Criminal Minds s14e14 Episode Script
Sick and Evil
Rossi: Previously on "Criminal Minds" Prentiss: Our unsub is Everett Lynch.
He's a con man and a murderer who slices off the faces of the women he seduces.
[Grunts.]
Rossi: This was the first time that I was beaten by someone younger, faster, stronger than I am.
- Now, what's your name? - Grace.
I'm Grace.
- Grace? - Daddy! Rossi: We arrested his daughter Grace, but he got away.
Honey, don't be so hard on yourself.
You just gave birth, and somehow you're glowing.
I can't even imagine what I'd look like.
Woman, on phone: Thanks.
You're sweet.
A liar, but sweet.
[Chuckles.]
Kim, I know we're not as close as when we were kids, but I just want to say I'm sorry this happened.
And one day you'll be a fantastic mother, - [baby crying.]
- I promise.
Clara's up.
You should go.
Mmm.
Mama's right here, sweetheart.
Shh I'm so happy for you, Annie.
Love you.
Talk to you later.
[Click.]
[Sniffs.]
[Lock clicks.]
[Doorknob rattles.]
[Screw squeaking.]
No! - [Latch clicks.]
- No! Aah! - [Knock on door.]
- Come in.
- Heard from Reid? - No.
He usually disconnects when he's off teaching his seminar, but he'll be back next week.
I know how much you care about Spence, but that can't be the main reason you're standing in my office at midnight with a file in your hand.
The latest on Everett Lynch.
[Sighs.]
Dave, I appreciate your effort on this, but we have a lot going on.
I need your focus here.
I know, I know.
It's moving so slow.
We aren't any closer to finding this jag-off than we were yesterday.
Any luck with his daughter Grace? She didn't say much.
Put her in solitary, see how long she lasts.
[Cell phone vibrates.]
It's Garcia with a new case.
[Beep.]
Look, Dave, I have no doubt in my mind, we'll get him.
But if you try to rush it, things will get sloppy.
You just have to trust the process.
When do I not trust the process? Good point.
You are headed to Lewiston, Maine.
It is the second-largest city in the state.
It is also a place that could be the setting for any horror movie ever made.
It's also where two women in the last 5 days have been overpowered with blunt force trauma and stabbed 22 times in the stomach.
Neither were mothers and neither were pregnant at the time.
This kind of frenzied overkill, it feels personal.
So, do we have a primary suspect? Garcia: Uh, no.
But victim number one was Linda Stahl.
She was single.
I can't find an ex in her past.
Victim number two, Kim Reynolds, she was married.
Her husband works nights.
Let's double check his alibi.
This unsub not only has the guts to enter his victims' homes, but these kills are vicious and quick.
I wonder how he's getting inside the houses.
Could use a ruse or he's good at picking locks.
Well, Maine's pretty rural.
I wouldn't be surprised if these victims didn't even lock their doors.
And both houses had basements.
It's a common point of vulnerable access.
Lewis: So are we looking for a misogynist here, a scored lover, a guy with mommy issues, or a combination of all three? Regardless, our unsub has shown a high level of violence, a willingness to take risks, and he has struck twice in less than a week with no sign he's about to stop.
Wheels up.
[Insects chirping.]
[Water running.]
Man: I've got this.
Oh, no, it's a lot.
You can't do that alone.
But you cooked a 4-course meal for 6 people alone.
I am exhausted.
And I have to be at the studio really early tomorrow.
I only have two weeks left until my installation.
You'll finish in time.
And when you do, it'll be your best show yet.
Best.
We'll see.
[Water running.]
[Creaking.]
Carly? Aah! Aah [Door latch clicks.]
Jareau: "Terror made me cruel.
" Emily Brontë.
It is with a heavy heart I report there's been a new set of victims.
Two attacks in less than 12 hours.
He's speeding up.
Did you say "set," Garcia? Yeah, I did.
It was a couple this time Carly and Brad Davis.
I'm sending you the info now.
First time it's been a couple.
Breaking into a house and attack one person is difficult enough, but going in while there's two people, that's even riskier.
Brad was stabbed in the stomach and severed a major artery.
He died almost instantly.
Carly was murdered just like the first two victims, Linda Stahl and Kim Reynolds stabbed 22 times in the stomach.
It says here Brad was stabbed 21 times in the stomach post-mortem.
It's that number, 22.
It's the unsub's compulsion.
He can't get away from it.
Then we need to figure out why.
Well, age seems to be the one overlap between the 3 female victims.
They were all born within a year of each other.
They could be surrogates.
Well, let's try to find a deeper connection - between those three.
- Garcia: I'm all over that.
When we land, Dave, Matt, head to the M.
E.
's office.
Tara, JJ, you'll go to the latest crime scene.
Luke, you and I will set up with the Lewiston P.
D.
Detective Miley, I'm SSA Emily Prentiss with the FBI.
This is my colleague, SSA Luke Alvez.
Pleasure to meet you both.
Welcome to Lewiston.
Thanks for inviting us in.
Once it happened a second time, I knew we couldn't handle it on our own.
Is there some place we can set up? Yep.
Conference room's right over there, and Jeff Reynolds, Kim's husband, is here and ready to be interviewed.
Great.
We'll start with him.
Right this way.
Kim was desperate to have kids.
It took us almost 3 years, but we finally got pregnant.
And the day after we found out, we started building the nursery.
But Then a few weeks later, she miscarried.
To make things worse, her sister just gave birth to her third, a girl this time.
Kim was crushed.
I'm really sorry to hear that, Jeff.
I can't imagine how difficult that must have been.
It made our recent arguments around the house even worse.
What was happening with your house? We both started hearing noises.
What kind? I figured it was mice.
I set traps, called pest control, but nothing.
Kim didn't think it was mice, did she? No.
She thought it was footsteps.
We argued that, um What did you argue about? I mean, if somebody was inside of our house, we would have seen them, right? Under normal circumstances, yes.
Prentiss: But after hearing this, Jeff, we think it's possible this offender was in your home before your wife's murder.
