time ago.
Come around, I'll show you.
-What's with the crumpled paper?
-That is not paper.
And those are boulders
from the crime scene
placed where we found them
and relative to this stick,
which represents the poles
were our victims were tied.
-What's you thinking?
-I'm thinking we've been over-thinking.
You're out there in the darkness
of the desert, midnight at the oasis,
but wait, 'cause here comes the sun.
Rise and shine.
Breakfast. Kids are off to school.
And before you
know it, it's 1:00.
Don't grab that glass
of chardonnay just yet,
because soon it will
be 2:00, then 3:00,
then 4:00.
It's a sundial.
Life-size.
With our victims represented
by the coffee stir stick.
And the rocks positioned
to count off the hours.
- Yeah.
- It might be his way of keeping track
of the body count,
like notches on a belt.
Yeah, but the demonstration
I just gave you is in reverse.
The first victim is
represented by 4:00.
4, 3, 2, 1.
So he's counting down.
The unsub's approaching
his end game.
-Very nice to meet you.
-Pleasure meeting you.
Did they check the vents
in the motel room?
The last time we caught Scratch,
he was dosing people through the vents,
which might be why
I'm remembering in pieces.
Rossi said that was
the very first thing he checked for
when they were in Mexico.
Look, we need to start again.
Okay. Now, this time I want to focus
on Nadie's reaction when the door opens.
Is she frightened?
Does she know the person?
We were both surprised.
-It all happened so fast that...
-What about you?
Did you recognize him?
Mmm-mmm, I'm trying,
but I can't make out his features.
Okay, let's go back to
when you were blocked.
You're helping Nadie
and she's not responding.
There's nothing I can do.
And what about him? I mean, you must feel
him in your peripheral vision,
behind you somewhere.
Yeah, he's behind me.
And I can feel him watching me,
and I'm...
What is it?
It was me.
What was you?
It's how I cut my hand,
it's why he was watching me.
'Cause I was stabbing her.
I killed her.
Spencer. Spencer, that's not possible.
That's not possible. Breathe!
- This is Prentiss.
- Emily, it's me. How's London?
It is receding
in the rearview mirror.
I'm on my way home right now.
Wow, that was fast.
How'd it go?
I'm guardedly optimistic.
My person is running
it past his person.
What happened with Reid?
We hit a stumbling block.
He wanted to stop.
His brain is constructing
a false narrative
-for what happened in Mexico.
-That's not uncommon.
Sometimes a manufactured memory
is better than no memory at all.
Oh, I've seen it
countless times in my work.
People see things that weren't there
or remember events
that never happened.
Tara, I want your professional opinion,
cold and objective.
All right.
Do you think Reid's losing it?
I mean, in a bigger sense.
No. No, I don't. I think that even
before all of this happened,
he was under more
stress than he'd ever been.
And you couple that with the terrible
memory of what happened in Mexico...
It's just making reconstructing
what happened in that motel room
-that much more difficult.
-But not impossible.
No. No, we can get there.
-It's just gonna take more work.
-What can I do to help?
Well, just tell the prison that the doctor
needs more time with her patient.
I'll call the warden.
Okay. I'm gonna finish up
a few things here,
and then hit it hard
with Reid in the morning.
Good luck. Keep me in the loop.
Absolutely. Travel well.
Well, that can't be a happy thought.
Hmm. Yeah, there's just a detail
that's been bothering me.
Yeah, I got one of those details, too.
You first.
All right, well,
why the shock collar?
If this is all about
control and obedience,
a regular collar pretty much
does the same thing, you know?
That's my detail. What's yours?
It's that damn water.
Why does the unsub take bottled water
to the crime scene?
Well, we profiled sadist.
That's when we thought
he was drinking it in front of them.
Maybe he empties it into
the sand while they watch.
I mean, that qualifies as sadistic.
Anything new?
JJ and I were just comparing
our favorite frustrations with this case.
-Well, can I chime in with my own?
-Oh, please do.
Victimology.
Joey Fletcher must be
connected in some way
with the other three.
Something ties them all together.
But what?
You make any noise,
I'll kill you.
-Who are you?
-Get on the bed.
No. Please, don't.
Who do you think I am?
I would never do that.
I... I didn't understand.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, you didn't
understand before, either.
Before?
You don't remember me,
but I remember you.
No. No, wait.
Come back. Please!
-Nothing.
-No.
Joey went to a different high school.
No overlap socially with the others.
What college did Joey flunk out of?
It was, uh, Cochrane University.
It's a small liberal arts college in Ohio.
