Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 7, Episode 6 - Epilogue - full transcript

Previously on Criminal Minds:

It would be nice
if we saw each other more than

once ever three or four years.

So, give me the update.

Anybody serious in your life?

No. There isn't.

I think she's putting
some feelers out

to see if that old spark
is still there.

Is it?

I'm crazy, right?

We don't always get
second chances in life, Rossi.



Hey, what's going on with you?

Last year I was diagnosed
with ALS,

Lou Gehrig's disease.

It won't be long now.

I came to ask you,

when it's time,
will you help me end my life?

Cool night.

Still waters.

Just the way the fish like it.

Mm-hmm.

You could at least act like
you're having fun.

Mom told me never to lie.

No one likes a smart-ass.

You haven't
caught anything either.



Can we go in now?

Not until we hook our dinner.

I thought you were
drinking yours tonight.

What'd you say?

You got a real attitude problem,
you know that?

Take your shirt off.

Sorry.

Sir, it won't happen again.

Take your shirt off.

You're never going
to grow up to be a man

if you don't learn respect.

No wonder your mother left.

She couldn't face
having a worthless...

...arrogant...

...bastard for a son.

MAN Nick.

Nick!

Wake up! We saw something

going on across the lake,
so we left to check it out.

What do you mean
you guys left me?

Listen, bro,
we tried to wake you.

Dude, you got to get over here.

How? You took the canoes.

There are police everywhere.

They found a body in the lake.

Look across.

We got another one.

There's-there's another body.

I can't see anything.
Come back and get me.

Okay, Sandra's
heading your way now.

She'll be there
in a couple of minutes.

Who's that with you?

What? No one.

I'm alone.

Nick, look out!

Nick!

Nick, are you there?

Nick!

Nick, what the hell
is going on?

So don't miss that face.

No matter how many
cases we solve,

there's always more.

Insert Dr. Reid's
statistic about

active serial killers
at any given time here.

Reid?

JJ
Spencer...

There's something wrong.

Why do you say that?

He's been reading
the same page

for 16 minutes and 24 seconds.

Maybe it's a
really good article.

It's never taken him longer
than 11 minutes, 17 seconds

to turn a page.

You time how long it...

What's your theory?

I'm extrapolating
probabilities as we speak.

Oh, hey.

Rossi, you think you could help
me with a consult

for Wildwood PD?

Uh, sure.

Now that, I noticed.

Is something going on?

How did it go the other night?

What happened the other night?

Are you okay?

Uh, why wouldn't I be?

You seem distracted.

I'm considering a purchase...

Come on now, Rossi,

you know we're not buying that.

What's really going on?

Uh, look,

it was a late night with Ringo
and not enough coffee.

I mean, the guy's
a world-class drummer,

but don't think I didn't wipe
the floor with him in Rock Band.

All right, what do you think?

He could be telling the truth.

I only played him
to the easy level.

I can't tell.

And you never will.

Let's get started.

Okay,

this is Ridge Canyon Lake

in California's
Angeles National Forest.

It's popular destination
for water sport enthusiast.

Unfortunately some campers
have discovered

someone has chosen murder

as their sport of choice.

Three victims, all male,

all found early this morning.

He used an underwater
disposal site?

Mm-hmm, he weighed them down
with rocks,

and then he hid
their bodies underneath

shrubbery around
the lake's edge.

That's pretty risky, keeping a
graveyard at a popular lake.

This guy's showing
confidence early.

Well, we should run
priors in the area.

This might not be
his first party.

All three victims were
reported missing last week,

and each of the bodies
was discovered more than

30 miles from where
they went missing.

Any indication
of sexual assault?

Not external signs,
but time in the water

might have destroyed evidence.

Autopsies are
being conducted now.

And I'm going to make
matters worse.

This is Nick Skirvin,

and he was abducted
early this morning.

HOTCH; Witness reports
indicate a blitz attack.

