" Thanks." " David Rossi." " David," "I just finished the manuscript." "You are a crime novel artiste." "The Butcher returns." "The Piano Man sings." "The Queen of Diamonds is Lady X." "Wow." "The new book is absolutely fantabulous, my friend." "It's compelling, captivating..." "But..." "It's incomplete." "Where is the dedication page?" "I didn't think you'd notice." "I'm paid to notice." "Well, I haven't decided." "Well, hurry, would you?" "We're ready to go to print." "Uh..." "I'll get right on it." "By the end of the week, Amanda." "I've still got my day job." "Ah, yes." "Lives to save, adventures to live." "I get it." "You really don't." "Someone is heating things up in Santa Monica, and they are not sharing the sunblock." "Three charred bodies have shown up at the pier in the last week." "M.E. cannot identify the victims." "She can tell us that two are male, and the latest victim is a female." "Well, if he's crossing gender lines, we can probably rule out sexual assault." "Was the coroner able to determine the exact cause of death?" "No." "The results were inconclusive, but my money is on the... obvious." "Might not be that simple." "If the unsub's connected to the victims, the burning the bodies might be an attempt to mask their identity." "Or he's sophisticated enough to know the fire will eliminate the evidence of his murder rituals." "This takes time." "If he's burning his victims while they're alive, he's not just sadistic, he's patient." "And organized." "He'd need access to materials necessary for burning a human body, and the space to do so undetected." "Has anyone been reported" "missing?" " Nobody that's a match." "I'm running dental records in there right now, though." "Then the problem is, we're not even sure the victims are local." "That pier is a popular photo op." " He could be hunting tourists." " Or warning them away." "He's dropping the bodies where they can be found quickly." "He's also accelerated his attacks." "He's gone from a four-day cooling-off period to only two days between kills." "It's all part of his plan." "We need to stop him before he makes it one." "SI: "You never find yourself until you face the truth."" "Pearl Bailey." "This guy's putting bodies on display and staging their discovery to make an impact." "Oh, he wants to be noticed." "Either for his handiwork, or because he lacks recognition in his everyday life." "He shows no signs of remorse for his crimes." "His message is more important than human life." "He might not even see these people as being human." "Is it just me, or does this feel territorial?" "I think you're right." "For some reason, the pier is very important to him." "Forget flossing those pearlies, my babes, 'cause thanks to two fillings, an underage drinking charge, and a very effective M.A.D.D. organization," "I have been able to identify the latest victim of this person barbequer as Lindsay Leeman from Edina, Minnesota." "She was only 19 years of age." "Her file's on your tablets." "Oh, it says here she's only been in Santa Monica a couple months." "Yeah, it doesn't look like she had a job, 'cause according to bank records, her mom's been sending her $250 a month." "Okay, so how does she afford an Ocean Avenue address on such little income?" "Was she making money under the table?" "Not that she was depositing, anyway." "Cell phone records show her texting up until 7:00 last night." "This unsub's incredibly efficient." "He was able to abduct, murder, and dispose of" "Lindsay's body in under 12 hours." "Wait." "There's something else." "All her communications are to Minnesota numbers." "There's not one from California." "Means that she lived somewhere two months, and didn't make any friends?" "I thought that only happened to me." "Garcia, any luck identifying the other victims?" "No." "Apparently, fire is my kryptonite." "But I'll keep searching." "So what's he trying to say?" ""Get out, or this could be you?"" "Maybe." "It's a pretty public area." "He's got to be dumping late at night." "When it blends in when he does." "Santa Monica police increased patrol after the second body." "Yet, he still manages to dump Lindsay here." "This guy's getting smarter, or he's got insider knowledge." "We should take a look at first responders." "You know, his rage might not be directed at tourists." "If the