We need to know if you saw anybody new hanging around the neighborhood.
Wait.
I could have stopped this? Prentiss: If Kim wanted to get pregnant, maybe Linda and Carly did, too.
We'll have Garcia look into it.
Yeah, it looks like the unsub ran pre-attack surveillance on Kim.
I bet he did the same with the others.
To get in and out of houses like this, our unsub must also be savvy and experienced.
It's classic pre-cursor behavior.
And if nobody saw him casing the area, he must blend in.
In some way, this guy's the perfect unsub.
We've busted perfect before.
We'll start by re-canvassing the victims' neighborhoods.
Hopefully somebody saw him coming or going.
- You're with the FBI.
- Yeah.
And you are? Courtney Mably, blogger, local lore expert, curator of the Lewiston Historical Society.
When I heard there was a crime at this house, I had to get here.
And what's so special about this house? Well, little-known fact, 60 years ago, a man killed his wife here.
Stabbed her in the stomach with a kitchen knife before cutting his own throat.
You didn't know? So then you also don't know this place is haunted.
Haunted? Yes, the ghost of Mrs.
Kante roams the grounds looking for vengeance.
It's super cool.
Courtney, I love your enthusiasm, but, um, people are dying and there is a killer on the loose.
Yeah.
You're right.
I'm sorry.
So sorry.
I will totally get out of your way.
So the Davis murders just happened.
How'd Courtney know about them? Yeah, that's a good question.
A police scanner, maybe a friend on the force, inserting herself into the investigation.
Well, let's have Garcia look into her.
Yeah.
So we know the unsub spent extensive time at the victims' houses, but I still can't believe we didn't find one shred of DNA or print evidence at any of the crime scenes.
Yeah, that on its own shows a level of skill, forensic sophistication, and pre-meditation.
At the Reynolds' house, the unsub used the tip of his knife to remove the doorknob and get to Kim in her locked bedroom.
Yeah, they also found a fireplace poker near Kim's body, so she fought back.
The unsub might have sustained injuries.
We should check local hospitals just in case.
If the unsub had to disarm Kim before he could attack her, that would have been a lot more work for him.
Yeah, well, this time looks like he learned from that experience.
Right, right.
Carly was asleep.
She was an easy target.
And the only obstacle this time would have been her husband Brad.
But the unsub got the jump on him out in the hallway.
The unsub's ability to learn from past near mistakes has led to a subtle shift in tactics.
The unsub's evolving.
JJ, is there a pile of salt in the corner where you're standing? Yeah.
There's salt in all 4 corners of this room.
Yeah, salt is used to ward off spirits.
And given the history of this house Right.
Well, then the question becomes, did Carly leave the salt behind or did the unsub? [Water turns on.]
Michelle, you already took a shower tonight.
Turn off the water.
Mom? I didn't turn it on.
Go get your phone and call 9-1-1.
[Water continues running.]
[Screams.]
Per Emily's request, I looked into possible conception connections between the female victims.
Looks like Kim was trying to get pregnant, but Linda and Carly were not.
However, when I looked into the past murder-suicide at the Davis house, I did find a connection the houses.
Jareau: So each has a violent history followed by a ghost story.
Yeah, yeah.
It's like they each have a unique place in the city's lore.
But if all these murders took place at so-called haunted houses, then the kills are about the houses, not the women.
Garcia, we need a list of homes with similar histories that fall inside the unsub's comfort zone.
Garcia: Ok, I will work on that list right now.
Ooh! And all the victims' houses have another thing in common.
They have each been heavily chronicled by a certain person, in particular on her blog.
Lewis: Let me guess.
Courtney Mably, the woman we met at the Davis house.
Garcia: Don't you know it.
And I did some research on Courtney, too.
She is a Lewiston native.
She's obsessed with local lore.
Once upon a time, she was an O.
R.
nurse, but she was fired for getting in a violent outburst at her boss, which she vehemently denies.
And it looks like she makes most of her money off of her blog.
So we knew about Courtney's obsession.
Now it's also clear that she has some skill and a violent history.
Well, because the kills were so ruthless, we assumed the unsub's a man, but what if it isn't? So I found 7 locations that match that criteria violent history, haunted, in the right zone.
I'm sending you those addresses now.
Hold on.
A 9-1-1 call literally just came in, and it's from one of those addresses.
A Natasha Thompson lives there with her daughter Michelle.
I'm sending you the info.
Here it is.
JJ and Tara, get over there now.
Matt, let's get the rest of the team.
I still want people at those other addresses in case Courtney's on the move.
Courtney Raise your hands slowly.
[Door opens.]
Courtney.
I'm SSA David Rossi with the FBI.
We found you covered in the victim's blood.
You're smart.
You know how that looks.
I was there to help.
I saw her.
The blood.
I tried to help.
I want to believe you, but there's really only one way you could have beaten us there.
No.
I got lucky.
I've never seen anyone roll up on a dead body inside of a house they didn't live in by chance.
After the last murder, I decided to try and figure out which house the killer might go to next.
I landed on 3 possible options.
I just so happened to go to the Thompson house first.
I'd never met them.
I just looked up who lived there.
And the second I saw the door was opened and the lights were off, I knew I was right.
You chose the Thompson house because of its history, didn't you? Yes.
10 years ago, the homeowner was stabbed and murdered after taking a bath.
She's haunted the place ever since.
And that explains why you filled the tub with water.
No.
No.
I didn't do that.
It's not just your fascination with ghost stories or haunted houses or even the fact that we found you there.
It's you.
You see, in my line of work, patterns of past behavior are often the best indicators of future behavior.
And your past, the life-long obsession, the violent incident, it paints a certain picture, a picture that could allow me to understand why you would target these homes and stab these victims.
[Sobbing.]
But I've been a profiler long enough to know that often isn't always.
So I want you to tell me everything, because there's a little girl down the hall who survived, and she is telling us everything.
Hi, Michelle.
Do you remember me? Yes.