- Garcia.
- Yes, sir. I'm here for you, sir.
Cochrane University in Ohio.
What's the out-of-state tuition?
Uh, yikes. $37,000 annually.
That's not taking
into consideration books,
cost of living, ramen,
beer kegs, bean bag chairs, etc...
Joey Fletcher's family didn't have
anywhere near that kind of money.
How did he pay for it?
He didn't.
He was there on scholarship.
So was Oscar Benitez.
It was a different college, but, uh...
Garcia, check Carol Brandom and
Pete Jones and see if they...
Uh, yeah, I'm right there with you.
And the answer is yes, both Pete and Carol
were there on scholarship as well.
You're looking
for a common thread, there it is.
All four of them received financial aid.
But Joey was a below-average
student even in high school.
Garcia, does it say
what kind of scholarship he received?
That's gonna take
a different kind of rocket
to another part of the cyber universe.
Good thing I'm a galaxy girl.
I'll hit you back.
Mom?
Mom?
What happened, mom?
Say something.
-Hey.
-Oh, hi, hi.
I'm gonna call it a night.
Okay here by yourself?
Yeah, I'm good.
-You must be starved.
-Mmm, I'm a little peckish.
-Have one.
-Carrots.
Yeah, take a couple.
This one.
-Okay. See you tomorrow.
-Yeah.
I'm gonna let you
live your life.
Among new friends.
You can watch
the maestro work.
Oh. Uh...
What is it, Garcia?
I got totally sidetracked
thinking that Joey Fletcher
got an athletic scholarship.
Boy, was I wrong,
which is rare, but it happens.
Turns out he won a science fair
competition in Tucson.
He doesn't strike me
as a scientific whiz kid.
Oh, he's not. It was really dumbed down,
but it was quite the crowd pleaser.
And guess what it was on?
Sun dials.
What if the unsub was competing
gor the same scholarship?
Science fair. Could explain why
he puts cloth on the victims.
Blue ribbon winner.
And I know what he might have been
doing with that bottled water.
If the water was used
as a conductor,
it would mask
the burns associated with electrocution.
Please, no!
The water is a forensic countermeasure.
That's why the ME was stumped.
Oh, wait, there's more.
One of the other 3 finalists
in that science fair contest,
his project was on shock collars,
as in how to make them more humane.
-Who was it?
-Ben Davis.
-I do not have an address on him yet.
-Hurry.
You will learn in time
that is the only speed I have,
new guy who I'm not gonna call new guy.
Can you hear me, mom?
Blink if you can hear me.
I need you to hear something.
What are you gonna do?
It's what you're gonna do.
I don't understand.
Listen very carefully.
Tell her.
Mrs. Davis.
Four years ago,
I made a terrible mistake.
Your son should have won
the science fair scholarship,
but I gave it to someone else.
Did you hear that, mom?
I should have won the scholarship.
Me. Not the other guy, but...
I could have got a degree,
better job, and...
I could have taken you to Hawaii
like you always dreamed about.
Do you understand me?
-Do you want me to say...
-Shut up.
What are you doing?
No, no, no.
She's at peace now.
No!
You won't be so lucky.
Garcia.
Sir, I know, I know, I know, I know.
The addresses should be
coming to you right now.
It was hard to get because Ben Davis
has never lived on his own,
and then his mom bounced around.
I had to figure out
where her disability check was going
'cause it seemed like
it was going one direction,
but it was... Did you get it?
Have you gotten it?
We got it. JJ, you and Alvez go.
-No work address, Garcia?
-Uh, none.
If we knew his next victim,
that might get us a location, too.
He already killed the person who won
the science fair.
Who else could be
on the chopping block?
What about the judge?
Garcia, do we know who
awarded Joey Fletcher the prize?
That would be Fournier Logistics.
They were the ones that
awarded the scholarship.
Looks like their CEO was the judge.
Her name is Marla Grace, and I
just sent her picture to your phones.
She deserved so much more.
Think about your mother.
She wouldn't want this.
What she wants
doesn't matter anymore.
Tomorrow this will all be over.
Ben Davis, FBI.
Hands up.
Hands where we can see them.
Hey, hey, hey.
Stay where you are.
Ben, don't. Put it down.
- Whoa, stay right there.
- Ben, don't.
No, listen, you don't
want to do this.
Okay?
Look, I'm putting my gun away.
All right?
Okay, I'm gonna leave.
I'm leaving.
All right. Hey.
It's just us now, okay?
Let's talk.
There's nothing to talk about.
Is that your mother?
