The Boss' Niece (Spencer Reid)

54. Mr. Scratch

"You're sure about that?" Derek asked, not too sure if he actually believed what Daniel was saying.

"Yeah. Yeah, because once I placed it, I was out." Daniel nodded, his eyes still closed.

"How long were you out?" JJ questioned.

"I don't know. All I know is that when I came to, it was dark and I couldn't move." He shrugged his shoulders.

"It did sexual things to me." His voice cracked. Derek watched in confusion as Daniel's hands started to shake, most likely from nerves. All of a sudden, Daniel's eyes flew open, the tears visible. He sobbed for a bit, letting some tears slip.

"He had these- these- these talons for hands, and...uh, I got- I got free and then I, um...and then I hid somewhere in the house, and, uh...next thing I remember, I was standing over my mom's body...and the cops were cuffing me." He cried, both JJ and Derek watching him closely, looking for any sign that he may have been lying, but to no avail.

"I- So...so, I- maybe- maybe- you know, maybe the rape, you know, uh...maybe I snapped. You know? You know what I mean? Maybe I snapped and, uh, I lashed out at the first person that I saw." He asked, hopeful.

"Mr. Karras-" Derek began, but Daniel kept going.

"Just listen- Because this is the only way that it makes sense." Daniel spoke, trying to defend himself.

"-At your lawyer's insistence, the Maine police ran a rape kit on you. There was no evidence of assault, sexual or otherwise." Derek shook his head, Daniel looking at him in disbelief.

"Okay, well, run another rape kit." Daniel insisted.

"No rope burns on your arms or legs. No evidence of a break-in at all." JJ explained, seeing the disbelief on Daniel's face.

"What you guys trying to tell me, that this didn't happen to me? 'Cause it did! There are others." Daniel started to get angry.

"Excuse me?" JJ asked, confused.

"My lawyer said that there were others that this happened to." Daniel tried to confirm this detail with JJ and Derek, both of whom nodded.

"That's right." Derek confirmed.

"Well, can I talk to them?" Daniel asked.

"No." Derek shook his head.

"Why not?" Daniel asked in confusion.

———

"I did some digging. All 3 of our victims were adopted and all in 1985. All of them." Penelope spoke as she walked into the small room that connected the interrogation rooms. Hotch looked between her and Christine, who sat in the second interrogation room.

"From where?" Hotch asked.

"That's the thing. It's from different states, they were closed adoptions, it's pre-internet. I gotta go through the analogue rabbit hole. It'll take a while." Penelope explained, watching as Hotch nodded.

"All right, Rossi and Emily just landed in Topeka to walk the crime scene, and I want you to reach out to the family members and find out if there's any shared history in the foster care system." Hotch asked.

"Sir, yes, sir." Penelope nodded as she left the room.

———
(At Mr. Merrin's House)

"No records or paperwork in the house regarding Larry Merrin's adoption." Emily spoke as she walked to where Rossi was, watching as he looked around the home.

"Morgan struck out with the vics. They knew they were adopted but couldn't recall anything." Rossi explained.

"Well, they were 3 to 4 years old at the time. Firm memories don't imprint on the developing brain until about age 5." Emily explained, Rossi tilting his head in confusion.