01x07 - The Fox

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Criminal Minds". Aired: September 2005 to February 2020.*

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The cases of the BAU an elite group of profilers that analyze the nation's most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again.
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01x07 - The Fox

Post by bunniefuu »

No. No! No, mommy, don't let him get me.

Sam! He ruined my picture, mom.

It's Ok, honey. We'll make another one.

Chris, I've asked you not to get him worked up before bed.

We're just playing.

We have got a 12-hour car ride tomorrow.

Now he's gonna be up half the night.

Ok, Ok. Kids, go get Ben.

But my picture!

You can work on it tomorrow in the car, honey on the way to disney world.

Yeah!

Ok.

Disney world!

You do realize I am the only adult in this house?

Well, isn't that what you love about me?

Every once in a while I would like a tiny bit of help, Mr. Crawford.

You got it, Mrs. Crawford.

Thank you.

Ben!

Ben, where are you?

Where are you, Ben?

Benny! Where are you? Ben!

He's not coming, dad.

Good boy, Ben.

Hey, Sam.

Just let him sleep with us.

Dad?

Yeah?

I love you.

I love you, too, kiddo.

The is WDCW 88.8. Good morning folks.

It's time to get out, get out there and enjoy it.

The forecast for you is mostly sunny with brisk easterly winds.

You can expect a high near 75 degrees.

Clear tonight with a low near 61.

Chris.

Sam?

Dr. Thomas Fuller wrote "with foxes, we must play the fox."

Crawford family.

Butchered in their homes.

m*rder/suicides?

That's what we have to find out.

He's so gorgeous.

Thank you.

If you find baldness and wrinkles attractive.

Look at his little witty bitty nose.

Don't you want one of these?

Mm. I'll stick to practicing.

Congratulations.

Thanks. She's amazing.

I'm a little terrified.

Well, uh, we should get going.

Pleasure seeing you, Mrs. Hotchner.

Bye-bye.

Bad?

The worst.

Crawford family. m*rder*d 3 days ago.

Saw it on the news.

They were found in the basement of their house.

Bags packed for a vacation they never took.

Report said it was a m*rder/su1c1de.

Father stabbed the mom, then sh*t himself.

That's the conclusion Maryland State police came to.

The g*n was found next to the father.

Had gunpowder residue on his right hand.

And now you must have some compelling reason to think that Chris Crawford didn't off his family?

Yeah. Another m*rder*d family.

The Millers-found a month ago.

The mother Reese Miller, her 2 children, and her new husband.

Again, they were found in the basement and like the Crawfords, their suitcases were packed for a vacation.

Both cases, the bodies were discovered 5 days after their vacations were supposed to have started.

Yet the coroner determined that they had been dead only 24 hours.

So for 4 days, both families remained in the house.

Location of the bodies, both cases, the basement.

That indicates a level of organization.

With a quick, but disorganized application of overpowering force.

If these aren't m*rder/suicides someone's doing a damn good job of making them look like it.

Possibly this man-Eric Miller.

Biological father of the Miller children.

Arlington P. D. Issued a bolo for Miller after the bodies were discovered.

Ex-wife Reese Miller had a restraining order against him for domestic v*olence.

When she get re-married?

The week before they were k*lled.

Violent husbands believe their wives and children are property.

Reese Miller getting re-married possibly made him snap.

Well, the Virginia cops finally located Eric Miller last night responding to a drunken disturbance at a motel where Miller had been hiding out.

When they found him they discovered blood on his black leather jacket.

Belonged to his children.

Was any of his DNA found at the Crawford house?

No.

Did he know the Crawfords?

If he does, he's not saying.

In fact, he hasn't said a word since his arrest.

Uh, the Arlington P. D. have asked us to interview him.

If anyone could apply overwhelming force, he's your man.

I want you to find out. Talk to him.

You want me to talk to him?

Yeah. You've done interviews before with other agents running point.

You can go solo.

Morgan, the Crawford house is a fresh crime scene.

Once the Crawfords were brought down to this basement they must have known their fate.

M. E. Said they were all k*lled down here.

Sam was found here. Emily over there.

