10x17 - Breath Play

[bunniefuu]

[Heavy breathing]

[Keys jingle]

[Sets keys down]

[Shower running]

[Shower turns off]

[Water running]

Rinse your belly button 3 to 4 times a day with sea salt and warm water.

And if the Barb is visible through the skin--

Meg? Are you ok?

Yeah. I mean, you wouldn't let me get it pierced, so I did it myself.

Well, that was really dangerous.

You could have hurt yourself.

Yeah, I guess.

But I watched a bunch of videos online.

It looked easy.

I owe you and Derek a steak dinner.

[Laughs] It's no problem.

Derek gave me the heads up and I was standing by.

All right, let's get you home.

[Cell phone rings]

I know that look.

New case?

Yeah. Um, Chris is just a minute away.

Can she just wait in here?

Sure.

Phone, please.

[Telephone rings]

How long?

I'm not sure yet.

Thank you.

No problem.

Putting me on tech timeout?

The dictators are so unreasonable.

So, why'd you really do it?

Peer pressure? Attention?

You punishing Kate for being on the road so much?

[Sighs] It isn't easy loving someone who's gone all the time, trust me.

But it isn't easy on them, either.

They miss out on a lot.

Listen, if you ever need to talk, I'm a good sounding board.

So, you giving her a little tough love or what?

Ugh, I wanted to, but she's never been 13, I've never had a teenager, and there's not really a manual for this kind of thing, right?

I don't know, I'm pretty sure there's millions of books out there on raising a girl.

True. But I think she's just rebelling against a conversation we had the other night.

It doesn't take a profiler to figure out why Meg would decide to Pierce her belly button.

No.

Yes.

Seriously?

Ok, so that's why you've got this little glow thing going on.

Well, you know.

And all this time I thought it was just me making you blush.

Oh, no, it's that, too.

Congrats. Come here.

Wow.

Oh!

Hey, hugs are happening.

Yeah.

I want in.

Hugs.

Why are we hugging?

Not that I mind some early morning unexpected loving, but.

Heh. You're glowing. Heh.

She's glowing. She's glowing.

Who else knows?

Uh, Hotch, Morgan, and now you.

Oh! I'm so happy!

You guys. You guys! Kate has the best news.

Say it before we have to do the other stuff.

Good morning, I'm pregnant.

Garcia: Ahh!

What?

Buona fortuna.

Congratulations again.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Yes!

Oh, my goodness.

Ok, so when I was pregnant, I wore headphones on my belly 'cause I didn't want Henry hearing all this creepy stuff.

Oh, that's a good idea. What did you listen to?

Uh, Beatles, Bee Gees.

Spence insisted that he listen to Mozart.

Nice.

I hate to interrupt the joy, but we really need to get to Wisconsin, also known as the lovely badger state, home of milk and cheese.

Heaven to me, hell to the lactose intolerant.

And mosquitoes the size of an Impala, I swear on my life.

Oh, good to know.

Ok, two weeks ago, Madison P.D. found the body of Mary Healy.

3 nights ago, they discovered Donna Rayburn.

And this morning, the body of Emma Ziko was discovered by her friend.

They were supposed to go on a jog together.

All 3 women had had their wrists tied to the bed with scarves, and they were sexually assaulted before they were strangled.

Patterns on the neck seem to be from a quarter inch rope.

Yeah, the abrasion marks aren't very textured.

The cord material could be something like nylon.

Madison P.D. found the same DNA on all 3 victims.

And it says here that the unsub's not in CODIS.

Middle class suburb.

He's either a member of it or he blends in.

Burglary isn't a motive.

At Emma's, he ignored $200 cash on the dresser and a box full of expensive jewelry.

Any signs of forced entry?

Maybe he came in through an open window.

No to both.

Maybe the unsub used a ruse to get in.

That's possible. Could be part of his M.O.

So he's less detectible.

Maybe he knows when they go to sleep or he lies in wait.

If that's the case, it would take time.

