12x06 - Elliott's Pond

[bunniefuu]

[Girl grunts]

Like that, ok?

First you want to go under...

Yeah.

And then kind of hold it up so they get back to us.

Right.

Older boy: Guys, guys, you should have been home an hour ago.

Now Mom's sitting there with Dad waiting on you.

Did you forget Dad was coming?

Boy: We don't want to go to his place this weekend.

Well, we don't get a say in it.

Girl: Is Shelley with them?

No, she's not.

You know she's gonna show up at some point.

Girl: She says mean things about mom.

[Sighs] I know.

I know.

But it's his weekend.

Maybe we'll go to the movies like we did last time.

That wasn't so bad.

Come on.

You want to race?

Boy: You're on a bike. You'll win.

You guys got a head start if you cut through the corn.

Unless you two are chicken.

Bawk bawk bawk bawk!

Girl: Come on, let's go!

Last one home's a loser!

Allie!

Where are you?!

I'm over here!

Allie!

Allie, where are you?!

I'm over here!

Ale: Look, he's hurt!

Watch his little leg.

Stop it.

Dude, seriously, stop it.

Come on, man, I'm trying to tell a story.

And then, that's when the aliens snatched them.

Ignore him. It wasn't aliens, it was the lunatic from the asylum.

P.K., I said quit it.

Then the oxen hill maniac kept the twins chained up for days.

He needed to fatten them up before he ate them.

I thought their older brother k*lled them.

Or that freak Jimmy Ridley.

Tonight we solve the mystery.

No backing out?

P.K. and Bones: No backing out.

So, uh, no phones, right?

That was the point. Old school.

No lifelines.

Yeah, but you chickened out last year.

Bones, what's your story?

I said I was sleeping at your house.

That's why the phone's there.

My phone and I are at P.K.'s.

So we're covered.

As long as we're at my house for pancakes in the morning.

Ok, P.K., serious question... Why are you always eating?

'Cause I'm fracking hungry.

Nutter butter, anyone?

Sure. How long is this gonna take?

Who cares? We got all night.

Watch out for snakes.

It's right here.

Alvez: I'm dead serious.

JJ: There's no way.

The probability of that happening to you more than once is astounding.

I know. I know.

But I was there, ok, and I'm telling you, it was crazy.

Thank God you guys are here. What do you know?

Nothing.

Ok. Rossi got here crazy early, and then right when Prentiss came in he pulled her in there.

We need to talk.

Ok, ok.

What's going on?

It's Hotch.

Oh, my God. Is he ok?

He's ok.

But he has not been away on special assignment.

That's something we had to say as a cover for the investigation.

What investigation?

Hotch saw Peter Lewis watching one of Jack's soccer games.

By the time Hotch reacted, Lewis had taken off.

The Bureau searched the area, but he disappeared.

When was this?

Days after Mr. Scratch resurfaced in Arizona.

One of the victims was chanting his name when we found her.

She had "Hotch" carved into her forehead.

It really got to him.

Why didn't he tell us? We could have focused on finding Mr. Scratch.

He knows we can't drop everything.

Also, he didn't want to worry everyone.

So now what? They have around-the-clock surveillance?

Initially, yes.

Agents were assigned to watch Jack 24/7.

But when we were all in L.A.

On the John David Bates case, Scratch surfaced again, this time at Jack's school.

Going after Jack takes this to a whole new level.

Peter Lewis is not going to stop.

Which is why Hotch and Jack have now entered the program.

Witness Protection. Oh, ok, uh, wow.

But now that this happened, we can drop everything and focus on catching Mr. Scratch, and then Hotch can come back, right?

He went away believing that could happen.

But things have changed.

He's now decided that he can't put himself and Jack in danger again.

He just sent in his resignation.

I know this is a lot to process.

I mean, yeah, he's a great dad, and this is an impossible job, and we know how much tragedy he's had.

He's had enough tragedy. But...

Does this mean we're never going to be able to talk to him again?

We don't have a choice.