Tell me what happened.
I want to help.
It's too late for that.
I always promised I'd...
Take her to Hawaii in the future.
That was her dream.
But now she's dead.
Then make her dream come true.
Take her to Hawaii.
You can spread her ashes
out in the ocean.
That way, she'll be
a part of it forever.
No. You won't do that.
I put this down, you'll just bury her
here somewhere,
-in the dirt.
-I won't.
I give you my word.
No, it's over.
JJ, we're clear!
"The future is
inevitable and precise,
"but may not occur.
"God lurks in the gaps."
Jorge Luis Borges.
You beat us back.
By an hour.
It was a long way to go
to have one conversation,
but it was worth it.
I just heard from INTERPOL.
They're on-board. You?
Spoke with my contact at the NSA
and she says if Reid
can swear under oath
that he saw Scratch
in that motel room,
then we are a go
putting him on the terror watch list.
-That's great news.
-Except none of that means anything
if Reid can't remember
what happened.
So let's hope Tara
makes progress.
I cannot do this
any more, all right?
I told you it was better if you all just
stayed away. You're making it worse.
No, Spencer. Your brain
is playing tricks on you.
-You realize that, don't you?
-Why? Why?
Because the cognitive gave you an answer
you'd rather not have?
No, because Spencer Reid
is incapable of murdering
an innocent woman
in cold blood.
You have no idea what
I am capable of.
Look, prison is a difficult place.
You've probably had to
do things in here to survive
that you would never think
of doing in the outside world.
Things that make you
feel guilty or ashamed.
But the brain has to
handle that guilt, has to process it.
And sometimes it
spreads the guilt around
into places it doesn't belong.
I could see the knife in my hand.
We know Scratch uses drugs to change
our perception of what's
real and what's not.
What do we do now?
Do you want to go back in that hotel room
and find out what really happened?
-Yes.
-Then say it.
Not to me. Say it to yourself.
I want to go back.
What's in your right hand?
Nothing.
- Where's the knife?
- I moved it so I could get to her,
and that's probably
how I cut my hand.
What happens next?
I hear a noise,
like a spraying sound,
and I feel a mist over my shoulder,
so I turn.
Do you recognize who it is?
No.
Look hard. Spencer, concentrate.
Let the image come into focus.
It's him. It's him, I see him.
It's Scratch. It's Scratch.
It's Scratch.
And he's drugging me.
And I hear him
say something.
He says something. He says...
What does he say?
It's time. Time to go.
Time to go. Says,
"time to go." Time to go,
then she just walked out of there like
she didn't have a care in the world.
-Wait, wait a minute.
-Like she wanted me to chase her.
Spencer, stop.
You keep saying, "her."
'Cause it wasn't Scratch
who framed me.
It was a woman.
Criminal Minds...
-Stop!
-My shipment's coming through,
and you're gonna make sure
it get to me safely.
Help!
Today's the day you're supposed to
move Frasier's stuff, isn't it?
-Maybe I just won't do it.
-You know why they killed Delgado
instead of you?
That was me protecting you.
-There's only so far I can go.
-So can I.
There's a helplessness in here
that causes people to do things
they would never consider.
I'm starting to think like them,
starting to survive like them.
-Malcolm! You okay?
-They made me try it.
-What happened?
-Bad batch.
Medic, cell block C, now.
Medic, cell block C.
No one in here is honest.
They could just be numb to it all.
Well, I'm not.
You never will be.
Because you're a good person.
That's the difference.
-Hey, you wanted to see me?
-Tara, come on in.
Uh, what's up?
I need you to go
to the prison tomorrow
and conduct another
cognitive interview on Reid.
Mr. Scratch. Where?
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, last week.
A former associate of mine down there
on business recognized him.
This is huge.
This puts Scratch in Latin America.
And increases the likelihood
he passed through Mexico at some point.
That's why this cognitive
is so imperative.
It is critical that Reid remember exactly
what happened
in that motel room in Mexico.
Can I play devil's advocate
here for a second?
-Absolutely.
-Let's say the cognitive works,
all right, and Reid puts
Scratch in that motel room,
100%, no doubt about it.
What changes?
I mean, isn't he just another prisoner
proclaiming his innocence?
Tell her your idea.
What changes is I can then petition
the DOJ and the counterterrorism center
to put Scratch on a
high-priority watch list.
-How?
-By massaging the definition
of international terrorist.
Now, that photo proves that Scratch
is crossing borders
from one country to another.
And we already know
he's targeting the FBI.
I don't know, it sounds like a hard sell.
