Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 3, Episode 18 - The Crossing - full transcript

- I'm sorry. I can't find my ticket.
- Phone number.

- Just...
- I've got a line out the door.

301-555-0194.

Okay, that's $22.

Excuse me.

Keri Derzmond?

- Yes.
- Insurance card.

- Can't find you in the system.
- No, I'm in there.

Wait a sec. D-E-R-Z-M-O-N-D.
Are you still on Foxborough Drive?

- Everything's still the same.
- Sign here.

- Here you go.
- Thank you.



He's back. He found me again.

Fear is the weapon.

If his target is afraid and affected,
then he's won.

Again, myself and SSA Hotchner

are available to any of you
should you need us.

The direct line to our liaison is
in the packet you received.

And trust your instincts
and experience.

They're the best tools you have.
Thank you.

Eve Alexander,
Suffolk County District Attorney.

SSA Hotchner. This is SSA Rossi.

I know. Big fan of your books.

And I followed your work
as a federal prosecutor.

So you didn't come here
for the terrorism seminar.

No.



Two days ago,
a woman named Audrey Henson

did this to her husband of 20 years
while he was sleeping.

She confessed while sitting
next to the body at the crime scene

and repeated her confession to me
at the lockup.

Care to guess what her lawyer's
already working on as her defense?

Battered woman syndrome.

After years of systematic abuse,

his client suddenly had no option
left to her but a 12-gauge.

And yet there's never been
a domestic violence report

filed from that home,

not a single medical record
documenting injury,

and not one witness who can say
they ever saw

or even suspected abuse.

- So what do you need from us?
- I think I can win this case anyway,

but I'd like you to help me prove
that she's lying.

Proving a negative,
that something didn't happen,

is always a long shot.

Yes, but you can show she doesn't fit
the profile of a battered woman.

What if she isn't? Lying.

That's not going to be a problem.

Her husband can't defend himself
from what she's saying about him

any more than he could
against a shotgun.

Doesn't that bother anyone?

Will she talk to us?
Has she waived her rights?

Her attorney's already agreed
to let her.

Practically insists on it.
Claims she's got nothing to hide.

Well, I can't promise that
what we'll find is gonna help your case.

Let me worry about that.

F.B.I. Behavioral Analysis Unit
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA

- You done?
- Almost.

It's pretty powerful, right?

Phew! I can see
why you'd meet with her.

- Your 10:30's here.
- Okay. Just give me one minute.

Hi, I'm Keri Derzmond.

- Hi, Agent Jareau. This is...
- Emily Prentiss.

I'm sorry to rush in,

but when I got the message
you'd see me this morning,

I could barely sleep last night.
But that's nothing new.

I haven't been able to sleep
for about two years.

We read the letter you wrote
to the Silver Spring police.

Begging and pleading wasn't
getting their attention.

They needed to know
I wasn't going away.

So you've been getting these notes
for the past two years?

I used to be in Atlanta.
I moved here six months ago.

And then out of nowhere, another note.

I can't live like this anymore.
I want my life back.

What did the police tell you?

The detective I met with
was very sympathetic,

but his hands are tied
unless something happens to me.

Then it will be too late.
Will you help me?

I'm presenting the case to our team
this morning.

I'll let you know what we decide.

Lou Evans,

Ed Derzmond and Ryan Scott.

Excuse me?

Those are the people
who you'll be calling

when you find me dead.

Where's Mom and Dad?

Hotch and Rossi are still
at the seminar in Boston.

We shouldn't wait on this.

JJ pulled me in early. I agree.

This is Keri Derzmond.

Two years ago in Atlanta
she started receiving anonymous notes

that meticulously described
her whereabouts throughout the day.

Local authorities never found out
who was responsible.

Recently, she moved to Maryland,
brought the stalker with her.

They think it's the same person?

He includes photographs of himself.

None of his face. That's very telling.

He's either trying to protect his identity
or he has self-image issues.

He's controlling the parts of his body
that he shows to her.

He writes to Keri in these letters
about their future together,

having kids, growing old.

He believes Keri is in love with him
and just doesn't know it yet.

Okay, so the guy's clearly delusional,
but what makes this a BAU case?