It's not ideal, obviously.

But as his friends, we have to support his decision.

The only way for Hotch to guarantee Jack's safety is if they both stay off the grid.

Rossi: And one more thing.

Hotch spoke to the director as to who should replace him.

Don't worry, it won't be me.

You know I'm allergic to paperwork.

But Hotch's final request was that Emily Prentiss becomes the BAU's new bureau chief.

Thank the universe for silver linings.

Ok, I just heard about all of this myself a few minutes ago.

Congratulations, Emily.

This'll be good, right?

You kidding me? This'll be great.

I am really happy for you.

Thank you, guys, but I haven't exactly signed on yet.

Everyone knows you have a lot to consider, but the brass needs an answer by tomorrow.

Understood.

I hate to interrupt the bad news/good news with bad news/bad news, but we've got 3 missing kids in Delaware.

P.K.?

Bones?

[Clank]

[Josh gasps]

No! Aah!

Rossi: "The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other."

Mario Puzo.

There's a lot to process before my first cup.

Thank you.

I can't believe he's been dealing with this for weeks and we never knew.

That part really doesn't surprise me.

He's always kept things to himself.

I guess it was just his way of protecting us.

If anyone targeted my boys, I'd do anything to keep them safe.

I know.

Are you ready to take this for a test drive?

Sure.

It's a quick flight. We should get started.

Ok, my brain's a little lunky from that intel earlier today.

Is that just me?

No? Good. Not good, but you know.

Anyway, if you all follow along on your, uh, what-you-call-it, your tablets.

Uh, 3 missing teenage Clayton, Delaware, boys are Bones Jarvis, Josh Harmon, and P.K. Riggins.

Did you say Bones?

Yeah. Coolest name ever, huh?

Technically it's William, but the Police chief says everyone calls him Bones.

Lewis: When were they last seen?

Around 9 p.m.

That was over 12 hours ago.

That gives the unsub a massive head start.

Yeah. And we've got like a barrel of nothing.

The boys took off on their bikes, but they left their cell phones at home, so there's no way to track them.

Any prior history with these kids?

No, nothing.

They've never even been gone overnight.

And apparently they spend every weekend together either making or watching movies.

There's a bit of a haunted history in Clayton.

Years ago a mental institution b*rned down and inmates escaped.

Legend has it those that were never found moved into abandoned houses.

Garcia, you should locate some of those properties.

Maybe the boys were looking for inspiration.

Also check into any history of criminal activity focusing on crimes against children.

Ok. But for the record, I prefer getting spooked doing research on ghost stories.

We all know the stats.

If we don't find these kids within the next 24 hours, we could be looking at body recovery.

We can't let that happen.

Thanks for coming.

And, please, call me Coop. Everybody here does.

Rossi: Tell us about your town, Coop.

Mm, good people, hard-working.

I gotta tell you, it's a quiet place.

It looks like we're just a few miles from the old Oxen Hill mental asylum.

Well, you know, that place b*rned down in 1956.

Ghosts are long gone. There's a Walmart there now.

Let me ask you this. Do you think it's possible the boys were following the legend of what happened to all the inmates?

It could be. The parents told me that the boys were into scary movies.

My officers are taking statements right now.

Have your officers ever dealt with a missing children's investigation before?

I'm the only one that's been here long enough.

The last time anything like this happened was back in 1983.

That's when the Henson twins went missing.

How'd that turn out?

We found some clothes.

There were traces of blood.

Um, we never found the bodies.

How old were they when they disappeared?

13.

Is it possible this is the same offender 33 years later?

I thought the same thing.

But all the suspects I had back in '83 are dead.

Yes, but two children were abducted back then, 3 now, in the same town?

It's too similar to dismiss.

The question is, if it is the same offender, would he be strong enough to kidnap 3 young boys?

Maybe he has help.

Or he could have been a young offender when he struck before and he's just not as old as we think.

Where were the Henson twins last seen?

Off Route 7. I'll take you there, but somebody's gotta stay here with the parents.