Well, I talked to one of my contacts
at the NSA
and she said they would be on-board if we
give them something tangible on Scratch.
I'm going to London tonight to pursue this
with my former colleagues at INTERPOL.
Okay, well, I'll give it
my best shot with Reid.
Tara, there's
one more thing.
The prison is on full lockdown,
but I got you an exemption
from the no-visitors rule.
-How'd you manage that?
-Medical necessity.
You are a doctor, right?
I have earned a doctorate degree, yes.
MD, PhD. Now's not
the time to split hairs.
Tomorrow, Reid is your patient,
so go in there and act doctorly.
I will make sure to
pack my stethoscope.
SAGUARO WILDERNESS, ARIZONA
Who says there ain't treasure out here?
"Is it progress if
a cannibal uses a fork?"
Stanislaw Lec.
Emily's en route to London,
so let's get started.
What have you got, Penelope?
What we've got is some awfulness,
awfulness so awful that it made me
temporarily forget about
the whole Reid awfulness. I miss him.
Okay, yesterday afternoon
in the Saguaro wilderness,
which is just east of Tucson, Arizona,
an old-timer out rock hounding
stumbled upon... This.
And this.
And also this.
-They were all together?
-Yeah. Within like 50 feet of each other.
The staging of the bodies
has the feel of a crucifixion.
Could this be the work
of a religious fanatic?
Well, the desert does attract
its share of nut jobs.
Don't forget the Manson family got
their training wheels out in the Mojave.
What's that around their neck?
- Shock collars.
- Torture?
Doubtful. There weren't
any batteries in them.
So the collars are symbolic,
a signature.
They're all wearing something
over their shoulders.
Yeah, it was just some
sort of blue, silky fabric.
Well, their bodies
are badly decomposed.
Looks like they've been there a while.
Preliminary ME report did say
the 3 victims are in
separate stages of decomposition.
So he's killing them
one by one over time,
but now his disposal site
has been discovered.
Why do I get the feeling
that's not going to stop him?
Because it won't.
Not with another thousand miles
of desert nearby for him to set up shop.
Okay, we've got a lot
of ground to cover.
Let's hit it.
You can conduct your
interview in here, Dr. Lewis.
-It's secure.
-Thank you.
-I'll see if your guy's ready.
-Yeah.
Spencer.
-What are you doing here?
-I might have some good news.
Then run it through Fiona.
You shouldn't be here.
It's better if everyone just
stays away from me right now.
I'm here about Scratch.
Walker thinks he might have a new way
to find him, but to do so,
I need to walk you through
another cognitive.
I understand what you're doing,
and I really appreciate it, but I...
Emily already tried and it didn't work.
That was over a month ago.
You were still under the influence.
As you know, distance from the incident
can sometimes yield additional insights.
-When's the last time you slept?
-I don't know,
which is why I don't really have
the energy to do this right now.
Well, exhaustion's
not necessarily a bad thing.
If your resistance is down, you might be
more receptive to the cognitive.
Okay?
Okay.
Three victims have just been identified.
I sent updates to your tablets.
Okay, Carol Brandom, Oscar Benitez,
and Peter Jones, all in their early 20s.
Each one had just returned to the Tucson
area after attending college out of state.
Exceptional students,
graduated at the top of their class.
And all three had been
featured separately in local media,
hometown kids done good
sort of thing.
The public exposure
must be what put them
on the unsub's radar.
So, Walker, you talked
about the crucifixion element earlier.
Apparently, there is a quasi-religious
cult not too far away.
Yeah, I already
checked into that.
I know I'm not the profiler here,
but they didn't do it.
What makes you so sure?
Because that cult
is so respectful of life...
Okay, they don't eat carrots
because they grow in the earth.
I practice non-violence with my food
choices, but that's a whack-a-doodle.
Luke, when we land, why don't you and JJ
go to the crime scene?
Stephen, see what's
new with the ME.
I'll set up with local law enforcement
and talk to the victims' families.
Maybe the three of them
had a common enemy
that we don't know about.
Pima County sheriff's department
has jurisdiction on any homicide
inside the national park.
Also, park police will be assisting.
Well, we look forward
to working with you.
Our killer couldn't do all of this
without a vehicle.
Have you seen
any tire tracks, sheriff?
No, but it gets pretty windy up here.
So if there were any tracks,
they wouldn't have lasted.
And you said there
were empty water bottles
found in front of
each of the bodies?
That's right. Hopefully
we can pull some DNA.
All right, so all the bodies
were positioned in that direction.