He's patient.

Cell phone activity shows that Emma was home for hours.

Did he watch her the entire night?

Whether he knows the victims or not, he's hit his stride and he's not gonna take time to cool off.

Wheels up in 30.

[Inhales]

[Grunts]

[Grunts]

[Gasping]

Girl: Hey, Dad.

Hey, sweets.

You, uh, ready for your chemistry test?

Yeah, I think so.

[Engine starts]

♪ Criminal Minds 10x17 ♪
Breath Play
Original Air Date on March 11, 2015

♪ ♪

Rossi: “There is hardly anyone whose sexual life if it were broadcast would not fill the world at large with surprise and horror.”

W. Somerset Maugham.

All 3 victims were born and raised in the Madison area.

No priors.

Mary Healy was a dentist, while Donna Rayburn was a logistics manager.

Both were 27 and single.

And Emma Ziko, the latest victim, was a chef.

She was 30 and married.

Married?

That could be an escalation to what he desires most.

They lived 3 miles from each other, but their social and work lives don't overlap.

So then the neighborhood itself might be the connection to him.

Getting in and out of a house undetected is tricky.

We still haven't ruled out a ruse.

With this combo of balls and skill, it can't be his first time k*lling.

And Garcia should search for any past high risk victims in the area.

We should see if any of the victims were in phone contact with the unsub.

All right, Dave, you and Reid go to the medical examiner.

Morgan and Kate go to the newest crime scene.

And JJ and I will interview friends and family at the station.

Hi, I'm Detective Pierce. We spoke on the phone.

I'm Agent Hotchner. This is Agent Jareau.

Nice to meet you.

Emma's husband just got back from a bachelor party up North. He's at the crime scene.

Rachel Litterski, a friend of Donna's, is in there.

And over there is Mary Healy's brother Robert.

Thank you, Detective.

Of course.

Robert, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Mary?

Of course not.

Anything that helps.

How close were you two?

Very, um.

We even worked together.

I was her office manager, and my wife was her best friend.

Did she have any enemies?

Donna was magnetic. Everybody loved her.

Did she mention anything about being followed or watched?

No. All she ever talked about was church stuff and these romance novels she devoured by the bin.

Do you know what Donna's plans were that night?

Mary said she was tired and going home right after work.

The person who did this probably knew her.

Was she ever in a controlling relationship?

Donna was too involved with church events for dating.

What about old boyfriends?

They were never around for long.

Where did she meet them?

Mostly online.

So many of them, I lost track.

Do any of them stick out?

Kevin was the only one, but he died in a car accident two years ago.

He really broke her faith.

Losing him got her wrapped up in those books.

Garcia's still tracking the victims' cell phone records, but she was unable to locate any past high risk victims in the area.

So what if the area is first?

Well, they might have met online.

That's probably unlikely with Donna.

All she did was go to church and binge-read romance novels.

But then how did he pick them?

These two victims just don't match up.

One dates around and the other didn't at all.

Ok, so what's the link that got these two targeted by the unsub?

Emma was married and had an alarm.

That seems like two giant escalations.

So how'd this guy get around the system?

Kate?

Yeah, sorry.

Would Emma have disarmed the system and let him in, especially that late at night?

Well, if she didn't let him in, he'd only have a few seconds to cut the feed.

Unless he knew the code.

Would she give out that information?

Probably not, but maybe somebody else would.

I mean, who else knew the code?

Only me and Emma knew it.

I changed the code every 90 days.

Maybe Emma put the code in her phone as a reminder and somehow it was hacked?

No. No, I wouldn't let us write it down.

After a home invasion 6 years ago, uh, I made us memorize it.

Your posture just changed when we mentioned her phone. Why?

I found something in her--her phone.

They were intimate texts with a number that I don't know and can't trace.

[Police radio chatter]

Garcia: That number belongs to a disposable cell phone.

And how much correspondence did Emma have with that number?

A lot. Like, hundreds, a lot.