He is so obsessed that he tracked her
over 600 miles away.

That is unusual.

Typically a stalker will
change his focus to another woman

if the object of his affection
moves away.

I mean, I get that. I mean,
he's way past a first-level escalation.

But still.

When Keri received the first letter
in Maryland,

she went to the locals for protection.

They told her they couldn't help her.
This woman is in serious danger.

This case is in my hands now

and if we do nothing
and something happens to her,

I'll be the one notifying her family.

Okay.

Author
Christian Nestell Bovee once wrote,

"No man is happy without a delusion
of some kind.

"Delusions are as necessary
to our happiness as realities."

Nothing at all?

No, sir.

BOSTON, P.D.

There's no driver's license,
no passport,

no bank accounts,
not even jointly held.

Her name's not on their plastic,
their checks,

their mortgage, their car titles.
Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Aside from a birth certificate
and a marriage license,

there's no actual record
that Audrey Henson even exists.

How many years in the current home?

It looks like they've lived in that house
their whole married life.

And we're certain
there are no medical records

that point to a history of abuse?

Actually, sir,

there's no medical record at all

beyond the birth
of their second child, Nathan.

What about life insurance?
Any assets?

Any financial motive
for Audrey to kill her husband?

No. I mean, there's insurance,

but Mrs. Henson isn't the beneficiary
of any of the policies.

She's not?

Sarah, their 19-year-old daughter, is.

Thanks.

So we can use this area
until something bigger comes along.

Police Department
SILVER SPRING, MD

I set it up
just like Agent Jareau requested.

Is she coming, by the way?

She and another agent
are at Keri's office.

Aren't you guys a little overqualified
for this case?

I mean, this guy's no serial killer.

We construct behavioral profiles
for a variety of investigative scenarios.

That includes stalking.

We've seen this kind of thing before
and it can get ugly real fast.

Hey, I wanted to help this girl
the day she came in. I just...

I didn't have the manpower.

Listen, we understand
what it's like to be short-handed.

We're just here to help.

Look, don't get me wrong.
I got a sister Keri's age

and if some guy was doing this to her
and I got my hands on him,

- I'd probably get thrown off the force.
- You and me both.

- What was that?
- Bureaucratic red tape.

Every case we take
I have to explain why

in terms of cost and size
relative to the BAU.

They don't always think it's worth it.

You do have four agents
doing the work that locals should.

Just because there isn't a dead body

doesn't mean
we shouldn't take the case.

Hey, the fact that
law enforcement, including the FBI,

can't help someone
until they've been injured is appalling.

All I'm saying is
it is a drain on the system.

Emily,

last year in Denver,

a woman was being harassed
by her ex-boyfriend.

Cops knew who he was,
but they couldn't arrest him.

We didn't take that case.

She was finally granted
a restraining order

three days after he threw acid
in her face.

Right now, I don't care
about limited resources.

I cannot make that same mistake again.

Okay, when Keri lived in Atlanta,

the initial communication
happened at her job.

But then they got more personal
and started going to her home.

The first card is likely
an anniversary date of sorts.

The first time he saw her
or the first face-to-face meeting.

He actually wrote the date on the card.
March 21st, 2006.

That was a Tuesday.

Okay, so we should look
at other Tuesdays,

previous months on the 21st,
and March of 2005.

If we can figure out
what this date means to the stalker,

it could trace his connection
back to Keri.

Why the move to Maryland?

Ryan lives here
and my firm just opened an office.

The move wasn't
because of the stalker,

although the police back in Atlanta
thought it was a good idea.

I'm always cautious,

but for the first time I felt that

if I looked over my shoulder,
no one would be there.

We need you to make a list of names
of everyone you know,

even acquaintances.
Both here and in Georgia.

- Okay.
- Don't forget ex-boyfriends

or any indiscretions.

Nothing is insignificant.

If I knew what I was doing
to make this guy so obsessed, I'd stop.

When your paths crossed,
something clicked with him.

If you were smiling,

he probably thought
you were smiling at him.

We have no way of knowing
what his fantasy is.

What we do know is
you're the star of it.

It's Ryan. He says it's an emergency.

You okay? Yeah, they're here now.

