11x08 - Awake

[bunniefuu]

[Man grunting]

Uhh!

[Labored breathing]

Uhh! Aah!

Aah!

[Elevator dings]

You'd think this kid would learn how to text by now.

Anyway, Reid says his mom's doing much better and he misses us.

That's great news.

Ohh. Good morning, JJ.

What's goin' on, a little morning-after blues?

Wait, let me guess, let me guess.

Date night.

Romantic dinner and a movie.

Derek, I don't think that's what it is.

Come on, come on, come on. There was probably a little wine involved to set the mood and then you finished it off with a little hanky panky.

I'm way off, aren't I?

You're cute.

But the only action happening at our house at 3 am.

Is a colicky baby.

Gas? I'm guessing a lot of it.

Yeah.

Colicky. I knew that.

I knew that.

[Chuckles]

Hi, I'm Tara Lewis. It's great to officially meet you.

Same here. I've heard so much about you.

So I'm assuming sleep is a thing of the past at your house?

Uh, you know, everyone said two was a game-changer.

We were expecting twice the work, but wow.

[Laughs]

Hey, Rossi.

Where's Hotch and Garcia?

I thought we had a case.

We do, but they're behind closed doors.

Is this about the network of hitmen?

Yeah.

Any update?

Nothing yet, but Hotch has pulled out all the stops.

How's she doing?

She's got 4 hitmen targeting her, so she's a little rattled.

Yeah, I heard something about witness protection.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

For how long?

Until we can produce a viable lead.

You'll be here and an agent will be assigned to you until further notice.

This is horrible.

Witness protection wanted to move you to another state.

I convinced them that you would be safer here.

Thank you for that.

Um, ok, I need to go home and get my creature comfort things.

Garcia, this starts now.

What do you-- what about Sergio?

I have plants I need to water--

Make a list and I'll send someone to pick up whatever you need.

Ok. Um...

Wait.

Thank you. Oh-- who's getting the stuff?

Anderson.

Oh, he can't see that.

But I really need it.

Garcia. Let's get to work.

Right.

The Phoenix division is requesting our help with two recent abductions, one of which has led to m*rder.

Ok. 5 days ago the body of Steven Jackson was discovered on a rural road just outside the city.

He was reported missing after missing several shifts at work.

Which brings us to our second victim, Lance Coleman.

According to authorities, 3 days ago he was due home in Phoenix from a business trip in Tucson.

And security footage shows him entering the airport, but the flight manifest says he never got on the plane.

It's as if these two vanished.

On average, over 90,000 people go missing each year.

54% of those are men.

Only 15% return alive.

Their preliminary M.E. report shows deep ligature marks and lacerations on Steven's wrists.

He was likely restrained for an extended period of time.

Which means the unsub has a secure secondary location where he holds them c*ptive.

It says here Steven suffered repeated burns and contusions all over his body.

Extreme t*rture.

The unsub's found an outlet for his aggression.

No obvious signs of sexual as*ault.

The t*rture could be what's getting him off.

That makes sense. He gets sexual gratification from inflicting psychological and physical suffering on his victims.

Well, this level of v*olence suggests that it's personal.

Maybe it's about revenge. These two crossed the unsub, now he wants to make them pay.

Or at the very least, he's using them as surrogates for the true target of his anger.

It's possible he was testing to see just how much t*rture Steven could take before he'd break.

Well, Coleman's been missing for over 72 hours.

If revenge is the unsub's motivation, he could already be dead.

Unless we have reason to believe otherwise, we have to assume Lance Coleman's alive, and we need to find him.

Wheels up in 20.

[Panting]

[Helicopter whirring]

Hey!

Over here!

Hey!

Oh, God!

Over here!

This is chopper 482. We have a visual on Lance Coleman.

I repeat, we have a visual on Lance Coleman.

Help me!

Help me.

Wake up!

I said wake up.

[Coughs]

No.

No.

Look at me.

Look at me.

We're just getting started.

♪ Criminal Minds 11x08 ♪
Awake
Original Air Date on November 18, 2015

♪ ♪

JJ: "You can chain me, you can t*rture me, "you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."

Mahatma Gandhi.

Hey. Uh, did you want a cup?

[Groans]

Oh. Right, right. The whole, um...

Yeah.

Yeah. I'm still nursing.

That's ok. Only 45 days, 3 hours, and 6 minutes left, but who's counting?

You're really not messing around.

No, you don't stand between a woman and her caffeine.

Well, listen, when your sentence is up, First cup's on me.

Deal.

Besides being residents of one of the hottest-- and I'm sure they're all pleasant-looking, but I'm talking Fahrenheit here--cities in the country, I can't find any connections between the victims.