All from the last couple of weeks.

Texts, voice calls, naughty, naughty pictures.

Back and forth.

No faces.

And the feeling was mutual.

He knew how to push her sexy buttons, promising her everything she was missing in that department.

So this guy built up a relationship with her first.

Is it the same with the first two victims?

Uh, checking. Checking.

Yeah. Yeah, and he corresponded with each using a different number.

So he either had a burner phone for each victim or one phone with multiple lines.

All right, thanks, mama.

All right, even though Vernon was uptight about home defense, let's call the security company and check out the alarm records.

[Door opens]

[Laughs] Check it out.

[Baby babbles]

Hey, Charlotte. You're so cute.

Girls, it is dinnertime. Book bags out of the walkway.

Connie, Melissa, I am tired--

God, mom, you're such a tyrant.

Connie Rose, I am sick and tired--

man: Hey, family.

Dad. Daddy!

[Laughs] Hey, sweets.

Daddy!

Hey, Magpie.

All right, all right.

Leftovers on the table. Let's go.

[Sighs]

She'll be your best friend when she's 25.

Yeah.

How was your day?

Well, Juan aced his strength test.

He's almost 100% after his ACL surgery.

How about you?

Busy.

Study group tonight after class.

I hope it's not gonna be another all-nighter.

These MCATs are gonna k*ll me.

Well, you'll do great, honey.

Cartilage around the windpipe was damaged, but COD was actually a crushed trachea.

I'm surprised Emma didn't go into cardiac arrest before then.

Also, each victim has advanced anti-mortem bruising around their wrists from the bindings.

Reid: How long was it before the start of the bruising and the k*ll?

Roughly 6 hours.

Nobody has sex for 6 straight hours, not even Sting.

Maybe he's interacting with them beforehand.

Nonetheless, it's an endurance test.

He'd have to be in pretty great physical shape.

The anti-mortem bruising on the neck means he strangled and released repeatedly.

He was toying with them. Time spent with them is more important than the k*ll.

Well, do you think the strangulation is just a dispatching method, then?

Could be. I mean, what if this is all about erotic asphyxiation?

If that's the case, isn't the pleasure usually all for the recipient?

Maybe not for him.

Cutting off his victim's air supply might be how he satisfies his own urges.

Thank you.

Hey, your mom had a really rough day at work, ok?

Dad, I wish...

Yeah?

I mean, it's like you're never around anymore.

I know, it's tough on me, too.

Well, then I was thinking that maybe tonight we could, like, watch the Badgers game.

Never mind. It's a dumb idea.

Hey, it's not dumb.

You know I want to.

Tape it for us, will you?

Dad, it's a DVR.

God, you're so nineties.

I love you.

Love you, too, Dad.

See you tomorrow.

[Door opens, closes]

6 hours is a long time, especially when it's late and quiet, for someone to be held and no one to hear anything.

Cell records tell us they communicated a lot in the weeks leading up to the murders.

What if the victims didn't know they were in trouble?

Really? Well, ok. I have a black lab.

Man: Oh, I love dogs. When I was a kid, we always had retrievers.

[Laughs] Well, my Ben is a total sweetheart.

So, you like being a chemist?

I mean, I guess, have you always liked science?

Yeah, pretty much.

It's so, um, I don't know, this sounds weird, but chemistry is, well, exhilarating is not the right word.

You're lucky to have a passion.

Well, what about you, do you like being an accountant?

It's been fine.

So, uh, you have kids?

Nope. Never really, uh, felt the urge, I guess.

You?

Me? No. No kids.

Well. Um, I have an early morning.

I should get to bed.

Well, maybe we can talk again tomorrow.

I'd really like that.

Good night.

[Beep]

We know he gains their trust.

And with Emma's husband out of town.

Looks like the alarm wasn't armed that night.

Vernon said he made sure that Emma always set it, especially when he was out of town.

She did, except for last night.

The one night she doesn't, she ends up dead?