You're Tara from the FBI, and you found me behind the chair.
That's right.
I need to ask you some questions about what happened tonight.
And if at any time it becomes too overwhelming, you tell me and we'll stop right away, ok? Ok.
Ok.
Now, tell me what happened tonight, and start as close to the beginning as you can.
My mom yelled for me to turn off the bath water, but it wasn't me.
And I told her that.
Ok.
Then what happened? My mom had me call 9-1-1.
She ran upstairs.
- My mom screamed - [screaming.]
So I hid.
I heard footsteps move slowly down the stairs.
[Footsteps.]
And then I saw a mask.
Lewis: It's ok.
Could you tell if the person in the mask was a man or a woman? A woman.
You're positive? Yes.
She took it off.
Michelle Is this the woman that you saw? No, that's not her.
All right.
You did great.
[Door opens.]
Courtney, you are free to go.
[Exhales.]
Did they catch the killer yet? No, not yet.
But we think whoever it is has similar interests to you.
So would you mind answering some questions about the community for us? Of course not.
Anything you need.
Michelle Thompson, the little girl, in your experience, is she gonna be ok? I don't know But I'm always hopeful.
We're about to let Courtney go.
Her story checks out.
Michelle can't I.
D.
her, and we didn't find her DNA in the bathtub.
Ok.
And if Michelle's up for it, let's have her work with a sketch artist.
I'll ask her.
We also found sage burning at the crime scene this time.
We think the unsub left it because we also found piles of salt in all 4 corners of the bedroom the way we did at the Davis house.
So the unsub kills her victims, then places the salt and burns sage.
Given the history of the sites, I know what the unsub's doing.
Let's deliver the profile.
Are you saying that we're looking for a ghost hunter? No, we are looking for a serial killer who is obsessed with the paranormal.
Jareau: She's female, probably local, and has extensive knowledge of the city's lore.
This unsub is mission-driven and likely delusional.
This delusion may stem from the fact that she thinks the houses are haunted and that the residents are infected by evil.
To her, the only way to kill the demon and save the people is by stabbing them 22 times in the stomach.
Rossi: And at this point, it's still unclear why she values the number 22.
Alvez: We have a sketch artist working with the daughter of our latest victim.
Prentiss: And we'll be canvassing the area surrounding the other haunted sites in an effort to predict her next move.
Thank you all for your time.
[Grunts.]
[Gasping.]
Alvez: Rossi.
Was Courtney helpful? Yeah.
She gave me a list of 5 local paranormal investigators that might fit our profile.
I just texted it to Garcia.
All right.
Well, while Garcia gets a handle on that list, why don't we check in on Michelle, see how she's holding up.
[Cell phone rings.]
[Ring.]
Garcia, what can you tell us about Courtney's list of investigators? Garcia: Here's the thing.
I just started that search.
I'm actually calling you with a list of my own.
I've got 5 more places the unsub might be targeting next.
They're a little lesser known, but they fit the parameters haunted, violent history, right in the unsub's comfort zone.
Thanks, Garcia.
Why don't you give us a call back once you get a handle on Courtney's list.
Oh, Alvez, have you heard of multitasking? It's all the rage, I'm really good at it, and I'm doing it right now.
Yeah, I'm sure you were.
Don't get me wrong.
You're great, but Rossi literally just sent you that list.
Yeah, well, I'm more than simply great.
I'm entirely fantastic.
And one of those names is ringing all the bells.
Stephanie Carter.
She's a religious studies professor at the local college.
She investigates the paranormal with her husband Patrick, who is a psych professor at the same place.
What makes her stand out? She's written several academic papers about demonology and its strong hold on the human body and the various methods of removal.
That checks a lot of our boxes.
Oh, here's another tick.
Michelle Thompson, Natasha's daughter, her police sketch just came in.
It looks a lot like Stephanie.
I think all of our boxes are checked now.
Ok, here's her work and her home address.
Rossi: Great job, Garcia.
Oh, my gosh, Stephanie, did you hear? The FBI is here.
In Lewiston.
They're looking into the murders at those houses, and they thought I did it.
Can you believe that? I didn't.
I mean, nobody we know would do that.
Courtney, I'm glad you're here.
We need your help.
Help? Really? With what? A case.
Patrick and I cleansed this house last week.
It didn't work, and we're gonna try again.
I want you to come with.
You've never asked me before, but, ok, yes, I would love to.
Great.
Let's go.
- Right now? - Yes.
But you need to leave your cell phone here.
The cell signals interfere with the EMF meters.
Ok.
No problem.
We don't have much time.
Patrick's waiting for us.
Aah! It's clear.
Check this out.
Miley: It's Courtney's phone.
What's it doing here? We know they run in the same circle.
Yeah, if Courtney came here after leaving the station last night, that means they must know each other pretty well.
No signs of a struggle means their relationship's good.
Does that make Courtney an accomplice? No, the only thing she's guilty of is excitement.
If Stephanie's savvy, she could have tricked Courtney into her own abduction.
We're gonna need a BOLO out on Courtney, Stephanie, and Patrick.
I'll get my best people on it.
I wonder what Patrick's role is in this.
Could be a partner.
Ok, but where would they take Courtney? I don't know, but the answer is somewhere in this office.
Courtney: Too bad this place isn't well known.
It should be legendary.
70 years ago, Mrs.
Van Vraken murdered her entire family in the bedroom, stabbing each of them 15 times because they were possessed by demons.
She's haunted the place ever since.
I'm so sorry.
You already know the story.
But when I get excited, I talk.
When I talk, I don't always think it through.
[Sighs.]
It's a vicious circle.
It's ok, Courtney.
I'm glad you're excited.
I read a rumor that a couple bought this place from the Van Vraken estate in 1982, but they didn't make it through the night.
The wife stabbed the husband and then herself.
Nobody's lived here since.
- Is that true? - It is.
I also read that after the couple died, the Van Vraken estate bought back the house and they've been trying to sell it on and off for years.
That's right.