They haven't left since I called you.

Lewis and I will talk to them.

Have your sons ever run off before?

No.

They're good kids.

I don't know who would do this to them.

Where might the boys have gone?

It had to be some kind of adventure, because P.K., he shoved a bunch of snacks in his bag before he left.

He'd just had a growth spurt, so I just thought he was hungry.

My first guess was that he lost track of time and got into making a movie.

But then after we all talked and found their cell phones, we knew that wasn't happening.

Can we see their movies?

Here you go.

That's their latest one.

Gonna be some kind of alien invasion when they're done with the effects.

Josh, narrating: Aliens are among us.

Careful. The aliens are nearby.

Who knows who they are.

They are lurking in plain sight.

Run!

Who's this guy at the end, with the blue truck?

Jimmy Ridley. He's been around forever.

Do you think he has something to do with it?

We'll look into it.

[Line rings]

Hello.

Garcia, I need you to run a name for me.

Jimmy Ridley.

I have a James Edward Ridley of Clayton, actually 3 of them, uh, all from the same family tree.

Senior and junior have passed on, but the third is still there. He lives and works on the family farm.

No priors.

Ok. Thanks.

So, um, how are you holding up?

Well, you know how I am with change.

Yeah. That's why I asked.

[Chuckles]

I keep trying to think of the last thing I said to him, and I can't remember.

It was probably something boring, like "yes, sir."

But I don't know. I hope it was more clever and kind, and I keep thinking, is that what we're supposed to learn from this, like every time you get off the phone with someone, you should say something clever and connected?

Is that what I'm supposed to learn?

Because... 'cause you don't know if it's the last thing you're ever going to be able so say to them.

I don't know. Maybe.

Well, that's impossible and exhausting.

And, you know, I'm pretty good with the salutations and the signing off, but I cannot think of something meaningful to say every time I get off the phone with someone.

That cannot be the lesson in this.

I don't think we're gonna know what we're supposed to learn for a while.

That doesn't work for me, Sir. I'm sorry, but, you know, I cross-check and I figure it out quickly. That's my thing.

I know.

It's gonna get better.

Well, I wish it would hurry up and do that because this feels really rotten.

Of course it does.

Because it should.

And right now you're thinking it's never gonna get better and that this is your new normal.

But you'll adapt.

We all will.

Trust me, kiddo.

I've been here before.

Thanks.

And I know you could have found out from the locals about Jimmy Ridley. I appreciate you checking up on me.

You bet.

Sir, one more thing.

I love you.

I love you, too, Penelope.

[Breaks connection]

Well, the story is that the twins were racing their big brother home.

And they split up and the twins just vanished.

And, uh, we searched this whole area until winter.

You know, a blizzard's the only thing that could stop the diehards from looking.

This town can't afford another heartbreak.

What's goin' on?

There are 3 missing kids.

We don't want any trouble.

Looks like you got it anyhow.

You need a ride home?

No, sir, I do not need a ride home.

I've been getting plenty of exercise since you took away my license.

What are you guys, are you FBI or something?

Yeah.

Coop, why didn't you bring them in before?

Oh, that's right. Because you were too cocky back then.

Now you're just lazy.

Go home, Deeley.

Deeley Henson?

Yes.

You were with your siblings that night.

Sure was.

Could we possibly ask you a few questions?

Nope. I'm done talkin'.

Johnny and Allie are gone.

Nothing's gonna change that.

If this case has anything to do with your brother and sister, you could really help us.

Sorry, I just got nothin' left.

That's the downside of living in a small town.

You know, rumors flew, people accused Deeley of k*lling them.

He became an outcast, dropped out of school, started drinking to cover up the guilt.

Surprised he's still standing.

JJ: This was the boys last night.

Security camera across from the cornfield picked it up.

If they were moving in that direction, it probably means they were tracking the Henson twins' disappearance.

It's kind of a local legend.

Lewis: Anyone else see them?

Alvez: It's hard to say, but about two minutes later this pickup truck drove by.