bodies were found and removed prior to morning rush hour, then most of them might not even have a chance to see his work." "Then who would?" "Sir, I noticed something odd." "There aren't any utilities listed in Lindsay Leeman's name, so I ran the address, and it turns out, it is not a residence." "It's a private mail center." "Did her family know where she was staying?" "No, the apartment number" "Lindsay gave her family corresponds to the mailbox at the center." " Her mom had no idea it wasn't a home." "HOTCH:" "All right." "Her mother's on her way to Los Angeles" "to claim the body." " Yeah." "She just got to LAX." "I rerouted her to you." "Okay." "Thanks." "There isn't much left." "Were you able to determine if the victims died of immolation?" "An examination of the lungs indicates" "Lindsay didn't breathe in smoke." "Hmm." "So, she was dead before being set on fire." "Same as the others." " So how is he killing them?" " I was able to isolate penetrating lacerations to the abdomen." "They were stabbed." "And most likely died of exsanguination as a result." "So the burning's nothing more than a forensic countermeasure." "An effective one." "Not only does it destroy trace evidence, but it makes it difficult to identify the bodies and determine a common victimology." "Hopefully Lindsay's mother can fill in the gaps." "Why would she lie about where she was living?" "That's what we're trying to figure out." "Did Lindsay know anyone in Los Angeles before she moved here?" "No, she was on her own." "Alone." "That's very brave." "She was fearless." "Her dad died when she was young, so... she learned to be independent earlier than most." "Why did she leave home?" "She was chasing her dream." "So, she was performing locally?" "All the time." "Anywhere she could draw a crowd." "Usually the pier." "Had she mentioned meeting someone new?" "Anyone who was offering her work?" "I was sending her money until she got settled." "If she needed more..." "Where was my daughter living, Agent Hotchner?" "So Lindsay's mother took out a second mortgage so she could send cash to her here." "The problem is..." "Money doesn't go quite as far in California as it does" "in Minnesota." " Exactly." "And Lindsay must have known that her mother would be worried about her, so she told her that she found an apartment in order to relieve the financial stress." "You think she was living here?" "They don't charge any rent." "Excuse me." "We're looking for Sarah Mapes?" "Who's asking?" "I'm Aaron Hotchner, this is David Rossi." "We're with the FBI." "What do you need, Aaron?" "We're investigating the homicides that have taken place in the area in the last week." "They called the FBI in over a couple of burnt bodies?" "What happened?" "One of 'em a doctor?" "One of them was a 19-year-old girl." "Lindsay." "What can you tell us about her?" "She comes here now and then." "Always singing for everybody." "Morning, Sergeant." "Made me promise to vote for her if she ever made it on TV." "You telling me she's dead?" "I'm afraid so." "It's a damn shame." "I'll be right back." "Always the young ones." "Excuse me, sir?" "Sergeant Scott?" "**" "That company's got three wounded." "Lock it up, Marines!" " You got a death wish, Marine?" " No, Sergeant!" "In that case, Private Rossi, you might want to put your helmet on, before the Viet Cong decide to paint your face red." "It's a war zone out here, Marines." "The sooner you start acting like it, the sooner you start making it to tomorrow." "And you-- what's your name, Marine?" "Private First Class Hernandez!" "Well, Private First Class Hernandez, seems like you landed into some sunny resort." "That's the only reason why I can think why you wouldn't be wearing your flak jacket!" " Sorry, Sergeant!" "Sorry don't cut it out here, Marines!" "Sorry'll get you dead." "And if you're dead, I have to carry your ass back here so we can mail you home to your mama in a big wooden box!" "Now, do you think I want scoliosis?" "No, Sergeant!" "Eyes front, Marine!" "Sergeant." "Take a good look, Marines." " This is what war is." " Go." "You follow my orders, you just might make it out of here alive." "There are no second chances out here." "We either win, or we die." "Understand?" "!" "Yes, Sergeant!" "Now fall out!" "David Rossi." "It's been a while." "Too long." "How