His friends
were on the water

and saw a figure
strike Nick from behind

just before they lost contact.

Could they
give a description?

Uh, probably white,
definitely male.

Nothing more specific.
They said the UnSub

had dragged Nick into
the woods by the time

- they reached the shore.
- Fast and efficient.

And he is unafraid
of a heavy police presence.

If he's dumping the bodies
in one location,

it's a good bet the area
means something to him.

He probably lives in
or near the forest.

Unfortunately,
Angeles National Forest

is 1,016 square miles
of terrain

ranging in elevation from
1,200 to 10,064 feet.

Which means if the UnSub
is familiar with the area,

Nick Skirvin could be anywhere.

NICK
No!

That's not why Mom left.

What'd you say?

I said, that's not why Mom left!

Is that right?

She said 'cause
your rod was broken,

and this whole time,

I thought she was talking
about fishing.

ROSSl:
"To die is poignantly bitter.

"But the idea of having to die

without having lived
is unbearable. "

Erich Fromm.

With no apparent evidence

of physical violence
or sexual assault,

we could be looking at an UnSub

who gets off on
the torture of drowning.

So, what's the significance
of the water burial?

Is he visiting the dump sites
to relive his crimes,

or is he using it as
a forensic counter measure?

Could be both.

If the dump site's doubling
as his trophy collection,

he won't be happy
it's been disturbed.

He'll want to make
a new one quickly.

Uh, guys,
I'm afraid that's just happened.

Nick Skirvin's body
has been recovered.

Only it wasn't found
in Ridge Canyon,

it was found in Lake Banter,
which is 20 miles away.

Visual aid to follow.

And postscript,
you do not want to know

how many hits you get
if you Google this forest

plus murder.

To say it should be called the
Angeles National UnSub Dumpsite

is an understatement.

How was the body recovered
so quickly?

It wasn't weighed down.

Nick's body was just found

at the edge of the lake
by some campers.

Garcia, start compiling a list
of missing persons

- and crimes in the area.
- Faster than a Hotch Rocket.

So the UnSub knew
that his burial site

had been compromised
and he adapted

by venturing outside
his comfort zone.

And he changed his victimology.

Look at Nick Skirvin compared to
the other three victims.

They were all dark haired
well built men.

But Nick is an average blonde.

ROSSl:
He could be an impulsive kill,

not thought out like the others.

Then why not submerge the body?

Allowing it to be
discovered so soon,

seems counterintuitive
to the self-preservation

instincts he's displayed so far.

The disturbance of his old
disposal site

could have thrown him
off his game.

Or he's trying to shake us.

By using another lake,

he just doubled the size
of his killing field.

And our search area.

This is even more isolated
than Ridge Canyon.

He's got to be local.

Hey, did your team
come this way?

All right, looks like he
dragged Nick up through here.

That path comes from the
direction of the road.

There's no waterway
connecting the two lakes.

It's 44 miles from
the abduction site.

With the forest
smack in between.

A truck or a camper would
conceal his victims.

If he's dragging his victims,

he's probably too weak
to carry them.

He might have switched
to a smaller target

to help navigate his terrain.

He also didn't
weigh this body down.

Maybe he can't
complete his ritual

- without the proper surrogate.
Well, if that's the case,

then killing Nick didn't give
the UnSub his release.

He's already looking
for his next victim.

Okay.

So we all need life vests.

We can get them at
the rental shack.

Wait, wait, yeah, let's go.

Whoo!

Let's head out.

How's that new 35 working? Okay?

I think it's right up here.

We were on the two-way...

and then he was gone.

I never should've left him.

You said you saw a man
at the campsite?

We-we were too far away to help.

I paddled as hard as I could,
but...

ROSSl:
Phinny,

this wasn't your fault.

Try telling that to my parents.

You find the son of a bitch
who killed my brother.

We will.

But first I need to know:

is it possible that Nick
met someone at the lake

that would have followed him?