These boulders in front of the victims,
they've all been moved recently.
-How can you tell?
-Because the side facing up
has less weather exposure
than the side facing down.
That's where we found the water bottles,
next to all the rocks.
The killer moved these.
He's a strong guy...
-Or had help.
-Okay, it's like he rolled up
a front-row seat
to watch the executions.
Kick back, enjoy a cold
bottle of water,
and watch your victims
slowly bake to death.
Yeah, that's not a good sign.
Our unsub isn't just killing,
he's savoring every minute of it.
So you can't determine
the COD for any of the victims?
Afraid not. Got a long list
of what they didn't die of.
No bullet or stab wounds,
no evidence of blunt force trauma
or asphyxia.
-Toxicology?
-Clean.
They were neither
drugged nor poisoned.
-What's left? Dehydration?
-Most likely.
In that heat it wouldn't take long.
-Hours, not days.
-Do we have a time of death?
The first victim, roughly a month.
Second victim, around two weeks.
Last victim, less than a week.
Syncs up with when family members
reported them missing.
So bottom line is, we may never know
for certain what caused the deaths
-of these three young people.
-Afraid not.
There's a saying around here,
that the desert does
not give up her secrets.
This may be one of them.
Are you there?
- Yes.
- Tell me what you see.
She's waiting for me.
Nadie Ramos.
Is she alone?
Yes.
She seemed upset.
And we were standing by a window.
Was there somebody there?
-Mmm-hmm.
-Who is it, Spencer?
Think.
I don't know. I blacked out.
It's okay. It's all right.
What happens when you wake up?
She's struggling.
Nadie was struggling.
Because the other man
is stabbing her.
Yeah.
And I think that I should try CPR,
but there's just so much blood.
My heart's beating fast,
and it feels like
I'm moving in slow motion.
Wait. Something's wrong.
There's a knife...
-And blood.
-Who has the knife?
It's in my hand. I'm bleeding.
Okay. Because you cut your hand.
It all goes blank after that.
That's about how far
you got with Emily.
You're psychologically blocking
whatever happens next.
-Why?
-I'm not sure.
Uh, why don't we take
a short break. Yeah? Okay.
So Oscar Benitez was the one who initially
set the unsub off.
I wonder why.
I watched the piece the local TV channel
did on him last month.
He was a hard-working kid.
Humble background,
got a scholarship.
He was the first one
in his family to go to college.
All three were like that.
Each one came home to give
back to the community,
Help make a better life for their parents
and people who helped them.
That might have thrown
more salt in the unsub's wound.
We should have Garcia see if
other returning graduates
got any type of publicity. If so,
they should be in protective custody.
- That's a good idea.
- Thanks.
Same DNA found on
all three water bottles,
but no hits in CODIS.
Our unsub isn't in the system.
What do you make of the shock collars?
They're used to train dogs.
I mean, maybe the unsub is
trying to make a statement
about conformity and obedience.
Cookie cutter universities
churning out cookie cutter students.
Yeah, something like that.
It could explain the fabric
draped over their shoulders,
Mocking the valedictorian sash
each of them wore at their graduation.
If the unsub's disapproving,
envious, or both...
Envy is one thing,
roasting people to death is another.
So what tipped him?
Please, don't! Please!
I'll do whatever you want. Please, don't.
I'll do whatever you want. Please.
Please.
Please, Ben. Please, don't.
You don't have to do this. Please.
Please, don't.
Name's Joey Fletcher.
Couple of dirt bikers found him.
10 miles from
the other crime scene,
but the MO's the same.
Dog collar, blue cloth,
and the water bottle.
He dragged another
rock up close again.
It's half full.
Maybe our guy was in a hurry this time.
Yeah, the victim
is staged to face north,
just like the others.
Hmm.
-What's up?
-It's true north.
Which means?
True north is
geographically accurate,
unlike magnetic north.
So he's trying to
get his bearings?
I hate to say it, but he's got his
bearings just fine.
Let's head back.
Mom!
Mom?
Why didn't you answer?
What's that?
It's for you.
Whose grave did you
steal those off of?
I... I didn't steal it.
I made it myself, for... For you.
These flowers, every one of them,
they're all native to Hawaii.
See?
It's a lei.
They grow fake flowers
over there in Hawaii?
They don't sell the real ones here.
And they're expensive, but...
In the future,
when we go there, we can...
Oh, stop with the future talk!
I can't take it no more.
The future's right here.
I'm sitting in it.
I'm gonna live and die
and rot right here
in this hell hole!
Hawaii.