Did they ask you to cleanse it? They did.
This place has such unique energy.
I can really feel the vibe.
There's only one rule here stay as quiet as possible.
They can hear everything.
And Mrs.
Van Vraken, she didn't stab her family 15 times each.
It was 22.
Ohh.
Cool.
[Chuckles.]
Come on, Patrick's waiting.
The Carters kept detailed records of their investigations.
It's gonna help us piece together their work.
My takeaway is that the Carters were studious, prepared, and left nothing to chance, but they were still able to think on their feet.
[Cell phone rings.]
Hey, Garcia.
Garcia: I have tried to find the Carters through vehicle, credit card, phone, and smartly for them and infuriatingly for me, they're off the grid.
Lewis: Well, maybe there's something in Stephanie's past that can help us out.
Well, she had a relatively difficult, if not sadly, un-unique childhood.
She was an outstanding student.
She was bullied all the time.
When she got to high school, she fought back, and then got expelled for it.
I doubt it got any easier after that.
No, the expulsion started a downward spiral of intense psychiatric care and a shifting cocktail of various meds.
Yet she still held it together and became a college professor.
Garcia: But then 5 years ago, something changed 'cause she went off all her meds, she stopped going to therapy cold turkey.
It's like something made everything better.
Lewis: I'm surprised it took her this long to break down.
Yeah, white knuckling like that? That's a big stressor.
Do we know why she stopped everything in the first place? No, there's no record of it.
She didn't post anything specific.
The Carters started their investigations 5 years ago.
Their first journal is here.
Around that time, Stephanie met a like mind in Patrick.
Suddenly, her entire world made sense.
I need to talk to Patrick first.
Stephanie, you're back.
Local P.
D.
just brought the latest batch of journals and tapes from Stephanie and Patrick's office.
And we know everything there is to know about Stephanie and Courtney, but what about Patrick? He's the last unknown.
Let's dig into his life.
That's a good idea.
I've got his most recent journal right here.
When's the last time he wrote in it? A week ago.
He and Stephanie were about to start a new case.
His preliminary notes say how excited he was.
Uh, that they'd seen a lot in the past, but he thought that this house might be their most dangerous one yet.
- Did they finish that case? - No.
No, his notes are incomplete, which is strange because every other one of their cases was methodically detailed beginning to end, no exceptions.
So this case was different for a reason.
Yeah, it looks like Patrick wasn't around to finish it.
We need an address on that house.
Got one right here.
[Stephanie talking indistinctly.]
You've been gone a long time.
Is everything ok? I ran into Courtney.
You did? I brought her here.
How come? [Indistinct conversation.]
Courtney was at the last house and caught the infection there.
Really? Yes.
It's in the early stages, but I could see it in her eyes.
[Conversation continues.]
The infection is moving faster now.
That's why I brought Courtney here.
If I save her while in this house, I can stop the spread forever.
How much longer do you think we have before [door handle rattles.]
It's too late.
She's fully infected.
You know what you have to do.
It's the only way to save her.
Courtney: Stephanie? Where's Patrick? Isn't this Patrick's stuff? What are you doing? Stephanie! Aah! Stephanie! Patrick.
[Grunts.]
[Both grunting.]
Uhh! You don't have to do this.
But I have no choice.
Aah! [Groaning.]
[Grunting.]
[Panting.]
Uhh! [Grunting.]
Aah! Courtney: Please, no.
Stephanie.
They're getting stronger.
They haven't fought back this much before.
I'm not what you think I am.
I'm I'm not.
That's what they always say.
Stephanie, please.
Do what you have to do, Stephanie, just like you did to me.
Courtney: Please, no.
It's ok, Courtney.
I'm going to save you.
- Aah! - [Gunshot.]
Courtney.
Rossi: Courtney.
Agent Rossi? Yeah.
It's me.
I'm here, kid.
I got you.
You're gonna be ok.
[Siren.]
Can I get a second with her, please? Came to say good-bye.
I've been chasing stories like this for a long time.
Today, I almost became one of them.
Maybe it's time for me to do something else.
No.
A belief as strong as yours, that's unshakeable.
It's born for a reason.
My guess is that you lost somebody.
My twin sister.
We were 8.
It was a car accident.
So now you believe because it gives you hope that you'll see her again.
Yes.
That's a powerful feeling.
Don't you ever give it up.
Ok? Ok.
You may not believe in what I do, agent Rossi, but I've seen things.
And right now I can see that you're haunted by something.
You take care of yourself, Courtney.
You, too.
And thanks.
You were great today with Courtney.
And I hope that's further proof you have no reason to doubt yourself.
You're a cornerstone of this team, Dave.
Thanks.
I appreciate it.
And the drink, too.
We will get Everett Lynch, I promise.
I know.
We just have to trust the process.
Come on, you don't want to be accused of drinking alone.
Alvez: I'll ask him.
Rossi? You think the BAU's haunted? Yep, 100%.
- Oh.
- Lewis: Come on.
Do you have any proof? Rossi: Well, nothing that could be used as evidence in a court of law.
Alvez: No, I've felt it, too.
I mean, I'm talking about sudden drops in temperature or unexplained sounds, things like that.
Jareau: Jeez, next you're gonna say you found traces of ectoplasm in the fridge.
Rossi: I think that was Reid's left over curry noodle soup.
[Laughter.]
You know, sometimes I do feel like I'm being watched.
And I mean, I know nobody's there, but I can feel eyes on me.
Emily, not you, too.
What, you're not a believer, JJ? Nope.
Not even a little.
- Oh, that's my girl.
- Mm-hmm.
Same here.
Even as a kid around the campfire, I was always trying to pull logic threads.
Your buddies must have loved that.
Prentiss: How can the three of you be so skeptical after what we've seen? Lewis: See, that's my point.
How can I believe in that stuff after we've seen what we've seen? I mean, yeah, monsters are real, but they are most definitely human.
Rossi: And you most definitely have a loose definition for "human," because monsters are monsters in my book.