We hung out with a lot
of people last night.

There was a party on the beach.

Did Nick make any new friends?

Nick always makes friends.

Do you remember if
anyone stuck out,

looked like they didn't belong?

Okay. Thank you, ma'am.

Bye.

Anything?

UnSub blends in
with a younger crowd.

I'd say we're looking at

mid-20s to early 30s.

You?
Well, he's methodical.

Social, too: he's been able
to isolate all of his victims.

The mother of Jake Shepherd,
our first victim,

said there were several
members of their church

at the lake that day.

But Jake was the only one
with brown hair

who matched the age preference
of the UnSub.

Nick's brother, Phinny,
is a brunette,

and he's a lot like these guys.

Why not go after him?

I don't know.

He chose Nick Skirvin
for a reason.

We need to figure out why.

Damn it!

I'm out of gas!

All the victims were drowned,

but the first victim,
Jake Shepherd,

was asphyxiated
before being submerged.

Jake was the biggest.

The UnSub may have
had to strangle him

to render him unconsciousness
for the drowning.

He wasn't just unconscious.

There's pretty intense
damage to the trachea.

He was dead before
going in the water.

But with Nick,

he used a blow to the head

to incapacitate him.

So this UnSub wants his victims

alive when he drowns them.

This is the interesting part.

In all four victims,
evidence of broken ribs

and damage to the sternum

indicate severe
chest compression,

yet there are no signs
of external trauma.

So somebody attempted to
perform CPR on these victims?

And was successful.

Inflammation to the lungs
indicates matter expulsion

- prior to brain death.
He kills them,

then resuscitates them. Why?

We've seen
hero complexes before.

Rodney Alcala killed and
resuscitated his victims.

These UnSubs get
off on the power

of bringing people
back from the dead.

He's not a very
good hero, is he?

These victims didn't survive.

Dr. Carroll,
is it possible to tell

if any of these victims
were resuscitated

more than once?

The indicator is the
inflammation in the lungs,

combined with broken ribs.
Severe inflammation could,

theoretically, point toward
multiple resuscitations.

Okay, given that theory,
how many of the four?

All but the first victim,
Jake Shepherd.

The guy might have tried,

but with the damage
to Jake's throat,

he wouldn't have been able to

expel the water from his lungs.

You need a hand?

Yeah.

Hi, I'm... I'm Chase.
Here.

Lacey.

Here, let me help you with that.

Oh, I thought I was never
gonna get this thing out.

Damn thing ran out of gas.

Oh, no worries.

I'll give you a lift
back to the dock.

I should probably
stay with the Jet Ski.

Are you kidding?

Didn't you hear
what happened this morning?

The bodies?

Yeah, it's crazy.

Right?

Who knows where that guy is?

Better that thing be
on its own than you.

You're right.

Looks like we're definitely
looking at a sadist.

Killing them once isn't enough.

He has to resuscitate
his victims

until he can't
bring them back again.

So why the change

from choking
to multiple drowning?

With the damage
to Jake's throat,

the UnSub wasn't able to
successfully resuscitate him.

Resuscitating them makes
him feel more powerful.

Which means he has no power
in his everyday life.

Well, the change in victimology
is interesting.

Nick Skirvin was the smallest,

but he had the most
defensive wounds on his body.

He fought back the most.

Maybe the UnSub was injured
in one of the attacks.

He's targeting easier prey

to complete his endgame.

Excuse me.

There's something else.
The M.E. tested

diatom levels in the bodies,

and it turns out the UnSub
drowns his victims

at different locations
every time,

not just where he abducts them

or where the bodies
are later discovered.

Well, that's pretty risky,

considering the community's
on full alert.

This guy's intelligent,
resourceful,

and criminally sophisticated.

Why is transporting the bodies

so important to him?

Come on, Lacey, please.

Wake up.

Wake up!

Wake up!

Come on!

Wake up!

Wake up! Wake up!

Chase, wake up!