Coop: That's Jimmy Ridley.

He's in a film the kids were making.

What's his story?

A hermit, mostly.

Has a few run-ins now and then.

We need to find out what he was doing on that road last night.

Josh! Get up, come on.

Something flew right at me. I think it was a ghost.

Shut up. Someone's here.

Listen.

[Indistinct sounds]

[Knocking on door]

FBI! Open up!

[Door creaks]

Small town.

Guys.

[Indistinct sound]

[Indistinct sound]

[Whimpering]

He's been stalking these kids.

It shows a lot of patience.

Reid: And intent to do harm.

He has a lot of weapons at his disposal.

Add extreme isolation to that and we've got ourselves a time b*mb.

Looks like he was raised in this house.

Yeah. By a hoarder.

There are old photos of the Henson twins, too.

He could be involved in the first abduction.

He would have been 15 when the Henson twins disappeared, the same exact age as their brother Deeley.

I wonder if the two of them were friends back then.

You think that brother's ever gonna talk to us?

I don't know. Look at this.

Those kids are awful.

Jimmy, what did you do?

I taught them a lesson.

Where are they?

Why do you have pictures of these kids?

They take pictures of me...

So I started doing it back.

What about the Henson kids?

They used to cut through our property.

We got them signs up, but no one cares.

My dad used to take pictures of everyone who trespassed.

Since Coop don't do nothin' about it, we had to prove it ourselves.

What about the Jarvis boy's helmet?

Why was that inside your house?

He left it there.

When? When was this?

Last night.

Was he with his friends?

Yeah.

No one went inside your house?

No. No!

Ok.

I'm sorry, Jimmy. I need you to walk me through this.

Because I want to help you.

Those boys, they were on your property, but no one came inside your house?

That's right.

I sh*t off a firecracker.

I scared 'em so bad, his hat fell off.

And I kept it.

Did you see what direction they went in?

No.

All right.

We'll be right back.

[Grunts]

You need anything?

I need to get home.

Ok.

He isn't sophisticated enough to take 3 kids.

Well, it's been 18 hours since those boys disappeared.

Where the hell are they?

[Indistinct voices]

Josh: It sounds like they're whispering.

Bones: There's only one guy. He's talking to himself.

We never should have left our phones at home.

How was I supposed to know some freak was gonna grab us?

If we had our phones, we wouldn't be in this frackin' hobbit hole.

Why don't you just cuss?

[Whispering] My parents would k*ll me.

Your parents aren't here.

You guys are missing the whole point.

Who the hell is that freak?

I think it was a ghost.

You said it was all skinny and pale.

It wasn't a ghost.

I wish we never would have found this place.

Well, we did, and we gotta get the hell out of here, listen, so don't lose it now.

Prentiss: His house is a puzzle, but other than the bicycle helmet, we couldn't find any sign of the kids.

I think this guy's too simple to be who we're looking for.

We should take a closer look at the Henson case.

Who called it in back then?

Their mom did, but she d*ed a few years ago.

Their older brother Deeley was with them that night.

Yeah, we met him on the roadside.

According to Coop, he lives across town and he went out of his way to find us on Route 7.

Sounds like he's trying to insert himself into our investigation.

Except when we asked him to talk, he refused.

Maybe it's time to give it another try.

You want to take a ride?

Sure.

If Jimmy really I isn't our unsub, we're back to one.

Let's go dig up the Henson files.

I'll buy you a cup of coffee on the way.

What are you thinking?

A lot of circumstantial evidence against Jimmy Ridley, but I wanted to go over...

I was actually wondering what you were thinking about staying.

Oh. Right.

Well, uh, more pros than cons.

I love this group and the job, but...

But you've got a life back in London and a boyfriend.

Yeah.

Have you told him yet?

Oh, I haven't had the chance.

We jumped on the jet.

You should call him.

I will.

You mean right this second.

Yeah.

[Chuckles]

Hey. I hope I didn't wake you.

Mr. Henson?

