08x10 - The Lesson

[bunniefuu]

Every time I wake up...

I'm disappointed...

I didn't die.

The crappy food, the bedsores...

It's bad enough being stuck with coma boy drooling all day, but every time I see your face, I feel sorry for the woman who's gotta look at it.

Mr. James, that's enough.

[Chuckles]

You probably go home, all alone, with a sleazy magazine and cheap Chinese, crying yourself to sleep on your saggy couch.

You know what?

All I have to do is turn up the morphine and you'll be dead.

[Laughing]

Oh. Oh. You k*ll me, and I'll haunt you till the day you die.

When you wake up, you'll see my face.

When you go to work, you'll see my face.

And every time you kiss that $3.00 whore you call a wife, you'll see my face laughing at you.

Ha ha ha ha.

Laughing at you, as she lays there pretending to enjoy it, when we all know she'd rather be with the postman.

[Laughing]

Am I right?

I'm right, aren't I?

Aren't I? Ha ha ha ha!

Oh, you're right.

Oh.

[Beeping]

[Screaming]

Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!

Sir-- daddy!

Daddy! Daddy!

Sir--you've been in a coma, sir.

Just relax.

Just relax.

Just relax.

[Gasping]

Sir.

Hey.

This is your lucky day.

[Laughing]

[Laughter echoing]

[Woman sobbing]

She's screaming.

I'm worried someone's gonna hear her.

I'll handle it.

Are you sure we should keep her?

She's perfect.

Don't you agree, Mr. Conrad?

What chapter are you on?

The part where she's at the coal mines.

Say what you will about his writing, Maeve, it's fascinating the way he weaves characters into situations, right?

Yeah, I mean, I'm not sure what I think of it.

It's slightly obtuse.

Yeah, he tends to be that way.

I probably should have warned you.

He's not really anything like sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Chuckles]

Still my favorite.

Guess what.

What?

I think the stalker's gone.

The emails have stopped.

Really? Since when?

Two weeks ago.

Why didn't you tell me?

I wanted to make sure.

What about the phone calls?

No, I haven't gotten any.

No more heavy breathing on the machine, no more hang-ups.

You know, oftentimes when a stalker's advances are completely ignored, their erotomanic fantasies will be diverted to a more receptive target.

I went to the store yesterday.

I even sat in the cafe and had coffee without my disguise on.

Something deep inside my gut tells me he's gone.

I think it's over, Spencer.

Well, our instincts exist for a reason.

They're definitely a response to specific...

I want to meet you.

...environmental stimuli.

Did you hear me, Spence?

Yeah, I--I-- no, I heard you.

Well, what do you think?

I think it's time.

Let's get started.

Uh...

Sorry I'm late, guys.

I had an appointment.

Yeah. Okay.

3 days ago, Bruce Phillips was found dead with his blond hair dyed black.

He had been put in a box and left on a busy street.

Rossi: A custom-made box.

Maybe our unsub was a carpenter.

Morgan: He stuffed him in there practically folding him in half.

He had also been hung and restrained and that's where the plot thickens like bad soup.

Yesterday, Justin Marks and Connie Foster, who were dating, they went missing two miles away from the first abduction site.

A couple?

He's escalating.

Yes. This morning Justin's body was found.

He had been hung. He had been stuffed in a box left in an alley.

Officers say his brown hair had been dyed black.

Connie's still missing.

So he probably still has her.

Why would he reject Justin overnight but keep the first male victim for two days?

Something about him didn't work out.

Look at his neck.

He was hung multiple times.

The question is, what does he do with Connie?

He could make her watch him abuse the men or have asphyxiative sex with them.

Well, a brunette male and a woman are crucial to this guys fantasy.

Well, he's kept Connie.

Maybe she's the object of his desire.

Well, our first order of business is finding her and then making sure he doesn't do this again.

Wheels up in 30.

[Sobbing]

Shh, shh.

Please, please, just tell me where Justin is.

Shh, shh, shh.

Please, tell me what you did with him.