Garcia, what about Lance's credit cards?

Any activity?

Uh, his last transaction was a car service to the airport.

Besides that, it's a ghost town.

Both vics appear to be low-risk.

It speaks to the unsub's confidence.

Steven looks like he practically lived at the gym.

They couldn't be more physically different.

Well, he definitely lived the bachelor's lifestyle-- single, he rented a studio apartment, worked freelance as an overnight security guard.

Lance Coleman was the opposite.

He's a family man.

Been married to his wife Karen for nearly 20 years.

Garcia: And he also owned his own business.

He would take weekly commuter flights to Tucson to meet with potential investors.

Maybe the unsub's motivation is business related, not personal.

Garcia, see if Steven ever worked security for Lance's company.

Gotcha.

All right, so how did he get to these guys?

I'm leaning towards a blitz att*ck.

These look like electrical burns.

The unsub could be using some kind of taser.

Morgan: Both victims went missing while traveling at night.

That speaks to the unsub's knowledge of their schedules.

He may have stalked them over an extended period of time.

Which is how he knew the most opportune moment to strike.

There are no witnesses, no cameras. They're simply gone.

He targeted these men for a reason.

The sooner we find out why, the sooner we find Lance.

Agent Hotchner? Thanks for coming out.

Agent Webster, this is Agent Jareau, Agent Rossi.

Welcome. Right this way.

So we checked local hospitals and accident reports. No one matches Coleman's description.

What about Tucson? Any leads there?

They're coming up empty, too.

Have you been able to get ahold of Steven Jackson's family?

His parents live up north.

They're driving in as we speak.

JJ: And Mrs. Coleman?

She arrived 5 minutes ago. Figured you want to talk to her first.

I have you guys set up in here. Right this way.

Thank you.

Hi, Mrs. Coleman?

I'm Agent Jareau.

Please sit.

I'm sorry.

Oh, you don't need to apologize.

I haven't slept since...

That's understandable.

Mrs. Coleman, when was the last time you heard from your husband?

3 nights ago.

Is that typical?

He hates being away from us.

We have a rule that he won't spend more than two nights away on business.

And did he ever break that promise?

Not in 20 years.

At what point did you realize he was missing?

Not until I woke up and he wasn't there.

I called his cell. Voicemail.

I tried the hotel.

They said he was gone.

And that's when you knew something was wrong.

This coming weekend we were going to be celebrating our anniversary.

He'd been planning a getaway for months.

There's no way Lance would have missed it.

What have you got, Garcia?

I'm trying to locate the last ping of Lance's cell phone, but I can't narrow it down to an exact tower yet.

How is that possible?

Ping-a-cell 101. If I could direct your attention to the map.

According to his last ping at 11 pm, the signal was bouncing off a tower in Benson, Arizona.

But that doesn't fit the timeline.

The security cameras show him entering the airport at 11:10 pm.

It doesn't make sense. What makes even less sense is that 5 minutes later, the signal was bouncing off a tower in Drexel Heights 50 miles away.

That's impossible.

Yeah, this is what I'm saying.

The signal is tower hopping. It's giving a false read.

Because the cell tower was full.

Correctamundo. The signal will automatically bounce to the next available tower even if it's out of the city.

That means the unsub's hunting ground may be far bigger than we thought.

The brutality the victim experienced was immense.

He suffered facial fractures, burns, and extensive bruising.

Have you determined C.O.D.?

I haven't finalized my findings, but preliminarily I'd say he d*ed from cardiac arrest induced by electric shock.

Still trying to figure out what caused these.

Look at him. This is complete overkill.

Well, the fact that the unsub is stepping up his method of t*rture could mean he's getting frustrated.

It's possible he's ex-m*llitary.

It would explain his knowledge of multiple t*rture techniques.

Or the guy used Google.

Trust me, I've seen all sorts of crazy stuff.

Well, that wouldn't be the first time someone used the Internet as a k*lling manual.

Well, typically these type of tactics are used to get a confession or information.

What caused these?

It appears at some point during the t*rture, the k*ller staples his eyelids open.

That is sadistic.

It might be symbolic.

The victims could have turned a blind eye to something that affected the unsub.

And now he's punishing them for it.

The worst part is, it was done while this guy was still alive.

This unsub wanted Steven to anticipate and witness his own t*rture.

Open your eyes.

[Groans]

You know where she is.

I swear, I don't know what you're talking about.

Tell me.

Please just let me go.

No! No, please!

I need the location.

Ok. Ok. I'll tell you.

I'll tell you.

Focus!

No! Oh!