Ryan's at home. There's another card
and a box at the door.

Tell him not to touch it.
We're on our way.

Okay, so every Tuesday,
Keri's firm has a staff meeting,

and it's catered
by a lot of different restaurants.

I'll add it to the list.

What do you see?

Look at the new photograph
Keri received in Maryland.

Now look at the old ones from Atlanta.
The muscle tone's changed.

The bicep is far more defined.

Also, skin color. He's tan.

Why do we care if he's lifting weights
and out in the sun?

We're looking at this
from a behavioral standpoint.

He's making improvements
to his appearance

and it's likely to impress Keri.

What does her fiancé look like?

Here it is.
I appreciate you driving Keri home.

Ever since this guy showed up again,
I've been taking her everywhere.

Would he send something
that could hurt me?

Probably not, but we don't want
to take any chances.

You really think this guy would do
something like that after all this time?

At this point, you haven't
done anything to provoke him.

It's just a pair of earrings.

They look like antiques.

It says they were his grandmother's.
Family heirloom.

He wants to make you
a part of his family.

Well, we have
the back of his head now.

He hopes that
you give him a gift soon, too.

What does that mean?

We should probably get this back
to the station and start a trace.

You can find him that way?

First-class mail's harder to track,
but we'll see.

Officers will be
driving by your house periodically,

looking for anything suspicious.

And you have my number
if anything happens.

We'll call and let you know
if we find anything.

Thank you.

His confidence is building
and now he wants something.

- What do you think that is?
- I don't know.

I'm scared about what happens
when she doesn't give it to him.

Is that what my mother said?
That he hit her?

We haven't spoken to your mother yet,

but we understand
it's being suggested by her attorney.

Unbelievable.

- She's actually blaming him?
- So you don't believe she was abused?

If anyone was abused, it was my father,

what he had to put up with
being married to her.

She was a lousy cook.
She couldn't do the laundry right.

The house was always filthy.
Hell, she couldn't even grocery shop

- without some kind of supervision.
- Supervision?

She'd get all the wrong things.

Wrong brands,
too much or too little of something.

And my father was
always patient with her. Always.

She's just... She isn't...

She's not bright.

- You mean she's mentally challenged?
- No, I mean she's stupid.

This is your mother
we're talking about here.

No, we're talking about a woman

who killed the only real parent
we've ever had.

Our father was kind and gentle
and loving.

He always had time for us. Always.

He was at every game,
every school event,

- everything important.
- And what about your mother?

She never went to anything.
Not once in my whole life.

I guess she just couldn't be bothered.

So if your father didn't
abuse your mother,

why did she kill him?

Probably just to take him away from us.

She was jealous that he loved us
more than her.

Why would she think that?

Because he said so all the time.

Come on.

Let me guess.
You don't want me to read?

We're going to fix dinner,
and we're going to do it together.

Are we going to pretend
there's not some weird guy

leaving me presents, too?

- What weird guy?
- I'll take that as a yes.

- Will you go check on him?
- Okay.

- The gate's open.
- What?

Brodie?

Keri Derzmond? Silver Spring PD.

I just saw your dog take off
down the street.

The only way to open the gate
is from the inside.

Which means
someone scaled the fence

so they wouldn't be seen.

All right, I want you both to go
back inside the house

and lock the door behind you.

- I should go look for Brodie.
- Keri, we need to go inside.

Oh, my...

- Where is he?
- This was on your neighbor´s lawn.

- Oh, God...
- It's okay, it's okay.

I miss her, too, Brodie.

I miss her, too.

This guy's definitely
trying to mirror Ryan.

He's even got the same haircut.

He's trying to replicate
what Keri's attracted to.

If he starts feeling good about himself,

he's going to find the courage
he needs to actually meet her.

Are we charging him with dognapping
now, too?

Taking a dog might not
seem like much to you,

but it tells us that he's desperately
trying to feel close to her.

He was bold enough
to break in her backyard.

Add that to his proven determination,

and we got ourselves
a serious escalation here.

I thought he was just messing with her.

We had Keri put flyers up.

We may get him to call
to return the dog.

- Would he do that?
- He wants to prove how much he cares.