Who's gonna make that happen?
Not your useless father,
wherever the hell that son of a bitch is.
I'll take you there,
like I promised I would.
You? With all your
millions in the bank?
We've got our first
deviation of victimology.
Joey Fletcher flunked
out of college first semester.
No job, either.
His girlfriend said he spent his days
playing video games and smoking weed.
So why did the unsub
shift from overachievers
-to a stoned slacker?
-We've disrupted his routine.
Could have forced him
to be less selective.
The unsub starts
choosing his victims at random.
Our job just got a lot tougher.
We need to give the profile.
The person we're looking for
is a physically fit male
in his early to mid-20s.
Despite his youth, he's intelligent,
and criminally sophisticated.
Because of his familiarity
with the surrounding desert,
we believe he is a local
who owns or has access
to a vehicle that can
navigate rough terrain.
Until the most recent
victim, his targets
have been those who
excelled at university.
If the killer was an academic failure,
this could be his way of lashing out.
Aspects of his ritual
support this theory.
And all the victims
were positioned
to face geodetic, or true north.
It's a geographic term,
but we think the unsub
is using it more
in a philosophical sense.
It's likely that he works a menial job,
something below his abilities.
The final victim represented
a dramatic shift in victimology.
Academically, Joey Fletcher was a bust.
So the killer's starting to lose focus.
He may actually be
refining his mission,
inching closer
to the true target of his rage.
Thank you.
Did Alvez say what he wanted us for?
No. Huh.
The same DNA was on
the outside of the water bottle
at Joey Fletcher's crime scene,
but none in the water itself.
-So he's not drinking it.
-Apparently not.
Then why is he taking
water to the crime scene?
Hey!
In here.
Uh, is everything okay?
You guys ready for
a little show and tell?
I don't know.
Third grade was a long time ago.
Come around, I'll show you.
-What's with the crumpled paper?
-That is not paper.
And those are boulders
from the crime scene
placed where we found them
and relative to this stick,
which represents the poles
were our victims were tied.
-What's you thinking?
-I'm thinking we've been over-thinking.
You're out there in the darkness
of the desert, midnight at the oasis,
but wait, 'cause here comes the sun.
Rise and shine.
Breakfast. Kids are off to school.
And before you
know it, it's 1:00.
Don't grab that glass
of chardonnay just yet,
because soon it will
be 2:00, then 3:00,
then 4:00.
It's a sundial.
Life-size.
With our victims represented
by the coffee stir stick.
And the rocks positioned
to count off the hours.
- Yeah.
- It might be his way of keeping track
of the body count,
like notches on a belt.
Yeah, but the demonstration
I just gave you is in reverse.
The first victim is
represented by 4:00.
4, 3, 2, 1.
So he's counting down.
The unsub's approaching
his end game.
-Very nice to meet you.
-Pleasure meeting you.
Did they check the vents
in the motel room?
The last time we caught Scratch,
he was dosing people through the vents,
which might be why
I'm remembering in pieces.
Rossi said that was
the very first thing he checked for
when they were in Mexico.
Look, we need to start again.
Okay. Now, this time I want to focus
on Nadie's reaction when the door opens.
Is she frightened?
Does she know the person?
We were both surprised.
-It all happened so fast that...
-What about you?
Did you recognize him?
Mmm-mmm, I'm trying,
but I can't make out his features.
Okay, let's go back to
when you were blocked.
You're helping Nadie
and she's not responding.
There's nothing I can do.
And what about him? I mean, you must feel
him in your peripheral vision,
behind you somewhere.
Yeah, he's behind me.
And I can feel him watching me,
and I'm...
What is it?
It was me.
What was you?
It's how I cut my hand,
it's why he was watching me.
'Cause I was stabbing her.
I killed her.
Spencer. Spencer, that's not possible.
That's not possible. Breathe!
- This is Prentiss.
- Emily, it's me. How's London?
It is receding
in the rearview mirror.
I'm on my way home right now.
Wow, that was fast.
How'd it go?
I'm guardedly optimistic.
My person is running
it past his person.
What happened with Reid?
We hit a stumbling block.
He wanted to stop.
His brain is constructing
a false narrative
-for what happened in Mexico.
-That's not uncommon.
Sometimes a manufactured memory
is better than no memory at all.
Oh, I've seen it
countless times in my work.
People see things that weren't there
or remember events
that never happened.
Tara, I want your professional opinion,
cold and objective.
All right.
Do you think Reid's losing it?
I mean, in a bigger sense.