[Stapler clicks]

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Steve was a good guy.

Hope you find the psycho who did this.

We have every intention.

Have at it.

Let me know if there's anything else you need.

Thank you.

Well, no signs of a struggle or forced entry.

The unsub didn't abduct Steven from here.

According to his supervisor, he was supposed to start his shift at 3 am.

So his drive would have been about an hour.

The alarm is set for 1:15 am.

That's about right.

Single guy. I'd say 15 minutes, max, to get ready.

Well, he's a security guard.

Which means he wears a uniform every day, so he wouldn't have to think about wardrobe choices.

Which puts us at 1:30 am.

So he brews a pot of coffee, pours a cup.

Sports fan. Probably checked last night's scores before he headed out at 1:45.

Keys are gone.

His car was missing from his parking stall.

Then the unsub must have intercepted him at some point between here and work.

Which begs the question, what did he do with Steven's car?

According to DMV records, Steven Jackson drove a '91 Mustang.

Older model, so no GPS.

I went ahead and issued an APB on his car.

Hopefully we get a hit soon.

[Cell phone rings]

Hey, baby girl, you're on speaker, what's up?

Ok, I did some spelunking and found that after Coleman missed his flight, he used not his personal but his company credit card to foot the bill for a rental car.

Well, it's about an hour and a half drive; He probably figured he'd make it home before his wife woke up.

Can you track down the rental car's GPS?

I already meowed up that tree.

It is disabled. But I am piecing together the GPS history as we speak.

Morgan: That's why you're the best, mama.

Oh, don't I know it.

[Beep]

He could have taken a number of different routes back to Phoenix.

Highway 77, 87, or 10.

Well, he would have taken the fastest route back.

That'd be Interstate 10.

Ok, what if he's abducting them off the road?

This could be about road rage.

A perceived slight while driving might have made them a target.

An extreme case of road rage that leads to abduction and m*rder.

But if that's true, the victims' cars would have been abandoned. Both are still missing.

What if they're carjackings?

Think about it-- the unsub lies in wait, he blitzes the victim at an intersection, and then he drives off in their cars.

So these victims weren't targeted, they were picked at random.

Wrong place, wrong time.

It is possible he used a similar ruse like Gary Lee Sampson, who posed as a hitchhiker and preyed on good samaritins.

Probably waves down a passing car.

Hi. Hi, sir.

Thank you.

I don't mean to-- and appears lost or incoherent.

I had an accident down the road.

I was hoping you could get me to a phone or something.

Claims his car broke down, his phone is dead.

He needs directions or a ride.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

And the next thing you know, you're looking down the barrel of a g*n.

And the good deed is punished.

I told you I wouldn't miss it.

Oh, my God! Honey!

[Sobbing]

Oh, I was so worried! I thought--

Shh.

Everything's going to be all right.

[Sobbing]

Why didn't you just tell him?

What are you talking about?

You should have given him the location.

You don't have to do this.

Just let me go.

Please, just let me go.

Please.

I have a family! Don't do this to them.

You have children?

Yes.

Yes, my daughter.

She's 12.

Oh, God, please, I'll do anything.

Crime scene techs are done, so it's ours.

They just made a positive ID.

It's Lance Coleman.

Well, he definitely amped up the t*rture.

It looks like this time, the cause of death was a single g*nsh*t to the head.

We profiled he's a sadist.

He would have inflicted as much pain as possible, not end the t*rture so abruptly.

Well, he decreased the time he held on to the victims, but he definitely increased and accelerated the t*rture.

Then it's not about pain for the thrill; he wants something from them.

But if that's true, maybe Lance gave the unsub what he wanted and he was no longer of use to him.

It's possible Steven's death was an accident.

Yeah. He d*ed before the unsub was finished with him.

We need to deliver the profile.

[Starts engine]

The unknown subject we're looking for is a sadistic inquisitor, which means that he's aroused sexually and emotionally by causing pain in the service of eliciting information.

The unsub gets off on the fact that his victims put up resistance.

It allows him to push the t*rture even further.

We think he's a white male, in his thirties to early forties who's physically fit enough to subdue male victims.

He's goal-oriented, driven by rage, which makes him extremely brutal in his t*rture methods.

This unsub exerts power and control over his victims, making them feel completely helpless until they give him whatever it is he's looking for.

Based upon his systematic t*rture, it's possible the unsub is suffering from some sort of PTSD.

[Piano playing]

[Music ends, applause]

Given the sheer amount of work and effort he puts into torturing his victims, we think there's a deep-seated personal reason for what the unsub is doing.

It's possible he appears unassuming with limited social skills, which is why he chooses to hunt at night.