Please, just tell me that he's okay, please.

Connie, I can't do that.

[Whimpering]

Just like this...

There, like that.

There.

There.

Just stay there.

[Sobbing]

Boo-hoo.

Boo-hoo-hoo.

Say cheese.

[Sobbing]

Cheeeeese...

♪ Criminal Minds 8x10 ♪

The Lesson
Original air date on December 5, 2012

♪

Reid: William Shakespeare once wrote, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind."

All right, let's go over victimology.

Both male victims had their hair dyed black, and the woman is a brunette.

The guys are similar.

Same ages, same builds.

They were also abducted outside their homes, which were all in the same area.

So they were probably being stalked.

Was Connie with her boyfriend when she was abducted?

It looks that way.

Her purse was found on the ground outside of his house.

So this involves some kind of ruse.

It's difficult to lure most people from the security of their own homes.

Well, some people let their guard down.

Yeah, but stalking victims vary their routes home.

They enter and exit through different doors, they wear disguises. They don't talk to anyone in their driveway.

They hardly talk to anyone at all.

They're--they're terrorized.

Okay, so maybe they were followed, Reid.

I mean, bottom line is the unsub escalated.

The first male was abducted alone, the second was with his girlfriend.

Well, what do we know about her?

Connie was in her 30s, baked cakes for a living, she never had a run-in with the law.

Assuming he kept her, what's the reason?

She's a necessity. Somehow she fits into his fantasy.

And so far, that need may be what's keeping her alive.

So what we know is that we have an unsub with a fantasy or a deep desire that requires the man to look a specific way.

Since he rejected Justin so quickly, he's probably looking for a replacement as we speak.

Did you get it?

Yeah, I got everything.

Nails, wire.

We still need a crank.

We don't have a lot of time.

Tomorrow will be here before we know it.

Yeah, but we can't just choose anybody.

It has to be the right guy.

Someone with black hair, same size, and nothing less than perfect.

Gin rummy.

[Starts car]

[Banging] Help!

Help!

Please help!

Help, please!

Oh, my God.

Please!

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

You've gotta help!

Please, please, you gotta help.

What happened?

Do you have a phone?

Yes. Come in.

This is a pretty open disposal site.

The unsub wasn't trying to hide his victim.

Detective Martin, is this how he was found?

The crime scene's exactly how we found him.

The coroner's office was pretty backed up due to a bus crash, so CSI just finished working the scene.

Look at the box.

It's like he's on display.

How considerate.

Okay, so this was taken the day he was abducted.

His hair was longer then.

Blake: And he painted his nails red.

He didn't do that to the first guy.

So what's going on here?

He's trying to emasculate them.

It's all part of the unsub's fantasy.

[Crying] Please, somebody help me.

Uh!

[Gasping]

What are you doing?

Please...

Please just let me go.

How can I let you go?

We haven't even started.

What did I do to you?

Please...

Please let...

Let me help you.

[Whimpering]

You know, you really should get some rest.

You have bags under your eyes.

Did you k*ll Justin?

It wasn't right.

The next one will be better.

Do you want me to set up?

Yes. Yes, please, set up.

[Crying]

Now...

I have to take your clothes off.

No, please... No.

No, please, get away from me.

I'm sorry, but it's the only way I can work.

No... No...

No!

No!

[Sobbing]

No!

Hotch, our latest abductee looks just like our last two victims.

His house is in the hunting zone?

Smack in the middle.

Roommate came home and saw blood on the window.

Wallet and keys are still here, too.

What about hair color?

Naturally black.

He might not be a surrogate.

He might be the actual object of our unsub's focus.

Hotch, you might be right. You know what, let me call you right back.

I think I got something.

Good, thanks.

It's a little light, isn't it?

That's not blood.

I've been getting lame GSWs, a few bus crash victims, but hanging? This is fun.

Think it was sexual?

Not in the traditional sense.

Well, look.

There are numerous ligature marks on the neck, indicating he was hung multiple times.