[Gasps]

I think she knew the unsub was coming.

What took you so long?

The victim's name is Lynn Boyd, and she was also married.

Looks like he's settling on a type.

Yeah, dating sites like Ashley Madison suggest married people are more likely to cheat with other married people.

Mutually assured destruction.

Yeah. One party's less likely to confess if they know it could hurt them, too.

But even with this set-up, people still have their hearts broken.

It's only human.

Just have to do it very quietly.

If Emma was gonna stray, she'd probably do it with a married man, which means most likely this guy's married.

“He feeds on my humiliation, imploring me to beg. My inner tigress whispers, 'Don't let him have all the fun. Free yourself.' I feel myself curl with excitement.”

There's something vaguely familiar about that passage.

I've read that before.

The bindings, the silk scarf, the rough sex.

He's using “Bare Reflections” to choose his victims.

I'm all yours. Give it to me.

Wait, sir, I meant that in the “how can I help you?” way, not in the-- 'cause you're super lovely.

And I'm on speaker, aren't I?

Garcia, what can you tell us about the romance novel “Bare Reflections”?

I can tell you it's very popular.

And let me see. Typing and checking and typing and...

It is way more popular than I thought.

How popular?

Uh, like cultural phenomenon.

Like, licensed products, like red silk scarves and lingerie.

And, ooh, my personal favorite is a baby onesie that says “9 months ago my mom read 'Bare Reflections,'” which is super creepy and weirdly cute.

Clearly I'm in the wrong genre.

If this book is mainstream, then his victim pool is large.

Garcia, did any of the other victims besides Lynn own a copy?

Uh, let's see.

Mary Healy had it on her tablet.

Donna Rayburn check it out of the library twice.

Emma and Lynn both purchased copies locally.

And, hey, a lot of the saucy texts are direct quotes from the book.

Oh, speaking of texts.

I culled from them that he met Mary via message board, Donna at a coffee shop, Emma at the gym, and Lynn, he met Lynn using a fake profile on a discrete dating website for married people.

Thanks, Garcia.

Profile?

Based on area demographics, we believe that we're looking or a physically fit white male in his mid thirties to early forties.

He's a homicidal dominant with an interest in role play.

We believe his charisma has allowed him to latch on to women who are interested in a popular erotic romance novel called “Bare Reflections.”

Morgan: In it, a sheltered female teacher falls for a handsome mogul with a dark past who forces her into a submissive role.

JJ: Despite her initial worries, Amber Stone finds she can't live without Carson Bare, warts and all.

We believe the unsub and his victims are consensually recreating a scenario from this book.

In that scene, Carson introduces Amber to BDSM by binding her to a bed as they have rough sex.

The unsub uses this role play to get his victims into a vulnerable position before his own fantasy takes hold.

This has provided the unsub with a victim pool who have dropped their guard.

His first victims were single, but his last two were married.

This escalation indicates that he may be married himself and probably has a family.

[Baby cries]

This unsub's M.O. takes patience and caution and is firmly rooted in a need-based desire, which means he won't be stopping anytime soon.

Thank you.

[Phone beeps]

Meg, you deserve whatever reaction, but hurting yourself, it's not ok.

But grounding me for a month on top of taking my phone away is ok?

Since when did this house turn into some sort of a gulag?

Ahem. I know that this is a huge adjustment.

Do you?

Yeah, of course I do.

And it's taken us all by surprise, but it's a good thing.

We're changing our dynamic, but no one's going anywhere.

Nothing that's happened to you has been fair.

And I know that.

But I also know that you are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and you are going to be an amazing big sister.

An addition to our family is not a replacement.

Ok?

I have to go.

Meg--

[Phone beeps]

[Phone beeps]

Hey, uh, Chris, I don't think that Meg is hearing me, so we're gonna need a better plan.

I'm just never gonna get it.

Second order derivatives again?

You want help, come by later.

I'll be up studying for the bar.

Cool.