No. No, I don't. I think that even
before all of this happened,
he was under more
stress than he'd ever been.
And you couple that with the terrible
memory of what happened in Mexico...
It's just making reconstructing
what happened in that motel room
-that much more difficult.
-But not impossible.
No. No, we can get there.
-It's just gonna take more work.
-What can I do to help?
Well, just tell the prison that the doctor
needs more time with her patient.
I'll call the warden.
Okay. I'm gonna finish up
a few things here,
and then hit it hard
with Reid in the morning.
Good luck. Keep me in the loop.
Absolutely. Travel well.
Well, that can't be a happy thought.
Hmm. Yeah, there's just a detail
that's been bothering me.
Yeah, I got one of those details, too.
You first.
All right, well,
why the shock collar?
If this is all about
control and obedience,
a regular collar pretty much
does the same thing, you know?
That's my detail. What's yours?
It's that damn water.
Why does the unsub take bottled water
to the crime scene?
Well, we profiled sadist.
That's when we thought
he was drinking it in front of them.
Maybe he empties it into
the sand while they watch.
I mean, that qualifies as sadistic.
Anything new?
JJ and I were just comparing
our favorite frustrations with this case.
-Well, can I chime in with my own?
-Oh, please do.
Victimology.
Joey Fletcher must be
connected in some way
with the other three.
Something ties them all together.
But what?
You make any noise,
I'll kill you.
-Who are you?
-Get on the bed.
No. Please, don't.
Who do you think I am?
I would never do that.
I... I didn't understand.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, you didn't
understand before, either.
Before?
You don't remember me,
but I remember you.
No. No, wait.
Come back. Please!
-Nothing.
-No.
Joey went to a different high school.
No overlap socially with the others.
What college did Joey flunk out of?
It was, uh, Cochrane University.
It's a small liberal arts college in Ohio.
- Garcia.
- Yes, sir. I'm here for you, sir.
Cochrane University in Ohio.
What's the out-of-state tuition?
Uh, yikes. $37,000 annually.
That's not taking
into consideration books,
cost of living, ramen,
beer kegs, bean bag chairs, etc...
Joey Fletcher's family didn't have
anywhere near that kind of money.
How did he pay for it?
He didn't.
He was there on scholarship.
So was Oscar Benitez.
It was a different college, but, uh...
Garcia, check Carol Brandom and
Pete Jones and see if they...
Uh, yeah, I'm right there with you.
And the answer is yes, both Pete and Carol
were there on scholarship as well.
You're looking
for a common thread, there it is.
All four of them received financial aid.
But Joey was a below-average
student even in high school.
Garcia, does it say
what kind of scholarship he received?
That's gonna take
a different kind of rocket
to another part of the cyber universe.
Good thing I'm a galaxy girl.
I'll hit you back.
Mom?
Mom?
What happened, mom?
Say something.
-Hey.
-Oh, hi, hi.
I'm gonna call it a night.
Okay here by yourself?
Yeah, I'm good.
-You must be starved.
-Mmm, I'm a little peckish.
-Have one.
-Carrots.
Yeah, take a couple.
This one.
-Okay. See you tomorrow.
-Yeah.
I'm gonna let you
live your life.
Among new friends.
You can watch
the maestro work.
Oh. Uh...
What is it, Garcia?
I got totally sidetracked
thinking that Joey Fletcher
got an athletic scholarship.
Boy, was I wrong,
which is rare, but it happens.
Turns out he won a science fair
competition in Tucson.
He doesn't strike me
as a scientific whiz kid.
Oh, he's not. It was really dumbed down,
but it was quite the crowd pleaser.
And guess what it was on?
Sun dials.
What if the unsub was competing
gor the same scholarship?
Science fair. Could explain why
he puts cloth on the victims.
Blue ribbon winner.
And I know what he might have been
doing with that bottled water.
If the water was used
as a conductor,
it would mask
the burns associated with electrocution.
Please, no!
The water is a forensic countermeasure.
That's why the ME was stumped.
Oh, wait, there's more.
One of the other 3 finalists
in that science fair contest,
his project was on shock collars,
as in how to make them more humane.
-Who was it?
-Ben Davis.
-I do not have an address on him yet.
-Hurry.
You will learn in time
that is the only speed I have,
new guy who I'm not gonna call new guy.
Can you hear me, mom?
Blink if you can hear me.
I need you to hear something.
What are you gonna do?
It's what you're gonna do.
I don't understand.
Listen very carefully.
Tell her.
Mrs. Davis.
Four years ago,
I made a terrible mistake.