Or he won't call if he's jealous of
how much attention the dog is getting.

If he really believes that he's ready
to eliminate all of his competition,

Ryan could be next.

You think he's got the guts
for a confrontation?

Well, he moved here, took Brodie.

He's not going to let anything
get in his way.

He cares about Keri.

Maybe he won't hurt her. He hasn't yet.

He doesn't want to.

But if he feels like
he's going to lose her, then he will.

- Lose her?
- He's been rejected his entire life.

To escape,
he built a vivid fantasy world

in which someone accepted him.

Me.

Worst-case scenario,
he gets you alone.

In which case,
it would be important for you

to play along with his delusions.

- You mean like tell him I love him?
- Within reason, do what he wants.

By gaining his trust,
he'll let his guard down,

and that's when
you can make your move.

You think it could come to that?

Well, not if we can help it.

We're going to have to
comb through your life

ever since he's been a part of it.

Haven't we already done that?

We're talking about each and every
moment for the last two years.

The answer could be
in the smallest detail.

Okay.

Perfect family.

- Two mattresses.
- It's less intimate.

She passed the murder weapon
every day.

And the kids said
she couldn't keep house.

I can't see anything out of place.

Look, even the hangers
are uniformly spaced.

And the shoes. I'll bet if we measured,
they'd be almost perfect.

The kids obviously adopted

their father's skewed perspective
of their mother.

The family that abuses together...

You know, I thought it was just
the angle of the crime scene photos.

There's obviously something missing.

- The rest of the blood.
- Somebody cleaned up.

This man's an incompetent suitor

seeking intimacy with a woman
unavailable to him.

He thinks he's courting his soul mate
who in reality is a total stranger to him.

He's making some
physical improvements,

but even if he is able to get enough
confidence together to speak to Keri,

she'd find it more like
talking to a 12-year-old boy.

A very dangerous one.

His obsession has heightened,

as indicated
by his following her to Maryland

and the amount of detail
in those letters.

He writes instead of calls,

which could mean that
he's afraid of how he'll sound.

He might be less educated
or have some sort of physical issue,

like a speech impediment.

He wouldn't have written
March 21st, 2006, in that first letter

if that date didn't actually
mean something to him.

It could be the first time
he saw her at the bank or the movies.

I mean, the possibilities are endless.

Their paths crossed
somewhere in Atlanta.

He followed her.

So we need to focus
on what she's doing here,

and how she's living. He's watching.

His move here means that
he's committed and unless he's caught,

he'll never break that commitment.

Yet if he perceives that she has...

We all know domestic disputes
can be some of the most violent.

And there's
nothing else pending?

No, no, it's okay.

We'll be back tomorrow. I'm going to
need the rest of you back then as well.

Okay, thanks.

They're working on
a single stalker case?

Mmm-hmm.

- All of them?
- Mmm-hmm.

JJ seems pretty passionate about it.

You know, sometimes you can see it,
but they all look pretty happy.

Happiness is easy to fake
when you only have a split second.

You should see
how many happy-looking photos

I have of me with my exes.

Were you ever happy
in any of your marriages?

I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

If I was, I can't remember.

I'm not sure if me

and the idea of being married
is a good mix.

- You kept trying.
- Well, I didn't have any kids.

What do you mean?

Well, I mean, I might have tried harder
if there were children involved.

- I tried.
- Hotch, I...

I gave absolutely everything to Haley
and Jack and my job.

So, something had to give.

Yeah. You're right.

But it doesn't mean that
I am any less committed

or try any less hard for my son.

Hey, Hotch, what the hell do I know?

The only people I've ever made happy
were divorce lawyers.

Well, we've got four failed marriages
between us.

We're experts at something.

Where does it all go wrong?

Everybody has their breaking point.
Your wife reached hers.

Jayj, I'm used to doing this
to America's most creepy,

but digging through Keri's life like this

makes me feel all gross and...

We have to in order to help.

Yeah, I know, but it's her business

why she takes a large cash withdrawal
out in Vegas.

Bachelorette party.

Or who she sends flowers
to every month in Wisconsin.

Her grandmother.

And, you know, she has, like,
awesome-town health insurance.

Yep.