Hi, we met earlier.

My name is Dr. Spencer Reid.

This is SSA Luke Alvez.

Ah, pleasure to meet you, amigos.

[Chuckles]

[Cans rattle]

How much have you had to drink today?

A free man in my own house. Why does that matter?

I'm just thinking now is not a great time to talk.

I mean, you might not be yourself.

What do you want to know?

Tell us about 1983.

What the hell does that matter now?

It might help us figure out who took those kids last night.

It wasn't me.

The factory's got cameras. I work graveyard.

We're not saying you did it.

Well...

You'd be the first.

I mean, everyone in this place thought I k*lled Johnny and Allie.

k*lled them.

Just 'cause I got in trouble sometimes.

And then, uh...

My folks, they blamed me for losing them that night.

Never said I hurt 'em.

But it was my fault that they were gone.

You know what that does to a kid?

It does this.

When you rode by us earlier, we thought maybe you wanted to help.

Let me ask you this... what way did Allie and Johnny go that night?

They cut through the corn and past the Ridley farm.

But I found them that night and Elliott's pond.

And I told Coop that back then.

They dragged it.

They never found them.

Then it froze over that winter.

Thank you.

Appreciate your help.

That was the quietest car ride we've ever had.

I can't stop thinking about that guy, you know?

I don't know what I would have done if I was him.

All that guilt.

How do you deal with that?

He obviously never did.

It's going to be dark soon. There's a lot of area to cover.

We might want to call in a search party.

Yeah, that's before anybody knew we had to search the pond again.

Hey.

Look at this.

This can't be good.

Guys, look.

Are we gonna fit through it?

No, there's no way.

Shh.

[Footsteps]

[Door closes]

[Banging]

Aah!

Reid: So if you guys want to go over to the sort of white lake area.

Can I help you?

I don't know. Uh, are you in any condition to do that?

I switched to coffee.

At this rate, I won't sleep for days.

Ok. We found one of the boys' bags in a hunting trap, no other signs of them yet.

Old man Clements used to have hunting traps out here.

Who's he?

Geezer who got himself off the grid long time ago.

Survivalist type.

[Man screaming]

[Trap snaps]

Aah. Help me.

[Groaning]

Help me. Ohh!

Man: Get a medic!

Son of a bitch!

Aah!

This is fresh bait.

Someone set this recently.

Yeah, look. Somebody tried to fire some tranquilizer darts and missed.

[Clanking]

This Clements guy used to hunt out here and someone still using his traps.

I'll patch in Garcia.

[Ring]

I was feeling forgotten.

Never. What do you have on a local man named Reginald Clements?

Uh, Reginald Clements.

Uh... He's lived there all his life.

He, uh, appears to be, I think the words for it are "off his rocker."

Lot of bats in the belfry. B-a-n-a-n-a-s.

I am going to send you what I find as I find it so you can follow along at home.

He's from one of the founding families, but this Reginald has quite the past.

He did time at that mental hospital that b*rned down, but he was there before the fire.

JJ: For what?

as*ault with a deadly w*apon.

But it was the bodily harm he did to himself that put him away.

He claimed he needed protection from aliens.

His delusions ranged from the world ending to major conspiracies, cag him to live entirely off the grid.

And, you know, I'm all for solar panels and making your own kombucha, but this guy took it to the extreme.

And when he was 18, he got in trouble for abduction of a minor.

And get this.

His defense was loneliness.

Reid: When was he released?

Winter of 1982.

So if it was him, he was out for a year before the Hensons disappeared.

It could have been for a dual purpose...

Survival and companionship.

Is Clements dead, Garcia?

I don't have a death certificate, but if he's alive, he'd be 82.

Could he have been strong enough to hold the boys and set hunting traps?

Doubtful.

What are you thinking, Luke?

I'm thinking the next logical step...

He didn't k*ll the Hensons.

He's had them this whole time.

How would he maintain control, especially once they were strong enough to escape?

He's already got them isolated, and their home life wasn't great.