Your son should have won
the science fair scholarship,
but I gave it to someone else.
Did you hear that, mom?
I should have won the scholarship.
Me. Not the other guy, but...
I could have got a degree,
better job, and...
I could have taken you to Hawaii
like you always dreamed about.
Do you understand me?
-Do you want me to say...
-Shut up.
What are you doing?
No, no, no.
She's at peace now.
No!
You won't be so lucky.
Garcia.
Sir, I know, I know, I know, I know.
The addresses should be
coming to you right now.
It was hard to get because Ben Davis
has never lived on his own,
and then his mom bounced around.
I had to figure out
where her disability check was going
'cause it seemed like
it was going one direction,
but it was... Did you get it?
Have you gotten it?
We got it. JJ, you and Alvez go.
-No work address, Garcia?
-Uh, none.
If we knew his next victim,
that might get us a location, too.
He already killed the person who won
the science fair.
Who else could be
on the chopping block?
What about the judge?
Garcia, do we know who
awarded Joey Fletcher the prize?
That would be Fournier Logistics.
They were the ones that
awarded the scholarship.
Looks like their CEO was the judge.
Her name is Marla Grace, and I
just sent her picture to your phones.
She deserved so much more.
Think about your mother.
She wouldn't want this.
What she wants
doesn't matter anymore.
Tomorrow this will all be over.
Ben Davis, FBI.
Hands up.
Hands where we can see them.
Hey, hey, hey.
Stay where you are.
Ben, don't. Put it down.
- Whoa, stay right there.
- Ben, don't.
No, listen, you don't
want to do this.
Okay?
Look, I'm putting my gun away.
All right?
Okay, I'm gonna leave.
I'm leaving.
All right. Hey.
It's just us now, okay?
Let's talk.
There's nothing to talk about.
Is that your mother?
Tell me what happened.
I want to help.
It's too late for that.
I always promised I'd...
Take her to Hawaii in the future.
That was her dream.
But now she's dead.
Then make her dream come true.
Take her to Hawaii.
You can spread her ashes
out in the ocean.
That way, she'll be
a part of it forever.
No. You won't do that.
I put this down, you'll just bury her
here somewhere,
-in the dirt.
-I won't.
I give you my word.
No, it's over.
JJ, we're clear!
"The future is
inevitable and precise,
"but may not occur.
"God lurks in the gaps."
Jorge Luis Borges.
You beat us back.
By an hour.
It was a long way to go
to have one conversation,
but it was worth it.
I just heard from INTERPOL.
They're on-board. You?
Spoke with my contact at the NSA
and she says if Reid
can swear under oath
that he saw Scratch
in that motel room,
then we are a go
putting him on the terror watch list.
-That's great news.
-Except none of that means anything
if Reid can't remember
what happened.
So let's hope Tara
makes progress.
I cannot do this
any more, all right?
I told you it was better if you all just
stayed away. You're making it worse.
No, Spencer. Your brain
is playing tricks on you.
-You realize that, don't you?
-Why? Why?
Because the cognitive gave you an answer
you'd rather not have?
No, because Spencer Reid
is incapable of murdering
an innocent woman
in cold blood.
You have no idea what
I am capable of.
Look, prison is a difficult place.
You've probably had to
do things in here to survive
that you would never think
of doing in the outside world.
Things that make you
feel guilty or ashamed.
But the brain has to
handle that guilt, has to process it.
And sometimes it
spreads the guilt around
into places it doesn't belong.
I could see the knife in my hand.
We know Scratch uses drugs to change
our perception of what's
real and what's not.
What do we do now?
Do you want to go back in that hotel room
and find out what really happened?
-Yes.
-Then say it.
Not to me. Say it to yourself.
I want to go back.
What's in your right hand?
Nothing.
- Where's the knife?
- I moved it so I could get to her,
and that's probably
how I cut my hand.
What happens next?
I hear a noise,
like a spraying sound,
and I feel a mist over my shoulder,
so I turn.
Do you recognize who it is?
No.
Look hard. Spencer, concentrate.
Let the image come into focus.
It's him. It's him, I see him.
It's Scratch. It's Scratch.
It's Scratch.
And he's drugging me.
And I hear him
say something.
He says something. He says...
What does he say?
It's time. Time to go.
Time to go. Says,
"time to go." Time to go,
then she just walked out of there like
she didn't have a care in the world.
-Wait, wait a minute.
-Like she wanted me to chase her.
Spencer, stop.
You keep saying, "her."
'Cause it wasn't Scratch
who framed me.
It was a woman.