03x18 - The Crossing

[bunniefuu]

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

I'm sorry. I can't find my ticket.

Phone number.

Just...

I've got a line out the door.

301... 555-0194.

Ok, th22's $at.

Excuse me.

Keri derzmond.

Yes.

Insurance card.

Can't find you in the system.

No, I--I'm in there.

Wait a sec.

D-e-r-z-m-o-n-D.

Are you still on foxborough drive?

Everything is still the same.

Sign here.

Here you go.

Thank you.

He's back. He found me again.

Fear is the w*apon.

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.

TERRORISM SEMINAR, BOSTON

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 for the 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 v*olence 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 sh*t.

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

What if she isn't... lying?

That's not gonna be a problem.

Her husband can't defend himself from what she's saying about him any more than he could against the shotgun.

Doesn't that bother anyone?

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

Her attorney's already agreed to let her.

He 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, righ t?

I can see why you'd meet with her.

Your 10:30's here.

Ok. Just give me one minute.

Uh, I'm keri derzmond.

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 2 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 2 years?

I used to be in atlanta.

I moved here 6 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.

Criminal Minds Season03 Episode18

The Crossing 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.

2 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.

Ok, 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, and he's way past the first level of 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.

Ok.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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. There's no driver's license, no passport, no bank account.

BOSTON, P. D.

It's 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 medic ralecords 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 k*ll 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.

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 k*ller.

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 shorthanded.

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.

They do have 4 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 3 days after he threw acid in her face.

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

I cannot make that same mistake again.

Ok. 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 21, 2006.

That was a tuesday.

Ok, 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.

Prentiss: 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.

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 ok? 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.

Ok, 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 has 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?

Well, 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 fiance 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.

He says there 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, uh, 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 k*lled 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 k*ll 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 gonna fix dinner, and we're gonna do it together.

Are we gonna 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?

Ok.

The gate's open.

What?

Brodie?

Keri derzmond? Silver spring P. D.

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.

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.

Where is he?

This was on your neighbor's lawn.

It's ok, it's ok.

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.

He starts feeling good about himself, he's gonna find the courage he needs to actually meet her.

We charging him with dognapping now, too?

Taking the 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've got ourselves a serious escalation here.

I thought he was just messin' 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?

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 gonna 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 vemo.

You think it could come to that?

Well, not if we can help it.

We're gonna 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 2 years.

The answer could be in the smallest detail.

Ok.

The perfect family.

Two mattresses.

That's less intimate.

She passed the m*rder w*apon 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 bet if we measured, they'd be almost perfect.

The kids obviously adopted their father's skewed perspective of their mother.

Rossi: 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 uls sohi mate who in reality is a total stranger to him.

He's making some physical improvements.

But even if he's 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 21, 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 ok.

Um, we'll be back tomorrow. I'm gonna need the rest of you back then as well.

Ok. Thanks.

They're working on a single stalker case?

All of them?

Jj seems pretty passionate about it.

You know, sometimes u yocasen e it, but, uh...

They all look pretty happy.

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

You should see how many y-happlooking 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 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 4 failed marriages between us. We're experts at something.

Where does it all go wrong?

Everybody has their breaking point.

Your wife reached hers.

Jj, 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 ugh.

We have to in order to help.

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 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 3 times?

Thanks.

Prentiss: We're looking for a connection to march 21.

Is it anyone's birthday or annerivsary?

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

What's up?

Why'd you go to the clinic last year?

We need full disclosure, keri.

Bryan doesn't know.

Back when...

We were figuring out what this is...

If I was moving...

I was pregnant.

And I couldn't-- 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 gonna 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 gotta go.

Wait, ryan. I'm sorry.

Keri.

Oh, damn it!

Thanks. That was detective berry.

He just took ryan's police report.

He's got about $500's 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 2 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?

You do understand why you're here?

I k*lled my husband.

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

What else is there to say? I sh*t 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 des-- 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.

No, 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 cleaners, at a restaurant.

I didn't know where else to go.

You did the right thing coming here.

Keri, you're gonna get through this. You're strong.

You've been smart. You're taking every necessary precaution.

You're not helpless, keri.

You're prepared and you're protected.

I needed to hear that.

Sounds like he's gonna 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 possibilit yhe could turn violent.

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

Jj ok?

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, guys, 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 w*r, 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.

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!

Get off! 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.

Ah, you've seen me before.

Yeah, no, I know.

Where?

You mean the first time?

On the 21st?

You do remember.

Your haircut looks nice.

You didn't like it long.

No, I-- that was good, too, I thought.

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 I. D. S for both states.

Pictures coming at you.

Let's start with jeffrey cramer, chris geezy, and mike hicks.

Ok. Cramer works at a grocery store.

Geezy is a heating and air tech, and hicks is on unemployment.

But he's an I. T. Guy.

Last employed at legal grind, tech support for law firms.

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

He's 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.

All right, 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.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

He wants********

Maybe*********

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Yes.

We'd like for you to take us through the k*lling step by step, as well as you can remember.

I had just-- I was finishing up the laundry, and, uh, 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 k*ll him.

I picked up the g*n...

And I sh*t him.

I sh*t my husband.

And then you...

Sat there and waited for someone to come home?

Oh, 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 gonna 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?

Oh, 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 that you felt it, too.

It's kind of stuffy in here.

Let's go for a walk.

We can look at the water.

Now.

Ok.

It's so beautiful here.

Ok, ok.

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 gonna hurt me.

Put it down so we can be together.

Where do you want to go first?

We could, uh, we could go back to atlanta.

We could find a little house.

Come here. Come here!

Take that.

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 ok.

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

Keri.

February 21, 2006.

A month later, he sent his first letter.

He thought it was their anniversary.

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."

Everyone's waiting.

You should go.

Keri's gonna be ok.

I know.

Ok. Then what is it? Because you've been a little off.

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

Ok. Well, go home. Get some sleep.

Hey, it's me. Got a minute?

Yeah, I'm fine. Fine. Uh, we just really need to talk.

I'm pregnant.