did you know it was me?" "Recognized you from your book cover." "You read my books?" "I thumbed through one or two." "I-I didn't know you were out here." "Yeah, I figured I'd get me some of those California girls." "And did you?" "Once or twice, but after my last divorce," "I figured, uh, marriage just wasn't my thing." "Yeah, tell me about it." "It's good seeing you." " I got to go." " No, no." "Let me give you my card." "I-I can't believe I ran into you like this." "Look, we got to get together." "You could..." "Hey, man." "Hey, whoa!" "Easy, buddy." "Just want to see if you'd like a portrait." "Already got it started." "See?" "Looks just like you." "No!" "No!" "If Lindsay was a transient, it makes sense that the other victims could be, too." "This area of Santa Monica has a heavy homeless population." "Hey, folks, clear the area." "That explains why Garcia had trouble matching dental records." "Regular office visits aren't a priority for people who live on the streets." "He's been shaven clean and left exposed." "This is a complete change in M.O." "Yeah, look at his skin." "Looks like chemical burns." " Smells like bleach," " That's an evolution, but Why?" "Was the fire drawing too much attention, or does a chemical burn fulfill another purpose?" "He's got ligature marks on his wrists." "He couldn't fight back while the unsub burned him." "He changed his dumping ground, too." "Outside of a homeless shelter?" "If he wasn't being clear before, he certainly is now." "His face and prints are intact." "We should be able to I.D. him faster than the others." "Maybe that's intentional." "His name's Jeremy." "Give me a second." "Excuse me." "Please." "You recognize him?" "He worked the boardwalk." "He was an artist." "You're sure?" "Thank you." "This helps." " Look..." " You don't have to say it." "Depends on what I was gonna say." "You were gonna apologize for walking away yesterday." "Don't." "Last time I saw you, you were unconscious, on your way home with a concussion and a... a shrapnel wound in your arm." "Still got the scar." "What happened?" "You remember Danny James?" "PFC from Iowa?" "He was 19 years old." "You remember what they did to him over there?" "He was captured outside Hue, I think." "They held him for three nights." "No eyes, no ears, no arms." "But he was still alive." "You remember why they did that to him?" "Hell, you were the first one to figure it out." "Fear." "They were trying to scare us." "Same thing's happening here." "Now, these people are here to help us." "They got work to do, so everybody listen up." "The guy we're looking for is hunting the homeless." "He seems to be most active at night." "We believe that this unknown subject- or UnSub-- is trying to make a social or a political statement by targeting the homeless community." "He's has evolved from obliterating his victims with fire to wanting them to be identified while still depersonalizing them." "Listen, this guy's burning people with bleach." "He's trying to scare you." "JJ:" "And the shaving of the heads is most likely another way he can humiliate his victims." "The unsub has a method of transportation and the facilities to bleach and burn his victims." "He dumps the bodies prior to the morning commute," "so he could have a day job." " You need to be hypervigilant and look after one another." "Sleep in groups and in shifts." "How will I know it's him?" "You might not." "This guy blends in." "J :" "He's probably a local, someone who feels wronged by members of your community." "ID:" "He does not draw attention to himself, and he's meticulous in his planning." "The fact that he's now dumping the bodies away from the pier means he's probably aware of our investigation and that this is far from over." "We need to increase the police presence on the street." "This guy is smart." "We have to be smarter." "Thanks for your help today." "We couldn't have reached out like this on our own." "These people trust you." "Yeah, your training paid off." " Thanks to you." " I did my job." "No, you did a lot more than that." "I was a screwup, and you knew it." "Yeah, maybe at first, but you showed potential." "We're under fire!" "Fall back!" "Move back!" "Take cover!" "Move back!" "Move back now!" "Fall back, boys!" "Fall back!" "Take cover!" "That's an order!" "Fall back!" "Fall