safe inside, criminal minds [ 1 ]

032. mr. scratch

"Why don't we just start with the simplest explanation?" Derek asks. "They're lying."

"There are easier lies to tell to cover for murder." JJ says. "Why tell the same one, especially when it doesn't make sense?"

"Could it be a group delusion?" Kate asks.

"Their similar age range all points in that direction." Spencer says. "33 to 34 years old, but the geographic diversity kind of rules that out."

"Yeah. Larry Merrin's from Topeka. Christine McNeil is from Roswell, Georgia, Daniel Karras is from Derry, Maine. All different economic levels, social circles, obviously different racial backgrounds." Penelope says.

"So if he's an unsub, he's not killing but creating killers." Rossi says. "Murder by proxy, if you will."

"It's gotta be drugs." Derek says. "Larry Merrin's story just sounds like a bad trip."

"According to the police reports, all 3 tox screens came up negative." Penelope says.

"Well, they only screen for known compounds. This could be a cocktail we've never seen before." Danielle says.

"Every drug affects every person differently, yet somehow this unsub is able to make his drug affect 3 completely dissimilar people exactly in the same way." Spencer says.

"Maybe they're not dissimilar at all." Hotch says. "Maybe the drugs are just the tipping point and these 3 share some sort of pre-existing mental condition he knows he can tap into to induce them to kill. We find that, we find him."

+++

"The plastic tested positive for sevoflurane and scopolamine, both powerful disassociatives." Spencer says. "The first is used to put you into a walking dream. Dentists often use it during oral surgery. The second, in high doses, makes you completely suggestible."

"And the unsub uses the first to make the victims hallucinate their worst fear." Danielle says.

"Then he uses the second to make them attack that fear when it's really the person next to them. They don't realize that they're actually killing someone that they love." Derek says.

"And once they do, their lives are ruined forever." Rossi says. "Even if they plead insanity, we've got 3 victims who ain't never goin' back to Mayberry."

"Let's go back to the part about hallucinating your worst fear." Hotch says. "JJ, what's your earliest fear from childhood?"

"Being separated from my parents." She says.

"Dave?" Hotch asks.

"Lon Chaney, Phantom of the Opera. She takes off that mask, forget about it." He says.

"Kate?" Hotch asks.

"Melissa Gordner. That bitch." Kate says.

"Danielle?"

"Uh..." She tries to remember what fear came first.

"Beetlejuice." Spencer quickly answers for his sister. He remembers how their dad was showing it to Spencer, trying to spend time with him. Spencer had noticed his three year old sister creep in, her doe eyes widening in terror at the creepy man with green hair and a white face. For two months, she slept in Spencer's room, terrified that the creepy man from the attic would come for her.

"Oh. I was gonna say Spence abandoning me, but that works, too." Danielle nods. After their father left, she was always scared to one day come home and find her brother and/or her mother gone with no explanation. Maybe a note, but no goodbye. Over the years, the fear focused mainly on Spencer, knowing if he'd left it'd completely destroy her, but she would be able to cope with Diana suddenly gone but only because she'd still have Spencer.