[Starts engine]

He plays on his victim's good will and sympathy before he blitzes them and abducts them from their vehicles.

Because of the escalating t*rture, we believe this unsub is becoming both increasingly desperate and volatile.

This unsub is driven by a compulsion, a need-based desire.

Because these men are surrogates, there's a good chance his victims will never be able to give the unsub what he ultimately wants.

Understanding his motivation will be the key to finding him.

Thank you.

[Groaning]

[Bucket clatters]

[Groaning]

Drink. Drink.

Drink. Drink.

Why are you doing this?

Where's the tattoo?

I don't know what you're talking about.

Did you burn it off?

I never had any tattoo!

Please just let me go.

I think you have the wrong person.

Ohh!

Do you know why you're here?

No, no, no, please don't do this! Please don't do this!

Please don't do this! No, no, no, no, no!

[Screaming]

Ballistics confirm the g*n used to k*ll Lance was the same one registered to Steven Jackson.

I've got men canvassing gas stations, rest stops, any place where the unsub might have come into contact with the victims.

So far, no solid leads.

[Cell phone rings]

Hey, tell me something good, boo.

I managed to partially piece together Lance's GPS history, and I've got him on a route that takes him right up Interstate 10.

That's the exact same route the first victim would have taken to work.

Lance Coleman wouldn't have been on that highway if he hadn't missed his flight.

So this is where both victims' paths crossed with the unsub.

This must be the nexus.

I10's one of the most traveled roads in the country.

It stretches from California to Florida.

Highway serial k*ller's paradise.

Garcia, run our profile against the HSK database.

Check for any potential suspects connected specifically to I10.

I'm on it.

How much are you willing to bet that whatever that unsub is looking for is somehow connected to this highway?

What do you want from me?

I don't know what you think I did.

I can help you. Just--just give me a chance.

Unchain me! Now!

Hey, come back here.

I said stop!

Caffeine.

I am a fan. What about it?

You want your victims to stay awake and alert for what you're about to do to them.

So you give them caffeine.

Wow, astronomical levels, apparently.

Wait, how did you...

Oh, yeah, sorry.

Wait, why would he do this again?

Well, there are a variety of reasons.

The caffeine would open up their arteries, which would increase their nerve sensitivity, and in turn, enhance their pain levels.

Sleep deprivation.

So the t*rture isn't about his anger, it's a reflection of what he's going through.

He wants them to stay awake.

You will tell me where she is.

[High frequency sound plays through headphones]

No.

[Groaning]

We just received news of another abduction.

David Whitfield. Reported missing an hour ago.

His employer confirmed that he clocked out at 1:30 yesterday morning.

But according to his roommate, he never made it back home.

Where does he work?

An old auto factory off Interstate 10 near Canton.

Fits the geographic profile and the timeline.

This guy has a precise M.O.

How much of the interstate is isolated enough for abduction?

A couple of gas stations, a diner, and a few rest stops.

Nothing really pops out.

Not to mention, there are far more secluded stretches of interstate.

Why does he keep coming back to the same area.

[Plays melody]

♪ You make me happy when skies are gray ♪
♪ you'll never know, dear how much I love you ♪
♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪

Play it again, daddy.

Again?

We've been playing it since we hit the road.

Please? Please?

[Sighs]

♪ You are my sunshine ♪

Ok.

Will you sing with me?

No, honey, you know daddy can't sing.

You can try. Please? Please?

♪ You'll never know, dear ♪
♪ how much I love you ♪
♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪

Hey, daddy. You're my sunshine.

[Plays melody]

Green for go.

Morgan: Hey, mama, listen up.

We need you to focus on a particular stretch of interstate 10 between Chandler and Phoenix.

Look for any accidents involving male drivers on that stretch of highway.

Keep it coming.

We know the unsub's keeping his victims awake, so look for any accidents where the drivers fell asleep at the wheel.

Uh, ok, I am not finding any sleep-related incidents within that radius.

We know that the time of abduction is important to him.

Widen the search to take in any accidents that occurred between 1:30 and 2:00 am.

Despite on the I10, there's like an accident every 45 seconds, I've got zilch.

Ok, we know this was a recent trigger, so expand your search parameters to look at incidents reported within the last few months.

Huh.

What did you find?

I don't know if I found anything.

I found a report citing sleep deprivation, but it's not an accident, it's a child abduction.

Aah!

[Choking]

Here we go. I managed to find the original police report from 3 months ago.

Ok, a 43-year-old William Taylor was driving I10 near Chandler, Arizona.

It was late, around 11:30.

He was with his 5-year-old daughter Tatiana.

They were returning from a dance recital.