So... I'm the unsub. How did I do it?

Well, I had to bring 'em down here first.

How?

I had a g*n.

Ok. Use a g*n to force them down here. What next?

s*ab 'em.

Who first?

The strongest, the father.

He was found right there, and then the mother.

That's her right there.

How you gonna keep the kids from running away?

Restraints.

Can't aim a g*n at them and s*ab the mother at the same time.

No restraints were found on the victims.

Because I took them with me.

No ligature marks were found.

Let's go upstairs. See how they lived.

Sam Crawford. White male.

Age 5. Multiple s*ab wounds.

Laceration to the left ventricle.

No defensive wounds present.

Allison Crawford. White female. 32.

Multiple s*ab wounds.

C. O. D.- Exsanguination.

Emily Crawford. White female. 8.

Multiple s*ab wounds.

C. O. D.- Exsanguination.

Christopher Crawford. White male. 36.

Point-blank single 9 millimeter g*nsh*t wound to the temporal lobe.

Where's his wedding ring?

It's not listed in his personal effects.

He obviously wore one, so where is it?

I'm Dr. Spencer Reid from the FBI.

I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.

Got something you wanna ask me, boy?

You look me in the eye, and you ask.

3 days ago-

you're not looking at me.

3 days ago, the Crawford family was m*rder*d.

Is that right?

Did you know them?

What are you getting at?

They were k*lled in the exact same way that your family was k*lled.

And?

I've been slapped around all night by every cop in Virginia.

What makes you think a damn photo is gonna scare me?

Is that what this is about, hmm?

You think I'm crazy, man?

You think I suddenly snapped and I slaughtered my own wife and kids?

You think I did this? Huh?

Is that what you think?

Sit down, now.

Is this your daddy?!

I'm done talking to you people!

You don't have to talk. Just listen.

On the occasions you assaulted your wife, you were intoxicated.

Once the effects of alcohol wore off you were overcome by feelings of remorse.

I'm gonna tell you this just one time. You shut your mouth!

Genetic factors contribute to alcohol stress interactions.

Your mother was an alcoholic and she was often too drunk to stop the beatings that your father gave you.

I think we should stop this.

He's not finished.

Age 6, you were orphaned to a family where the abuse continued only this time, it was sexual.

You shut your mouth, or I'm gonna rip your face off.

The abuse continued well into puberty but my one concern is, Eric did you or did you not continue the cycle with your own children?

I never laid a hand on my children.

You hear me?!

I hear you.

I found them like that.

Dead. Bloodied. My babies.

My sweet, little babies.

I was crazy out of my mind.

I didn't know what to do.

And I knew the cops were gonna blame me, and they have.

So you ran?

So what've I got now?

You have your innocence.

For the sake of your children I believe that they, at the very least, deserve the truth.

I can't get...the image of my dead children out of my mind.

Ty, my little boy he was clutching a...a piece of paper.

I think it was a drawing.

May-maybe a painting.

Please. I'd love to know what he painted, Dr. Reid.

Interesting interrogation technique.

What did you hope to accomplish?

Well, he was closed off, defensive, hostile.

I needed a way in.

He's suffered a breakdown but I don't think he k*lled his family and I know he still loved his wife.

Why do you say that?

Even though they were divorced he's still wore the wedding ring.

The yard is overgrown.

Like the roof, Chris Crawford's car is in need of maintenance and Allison Crawford's S. U. V.

Is in pristine condition.

Says here that Allison drove the kids to school.

If they were educated privately maybe the car was just an attempt to show the other parents wealth.

Like this house.

Designer magazines conspicuously placed expensive modern furniture, plasma TV.

Behind the curtains, water damage.

Allison spent money on the things her friends could see and neglected those they couldn't.

The Crawfords lived beyond their means.

So, where'd the extra cash come from?

Get Garcia to check their financial status.

"Emily."

This painting is of this house.

Strange for a child. It has no color.

Has lines, dimensions, but no color.

No dog collar was found, right?

Maybe the dog didn't have one.

Mm-hmm. He'd have to have one.

Come here.

See that?

This dog door opens automatically via a chip in the dog's collar.

