timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

057. sense memory

"Ingesting 10 milliliters of it will cause permanent blindness, and as little as 30 is potentially fatal." Spencer says.

Bedelia sticks the tea bag in the mug and then pours the water into it.

"These victims had between 5 and 6 ounces in their lungs." Derek says.

"You know, if they were immersed in it, they would have died even without ingesting or inhaling it. When absorbed through the skin, it depresses the central nervous system to an unsustainable degree." Spencer informs.

Bedelia hands Spencer the tea before sitting in one of the chairs.

"Well, what's it used for?" Derek asks.

"What isn't it used for?" Spencer replies. "A solvent, an antifreeze, in World War II the Germans used it for pocket fuel. It's used in wine making. It's most commonplace use, however, is in the creation of other chemicals. Methanol can become plastic, plywood, paint, explosives, permanent press textiles. It's essentially the chemical used to separate other chemicals from each other."

"Can it be bought?" Emily asks. "Is it tracked?"

"California's got some of the strictest environmental laws in the country. I'm sure it's regulated." Hotch says.

"Yeah, but methanol is also used in making biofuels, which quite a few people have been doing at home. I'd imagine the sale of it is fairly commonplace." Rossi says.

"But he needs enough in which to immerse a body." Hotch says.

"All the victims were nude, but there's no evidence of sexual assault on any of them." Derek says.

"And the skin was removed from the bottom of the foot. Unless we're talking about a foot fetishist, you actually can't get further away from sexual areas." Emily says.

"Yeah. Impotent sadists like Robert Napper typically take their frustration out on their victims. You'd think there'd be a lot more overkill." Spencer says.

"And what he's doing is very specific, very focused." Hotch says.

"What about the skin patches? Is this a trophy of some sort?" Rossi asks.

"I have no idea. Skin, independent of any other substance, would wither and die rather quickly." Spencer says.

"Well, that might be the thing that's forcing our unsub back out on the hunt." Emily says.

"Considering the wide divergence of abduction and dumpsites, this guy could be anywhere. L.A. is over 500 square miles." Derek says.

"Uh, 498.3." Spencer corrects, his voice going quiet near the end and he looks out the window.

"And the fact that no one has seen him either abduct or dispose says he knows the city and its patterns well." Rossi says.

+++

"Guys, as I feared, methanol can be easily purchased from any chemical supply house in southern California." Spencer says. "It's not controlled. You can buy it in large quantities or small quantities. Now, I've charted the abduction and disposal sites."

"Linda Dean was taken from Hollywood. Her body was dumped in Echo Park. Shelly Onto was last seen in the Garment District. Her body was dumped in Sherman Oaks. And finally, Vickie Hagerg was taken in Torrance south of the city. Her body was left in Westlake."

"It's a huge geographical area." Hotch says.

"The only area the unsub hasn't hit yet is east of downtown, which means we can either eliminate it or it's the one place left." Spencer says.