Damn it, wake up!

CHASE
Stop.

He killed a woman this time?

This guy's all over the map.

Diatom readings indicate

he didn't move the body
after he drowned her.

Postmortem wounds.

Overkill consistent with rage.

Is he unraveling because we took
away his underwater graveyard?

She lasted longer in the fight
than Nick Skirvin.

This feels desperate.

Take a look at this.

There was blood on the body

that didn't match type
to the victim.

It shows a severely low
white blood cell count.

I'm running tests
to be more conclusive.

If this UnSub is sick
and getting weak,

it would explain
why he's no longer

weighing his victims down.

Well, the only consistency
to his M.O.

is the drowning
and resuscitation.

That's what's most
important to him.

If that's the case, I'd say
he isn't too happy right now.

Why is that?

There's bruising
consistent with CPR,

but no inflammation
of the lungs,

no signs of expulsion.

She wasn't successfully revived.

The UnSub,

or Unknown Subject,
we're looking for

is a white male in
his mid-to-late 20s.

He dumped Nick Skirvin's body
in Banter Lake,

and then was compelled to
circle back to Ridge Canyon.

We believe, therefore,
that he's local to the area.

This UnSub is a sadist
with a God complex.

He gets off by killing his
victims over and over again.

And it's vital that he's able to
bring them back from the dead.

He went from choking

and carrying fit men
to their watery graves,

to drowning and dumping
smaller victims unceremoniously.

Diatom levels indicate

that he has now stopped moving
his victims altogether.

I'm sorry, diatom levels?

Diatoms are algae in water

that help us pinpoint time
and location of drowning.

Because of the changes
to his behavior,

we believe he's most likely

been injured or sick.

He's definitely
experienced in CPR.

We need to look at doctors,

lifeguards, anyone with
training in resuscitation.

ROSSl: You should put younger
cops on the lakes undercover.

See if they can lure him out.

The small, less imposing ones

you can find, the better.

Well, we could grab a couple
guys from the academy.

ROSSl:
Perfect. But move quickly.

He's accelerated
his attack schedule.

He won't wait long
to strike again.

Damn it!

Where's the spare?

I think that is the spare.

Oh, of course,
there's no reception.

There was a gas station,
about a mile back.

You want me to hoof it,
see if they have any tires?

No, you stay with the car.

- The walk will calm me down.
- Mom.

What?

Are you kidding me?

I think after this
I deserve one.

And I deserve a mother
who lives to see me graduate.

You're a good son.

No matter what
anyone else might say.

Funny.

I'll be back within an hour.

No getting a pack
at the station, either.

Love you!

I take it that wasn't Ringo

inviting you to another party
on the phone yesterday.

It was Carolyn.

She has ALS.

Rossi, I'm, uh...

What do you need?

It's not what I need, Emily.

It's what she's asking me to do.

The disease is acting quickly.

Carolyn is already suffering,

and she doesn't want
to go out that way.

She wants to die
on her own terms.

And when this case is over,

and we get back...

...she asked
if I would help her do it.

What are you gonna do?

I don't have a choice.

Oh, thank God.

Is evertyhing okay, ma'am?

Can you help me, please?

I got a flat just up the road,

and my son, Evan,
is waiting on me.

Sure.

Hop in; I'll give you a lift.

Thanks.

That was Dr. Carroll.

Preliminary test results
show the UnSub

has cancer of the blood.

He's dying.

All right, wait a minute.

Witnesses said Jake Shepherd,
the first victim,

was out on the lake
for a baptism, right?

He was with his congregation.

Well, those water burials
could be seen

as a form of baptism, too.

Especially when dealing with
an UnSub who has a God complex.

What if there's a religious
or spiritual motivation

to why the UnSub is doing this?

- GARCIA Speak and
be heard. -Garcia,

I need you to pull a list
of patients in the area

with any form of blood cancer.

I will make HIPAA my bitch, sir.