It says here, he just worked a double shift at the salvage yard which he owns. He was super sleepy.

He pulled off around midnight to a rest stop.

He attempted to close his eyes for 10 minutes, woke up hours later and his daughter was missing.

I can't imagine-- a parent's worst nightmare.

There's your trigger.

He's torturing them for answers about his daughter's abduction.

Yeah, in his mind, he believes his victims were involved.

Garcia, any viable suspects?

Uh, no, the police canvassed the whole rest stop, and they came up empty. There's still no leads.

[Beep]

Hold on.

According to Taylor, there was a man with a skull tattoo on his hand who knocked on his window moments before he fell asleep.

The guy told Taylor...

I just wanted to let you know your taillight is out.

Thanks, thanks, thank you, thank you.

Like you said, Taylor might have been suffering from sleep deprivation himself.

It's likely he was in a micro sleep and he imagined the man with a skull tattoo.

And like any parent would be, the unsub is riddled with guilt.

And in his mind, he wasn't able to protect her and keep her safe.

And now in his delusional state, he believes each of his victims is that man with the skull tattoo.

He's forcing his victims to take responsibility for his own guilt.

If he hadn't fallen asleep at that rest stop, his daughter might still be with him.

So he forces his victims to stay awake as he wishes he had.

Garcia: Work and home address just sent.

I'll let Hotch know.

[Grunts]

Where's my daughter?

I don't know!

Tell me!

No, no!

[Chain rattling]

[Chain rattling]

[Sirens]

Hey.

Where's your head at right now?

I--I just don't understand what happened a week ago that turned a grieving father into a k*ller.

It could have been the stress from the case.

All the leads went cold and the guy just snapped.

And the not knowing's the worst part.

[Cell phone rings]

Hotch, you're on speaker.

There's something you should know-- the police found Tatiana's body.

[Chain rattling]

[Engine starts]

Please, don't do this, I'm begging you!

Where's my daughter?!

[Siren]

William Taylor, step out of the vehicle with your hands where we can see them.

I got him. That's the man with the skull tattoo. He's right there.

That is not him, William.

Damn it, why aren't you listening to me?

That man has my daughter!

No, he doesn't.

Yes, he does.

And I'm going to find her and I'm not going to let him get away from me again.

All right, William, William, listen to me, ok?

You and I both know they found Tatiana.

They found my little girl?

Yes, a week ago. William, you were there.

I don't know what you're talking about.

You remember the volunteers, the search party?

William, think back.

Tatiana's remains were found in the desert not far from the rest stop.

No, no, no, no. That was not her.

She's still out there.

Think about Tatiana, William.

Think about what she would have wanted.

♪ ...when skies are gray ♪
♪ you'll never know, dear ♪
♪ how much I love you ♪
♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪

Hey, daddy, you're my sunshine.

She's alive, and I'm going to find her.

[Sirens approaching]

Jennifer: "Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death."

Coco Chanel.

[Yawning]

Oh, sorry.

Wow. Kids really are game-changers, aren't they?

Yeah, how is it that I wake up more exhausted than when I went to bed?

Why don't you try to get some shut-eye before we land?

Oh, trust me, I've tried, it's not happening.

Morgan: Hey, Rossi.

I remember Reid told me once, uh, I think it was something like this--

[imitating Reid] Hey, Morgan, you know electronics emit a sleep depriving type of blue light that prevents you from falling asleep at night.

[Chuckles] Yeah, I remember that.

I actually think it was more like--

[imitating Reid] Well, studies show that we need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.

[Both laugh]

Works like a charm.

Hotch...

What do you think happened to William's daughter?

[Exhales] Well, the police report assumed that because he didn't have child locks on his truck, that she wandered off into the desert for some reason.

You know, I saw where they found the body.

There's no way she could have found her way back to the road.

Well, the way the temperatures drop in the desert at night, she didn't stand a chance.

Yeah, but, Hotch, you should have seen this guy.

I mean, up until the very end, he was adamant that a guy with a skull tattoo abducted his daughter.

Well, the unsub with a ghost in his mind is always dangerous.

Unless it wasn't all in his mind.

Ugh, it's really coming down.

Haven't you had enough of that thing?

You know, once we get to grandma's house, she's going to make you put it away.

Uh-huh.

Well, you better save some of that battery.

According to the GPS, we have another... two hours ahead of us.

I think we should wait out the storm until--[Gasps]

Didn't mean to startle.

Just wanted to let you know your taillight is out.

It is?

Yeah, I was driving behind you back on the interstate. Saw you pull over at the rest stop, figured I'd give you the heads up.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

You have a good night, ma'am.

[rain falling]