Rossi, voice-over: "How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a specter through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by its spectral throat?" Joseph Conrad.
He's a con man and a murderer who slices off the faces of the women he seduces.
[Grunts.]
Rossi: This was the first time that I was beaten by someone younger, faster, stronger than I am.
- Now, what's your name? - Grace.
I'm Grace.
- Grace? - Daddy! Rossi: We arrested his daughter Grace, but he got away.
Honey, don't be so hard on yourself.
You just gave birth, and somehow you're glowing.
I can't even imagine what I'd look like.
Woman, on phone: Thanks.
You're sweet.
A liar, but sweet.
[Chuckles.]
Kim, I know we're not as close as when we were kids, but I just want to say I'm sorry this happened.
And one day you'll be a fantastic mother, - [baby crying.]
- I promise.
Clara's up.
You should go.
Mmm.
Mama's right here, sweetheart.
Shh I'm so happy for you, Annie.
Love you.
Talk to you later.
[Click.]
[Sniffs.]
[Lock clicks.]
[Doorknob rattles.]
[Screw squeaking.]
No! - [Latch clicks.]
- No! Aah! - [Knock on door.]
- Come in.
- Heard from Reid? - No.
He usually disconnects when he's off teaching his seminar, but he'll be back next week.
I know how much you care about Spence, but that can't be the main reason you're standing in my office at midnight with a file in your hand.
The latest on Everett Lynch.
[Sighs.]
Dave, I appreciate your effort on this, but we have a lot going on.
I need your focus here.
I know, I know.
It's moving so slow.
We aren't any closer to finding this jag-off than we were yesterday.
Any luck with his daughter Grace? She didn't say much.
Put her in solitary, see how long she lasts.
[Cell phone vibrates.]
It's Garcia with a new case.
[Beep.]
Look, Dave, I have no doubt in my mind, we'll get him.
But if you try to rush it, things will get sloppy.
You just have to trust the process.
When do I not trust the process? Good point.
You are headed to Lewiston, Maine.
It is the second-largest city in the state.
It is also a place that could be the setting for any horror movie ever made.
It's also where two women in the last 5 days have been overpowered with blunt force trauma and stabbed 22 times in the stomach.
Neither were mothers and neither were pregnant at the time.
This kind of frenzied overkill, it feels personal.
So, do we have a primary suspect? Garcia: Uh, no.
But victim number one was Linda Stahl.
She was single.
I can't find an ex in her past.
Victim number two, Kim Reynolds, she was married.
Her husband works nights.
Let's double check his alibi.
This unsub not only has the guts to enter his victims' homes, but these kills are vicious and quick.
I wonder how he's getting inside the houses.
Could use a ruse or he's good at picking locks.
Well, Maine's pretty rural.
I wouldn't be surprised if these victims didn't even lock their doors.
And both houses had basements.
It's a common point of vulnerable access.
Lewis: So are we looking for a misogynist here, a scored lover, a guy with mommy issues, or a combination of all three? Regardless, our unsub has shown a high level of violence, a willingness to take risks, and he has struck twice in less than a week with no sign he's about to stop.
Wheels up.
[Insects chirping.]
[Water running.]
Man: I've got this.
Oh, no, it's a lot.
You can't do that alone.
But you cooked a 4-course meal for 6 people alone.
I am exhausted.
And I have to be at the studio really early tomorrow.
I only have two weeks left until my installation.
You'll finish in time.
And when you do, it'll be your best show yet.
Best.
We'll see.
[Water running.]
[Creaking.]
Carly? Aah! Aah [Door latch clicks.]
Jareau: "Terror made me cruel.
" Emily Brontë.
It is with a heavy heart I report there's been a new set of victims.
Two attacks in less than 12 hours.
He's speeding up.
Did you say "set," Garcia? Yeah, I did.
It was a couple this time Carly and Brad Davis.
I'm sending you the info now.
First time it's been a couple.
Breaking into a house and attack one person is difficult enough, but going in while there's two people, that's even riskier.
Brad was stabbed in the stomach and severed a major artery.
He died almost instantly.
Carly was murdered just like the first two victims, Linda Stahl and Kim Reynolds stabbed 22 times in the stomach.
It says here Brad was stabbed 21 times in the stomach post-mortem.
It's that number, 22.
It's the unsub's compulsion.
He can't get away from it.
Then we need to figure out why.
Well, age seems to be the one overlap between the 3 female victims.
They were all born within a year of each other.
They could be surrogates.
Well, let's try to find a deeper connection - between those three.
- Garcia: I'm all over that.
When we land, Dave, Matt, head to the M.
E.
's office.
Tara, JJ, you'll go to the latest crime scene.
Luke, you and I will set up with the Lewiston P.
D.
Detective Miley, I'm SSA Emily Prentiss with the FBI.
This is my colleague, SSA Luke Alvez.
Pleasure to meet you both.
Welcome to Lewiston.
Thanks for inviting us in.
Once it happened a second time, I knew we couldn't handle it on our own.
Is there some place we can set up? Yep.
Conference room's right over there, and Jeff Reynolds, Kim's husband, is here and ready to be interviewed.
Great.
We'll start with him.
Right this way.
Kim was desperate to have kids.
It took us almost 3 years, but we finally got pregnant.
And the day after we found out, we started building the nursery.
But Then a few weeks later, she miscarried.
To make things worse, her sister just gave birth to her third, a girl this time.
Kim was crushed.
I'm really sorry to hear that, Jeff.
I can't imagine how difficult that must have been.
It made our recent arguments around the house even worse.
What was happening with your house? We both started hearing noises.
What kind? I figured it was mice.
I set traps, called pest control, but nothing.
Kim didn't think it was mice, did she? No.
She thought it was footsteps.
We argued that, um What did you argue about? I mean, if somebody was inside of our house, we would have seen them, right? Under normal circumstances, yes.
Prentiss: But after hearing this, Jeff, we think it's possible this offender was in your home before your wife's murder.
We need to know if you saw anybody new hanging around the neighborhood.