If anything attempted to get in without one...

The alarm would've been activated.

When the cops got here, the house was locked tight and the alarm was hot.

So the night the Crawfords were m*rder*d the only way in or out was with the dog collar.

Gideon, whoever k*lled this family had to be a big guy.

Chris Crawford was a black belt in judo.

So are you.

I've got a g*n to your back.

Maybe you could take it from me.

But your children are in the same room.

And if you fail, they die.

Does it matter how big I am now?

Bound or not, Allison Crawford would've put up one helluva fight.

Emily and Sam would've been sobbing.

Crawford didn't k*ll his family.

And there's no evidence Miller was ever in the house or he'd have known.

Help me! Help! Please! Help me!

No! No! Please! Please, no! No!

What are you doing?

Why didn't anyone hear them scream?

I believe the unsub had control of this family.

He may have separated each family member.

Tells the mother, "if you scream, I'll k*ll your children."

Tells the children, "if you cry, I'll k*ll mommy."

The suspect found a way of restraining them without leaving marks.

Based on lividity...

The M. E. Estimates that the father was the last to die.

Which means he witnessed the whole thing.

If he did spend time with both families he must've known he had the time to spend with 'em.

'Cause he knew they were goin' on vacation.

Look at travel agents, relatives, work colleagues contract workers, children's tutors.

Gideon, we've been looking into the Crawford financials.

Allison Crawford spent way more money than Chris could afford.

They were in major debt.

And Chris Crawford wrote a number of checks for a series of visits to a therapist.

She had 2 cell phone accounts...

One of them billed to a separate address in southeast Washington, D. C.

You get that?

Federal agents! FBI!

Federal agents! Clear!

That's the cleanest thing in here.

What's that?

It's a child's painting.

It's a colonial house.

Mom, dad, 2 children out front holdin' hands.

And a big dog.

I think it's the Crawford house. It's signed by Emily.

Strange. Eric Miller said he found his son clutching a painting.

He wanted to know what was on it.

What was on it?

His son's blood.

Hotch! Hotch!

Hey. Whoa. Whoa. Easy.

Freeze!

Why am I here?

I think you know why.

That's mine.

Colors indicate a self-confidence...an outgoing personality.

Shows an above-average intelligence.

The child that painted this was left-handed.

Emily Crawford was left-handed.

Right.

You're not.

How'd you get the painting, Frank?

Forget to take your medicine today, Frank?

For a severe manic-depressive, that's not good.

They make me feel wrong.

Wrong enough to k*ll the Crawfords?

Frank.

I- I did a-a bad thing.

What did you do?

I shouldn't have gone to the house.

Allison told me not to.

I would never...never hurt Ally.

She's the only family I got.

Family?

She's my sister.

She's dead.

He k*lled them.

Chris did. I know he did it.

What bad thing did you do?

The rule was... I was never supposed to go to the house.

That was the only rule.

Allison said if Chris saw me...

He would never let me see her again.

He was gonna lock me up in the loony bin.

He never liked me.

You went...to the house.

She said...she couldn't visit me anymore.

I just wanted to see her.

Seeing Allison made everything better but they cut my phone off.

That day! The day I went to see them!

They cut my phone off!

I never would've gone to the house if they hadn't cut off the phone!

There's no way this guy could've gotten into the house without a key.

Right.

Knowing how Chris Crawford felt about his brother-in-law you see him having one?

No.

Frank, you went to the house. What did you do?

It was...dark.

And-and cold.

I went around to the side to look through the window.

But my breath steamed up the glass and I wiped it clean, and...and I-

I could see them, sitting down for dinner.

I saw Emily and Sam, and... Sam was crying.

I guess he was in trouble.

Did you see Allison?

Yeah.

She was saying grace over the table.

And then...she looked up and saw me.

And she mouthed something at me.

I think it was, "get the hell out."

So I left.

Did Chris see you?

No. He wasn't there.

But a friend was at the head of the table.

You said a friend?

Mm-hmm. I saw someone.

What did this person look like?

I- I didn't see their face...but...uh...tiny.

Really tiny.

White or black, Frank?