Hey, sweets.

Hi, Dad.

[Chuckles]

Tell Stacey I left my copy of “Bare Reflections” on the kitchen counter for her.

So, how's, uh, how's the studying?

Going pretty well.

You'll make a great lawyer.

Thanks.

It's a little sad, too.

I mean, you guys have treated me like family.

Oh, we really appreciate all the extra time lately.

No problem. I really like it.

It's nice to be part of something.

It's great.

The girls have two strong female role models.

They've certainly got work ethic and dedication from their dad.

Me? [Laughs] I don't work that hard.

I practically sleep through class, but, hey, don't tell Stace.

Have a great run.

Nice weather for it.

Mmm.

[Mumbling]

There's not a single mention of erotic asphyxiation anywhere.

It's the unsub's fetish, then.

He's a charmer that knows that some people lose themselves in the moment and others stop at nothing to please their partners.

Somehow he makes his victims feel safe enough to abandon their hard limit.

What's a hard limit?

It's a common BDSM practice.

Hard limits are anything that's an a*t*matic no-go.

It differs by person and taste.

And a soft limit is an action in which a dismissive hesitates or places strict conditions on.

I had no idea that world had so many regulations.

Where does he find somebody like-minded?

In “Bare Reflections,”

Carson Bare takes Amber to a event called a munch.

Which is?

According to the book, it's a social gathering for people interested in BDSM.

Where the heck do you find that?

We should call Garcia.

I found one.

I'm sorry, but I've never seen them.

Well, what type of women do you see most?

High-powered professionals.

After barking orders all day, they need a submissive outlet.

And how has “Bare Reflections” influenced the scene?

By completely ruining it.

Interest in the munch I host has gone up.

Wait, that's a good thing, isn't it?

It's amateur hour.

They flaunt their red scarves and they act like Carson Bare is real.

My group is a safe haven for true dialogue.

And instead, you see desperate soccer moms looking to impress their friends.

Exactly.

They've taken over.

They act all risqué, but they really aren't.

And they ignore our rules.

'Cause despite its popular image as dark and orgiastic, BDSM play has complex rituals, roles and dynamics that frame the experience. Am I right?

Yes.

We feel the key ingredients of good BDSM play-- communication, respect, trust-- result in the same connection to body and self found in positive traditional sex.

So the end result is like yoga. Sort of.

Has anyone come in wanting to discuss breath play?

No.

That topic's forbidden, and any attempt gets a lifetime ban.

Well, if you hear something, please let us know.

I will.

What? I dabbled my senior year.

Ah, college.

Ah, high school.

[Groans]

A group like this should have been a haven for the unsub's recruitment, but it wasn't.

Hey, are you ok?

I didn't mean to weird you out.

[Chuckles] Sorry. I just can't shake the idea of no high-risk victims.

I mean, you must have, right?

Garcia checked the Madison area and found nothing.

So, what if the victims were all outside the Madison area?

[Music playing in headphones]

[Gasps]

[Cell phone rings]

[Gasps]

[Ring]

Hey, you're almost here?

Perfect.

Yeah, I'm ready.

Cool, see you soon.

Connie: Dad?

[Engine starts]

Looking for past high-risk victims outside of Madison is completely ingenious, because now we're getting somewhere.

I mean, fool me once and all that, but don't worry, you're not going to be able to fool me twice, because I'm going to get you!

Hotch: Garcia.

Sorry, sir.

I'm just, I'm super pumped because I've used my complete and total bad-assery-ness to bust a move through layers of local legal bureaucracy, and I have learned that Sarah young, a street prost*tute in St. Paul-- say that five times fast-- was m*rder*d last year.

And I bet she was strangled during a rendezvous.

Me oui. And get this-- two other prostitutes, both strangled with nylon rope, turned up 8 and 15 years ago.

One in Iowa City, the other in rural Illinois.

He knew crossing state lines would make it more difficult to link the crimes.

That's a very different cooling off period.