Wait.
I could have stopped this? Prentiss: If Kim wanted to get pregnant, maybe Linda and Carly did, too.
We'll have Garcia look into it.
Yeah, it looks like the unsub ran pre-attack surveillance on Kim.
I bet he did the same with the others.
To get in and out of houses like this, our unsub must also be savvy and experienced.
It's classic pre-cursor behavior.
And if nobody saw him casing the area, he must blend in.
In some way, this guy's the perfect unsub.
We've busted perfect before.
We'll start by re-canvassing the victims' neighborhoods.
Hopefully somebody saw him coming or going.
- You're with the FBI.
- Yeah.
And you are? Courtney Mably, blogger, local lore expert, curator of the Lewiston Historical Society.
When I heard there was a crime at this house, I had to get here.
And what's so special about this house? Well, little-known fact, 60 years ago, a man killed his wife here.
Stabbed her in the stomach with a kitchen knife before cutting his own throat.
You didn't know? So then you also don't know this place is haunted.
Haunted? Yes, the ghost of Mrs.
Kante roams the grounds looking for vengeance.
It's super cool.
Courtney, I love your enthusiasm, but, um, people are dying and there is a killer on the loose.
Yeah.
You're right.
I'm sorry.
So sorry.
I will totally get out of your way.
So the Davis murders just happened.
How'd Courtney know about them? Yeah, that's a good question.
A police scanner, maybe a friend on the force, inserting herself into the investigation.
Well, let's have Garcia look into her.
Yeah.
So we know the unsub spent extensive time at the victims' houses, but I still can't believe we didn't find one shred of DNA or print evidence at any of the crime scenes.
Yeah, that on its own shows a level of skill, forensic sophistication, and pre-meditation.
At the Reynolds' house, the unsub used the tip of his knife to remove the doorknob and get to Kim in her locked bedroom.
Yeah, they also found a fireplace poker near Kim's body, so she fought back.
The unsub might have sustained injuries.
We should check local hospitals just in case.
If the unsub had to disarm Kim before he could attack her, that would have been a lot more work for him.
Yeah, well, this time looks like he learned from that experience.
Right, right.
Carly was asleep.
She was an easy target.
And the only obstacle this time would have been her husband Brad.
But the unsub got the jump on him out in the hallway.
The unsub's ability to learn from past near mistakes has led to a subtle shift in tactics.
The unsub's evolving.
JJ, is there a pile of salt in the corner where you're standing? Yeah.
There's salt in all 4 corners of this room.
Yeah, salt is used to ward off spirits.
And given the history of this house Right.
Well, then the question becomes, did Carly leave the salt behind or did the unsub? [Water turns on.]
Michelle, you already took a shower tonight.
Turn off the water.
Mom? I didn't turn it on.
Go get your phone and call 9-1-1.
[Water continues running.]
[Screams.]
Per Emily's request, I looked into possible conception connections between the female victims.
Looks like Kim was trying to get pregnant, but Linda and Carly were not.
However, when I looked into the past murder-suicide at the Davis house, I did find a connection the houses.
Jareau: So each has a violent history followed by a ghost story.
Yeah, yeah.
It's like they each have a unique place in the city's lore.
But if all these murders took place at so-called haunted houses, then the kills are about the houses, not the women.
Garcia, we need a list of homes with similar histories that fall inside the unsub's comfort zone.
Garcia: Ok, I will work on that list right now.
Ooh! And all the victims' houses have another thing in common.
They have each been heavily chronicled by a certain person, in particular on her blog.
Lewis: Let me guess.
Courtney Mably, the woman we met at the Davis house.
Garcia: Don't you know it.
And I did some research on Courtney, too.
She is a Lewiston native.
She's obsessed with local lore.
Once upon a time, she was an O.
R.
nurse, but she was fired for getting in a violent outburst at her boss, which she vehemently denies.
And it looks like she makes most of her money off of her blog.
So we knew about Courtney's obsession.
Now it's also clear that she has some skill and a violent history.
Well, because the kills were so ruthless, we assumed the unsub's a man, but what if it isn't? So I found 7 locations that match that criteria violent history, haunted, in the right zone.
I'm sending you those addresses now.
Hold on.
A 9-1-1 call literally just came in, and it's from one of those addresses.
A Natasha Thompson lives there with her daughter Michelle.
I'm sending you the info.
Here it is.
JJ and Tara, get over there now.
Matt, let's get the rest of the team.
I still want people at those other addresses in case Courtney's on the move.
Courtney Raise your hands slowly.
[Door opens.]
Courtney.
I'm SSA David Rossi with the FBI.
We found you covered in the victim's blood.
You're smart.
You know how that looks.
I was there to help.
I saw her.
The blood.
I tried to help.
I want to believe you, but there's really only one way you could have beaten us there.
No.
I got lucky.
I've never seen anyone roll up on a dead body inside of a house they didn't live in by chance.
After the last murder, I decided to try and figure out which house the killer might go to next.
I landed on 3 possible options.
I just so happened to go to the Thompson house first.
I'd never met them.
I just looked up who lived there.
And the second I saw the door was opened and the lights were off, I knew I was right.
You chose the Thompson house because of its history, didn't you? Yes.
10 years ago, the homeowner was stabbed and murdered after taking a bath.
She's haunted the place ever since.
And that explains why you filled the tub with water.
No.
No.
I didn't do that.
It's not just your fascination with ghost stories or haunted houses or even the fact that we found you there.
It's you.
You see, in my line of work, patterns of past behavior are often the best indicators of future behavior.
And your past, the life-long obsession, the violent incident, it paints a certain picture, a picture that could allow me to understand why you would target these homes and stab these victims.
[Sobbing.]
But I've been a profiler long enough to know that often isn't always.
So I want you to tell me everything, because there's a little girl down the hall who survived, and she is telling us everything.
Hi, Michelle.
Do you remember me? Yes.
You're Tara from the FBI, and you found me behind the chair.
That's right.