I also need information

on Jake Shepherd,
religious ties,

spiritual background,
anything.

Oh, all that information

will make for a fast search.

Give me a mo...
Spiritual...

Something heaven-sent
other than my angelic self.

Bam.

Whoa.

Jake Shepherd joined the church

after a near-death experience
changed his life.

What happened to him?

He was in an ATV accident;
he coded for four minutes.

He was life-lined to LA

where they managed
to revive him, but clinically,

he did die.

Death and resuscitation?

That sounds a little too similar
to our UnSub's M.O.

- to be a coincidence.
- All right, Garcia, dig deeper.

Jake Shepherd's death
wasn't random.

It is on like ObiWan.

Garcia out.

So, a terminally ill UnSub

targets a man
who came back from the dead,

and then starts
killing repeatedly.

I mean, am I crazy,
or is this

about a guy trying to come
to terms with his own death?

Yeah, but finding out
you're gonna die isn't enough

- to make somebody a psychopath.
It does, however,

explain why he stopped
strangling his victims.

How do you find out about death?

You ask someone who died.

Is he bringing his victims back

so he can talk to them?

Evan? Are you Evan?

Are you Evan?

Is... is your name Evan?

Is your mom Samantha?

Yeah, that's me.
What's going on?

Okay, you have to come quickly.
There's been an accident.

Your mom's been hurt.
Well, what happened?

Where is she?
- Come with me.

Hello?

Who's there?

Chase. Chase. Chase.

Come on.

Come on.

Did you see it?
The darkness?

The light?

Did you see?

Mom?

Don't look at him.

Look at me.

What did you see?

Jeepers,

the more I dig,
the more peculiar it gets.

Okay, the first victim,
Jake Shepherd,

had an interesting life,
and I'm using "interesting"

in replace of the phrase,
"he was a big hoodlum. "

He had a history of truancy,
petty theft,

domestic disturbances,

all of which landed him
in the juvenile hall

for some stints during
high school, as you can imagine.

Was there trouble at home?

Not at all.

Jake just fell in
with the wrong crowd.

What kind of crowd?

The drug and sexy parties kind.

But all of that changed
after his accident

six months ago.

After he died.

He didn't just die.

He was saved.

Jake Shepherd saw the light.

Like, literally.

He spoke of a gentle light

and a silhouetted figure bathed
in warmth who welcomed him

but told him it wasn't his time.

He woke up a changed man.

He believed.

If this UnSub
is so obsessed with death,

then Jake Shepherd was
the perfect person to talk to.

He'd been there and back again.

But come on, guys,

gentle lights, shadowy figures.

Those are the lights
in the emergency room

and the doctors hovering
over the patients.

We all know that.

No one actually sees
the afterlife.

I did.

Before Tobias Hankel
resuscitated me,

I had that exact experience,

and I wasn't
in an emergency room.

I was in a shed.

Reid, you never told me that.

I'm a man of science.

I- I didn't know
how to deal with it.

Th-There's no quantifiable proof
that God exists,

and yet, in that moment,
I was faced with something

that I couldn't explain.

I still can't.

What if this UnSub

has had a similar experience,

and this is his way
of looking for answers?

ROSSl:
If that's the case,

why kill Jake Shepherd,
why not just talk to him?

He wanted to see

if he had
the same experience as before.

Once isn't enough?

Not if Jake didn't see
the same thing the UnSub did.

He wants to know
if the experience can change.

I can relate to that.

Um, Reid felt

a warmth and saw a light.

When I coded in the ambulance,

all I felt was cold
and darkness.

And I would like to think

that there's a different future
waiting for me.

You actually died?

All right, but
resuscitation is hit or miss.

He can't guarantee that he can
actually bring anyone back,

let alone that anyone
will remember what happened

in their moment
of so-called death.

ROSSl:
Reid, what's the best way

to make sure his victims
had an experience?

Keep them dead longer.

I think your mom needs a break.