And her private doctor
was voted Atlanta's best.

So why did she go to
the Atlanta Women's Health Clinic

not once, not twice, but three times?

Thanks.

We're looking
for a connection to March 21st.

Is that anyone's birthday
or anniversary?

No, the 21st doesn't mean
anything to me.

What's up?

Why'd you go to a clinic last year?

We need full disclosure, Keri.

Ryan doesn't know.

Back when we were figuring out
what this is...

If I was moving, I was pregnant.

And I couldn't have a baby. Not then.

That was your decision.

You don't have to explain that
to anyone.

I know.

It's just Ryan's career was taking off.

- I didn't want to trap him.
- Keri.

- I didn't want us to have any regrets.
- Keri...

Ryan.

Were you ever going to tell me?

- I thought you wanted to have kids.
- I do.

You didn't think I'd drop everything
to raise a baby?

I knew that's exactly what you'd do.

- I got to go.
- Wait, Ryan, I'm sorry.

Keri.

Damn it!

Thanks. That was Detective Berry.
He just took Ryan's police report.

He's got about $500
worth of damage to his car.

Hey, why are you taking this so hard?

Keri's life has been turned upside-down
for the past two years

and then we just come on in
and tear it up some more.

But to catch her stalker,
we have to ask those questions.

- She knew it would be uncomfortable.
- That's an understatement.

JJ, you fought for this case.

You wanted to help Keri. That's what
we're sitting here trying to do.

Then why do I feel like
we violated her, too?

Excuse me. Excuse me.

You do understand why you're here?

I killed my husband.

And you're aware that
you don't have to talk to us?

What else is there to say? I shot him.

Why?

- It's what I had to do.
- Had to?

It sounds terrible.

- Did Philip ever hit you?
- Hit me?

- Was he abusive?
- No. Never.

Not even when I probably deserved...

No, he was very patient with me.

- Why did he need to be patient?
- Well, are you kidding? Look at me.

After Nathan was born,
I completely let myself go. I'm fat!

I'm a terrible housekeeper,
I'm a terrible cook!

Yeah, believe me, I needed a husband
with a lot of patience.

Audrey, Nathan tells us that you never
attended any of his sports

or school functions.

That you were never there,
not even once.

- He's probably right.
- Why didn't you?

Well, I was doing
such a terrible job at home,

I didn't want to embarrass my kids
out in public, too.

I knew I'd seen him before.

At my dry cleaner's, at a restaurant.
I didn't know where else to go.

You did the right thing coming here.

Keri, you're going to get through this.
You're strong.

You've been smart. You've taken
every necessary precaution.

You're not helpless, Keri.
You're prepared and you're protected.

I needed to hear that.

Sounds like he's going
to try to talk to her.

- It could be a risky situation for him.
- Why him?

He's setting himself up for rejection,

and if he feels anger or shame,

there's a possibility
he could turn violent.

All right,
I'm going to get this picture out.

Just...

- JJ okay?
- Yeah, she will be. Once we get a lead.

That was Ryan.

He's taking off for a couple of days
to clear his head.

But he wants to talk first.
I'm going to meet him at the house.

All right, tell me what you've got.

- No one ever hit this woman.
- I knew it.

And yet she's been profoundly abused.

- What?
- Her abuse was psychological.

He had complete control over her.

He cut off all her contact
with the outside world.

You've heard of
Stockholm syndrome, right?

You're kidding me.

Prisoners of war, Patty Hearst,
Elizabeth Smart.

They all say the same thing,
they had no place else to go.

Why is it that men so easily believe

that the woman
must somehow be the victim?

- You asked our opinion.
- Come in with us.

There's one thing
we haven't asked her yet

that might interest you.

Hey!

- That's my dog!
- It's not your dog, buddy. Back off.

Look, I said it's not your dog. Back off!

Hey, will you back off?
It's not your dog!

You son of a bitch!
Stay away from Keri!

No! Help! No! Help!

What the hell happened?

Says some guy in an old brown van
paid him 50 bucks

to walk the dog up and down the street.
Told him to be careful,

someone in the neighborhood
was kidnapping people's pets.

Back door's off its hinges.

Her cell's still in the house, her wallet.