I wonder what was so special about those dates.

First kills were in 2000, 2007, and then he went dormant until last year.

What triggers him?

Deaths in the family?

He could keep losing jobs.

These are sex crimes, so what interferes with sex drive?

Children. The addition of a child would disrupt even the happiest of couples.

More specifically, the births.

What if each of these kills corresponds to the births of the unsub's own children?

Garcia, how many men in the hunting zone had a child in 2000?

Mom, where's dad?

Study group. Why, what's up?

Uh, nothing, I was just... thinking about Charlotte. [Sighs]

Uh-huh.

I mean, I think she...

[Washing dish]

I forgot my calculus book at Charlotte's the other night.

I need it to finish my homework for Monday.

Uh-huh.

God, Mom, do you ever listen to me?

[Sighs]

I'm slicing through hospital records.

In 2000, 16 area men, Caucasian in that age range, had their first child, and because I know what the follow up question is going to be, five of them had their second child 8 years ago.

And again last year?

Hmm...Two lucky fellas.

Were either one of them busted for something like peeping or exposure?

Yes and no. There's a Patrick John Murphy, he's a physical therapist.

Here's the thing-- he was never actually arrested.

I do have some sealed family court docs, though, that I'm about to unseal and learn...

[Gasps] Oh, when he was 12, he witnessed his neighbor strangle his wife to death in a sex game gone bad.

Even though he was only a witness, that moment created a single event imprint on his love map and probably started his interest in breath play.

Is his wife interested in BDSM?

Uh, no, it doesn't look like it.

The Murphys have been in and out of couples therapy for years.

The therapy rollercoaster may have been due to intermittent periods of frustration then bliss surrounding the murders.

And his urges increase during periods of non-intimacy.

If the unsub's trigger was the birth of his kids, why change the victimology and accelerate the kills now?

I think the guilt he's felt has been alleviated by “Bare Reflections” and the intense female interest in it has justified his impulses.

Hotch: Garcia, we need addresses.

Garcia: Of course, I just sent them to you.

[Beeping]

FBI!

[Gasps]

Stacy Murphy, where is your husband?

I could have brought over Connie's books sometime this weekend.

It's not a problem. I was in the area.

Didn't want you to worry about it.

But it's my job to worry about it.

Is your inner tigress worried, or is she ready for you to be free?

Did you just quote that lame ass “Bare Reflections?” admit it.

That book got you all worked up.

I know it did.

[Gasps] I think you should go.

For the sake of Stacy and the girls, I'll pretend this never happened.

[Gasping]

[Yelling]

Patrick is a great dad. There's no way that-- has he ever mentioned the book “Bare Reflections?”

I just borrowed a copy from our nanny.

But what does that have--

Where is she now?

At home studying.

What does Charlotte--

Mrs. Murphy, we need her address.

Patrick could be...

Oh, God!

No, please! Please, don't, Patrick! don't do this!

No!

[Patrick grunting]

[Yelling]

Aah! No!

[Sobbing]

[Patrick unzipping pants]

[Yelling]

[Knocking on door]

[Muffled groaning]

No, no!

[Muffled groaning]

Charlotte?

[Muffled groaning]

Charlotte?

[Muffled groaning]

[Connie gasps]

Connie!

Sweets...

Listen...

[Charlotte groaning]

[Gasping]

Run!

Connie!

[Gasping]

[Sirens]

[Both gasping]

Sweets.

[Sirens]

[Tires squealing]

You two take the front of the house, I'm going around back.

Stop! FBI!

[Sobbing]

[Grunting and groaning]

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

[No audio]

So how are things with Maggie?

I don't know. Hopefully she'll still be awake.

I just don't want her to feel abandoned.

Come on, by you? No way.

Well. A year ago, I would have agreed with you, but she's...

She's 13, Callahan.

Ah, yes, that's right. [Laughs]

Well, listen, if anybody can get through to her, it's you.

Callahan: “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” ~ Haim Ginott.