Let's see how you do.

All right, thanks.

An SUV has just been
found abandoned

near Ridge Canyon Lake.

Car belongs to a Samantha Brown.

Park log shows that she was
there with her son, Evan.

Let's go.

He's abducted two at once.

He needs to find a spot
on the lake

where he can control them.

Somewhere isolated
that gives him the time he needs

for his resuscitation ritual.

How would he keep them
dead longer, Reid?

There's a saying
in the medical community

that you're not dead
until you're warm and dead.

Colder water temperatures
could lead to hypothermia

which would offer
the best chance

for successful reanimation.

Conferencing Garcia.

Give it to me, baby.

Garcia, our UnSub's
got two more victims,

and he's most likely taking them

to the coldest part
of Ridge Canyon Lake.

We need to intercept them;
what do you got?

Okay,
checking water temperatures.

We have several cold spots.

What's with the pinging,
Penelope?

The colder spots just match

the most recent victim's
diatom levels.

The UnSub's been getting
colder and colder

the whole time.

Cross-reference
water temperatures

wit your list of prior deaths
in the area.

This lake means something to him
other than cold water.

If he died once before,

there should be a report
about it or another trauma

that keeps him rooted here.

We profiled that he could be

a first responder
or knows the area well,

so cross with your list
of local law enforcement

and park officials.

Oh, God.

Daniel Whitaker

was murdered 15 years ago.

He was a park attendant;
his dock is

in the coldest part
of Ridge Canyon Lake.

Who killed him, Garcia?

His son, Chase.

Daniel physically assaulted
his son

and then buried him alive
when he was 16.

There was no mom in the picture.
Chase got off light.

He was out at 18.

Garcia,
check his medical history.

Um...

Oh. Oh, Chase was diagnosed
with lymphoma when he was ten.

It went into remission when
he was 12, but a few months ago,

he was diagnosed
with stage four,

and he's been given
three months to live.

The idea of having

to face death again

must be what sent him
over the edge.

Guy's been haunted
his whole life

by whatever he experienced
that night.

Send us the address, Garcia.

Come and get me,
you son of a bitch!

Help!

On the dock!

I need a medic!

Help!

Help!

Let go of me!

Chase Whitaker! FBl!

Stay back!

Let him go.

I can't.

You hurt him,
you won't be alive long enough

to know what he has to say.

I need answers.

There are no answers, Chase.

Nobody gets to know what happens
when we die.

That's why people have faith.

Faith in what?

My life has been one
nightmare after another.

What happened to you

as a boy wasn't fair,
but neither is this.

Let him go.

Chase.

Chase. Chase.

Chase. Chase. Chase.

Hello, Dad.

It's not your time, Chase.

It's not your time, Chase.

No!

It's not your time, Chase.

You're under arrest.

Mom?

ROSSl: "The timing of death,
like the ending of a story,

gives a changed meaning
to what preceded it. "

Mary Catherine Bateson.

You look like hell.

You want to talk about it?

Not really.

You can't save everyone, David.

You know that.

I lost you once.

I don't want to lose you again.

You have to let me go.

I can't.

Life is worth fighting for.

Fighting?
Oh, fighting for what?

For what?

Look at me.

Pretty soon, I'm not even gonna
be able to walk.

I want to go out as I am,

as I've lived,

not, not who
I'm going to become.

I can't help you.

What you're asking,

I can't.

I know.

I knew you never could.

You spout
all that profiler talk,

but really the best way

to get to know someone
is to marry them.

You... are the best man

I've ever known.

That's why I wanted you
to be with me tonight.

What have you done?

Oh. Oh, shh.

Just come sit.

It won't be long now.

No, don't.

They won't get here in time.

- Please.
- I have to try.

No, don't!

Don't!

Don't let me die in a hospital.

David...

Please.

It's fast, it's fast.

I'm already tired.

Do... do you think
he'll be there?

I know he will.

Oh...