back!" " Hernandez!" " Take cover, Rossi!" "Fall back!" "That's an order!" "And what about Hernandez?" " Leave no man behind, sir!" " Pull back!" "That's an order!" "Pull back!" "Pull back!" "Rossi, you cover this position and cover Hernandez!" "I don't know if I can, Sergeant!" "You can, and you will!" "Where are you going?" "!" "Wait!" "Sergeant!" "Sergeant!" "Look, we're-we're staying just a few blocks from here." "Why don't you come back with me?" "I can get you a room." "This is my home, David." "This is no way for a war hero to live." "You know how many veterans are on the street?" "Too many." "More every day." "It's not glamorous, but... it's me." "No, it's not." "You think after 40 years, you know a damn thing about me?" "How long have you lived like this?" "I worked construction for a while, but no one wants a old man on the job when they can get somebody younger and cheaper." "How long?" "A year." "Maybe five." "It's hard to keep track without a watch." "Then let me help you." "If I had wanted your help," "I would have asked for it." "Could the fire have destroyed evidence of the bleach on the previous victims?" "Chemical residue would have turned up in the autopsies." "So, we were right." "He changed M.O. to perfect his message." "He changed something else, too." "I found bleach in Jeremy's lungs." "The unsub drowned him." "First victims were incinerated postmortem." "Why torture now?" "He's starting to enjoy the kills." "So, as he fine-tunes his methodology, he's also fine-tuning what gets him off." "Well, he managed to bleach Jeremy inside and out." "This could be about cleanliness." "Or cleansing- the socio-economic kind." "He's trying to eradicate the homeless." "Need a blanket?" "Thanks." "I've got one that's all right." "If you want to, check with some of the younger kids first." "Already taken care of." "Why don't you come with me?" "I can give you a shower and a warm bed." "I'm not a prostitute." "No, I didn't say you were." "I just thought I could help you with your problem." " And what is my problem?" " Your disease." " Don't have a disease." " Yes, you do." "No, I don't!" "No, I don't!" "I'm gonna rid you of it once and for all." "Leave her alone!" "Get in." "No!" "Did you find her?" "Not yet." "I had that son-of-a-bitch right in my hands, and I let him get away." "A few less drinks might have helped." "What the hell are you talking about?" "I think saying age put you on the streets is a cop-out." "Don't you lecture me, Rossi." "What did booze cost you first?" "Your home, your job, or maybe one of your wives?" "This wasn't my fault." "I'm not saying that it was." "I tried to save Sarah." "I couldn't!" "So now you're giving up?" "There's nothing else I can do." "Yes, there is." "Help me to help her." "Now, I want you to relax and focus." "What's the point of this?" "I told you." "It's a cognitive interview." "Many times our subconscious picks up on details our conscious mind's not aware of." "A marine, more so." "Well, it's been a long time since I was active, Dave." "The instinct never goes away." "Now, close your eyes." "Oh, yes, sir." "Take yourself back to that night." "Put yourself in the alley." "It's dark." "You're getting ready for bed." "Something caught your attention." "What is it?" "AH:" "And what is my problem?" "Sarah's voice." "All right, you-you must have heard her voice a hundred times." "What made it stick out?" "Don't have a disease." "She's afraid." "Can you see why?" "All right, what else stuck out?" "Any distinctive odors?" "I'm not sure." "Smells like a hospital." "Whatever it is, it's out of place." "Focus on that smell." "Let it draw you into the conversation." "UB:" "Need a blanket?" "AH:" "Thanks." "I've got one that's all right." "If you want to, check with some of the..." "I see him." "Why don't you come with me?" "TT:" "I-I-I..." "I can't make him out." "He's standing in the shadows." "Blue collar?" "Clean cut?" "Jeans and a button-down shirt." "Can you see his face?" " It's too dark." " Okay, let's go back to the clothes." "We follow them down to his hands." "Is he wearing a wedding ring?" "He's wearing gloves." "Medical gloves?" "Work gloves?" "Driving gloves." "Are there any other distinctive smells?" "Did he leave his car running?" "Gasoline." "Older model Ford." "That engine is still running." "It's