The ones without abrasions were probably made by something soft, like fabric.

Any idea how long it went on for?

Based on the different varying coloration of the bruising, I'd say about 12 hours.

This ligature mark with the abrasion is the final one.

There's an inverted "V" in the back.

He was hung with a leather strap or belt, which is what k*lled him.

Oh, we also found ketamine in his system.

Well, ketamine acts quickly.

So he must have used a ruse to get close to our victim.

The bones were perfectly disjointed.

Could have dislocated from the fall after hanging or when he shoved him in the box.

Well, actually, the bones were dislocated antemortem.

Oh.

Goody. Overtime.

Can you check to see if the bones were dislocated in the same way?

Ah.

Yep.

Same way.

This guy's sicker than my last girlfriend.

The question is, why is he doing this?

Reid: Medieval torturing techniques have a long, dense history.

Skinning someone alive was commonplace.

Placing someone's hand in boiling water happened almost daily in the church.

Please, just tell me what you want.

This is what I want.

Focus on the floor.

Aah! [Sobbing]

[Cracking]

From the way these joints were disarticulated, it appears as though we're dealing with either drawing and quartering or the rack.

[Sobbing] No!

The rack was the most prevalent way to disarticulate the human body.

[Cracking]

Aah!

Yes! That's it! That's it!

If our unsub's using it, he's beyond maniacal, he's a sadist.

Garcia at your service.

Can you find anyone in the area that might sell of rent medieval t*rture equipment?

Besides a friend of mine in knitting group?

Try S & M suppliers.

We're looking for a stretching rack.

Spanking the keys as we speak.

Don't worry, they like it.

Okay, I have cross-checked stretching equipment with S & M equipment and I found something that stretches something, but I don't think it's the something we're looking for.

Maybe he made his own.

That would be pretty elaborate.

I'm gonna keep looking.

I'll get back to you soon.

Hotch: Thanks.

I just went to the latest abductee's home.

Not only did our unsub use fake blood as some kind of ruse, but the front porch security cameras were also disconnected right before the abduction.

So he cased the site.

It's residential streets, a lot of people coming and going.

That's high-risk behavior.

Maybe the unsub didn't care.

He needed him and it was worth the risk.

Why are they doing this to us?

I don't know.

Mr. Conrad: They're ready.

Okay. I hope it works this time.

Eenie, meanie, miney, mo.

Catch a tiger by the toe.

If he hollers, let him go.

Eenie, meanie, miney...

[Whimpers]

Mo.

No.

I pick...

Y... O... U.

Aah!

The box is wrapped this time.

What is this, a gift?

Hotch: His natural hair color is black and still he kills him.

And, look, no neck wounds.

Martin: Then how did he die?

Maybe he bled out.

Or he fell from something.

Look at his hands.

He bored holes through the hands that ripped, and then he moved them to the wrist.

Reid, check the feet.

Reid: Stigmata?

Hanging and then crucifixion.

So this has to do with religious beliefs.

Maybe he's found a new way to t*rture them?

And still he's keeping Connie.

Something about her is working.

Hotch, look.

These are the exact same jeans that victim number two was wearing. Look at the trim.

Bonner Brothers.

Is that a local store?

About 5 miles.

Half thrift store, half yuppie mart.

I'll have JJ and Morgan check it out after we give the profile.

Due to the sophisticated nature of the crimes, we believe that we're looking for a male unsub who's at least 30, who's torturing his victims.

We think that's he's trying to perfect a delusion at which he's failed 3 times.

Rossi: As with most fantasy based crimes, the reality never lives up to the perfection of what the unsub envisions.

This fantasy involves the t*rture and stretching of his victims, including men that have had their hair dyed black by the unsub.

Before he kills them, our unsub fixes their hair and paints their nails.

He's now escalated to crucifying his latest victim, driving holes into his hands and feet.

Historically, crucifixion is a sentence reserved for serious crimes.

Which makes up believe that somewhere in the unsub's past, he feels his victims have wronged him, so now he's performing some sort of inquisition.