I don't know. But...

What?

The hair.

It-it...it was red.

If Frank saw them that day it wasn't Chris Crawford at the table.

Maybe it was the suspect.

And she wasn't saying, "go away."

She was saying, "help me."

It-it wasn't a friend.

Frank.

It wasn't a friend at all.

It was him.

He's the one who k*lled them.

Frank.

I- I-I-I-

Frank.

No! No! No! No!

Frank. Frank. Frank, Frank, stop.

No! Frank! Frank! No!

Let go! Stop it! No! No!

Frank, calm down!

Frank! Come on!

Both families had a dog.

And both houses had a dog door.

Fielding said that the person he saw was small.

Yeah, well, in order to get through that door you'd have to be 5'4", tops, and real thin.

"When you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character.

Whoever did this isn't.

We can be pretty sure he's probably found himself another family by now.

Let's just watch him sleep.

No. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Can I kiss him?

Both of you, out.
Ok. No, I understand. Yeah.

I figured as much. Thank you.

He's been looking at those pictures all morning.

Well, I sure hope he sees a connection 'cause I've checked doctors, lawyers, travel agents, tutors contract workers. I got nothin'.

Why target those families?

Well, to know that, we have to know how.

We know organized K*llers are often skilled workers with above-average intelligence.

High birth status.

And in most cases...male.

In the workplace, he's socially confident.

And with women...sexually confident.

Every offense...is preplanned.

Targeting the victim is almost as pleasurable as the actual k*ll.

These guys, they're...they're meticulous.

It's a compulsion.

Everything has to have its proper place.

They do exhaustive amounts of research on their victims.

They watch their every move every last detail is observed.

Everything has to be written ever so neatly in a book or possibly a journal.

When the kids are comin' home from school.

When daddy'll be home.

Playtime. Suppertime.

Bath time. Bedtime.

Plan the work...work the plan.

This is the way that he maintains control.

It's also how he personalizes his target...

So nothing's left to chance.

Absolutely nothing...

Is left out of place, ever.

So he plans the work...

And when he's good and ready, he works that plan.

He takes great pride in his job.

I think the workplace has to be the connection.

Both are by Emily, painted months apart.

This one...is full of color, life.

The one I found at Emily's house has lines, dimensions. No color.

I believe Emily was coerced to make this.

It's a point of view.

It is his point of view.

This is where the k*ller stood, just watched the family.

Each of the dead husbands was missing his wedding ring.

This is the unsub's trophy.

He targets a family because he lost his own.

For a few days, he gets to play daddy.

And he can do whatever he wants because no one's gonna come lookin'

because they're supposed to be on vacation.

Let's get forensics to check the inside of Chris Crawford's clothing.

The suspect may have worn the father's clothes to...

Whew! Complete the fantasy.

So, why k*ll them?

'Cause the fantasy can't last.

Do we know anything that actually helps us identify this bastard?

Wait a minute.

Chris Crawford worked for the I. R. S.

And... Reese Miller was a secretary at the GAO.

That makes them both government employees.

Let's check out Chris Crawford and Reese Miller.

He had his share of problems at home.

Who doesn't?

But he didn't fix 'em by killin' his family.

Were you aware he was in therapy?

He mentioned a marriage counselor.

He say who?

Nope. And I didn't ask.

I don't like to pry.

That's surprising, comin'

from an I. R. S. Agent.

You mind if we go through Chris's belongings?

See if he had any connection to Miller?

You're welcome to look through anything you like.

Family therapists.

They often use children's paintings to assess the family unit.

We're all still in shock.

Reese was a quiet woman.

She kept pretty much to herself, bell to bell.

Brought in her own lunch, and she had 2 kids but then you knew that.

It's just so terrible.

I still can't believe it.

She was covering for one of my women who was on maternity leave.

And she was always tired, you know?

But then any woman married to Eric Miller would be.

He was a mean drunk.

Mrs. Raleigh...

He hit her, you know?

She tried to cover it up but concealer can only do so much magic.

I should know.

Mrs. Raleigh.

I'm tired. I'm talking too much.

Do you know if Mrs. Miller was seeing a marriage counselor?