I need to ask you some questions about what happened tonight.
And if at any time it becomes too overwhelming, you tell me and we'll stop right away, ok? Ok.
Ok.
Now, tell me what happened tonight, and start as close to the beginning as you can.
My mom yelled for me to turn off the bath water, but it wasn't me.
And I told her that.
Ok.
Then what happened? My mom had me call 9-1-1.
She ran upstairs.
- My mom screamed - [screaming.]
So I hid.
I heard footsteps move slowly down the stairs.
[Footsteps.]
And then I saw a mask.
Lewis: It's ok.
Could you tell if the person in the mask was a man or a woman? A woman.
You're positive? Yes.
She took it off.
Michelle Is this the woman that you saw? No, that's not her.
All right.
You did great.
[Door opens.]
Courtney, you are free to go.
[Exhales.]
Did they catch the killer yet? No, not yet.
But we think whoever it is has similar interests to you.
So would you mind answering some questions about the community for us? Of course not.
Anything you need.
Michelle Thompson, the little girl, in your experience, is she gonna be ok? I don't know But I'm always hopeful.
We're about to let Courtney go.
Her story checks out.
Michelle can't I.
D.
her, and we didn't find her DNA in the bathtub.
Ok.
And if Michelle's up for it, let's have her work with a sketch artist.
I'll ask her.
We also found sage burning at the crime scene this time.
We think the unsub left it because we also found piles of salt in all 4 corners of the bedroom the way we did at the Davis house.
So the unsub kills her victims, then places the salt and burns sage.
Given the history of the sites, I know what the unsub's doing.
Let's deliver the profile.
Are you saying that we're looking for a ghost hunter? No, we are looking for a serial killer who is obsessed with the paranormal.
Jareau: She's female, probably local, and has extensive knowledge of the city's lore.
This unsub is mission-driven and likely delusional.
This delusion may stem from the fact that she thinks the houses are haunted and that the residents are infected by evil.
To her, the only way to kill the demon and save the people is by stabbing them 22 times in the stomach.
Rossi: And at this point, it's still unclear why she values the number 22.
Alvez: We have a sketch artist working with the daughter of our latest victim.
Prentiss: And we'll be canvassing the area surrounding the other haunted sites in an effort to predict her next move.
Thank you all for your time.
[Grunts.]
[Gasping.]
Alvez: Rossi.
Was Courtney helpful? Yeah.
She gave me a list of 5 local paranormal investigators that might fit our profile.
I just texted it to Garcia.
All right.
Well, while Garcia gets a handle on that list, why don't we check in on Michelle, see how she's holding up.
[Cell phone rings.]
[Ring.]
Garcia, what can you tell us about Courtney's list of investigators? Garcia: Here's the thing.
I just started that search.
I'm actually calling you with a list of my own.
I've got 5 more places the unsub might be targeting next.
They're a little lesser known, but they fit the parameters haunted, violent history, right in the unsub's comfort zone.
Thanks, Garcia.
Why don't you give us a call back once you get a handle on Courtney's list.
Oh, Alvez, have you heard of multitasking? It's all the rage, I'm really good at it, and I'm doing it right now.
Yeah, I'm sure you were.
Don't get me wrong.
You're great, but Rossi literally just sent you that list.
Yeah, well, I'm more than simply great.
I'm entirely fantastic.
And one of those names is ringing all the bells.
Stephanie Carter.
She's a religious studies professor at the local college.
She investigates the paranormal with her husband Patrick, who is a psych professor at the same place.
What makes her stand out? She's written several academic papers about demonology and its strong hold on the human body and the various methods of removal.
That checks a lot of our boxes.
Oh, here's another tick.
Michelle Thompson, Natasha's daughter, her police sketch just came in.
It looks a lot like Stephanie.
I think all of our boxes are checked now.
Ok, here's her work and her home address.
Rossi: Great job, Garcia.
Oh, my gosh, Stephanie, did you hear? The FBI is here.
In Lewiston.
They're looking into the murders at those houses, and they thought I did it.
Can you believe that? I didn't.
I mean, nobody we know would do that.
Courtney, I'm glad you're here.
We need your help.
Help? Really? With what? A case.
Patrick and I cleansed this house last week.
It didn't work, and we're gonna try again.
I want you to come with.
You've never asked me before, but, ok, yes, I would love to.
Great.
Let's go.
- Right now? - Yes.
But you need to leave your cell phone here.
The cell signals interfere with the EMF meters.
Ok.
No problem.
We don't have much time.
Patrick's waiting for us.
Aah! It's clear.
Check this out.
Miley: It's Courtney's phone.
What's it doing here? We know they run in the same circle.
Yeah, if Courtney came here after leaving the station last night, that means they must know each other pretty well.
No signs of a struggle means their relationship's good.
Does that make Courtney an accomplice? No, the only thing she's guilty of is excitement.
If Stephanie's savvy, she could have tricked Courtney into her own abduction.
We're gonna need a BOLO out on Courtney, Stephanie, and Patrick.
I'll get my best people on it.
I wonder what Patrick's role is in this.
Could be a partner.
Ok, but where would they take Courtney? I don't know, but the answer is somewhere in this office.
Courtney: Too bad this place isn't well known.
It should be legendary.
70 years ago, Mrs.
Van Vraken murdered her entire family in the bedroom, stabbing each of them 15 times because they were possessed by demons.
She's haunted the place ever since.
I'm so sorry.
You already know the story.
But when I get excited, I talk.
When I talk, I don't always think it through.
[Sighs.]
It's a vicious circle.
It's ok, Courtney.
I'm glad you're excited.
I read a rumor that a couple bought this place from the Van Vraken estate in 1982, but they didn't make it through the night.
The wife stabbed the husband and then herself.
Nobody's lived here since.
- Is that true? - It is.
I also read that after the couple died, the Van Vraken estate bought back the house and they've been trying to sell it on and off for years.
That's right.
Did they ask you to cleanse it? They did.
This place has such unique energy.
I can really feel the vibe.