This time, you're going to do it correctly, so that he will learn his lesson.

What lesson?

You know what I'm talking about!

I don't.

Yes, you do!

Whether he's getting his victims to repent or adhere to certain religious beliefs, he is hanging them as though they were victims of religious tribunals of the 1100s.

But something in his fantasy is not working, because he keeps discarding the men.

He kills them and then ritualistically places them in a box with tissue paper.

Which is odd, as his initial behavior dehumanizes them.

That means he values those victims more when they're dead.

So far we believe he has spared the one woman that he still has in captivity.

She's either witnessing these horrors or being forced to participate in them.

Crucifixion is sadistic, and watching it is the ultimate t*rture.

Consequently, we believe that the killings will continue to escalate as the unsub strives to achieve his perfection.

Thank you.

Adam?

Adam?

They're ruining it.

They're ruining it.

I don't know what to do.

I understand.

There's something I need to tell you.

What? What is it?

You're ruining it.

Instead of taking command like an adult, you're sitting in here crying like a baby!

Are you a baby?

How can you say that?

Do you want him to die again?

No!

Then pull yourself together.

You're running out of time.

You need to find a father and a son.

I'm ready when you are.

Hi. May I help you?

Uh, yeah. We're looking for these clothes.

We're out of these.

I'm sorry.

We're with the FBI.

What's your name?

Tucker. Tucker White.

How may I help you?

There's a victim in a case that we're investigating who was wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans from here.

You mind if we show you a picture?

Sure. Whatever you need.

Do you know this man?

No. No, I don't.

Would you happen to have a record of who bought this stuff?

Um, if he used a credit card, maybe.

But if he used cash, probably not.

But I can look for you.

We'd appreciate that.

Right.

Ooh.

This is all very Spencer Reid.

Yeah, it sure is.

Well, at least his style is consistent.

Yeah, what's going on with him, anyway?

[Sing-song] Oh, I think pretty boy has got a girlfriend.

You do?

Well, why hasn't he told us?

I respect his privacy.

No, you don't.

You're right, I don't.

But I'm not about to play twenty questions with someone I'm not sleeping with.

What the-- what--

What the hell?

Hey!

Is this guy serious?

This is Agent Jennifer Jareau.

I need to put an APB out on a brown Chrysler station wagon driven by a Tucker White going east on Dover Street.

There you are.

How's the geographical profiling going?

And why are you doing it in here?

It's going good.

I'm just having trouble concentrating out there, is all, so I came in here.

Hmm.

So what's with you today?

Is this about...

Phone booth girl?

She wants to meet.

Wait. You guys have never met?

Aren't you curious what she looks like?

Oh, it doesn't matter what she looks like.

I mean, she's already the most beautiful girl in the world to me.

It's just--what if she doesn't like me?

Why wouldn't she like you?

Because I'm weird.

I slouch, my hair's too long, my tie's perpetually crooked.

Your hair's fine.

Really? Thanks.

My mom thinks it's too long.

So does my Aunt Ethel.

Well, you're not dating them.

I just--I--I just wouldn't want to ruin something so special over something so trivial as looks.

I think you're excited but afraid.

Seeing her will only make the relationship better.

Trust me.

When does she want to meet?

Right when we get back.

Do it.

Don't psych yourself out.

We'll see.

Sir, I have a mom and dad.

They're looking for me.

Shh, shh, shh.

Hold still, Steph.

This is gonna be great.

My name is Connie.

What are you doing?

This is the only way that I can make it stick.

What are you talking about?

Wow.

She's perfect.

I know.

I know.

[Whimpers]

[Pounding on door]

Shh, shh, shh, shh.

Hold still.

Almost done.

Tucker?

This is a surprise.

Hey, Adam.

Um...the FBI came by today.

The FBI? What for?

Remember those clothes I sold you last month?

Some guy who was wearing them, he ended up dead.

Are you serious?

He was k*lled, as in m*rder*d, Adam.