Her purse is on the bed. He just...

He just took her. I was right here.

Let's go inside.

What now?

Well, he finally got her.
He's not about to let her go.

Do you like it?

It's really nice.

How about the pictures of me?

It's good to finally see you in person.

- No, you've seen me before.
- Yeah, yeah, no, I know.

Where?

You mean the first time?

On the 21st?

God, you do remember.

Your haircut looks nice.

- You didn't like it long?
- No. That was good, too.

I've thought about cutting my hair.

No, don't you do that.
Don't you cut your hair!

Do you understand me?

There aren't any vans in Georgia
that have been transferred to Maryland.

So I am sending you registrations
and IDs from both states.

Pictures coming at you.

Let's start with Jeffrey Cramer,
Chris Geezy and Mike Hicks.

Okay. Cramer works at a grocery store.

Geezy is a heating and air tech.

And Hicks is on unemployment.

But he's an IT guy.

Last employed at Legal Grind,
tech support for law firms.

Keri's a lawyer. He might have
worked on her computer.

He has got no criminal record,
and his Social's listed at a bank there.

And the account lists Mike Hicks,
404 Lark Lane, Silver Spring.

Thanks, baby girl.
Well, we got a name and an address.

Would he really take Keri to his place?

It's unlikely,
but we should still check it out.

All right, I'll send a cruiser.

Every second we're here,
she's alone with him.

His obsession with Keri defines him.
He wants to make her happy.

He wouldn't take her
where he wants to go,

he'd take her where she wants to go.

Maybe someplace that
means something to the both of you.

I proposed to her
on Chesapeake Beach.

- Audrey, you know Ms. Alexander.
- Yes.

We'd like for you to take us through
the killing step by step,

as well as you can remember.

I had just...

I was finishing up the laundry.

And I was hanging up
my husband's shirts in the closet.

I looked over and I saw him on the bed.

And I knew it had to be then,
that that was my only chance.

And so I decided I had to kill him.

I picked up the gun and I shot him.

I shot my husband.

And then you sat there and waited
for someone to come home?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
I had to clean up.

- Why?
- Well, there was blood everywhere.

And did you clean up
to hide what you had done?

No.

No, I was going to tell Sarah
what I had done when she got home.

I wasn't hiding anything.

But then why clean all the blood up?

Because the police were
going to be coming.

Philip would have been furious
if I allowed all those strangers

into the house with a mess like that.

Her life's been punishment enough.

I'm going to have to drag her
through a trial.

I'll recommend she's charged
with criminally negligent homicide.

By the time it's over, she'll probably
get off with probation and time served.

Thank you for taking me away.

It's a really good place
for us to start over.

Can we take these off
now that we're safe?

God, they're softer than I remember.

When you got up from your desk
and I sat in your chair...

And you, you said, "Oops."

And I knew then. And you felt it, too.

It's kind of stuffy in here.

Let's go for a walk.
We can look at the water.

Yeah.

Okay.

It's so beautiful here.

Okay, okay. Let's put these away.
I just want to talk to you.

- Don't make me hurt her.
- You don't have to do that.

Michael, we don't want
to take her away from you.

Keri told me she wants to be with you.

It's true. I'm so happy now.

They think you're going to hurt me.
Put it down so we can be together.

Where do you want to go first?

We could go back to Atlanta.
We could find a little house.

Come here. Come here!

Take that! Here.

Get up. Get up!

How could you do this?

After everything I've done for us!

They can't keep us apart!

You did great.

He worked on my computer.
That's where I met him.

It's okay.

I found this in his van,
along with about 100 photos of Keri.

- Keri.
- February 21st, 2006.

A month later he sent his first letter.

He thought it was their anniversary.

Hey. It's over now.

Thank you.

Susan B. Anthony said,

"A woman must not depend
on the protection of man,

"but must be taught to protect herself."

- Hey, everyone's waiting.
- You should go.

- Keri's going to be okay.
- I know.

Okay, then what is it?
Because you've been a little off.

Really, I'm just... I'm tired.

Okay. Well, go home. Get some sleep.

Hey, it's me. You got a minute?

Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine.

We just really need to talk.

I'm pregnant.