Reese kept pretty much to herself.

You're not betraying any confidence.

We need to know everything about her life.

Every thursday, I covered for her so she could take off early to see a therapist.

Thought it worked.

She kicked the bastard out, got remarried.

Look what that got her.

We gotta stop meeting like this, Reid. People will talk.

But then talk is cheap.

Not when you're talkin' to a therapist.

The Crawfords made 12 weekly payments to the applewood family medical center.

What about the Millers?

No. Nothin' here.

How about pharmaceuticals?

Nobody gets therapy these days without a healthy dose of medication.

What are you implying, Reid?

That everyone is medicated.

Did you just make a joke?

No. I meant statistics.

They-they show that- -

Reid, next time, just say yes.

Now, medication normally requires reimbursement from the HMO and since she works for the government like you and I we share the same health care provider.

Are you hacking into the government's HMO database?

Is that legal?

'Course not. We'll go to prison, and you'll be someone's bitch.

Really?

Oh. Right there. Good call, Reid.

Mrs. Reese Miller-diazepam.

Who prescribed the meds?

Dr. R. Howard at the applewood family center.

Let's find out what he looks like. Here we go.

Dr. Howard isn't a he.

Excellent, Lacey. Really wonderful.

There's so much color.

It's very lovely, indeed.

Dr. Rachel Howard?

I'm special agent Aaron Hotchner with the FBI.

Come on, Lacey. Come on, go with mommy.

Can I help you?

I'm agent Jason Gideon, behavioral analysis.

We both deal with the dysfunctional.

Happily, in my line, the end results aren't quite as unpleasant as yours.

Unless you're the Crawford family.

Or the Millers. You knew them both.

Yes. I knew them, but...

Ma'am.

I think you should take a seat.

Why?

We're gonna have to check your alibi.

Dig all you want. I have 4 teenagers.

If I had any time to myself it wouldn't be spent k*lling my clients.

You worked with both families?

I assessed their cases.

This office deals with hundreds of families-m*llitary cops, lawyers, congressmen, feds.

I only met the Crawfords and Reese Miller once.

But you prescribed medication for them.

I'm the only medical doctor here.

Who'd you hand the cases over to?

Uh, I'll have to check my files.

You don't use a computer?

Not all of us have embraced the technical revolution.

I keep everything filed. It makes me feel more in control.

And please...do not read into that.

The Crawfords.

Karl Arnold dealt with their case.

What about the Millers?

I'd like to see him now.

Well, you can't. He works a 4/40-410-hour days.

He's off today, but he'll be in first thing tomorrow.

Do you have his home address?

I'll get a team out to his house.

In the meantime, we'd like to see his office.

Suspect's cell is goin'

straight to voice mail.

Karl's a good man.

That's what everybody says until they find a body in the basement.

It's locked.

I'll get security.

No. We don't have time for that.

Someone will have to pay for that.

Karl Arnold will.

Gideon.

Where is he now?

I can't believe Karl-

Where is he?

I don't know. If he's not at home, maybe he's gone to see his family.

He's married?

With 2 children-Karl Jr. And Sarah.

How long ago did the marriage collapse?

About 5 years ago.

It wasn't a good time for Karl. He-

he took some time off work.

He couldn't concentrate. He started...

Drinking.

Yeah?

I can't bel-maybe you've got it wrong.

I would've seen-

Oh, my god. I feel sick.

Where does Karl's family live?

She took the kids and moved to Idaho.

They just raided Karl's home.

He's not there.

Cut it out, now, both of you!

Sarah, Karl Jr, go do your homework.

Hello?

Wait. I'm sor-I can't hear-shh!

What did you say?

Faye Arnold, this is federal agent Aaron Hotchner.

I'd like to know where your ex-husband is.

As long as he's nowhere near me I don't give a damn.

We really need to find him.

When was the last time you saw him?

I- I haven't seen him in over 2 years.

He-he-he's a scary guy.

But...he did call me about an hour ago.

I wish he would just go to hell and stay there.

What did he say?

He just...babbled on about how precious family is and...

Did he say where he was?