Have you hurt someone?

No.

No. There must be some misunderstanding.

You bought all 8 sets, Adam.

Look, ever since your car accident...

You've been acting kind of funny.

What's going on with you?

Look, why don't you come in and have some tea.

You need to take the edge off.

I'm serious, Adam.

Everything is gonna be okay.

Promise.

Right. I'll get a warrant over there as soon as possible.

The owner of the vintage shop bolted from the store.

Well, I've got something strange, too.

The M. E. just called.

Not only were there ligature marks on victim 3's arms, but his jaw was dislocated as well.

His jaw?

Why would you hang someone, dislocate their joints and their jaw, and then crucify them?

I can see your wheels turning.

Don't hold back.

Maybe he's dislocating their body parts so he can manipulate them himself.

For what purpose?

Think about it for a second.

If you add the dislocation, the holes in the hands, the strange clothing, and the odd makeup, I know this sounds crazy, but what if our unsub is turning his victims into human marionettes?

[Music plays]

The Greeks translated "puppets" as "neurospasta, " which literally means string-pulling.

And throughout time they've been used as a method to tell kings a story so the subjects didn't have to speak directly to him.

It was a way to hear the truth.

It seems like this unsub's doing something similar, using his puppets to tell his story.

He can't be controlling them by hand.

No, he probably built some sort of contraption.

Reid: And he's trying to lift his victims.

That could explain why they discarded the men.

They were too heavy.

What do you see?

Well, I'm checking the licenses of our victims, and each one weighed less than the previous one.

You know, if he's making human marionettes, that also explains why he's stuffing his victims into boxes.

It's like a sick toy chest.

So he is dehumanizing them, but he's just not k*lling them.

He's turning them into his playthings.

A father and son were just abducted from a parking lot at gunpoint.

A witness saw a man force them into a car.

Dave, you and Blake go check it out.

I'll have Garcia start looking for theater owners and puppeteers in the area.

Okay. Let's to it again.

Should we break their jaws?

No. No.

I need to hear them.

Please, Adam, let us down.

No. You guys have to do it right this time.

You have to save them.

From what?

From the robber.

I told you.

And...

Again.

Okay, there are 5 puppeteers/

marionetters in the area.

Any of them recently released from prison?

No. They're working kids'

parties and at hospitals.

What about someone who had a traumatic incident with a brunette girl?

That's kind of specific.

Hold on, let me patch in Morgan and JJ.

Hey, we're at the clothing store.

We got the names of 5 people who left numerous messages for Tucker this week.

Give them to me.

All right, we got Sam Holby, Terrence Crammer, Vincent Lang, Matt Parker, and a Jill Olger.

And no, and I'm cross-checking those with Hotch's list of puppeteers.

And no.

So I've got 8 more names, some written on pads in the back, others are frequent customers.

Penelope, we need you to trace the phone lines here, too, see if this guy Tucker called the unsub today.

Give me your money.

Give it now.

That's your cue.

What's my cue?

You're supposed to say...

"I don't have any money, " after he says, "give it to me now."

Say it again, Mr. Conrad.

Give me your money.

Give it now.

I don't have any money.

You're lying.

I saw you with it.

Dad, just give him the money.

I won't.

[Grunting]

Mitch, Mitch, what are you doing?

You're supposed to save my father.

My name is not Mitch, and I'm not gonna say these lines.

Ohh!

Now...

If you don't save him, then he is gonna die.

Is that what you want?

Aah!

People, it's going to be a full house.

So, push through it.

We just came from the parking lot where the father and son were abducted.

It looks like the unsub might be on the surveillance camera.

Witness said there was a blue van.

Mm.

[Ring]

Garcia.

Yes, sir.

Were there any incidents involving a father and son in the puppeteers' histories that you found?

Father and son. Okay.

No, it's coming up empty.

What about 20 or 30 years ago?

Well, there was a pretty famous puppeteer in the late fifties named Alex Rain.

He d*ed in a robbery.

His son witnessed it.

What was the son's name?

