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CASEY WILLOWS WAS AWARE HOW STRANGE THIS CASE WAS FROM THE START. Three individuals had killed their loved ones but had no recollection of doing so. All of them had said that a monster with talons for fingers had been responsible for this.
After debriefing the team, Hotch had JJ and Morgan talking to the first victim, who had no recollection except for the fact that he was sexually abused by the unsub. Kate and Vivian tried talking to another one of the victims but she wasn't talking — like at all. Hotch had sent Reid, Casey and Rossi over to Topeka, where the last crime scene was at. They had discovered that there was plastic tubes found in the vents. Now, Reid was telling them what they had found.
"The plastic tested positive for sevoflurane and scopolamine, both powerful disassociatives. The first is used to put you into a waking dream. Dentists often use it during oral surgery. The second, in high doses, makes you completely suggestible." Spencer explained.
"And the unsub uses the first to make the victims hallucinate their worst fear." Kate points out. "Then he uses the second to make them attack that fear when it's really the person next to them." Morgan added. "So, they don't realize that they're actually killing someone that they love?" Vivian asks. "Not entirely." Hotch tells. "And once they do, their lives are ruined forever." Rossi comments. "Even if they plead insanity, we've got three victims who ain't never goin' back to Mayberry."
"Let's go back to the part about hallucinating your worst fear," Hotch looks towards JJ. "JJ, what's your earliest fear from childhood?" He asks. "Being separated from my parents." JJ tells. "Dave?" Hotch looks to his right. "Lon Chaney, Phantom of the Opera. She takes off that mask, forget about it." Rossi responds. "Kate?" Hotch looks at the woman in front of him. "Melissa Gordner. That bitch." Kate rolls her eyes as Casey smirks a bit.
"Mine was clowns," Casey shuddered. "I hate clowns." Spencer looks towards his fiancée. "Clowns?" He asks. "Is that why you immediately said no when I said that we should have a clown for Christopher's birthday party?" Casey shrugs, "Among other reasons."
"And yet each of these victims saw exactly the same thing." Hotch ignored the two. "The initial police reports only called it a dark figure, but our interviews revealed shared details. A shadow monster with talons for hands." Spencer tells.
"And that level of specificity says it's not just a childhood nightmare, it's something they actually experienced, though they were too young to understand what it was." Hotch explains. "But they were from different states." JJ said. "No, they were adopted in different states. Maybe at some point they shared the same group home." Vivian suggests.