There's only one rule here stay as quiet as possible.
They can hear everything.
And Mrs.
Van Vraken, she didn't stab her family 15 times each.
It was 22.
Ohh.
Cool.
[Chuckles.]
Come on, Patrick's waiting.
The Carters kept detailed records of their investigations.
It's gonna help us piece together their work.
My takeaway is that the Carters were studious, prepared, and left nothing to chance, but they were still able to think on their feet.
[Cell phone rings.]
Hey, Garcia.
Garcia: I have tried to find the Carters through vehicle, credit card, phone, and smartly for them and infuriatingly for me, they're off the grid.
Lewis: Well, maybe there's something in Stephanie's past that can help us out.
Well, she had a relatively difficult, if not sadly, un-unique childhood.
She was an outstanding student.
She was bullied all the time.
When she got to high school, she fought back, and then got expelled for it.
I doubt it got any easier after that.
No, the expulsion started a downward spiral of intense psychiatric care and a shifting cocktail of various meds.
Yet she still held it together and became a college professor.
Garcia: But then 5 years ago, something changed 'cause she went off all her meds, she stopped going to therapy cold turkey.
It's like something made everything better.
Lewis: I'm surprised it took her this long to break down.
Yeah, white knuckling like that? That's a big stressor.
Do we know why she stopped everything in the first place? No, there's no record of it.
She didn't post anything specific.
The Carters started their investigations 5 years ago.
Their first journal is here.
Around that time, Stephanie met a like mind in Patrick.
Suddenly, her entire world made sense.
I need to talk to Patrick first.
Stephanie, you're back.
Local P.
D.
just brought the latest batch of journals and tapes from Stephanie and Patrick's office.
And we know everything there is to know about Stephanie and Courtney, but what about Patrick? He's the last unknown.
Let's dig into his life.
That's a good idea.
I've got his most recent journal right here.
When's the last time he wrote in it? A week ago.
He and Stephanie were about to start a new case.
His preliminary notes say how excited he was.
Uh, that they'd seen a lot in the past, but he thought that this house might be their most dangerous one yet.
- Did they finish that case? - No.
No, his notes are incomplete, which is strange because every other one of their cases was methodically detailed beginning to end, no exceptions.
So this case was different for a reason.
Yeah, it looks like Patrick wasn't around to finish it.
We need an address on that house.
Got one right here.
[Stephanie talking indistinctly.]
You've been gone a long time.
Is everything ok? I ran into Courtney.
You did? I brought her here.
How come? [Indistinct conversation.]
Courtney was at the last house and caught the infection there.
Really? Yes.
It's in the early stages, but I could see it in her eyes.
[Conversation continues.]
The infection is moving faster now.
That's why I brought Courtney here.
If I save her while in this house, I can stop the spread forever.
How much longer do you think we have before [door handle rattles.]
It's too late.
She's fully infected.
You know what you have to do.
It's the only way to save her.
Courtney: Stephanie? Where's Patrick? Isn't this Patrick's stuff? What are you doing? Stephanie! Aah! Stephanie! Patrick.
[Grunts.]
[Both grunting.]
Uhh! You don't have to do this.
But I have no choice.
Aah! [Groaning.]
[Grunting.]
[Panting.]
Uhh! [Grunting.]
Aah! Courtney: Please, no.
Stephanie.
They're getting stronger.
They haven't fought back this much before.
I'm not what you think I am.
I'm I'm not.
That's what they always say.
Stephanie, please.
Do what you have to do, Stephanie, just like you did to me.
Courtney: Please, no.
It's ok, Courtney.
I'm going to save you.
- Aah! - [Gunshot.]
Courtney.
Rossi: Courtney.
Agent Rossi? Yeah.
It's me.
I'm here, kid.
I got you.
You're gonna be ok.
[Siren.]
Can I get a second with her, please? Came to say good-bye.
I've been chasing stories like this for a long time.
Today, I almost became one of them.
Maybe it's time for me to do something else.
No.
A belief as strong as yours, that's unshakeable.
It's born for a reason.
My guess is that you lost somebody.
My twin sister.
We were 8.
It was a car accident.
So now you believe because it gives you hope that you'll see her again.
Yes.
That's a powerful feeling.
Don't you ever give it up.
Ok? Ok.
You may not believe in what I do, agent Rossi, but I've seen things.
And right now I can see that you're haunted by something.
You take care of yourself, Courtney.
You, too.
And thanks.
You were great today with Courtney.
And I hope that's further proof you have no reason to doubt yourself.
You're a cornerstone of this team, Dave.
Thanks.
I appreciate it.
And the drink, too.
We will get Everett Lynch, I promise.
I know.
We just have to trust the process.
Come on, you don't want to be accused of drinking alone.
Alvez: I'll ask him.
Rossi? You think the BAU's haunted? Yep, 100%.
- Oh.
- Lewis: Come on.
Do you have any proof? Rossi: Well, nothing that could be used as evidence in a court of law.
Alvez: No, I've felt it, too.
I mean, I'm talking about sudden drops in temperature or unexplained sounds, things like that.
Jareau: Jeez, next you're gonna say you found traces of ectoplasm in the fridge.
Rossi: I think that was Reid's left over curry noodle soup.
[Laughter.]
You know, sometimes I do feel like I'm being watched.
And I mean, I know nobody's there, but I can feel eyes on me.
Emily, not you, too.
What, you're not a believer, JJ? Nope.
Not even a little.
- Oh, that's my girl.
- Mm-hmm.
Same here.
Even as a kid around the campfire, I was always trying to pull logic threads.
Your buddies must have loved that.
Prentiss: How can the three of you be so skeptical after what we've seen? Lewis: See, that's my point.
How can I believe in that stuff after we've seen what we've seen? I mean, yeah, monsters are real, but they are most definitely human.
Rossi: And you most definitely have a loose definition for "human," because monsters are monsters in my book.
Rossi, voice-over: "How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a specter through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by its spectral throat?" Joseph Conrad.