Adam Rain.

Mom d*ed 10 years ago.

Cross-check Adam's name with the names of the patrons in the clothing store.

Oh, I got a big old hit.

Okay, Mr. Rain called Tucker, the owner, 40 times in the last month.

And check this.

His father was most well-known for a pair of puppets named Mitch and Steph.

The male one had dark black hair, the female was a redhead.

You have an address?

Last known was a building on Pine Street, used to be his father's theater.

Come on, Dave.

Garcia: And guess what he drives.

A blue van.

Call us back in the car.

Two minutes until curtain.

You ready?

It's gonna be right this time.

Let's hope so.

Break a leg.

Ladies and gentlemen, truth is what the storyteller brings you.

He holds up a mirror to your soul and reflects back the truth of what happened, in or this case, what should have happened.

And so without further ado, the Rain Theater proudly continues that great tradition in this very special matinee performance of "The robbery."

A family tale of love...

And redemption.

Somebody...

Help us.

[Applause]

When you pull at the strings of Adam the puppeteer, he unravels faster than a two-cent romance novel.

He worked at a glue factory most of his adult life.

He was in a car accident that put him in a coma for over a year.

He woke up 3 months ago.

Straight away, the nurse says he starts acting really childish, asking for his father, who d*ed over 50 years ago.

Hotch: The head injury must have been the trigger and he woke up with the delusion that he was a boy again.

Like a Peter Pan syndrome.

And if there was damage to the prefrontal cortex, he might lack rational thought and empathy.

So he's a psychopath who thinks he's a kid again and wants to avenge his father's death.

If the robbery that k*lled the father happened in the theater...

He's reenacting that moment.

Give me your money.

Give it now.

[Snaps fingers]

I don't have any money.

You're lying.

I saw you with it.

[Snaps fingers]

Dad, just give him the money.

I won't.

[Echoing] I won't.

Dad, just give him the money.

I won't.

Come on, do something!

Do something!

Please, Mitch, Steph!

Come on, do something!

Do something!

Come on, do something.

Do something.

Adam Rain, this is the FBI!

I need to see your hands.

What--what are you doing?

Somebody call security.

You can't ruin this.

Adam, put down the g*n.

We're in the middle of a performance.

This is not a performance.

Yes, it is a performance and this is not how it ends!

We need to get these people to a hospital.

After they save my father from the robber.

What robber, Adam?

From him!

He did it!

We have to stop him!

Mr. Rain, it's only a puppet.

There's no one there.

When you were young, your dad loved you so much, he never told you that the puppets weren't real.

That's not true.

It is.

And that's why Steph and Mitch couldn't save him that day.

They only moved when he made them.

You're lying.

Adam, don't do to these people what the robber did to your father.

You can save them.

[Scattered applause]

[Applause increases]

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, I think after this long, hard week we just had, we should all head over to Rossi's and pop open some old, expensive wine.

That's a plan.

Could we maybe play some games, too?

Oh, what kind of games?

You tell me, sweet cheeks.

Hotch, we're heading to Rossi's. You in?

Uh, Jack's got a sleepover this weekend, so I was gonna go to New York and see Beth.

Wow...

Hubba hubba.

Ah...

Wait a second.

Where's Reid?

He said he had something important to do.

Spencer has a girlfriend.

[Soft piano music playing]

Hi.

Um, Spencer Reid for two.

You are the first to arrive.

Would you like to be seated?

Yes, I'd like that.

[Text message beep]

[Cell phone rings]

[Ring]

[Ring]

Hello.

Maeve, it's me. Listen, don't come to the restaurant.

What are you talking about? I'm outside.

Go home.

Spencer, if you don't want to meet me, you can just say it.

No, that's not it. Look, I think your stalker's here.

What?

Please just go.

Okay.

Hey.

Hey, d*ck.

Good to see you.

So what's up?

[Exhales]

Excuse me, sir.

A woman just left this for you.

Reid: Thomas Merton once wrote, "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone. We find it with another."