a Mustang, I think." "Can you see the license plate?" "I'm lying on the ground." "He's... he's taking her to the car." " It-it's coming right at me." " The plate is right in front of you." "Tell me what it says." " I can't see it." " Yes, you can." "You can do this." " J..." " Yeah, go ahead." " W..." " Go on, go on." "D" "That-that's all I got." "Rossi?" "You got to find her." "I can't lose another one." "Another one?" "Try and get some rest." "Factoring in a two-mile comfort zone mixed with Mustang registries and a "JWD" partial," "I come up with squat." "Well, he probably stole the plates, Garcia." "Run Mustang registries from that area and focus on the ones manufactured prior to the 1980s." "Oh, I've got ten possibilities." "Well, I doubt this guy could maintain a steady relationship." "Eliminate any vehicles registered to women." "Only knocks off two." "We got eight more to go, folks." "All right, what are their occupations?" "Uh, ad exec, teacher, a waiter." "Whoa, I got a firefighter." "Well, that would definitely explain this guy's proficiency at burning, and he would know the layout of the street cameras to avoid detection." "Garcia, does the firefighter have any relationship to the homeless community?" "Let's see." "Chad Mills-- third-generation firefighter." "He saved six homeless people from an electrical fire that destroyed the warehouse they were squatting in." "Nine others died in the blaze." "That's not a coincidence." "Why didn't he come up in the search of first responders?" "Because he isn't one anymore." "He left the department two months ago." " Just before the murders started." "Garcia?" "Sending you his address now." "No, no." "No, please!" " Clear!" " He was just here." "I need medical." "We're going around back." "He couldn't have gotten far." "Let's go." "No need to talk, Sarah." "Help's on the way." "Here, this'll coat your throat and help dilute the bleach." "Ma'am." "Get in." "What's the status on Mills?" "Mills is missing." "We don't have him." "I repeat, Mills is gone." "You ruined everything." "Come on!" "I should have seen this coming." "Rossi, you couldn't have known he'd circle back for Scott." "What you need?" "Garcia, give us everything you have on Chad Mills." "No dust." " Nothing out of sorts." " His clothes are organized by color." "Yeah, this speaks to clear signs of 0.C.D. behavior." "Sarah had some sort of gel in her hair." "I want to try to find the source." "What is it?" "Quell-- a medical-grade disinfectant." "His 0.C.D. may manifest" "in extreme germaphobia." " That must be why he shaved Jeremy's head." "There wasn't any sign of the disinfectant" "until today, though." " But it might have been" "eliminated by the bleach and the fire." "REID:" "Guys, fire, bleach, quell-- these are all forms of sterilization." "So you think the burning might be incidental?" "If he's socioeconomically cleansing the streets, he could be treating the homeless population like an infection." "To him, they're a virus." "And he's the cure." "I figured out why Mills left the fire department." "He was forced out because he contracted a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis." "How did he get it, you ask?" "Two of the squatters he saved from that burning warehouse were infected." "Theory is, he caught it through close, unprotected contact." "That's a hell of a trigger." "He blames the homeless community for getting him sick." "Combine that trauma with an O.C.D. germaphobe, and what do you get?" "A serial killer who thinks he can stop the spread of TB by killing an entire population." "The same way the victims" "of the plague were burned." " Well, now he's on the run, and he can't go back home, so where would he take Scott?" "Back to where his trauma originated." "Garcia, give us the address of the warehouse fire." "Careful." "You're gonna get me wet." "I'm gonna burn you alive." "That's a first for me." "Don't go out of your way on my account." "You ruined my mission." "Your mission?" "You're fighting the wrong war, son." "I am not your son." "That's the best you got?" "What's the matter?" "You sick?" "You should recognize the signs." "It was your kind who did this to me." "My kind?" "Yeah." "I was going to matter." "You still can, Chad." "Come any closer, and I burn him." "You don't want to do that." "And you