No. No. He-he just wanted to talk to the kids.

He said he'd just met a little girl that reminded him of my Sarah.

Did he seem upset, anxious, confused?

Seemed like he always is-

angry, controlling, manic.

Do you have any idea where he might be?

No. But I-I did hear kids in the background.

And-and-and then someone started to cry.

That's when he hung up.

Thank you.

Arnold called his wife.

She heard kids in the background.

He's already in another family's house.

Hotch, there's gotta be hundreds of families here.

Then we'll send an agent to every last one of them if we have to.

Karl Arnold-he has a boy and a girl just like the Millers and the Crawfords.

Target family would be the same.

How could I not have seen it?

Because he's that good. If he wasn't we would have caught him sooner.

Does he have a journal?

He writes everything down, takes it everywhere.

It's likely he also collects trophies.

If they're not in his house they're right here, hidden in this room.

What does he mean by trophies?

From the families he k*lled.

If he doesn't confess, we'll need 'em as evidence.

Here's one-the Harrises, one boy, one girl.

Can I see it?

I got a few. The Boyds and the Dunkens.

Wait. The Dunkens. That's not one of his cases. That's mine.

They have a baby boy and a slightly introverted 8- year-old named Jackie.

Jackie...

Jackie's work?

He took it from my office.

Were they planning a trip?

To the adirondacks.

Let's go. Hotch, tear up the room.

Here, take this. I call you some backup.

We've got 3 adults and 2 children sitting at the dining room table.

FBI! FBI!

He's got my baby!

Ma'am, is he alone?

My baby!

Where's the basement?

Under the stairs!

Son of a bitch.

Get 'em outta here. Get them outta here!

Gideon. Gideon!

Karl?

Karl, it's the FBI.

Karl?

Why don't you give me the baby?

Karl?

Karl, I want you to look at me.

I'm gonna put my g*n away...

And I want you to hand me that baby.

Give me the baby.

You move, I'm gonna break your neck.

Hello.

Let's go.

How are you?

Keep it moving.

Did he say anything?

No.

Can we tie him forensically to the other crimes?

Negative on foreign DNA.

He must have washed Crawford's clothes.

Then we'll need a confession.

Can you get one?

Did you do what I asked?

Yeah.

Then maybe.

Emily Crawford was a very talented and gifted girl.

Her brother Sam, a bright, energetic child.

You watched them from the yard for days, maybe even weeks.

You learned everything about them studied their every move and then you wrote it all down.

May I have a glass of water?

Something wrong?

No, I'm just thirsty.

Water, please.

Could you remove my shackles?

I'm clearly no thr*at to you.

They stay on.

You chose families that reminded you of the one you lost.

You stalked them, you bound them, you terrorized them then you k*lled them...one by one.

We have your journals, Karl.

It's my job...to write everything down, to get to know them.

I can't help them solve their problems without knowing background.

And I make home visits...

Sometimes without their knowledge because people lie.

You, of all people, should know that.

Eric Miller was an awful husband and father.

Allison Crawford hemorrhaged money her husband didn't have.

It can strain any marriage.

On the surface, this looks like any family, U. S. A.

2 parent household, 2 kids, boy and a girl.

If you look a little closer you'll see their body language tells a different story.

The woman and children are distant from the man.

Their smiles are stiff.

Their eyes are frightened.

Every hair is in place, wearing their sunday best their own private hell being memorialized on film.

Are you OK?

It isn't right.

What isn't?

You've got the pictures mixed up!

The one in the middle, that is Sam Crawford's.

It should be Ty Miller's!

You need...to swap them.

You need to make it right.

This one here?

What the hell have I been trying to tell you?

You're right. They're switched.

That is Sam Crawford's foot with the Miller family but how did you know that, Karl?

And I watched them for a number of days, always at night.

Saw how they lived. How they loved.

I would keep them apart...

Until the last night, till the last supper.

Then I would bring them, one by one...

Down to the basement.

The youngest first. The father last.

Why, karl?

So he could see...

What happens to families when the head of household...

Isn't strong.

Wives wither.

Children perish.

But me?

I'm an excellent father.
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