He believes that the world is coming to an end.

He could have convinced them of his own delusions.

So one paranoid survivalist bred two more.

And if the Henson twins have taken our 3 boys, who knows what they're gonna do with them.

Go ahead...

Eat.

Don't be afraid.

No one will ever find us here.

[Siren]

Someone with Clements' delusions would have gone all in.

He could have built a b*mb shelter to hide the Hensons.

And that's where the boys would be now.

Well, we found those tranquilizer darts.

They could have been dosed and dragged back to the house.

They couldn't be too far from where P.K.'s bag was.

The boys were looking for adventure.

My gut tells me they'll keep the unsubs talking so they can work on a plan to escape.

That isn't what worries me. We don't know if the Hensons would want to hurt them, but if they've been isolated and tortured this whole time, who knows what they'll do.

Ah, man, we gotta get out of here.

Do you have a plan?

If we fake sickness and tell them we need help.

You two can take them.

Get the keys, get the hell outside and run.

And what? You stay here and get k*lled?

I stay here until you guys get back with help.

Well, I mean, unless you got a better idea.

No backing out.

[Both] No backing out.

Please, you gotta help!

There's something wrong with Josh!

[Door opening]

He gets seizures. If you don't help him, he'll die.

[Shouts]

[Grunting]

Run, Bones!

[Grunting]

No!

Why are you trying to hurt us?

I-I'm not.

I swear, I'm trying to get help for... for Josh.

Drop the w*apon.

Allie.

It's me. Jim Cooper.

You remember?

We need for you to drop the g*n.

We need for you to drop the g*n.

Go on.

Promise you won't hurt us.

Oh, I promise.

I promise.

It's ok.

It's ok. All right? Ok.

It's all right.

Hey. You guys ok?

You guys ok?

Yeah.

Let's go. Let's get you out of here.

Let's go. Come on.

Watch it.

[Music, no audible dialogue]

[Gasping, crying]

[Sobbing]

[Allie sobbing]

You ok?

Yeah. I'm just glad we found those kids.

Oh, yeah, me, too.

But, uh, I was talking about that other thing.

I haven't had a chance to talk to you guys. What do you think?

I think we've been through a lot of changes and we always figure it out, you know?

Morgan left, and now Hotch, but if you stay, it'll be ok.

Well, I talked to Mark.

And?

He's gonna be here next week for a visit.

Well, that's a good start.

But they need an answer in the morning, right?

I know.

Here's the truth. If you don't take the position, they're gonna bring in some stranger to be the Unit chief.

And I don't know how that'll turn out, but the learning curve could be brutal.

It'll probably stink for us, but...

Look, we're your friends and we'll support you no matter what you decide.

I'm gonna stay.

Oh, thank God!

Are you serious?

Yes.

I love being here, and I've really missed you guys.

We have missed you, too.

Honestly, you have no idea how much.

[Laughs]

[Indistinct chatter]

We need to talk.

Surprise!

Ha ha! News travels fast.

Oh, good news does. I'm so happy you're here.

We all are.

And I've got some big shoes to fill.

Well, I'm not worried. Besides, you'd never let us all down.

[Laughs] Oh, great. No pressure.

Well, let me just say something to everyone.

I, um... I've been in and out of here since 1978, but I know this is where I belong.

I've seen a lot of great agents pass through those doors, and a lot of them have moved on.

Now, most of this team has been together for over a decade.

But I promise you, that doesn't happen often.

Now, I've heard the rumblings about how lucky we are, and it's true, but the truth is, it's what happens...

When we're not on a case that has defined who we are.

We stand beside one another, through good, through bad, because we're family.

So...

To Aaron and Jack, I don't know who's luckier, but it warms my heart to know that they'll be together every day and safe.

Hear, hear.

And to Emily, our friend and new Unit Chief.

Welcome home.

Cheers! Cheers!

Cheers! Cheers!

Whoo!

[Indistinct chatter and laughter]

Garcia: "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good."

Helen Keller.

[Indistinct chatter]