timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

051. devil's night

"We're stretched as it is, but we've set up a joint task force with the Detroit P.D. to catch this guy." Garner says.

"It's pretty extensive." Spencer says.

"I'd say don't profile me. But you're in a roomful of suspects, right?" Garner asks.

"A city full." Hotch says.

"Victims abducted across every socioeconomic divide." Spencer says.

"And this son of a bitch is about to burn a few of them alive." Garner says.

"Problem is, we've gotta catch up." Rossi says.

"And we know he's gonna be watching." Hotch says.

"Well, we're gonna bust him this year." Garner states.

"We've got two agents on the way to last night's crime scene." Hotch says.

"Great, I'll meet them there." Garner says. "I hope we find something soon. It gets dark early this time of year."

"And we'll head to the morgue." Hotch says.

"Hope you have a strong stomach." Garner says.

+++

"The first time I looked at these victims on the map, none of it made sense. 7 different victims, various ages, sex, and ethnicity." Spencer says.

"What do you see now?" Rossi asks.

"The first victim..." Spencer hands over a file.

"Often tell us the most." Rossi says.

"Tommy Proctor." Spencer says.

"Well, his rap sheet is longer than the Nile. It looks like he's always walked on the dark side." Rossi says.

"The first kill inspired him. What's different about it?" Hotch asks.

"Two things. First of all, his body wasn't found for days. He was buried deep in the building." Spencer says.

"That often tells us that they know each other." Hotch says.

"Not to mention it took many botched attempts to burn them." Spencer says.

"Because the unsub didn't realize how difficult it is to actually burn a human body." Rossi says.

"Or it's overkill. He wanted proctor to suffer the most." Hotch says.

"Which definitely makes it personal." Rossi says.

"If he knew the first victim, it's a good chance he knew them all." Bedelia says.

"We just have to find out how." Rossi says.

"We can start by talking to Tony Torrell's wife." Hotch states.

+++

"Do you know how rare it is for an arsonist to be a burn victim?" Garner asks.

"Less than 3.5%." Spencer says.

"This guy's not an arsonist. He's a serial killer who uses fire. And that choice of weapon tells us that he's aggressive, driven, and destructive, just like fire itself." Derek says.

"But why would someone so controlling choose the most unpredictable weapon?" Emily asks.

"This juxtaposition tells us there's more going on with him than we realize." Spencer says.

"He's probably experienced some kind of loss these past few years that started him down this path." Rossi says.

"We should look at accidents where couples were burned." Hotch says.