don't want to shoot." "Otherwise, we'll both go up." "It's very brave, what you did." "Running into that fire on your own." "Yeah." " Look how that turned out." " I don't know." "If you ask me, I'd say it was pretty stupid." " Stupid?" " Yeah, that's right." "You went in without protective gear." "Looks like maybe you were trying" "to prove something." " Third-generation fireman." "What's there to prove?" "It's in his genes." "Quite a legacy to try to live up to, but you just wanted to be the best." " Didn't you?" " I am the best." "Guess we'll never know for sure." "My whole life, I knew I was gonna be a fireman," "that I would matter!" " You do matter, Chad." "Everyone matters." "Not him!" "He doesn't." "That man is a Marine." "He risked his life to protect us." "You telling me that doesn't matter?" "He's right, Dave." "What?" "He drops that lighter, this whole place goes up in flame." "I don't want y'all caught in the crossfire because of me." "It's time to fall back." "I'm not leaving you behind." "That's an order, Marine!" "Okay, we're falling back." "What you gonna do now?" "Guess it's time to finish this." "You're not getting out of this place alive." "I didn't say I was." "Do I get any last words?" "No one wants to hear them, 'cause no one cares if you die." "That's where you're wrong." "What are you doing?" "I'm gonna burn this place down." "Don't do it!" "Thank you." "So... that was quite a stunt you pulled in there." "I knew you'd get the message." "Figured that was my best chance not to go down with him." "So, you bet your life on the BAU?" "I bet my life on you." "Do you know why I joined the FBI?" "If you say..." "Because of you." "You could say the corps changed me or the war, but it was you who made me honest." "So, please, be honest with me now." "What are you running from?" "You remember how you got that scar in the first place?" "Of course I do." "Perez, cover our right flank." "Hernandez, our left." "Mattheson, I need you on point." " Damn." " Everyone, stand back." "How bad, Sergeant?" "Hernandez, I need you to take the troops back to our last position." "Sergeant?" "Any movement, and this whole field lights up." "Now, move the men back." "Yes, Sergeant." "You better go, too, Sergeant." "Can't do that, son." "Leave no one behind." "Don't die 'cause I screwed up." "Who said anything about dying?" "We're at the end of the chain." "We can use that ditch for cover." "We'll never make it." "On my count." "Three." "Two." "One!" "That blast gave you a concussion." "When you regained consciousness, you were already on your way home." "Next thing I knew, I was in the hospital and getting ready to rotate home." "And I was receiving a commendation for heroic bravery." "And you deserved it." "Not a lot of people would have done that." "No, but someone did more." "Hernandez, I need you to take the troops back to our last position." "Sergeant?" "Any movement, and this whole field lights up." "Now, move the men back." "Yes, Sergeant." "Hernandez, what are you doing?" "Push them through." "I got work to do." " We'll never make it." " On my count." "Two." "One!" "Hernandez?" "But Why?" "Why did he do it?" "Or why did I take credit?" "Both." "The short answer is," "I was ordered to." "We were fighting a PR war back home." "The government needed a face, a living face, to parade around to solicit support for an unpopular war." "I was chosen." "And Hernandez?" "He was paying a debt." "He was being a Marine." "He died so that we could live." "And you couldn't tell anyone?" "Come with me." "Where?" "To honor our debt." "SI: "I am not concerned" ""that you are fallen." "I am concerned that you arise."" "Abraham Lincoln." "Your grandfather was a hero, son." "Thank you, sir." "He saved both of our lives." "You know, it's time you let yourself off the hook, Sergeant." "You did your duty." "This country owes you for your service." "No, no, they don't owe my anything." "I had a feeling you'd say that." "But they're gonna help you anyway." "You know what this place is?" "It's called New Directions." "It's an outreach center dedicated to help vets land on their feet." "Welcome home, Marine." "Semper fi." "Oorah." "SI: "This book is dedicated to Sergeant Harrison Scott" ""and Private First Class Anthony Hernandez," ""two men who saved me so I could save others.""