Just over a month had passed since Spencer was arrested in Mexico and now that Spencer's case was actually going to trial, the team needed as much backup as possible. So, Emily called in a favour.
"Team, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Tara Lewis. She is an FBI Forensic Psychologist and she'll be with us to help the process of Reid's case." Emily and Tara stood up in front of the team.
"Tara, this is Agent Derek Morgan, Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia, Agent David Rossi, Agent Jennifer Jareau and Agent Cassidy Marlow." Emily introduced the team to Tara.
"You must be Spencer's fiancée. I've read his file." Tara shook Cassidy's hand.
"Yes, I am." She nodded.
3 hours later, when the team had gone off to do their own tasks not only for Spencer's case, but also for their paperwork. Tara walked up the steps to Emily's office, knocking on the door.
"Hey, you wanted to see me?" Tara asked, opening the door.
"Tara, come on in." Emily smiled, gesturing for Tara to walk in.
"Uh, what's up?" Tara questioned, sitting down across from Emily.
"I need you to go to the prison tomorrow and conduct another cognitive interview on Reid." Emily asked before she checked her phone, her eyes widening.
She and Emily quickly ran to the conference room, seeing the team sitting at the round table.
"Mr. Scratch." She gasped.
"Where?" JJ's eyebrows raised, confused.
"Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Last week. A former associate of Stephen Walker's down there on business recognized him." Emily almost dropped her phone.
"I...this is huge. This puts Scratch in Latin America." Penelope quietly cheered.
"And increases the likelihood he passed through Mexico at some point." Tara added.
"That's why this cognitive is so imperative. It is critical that Reid remember exactly what happened in that motel room in Mexico." Emily explained.
"Can I play devil's advocate here for a second?" Derek asked.
"Absolutely." Emily nodded.
"Let's say the cognitive works, all right, and Reid puts Scratch in that motel room, 100%, no doubt about it. What changes? I mean, isn't he just another prisoner proclaiming his innocence?" Derek questioned.
"Tell her your idea." Tara smiled at Emily.
"What changes is I can then petition the DOJ and the counter-terrorism center to put Scratch on a high-priority watch list." Emily explained more.
"How?" Rossi asked.
"By massaging the definition of international terrorist. Now, that photo proves that Scratch is crossing borders from one country to another. And we already know he's targeting the FBI." Emily nodded.
"I don't know, it sounds like a hard sell." Derek shook his head.
"Well, I talked to one of my contacts at the NSA and she said they would be on board if we give them something tangible on Scratch." Emily smiled.
"I'll give it my best shot with Reid." Tara nodded, determined.
———
(The Next Morning, Federal Prison, Interview Room)
"You can conduct your interview in here, Dr. Lewis. It's secure." The guard opened the interview room door, revealing Spencer.
"Thank you." Tara smiled, letting the guard leave.
"Hello, Spencer. My name is Dr. Tara Lewis. I'm an FBI Forensic Psychologist. I'm consulting with the BAU and I have been tasked with conducting some cognitive interviews with you. Don't worry. All interviews have been approved by your lawyer, Fiona." Tara smiled, looking at Spencer, who exhaled.
"You shouldn't be here. It's better if everyone just stays away from me right now." Spencer explained.
"I'm here about Scratch. Emily thinks she might have a new way to find him, but to do so, I need to walk you through another cognitive." Tara explained, clasping her hands together.
"I understand what you're doing, and I really appreciate it, but Emily already tried and it didn't work." Spencer denied.
"That was over a month ago. You were still under the influence. As you know, distance from the incident can sometimes yield additional insights. When's the last time you slept?" Tara questioned, seeing the bags under Spencer's eyes.
"I don't know, which is why I don't really have the energy to do this right now." Spencer looked away.
"Well, exhaustion's not necessarily a bad thing. If your resistance is down, you might be more receptive to the cognitive. Okay?" She asked, watching as Spencer hesitated.
"Okay." He nodded, closing his eyes.
"Are you there?" Tara asked.
"Yes." Spencer nodded.
"Tell me what you see." Tara started.
Spencer opened a motel room door, his duffel-bag slung over his shoulder. He wasn't dressed like himself. Instead, he wore a blue flannel shirt, a gray cap and some black pants. He sat down at a table across from her.
"She's waiting for me. Nadie Ramos." Spencer started talking, his voice raspy.
"Is she alone?" Tara questioned.
Spencer sat at the table that Nadie was at. There was no one else around. Just Spencer and Nadie. She pushed a vile of liquid across the table that she and Spencer sat at. He looked at it, inspecting it.
"Yes. She seemed upset. And we were standing by a window." Spencer squinted a little.
Standing up, Nadie walked over to the window, peering out. Spencer stood up, seeing what she was looking at.
"Was there somebody there?" Tara asked, curious.
"Mm-hmm." Spencer nodded, his eyes still closed as he tried to remain calm.
After a few moments of looking out the window, Spencer's attention snapped to the motel room door as it busted open, an unknown person entering, causing Rosa to gasp and scream as the person whacked Spencer over the head, sending him to the floor.
"Who is it, Spencer? Think." Tara whispered, concerned. Spencer opened his eyes and relaxed for a moment before closing his eyes again.
"I don't know. I blacked out." Spencer admitted as his eyes opened again.
"It's okay. It's alright. What happens when you wake up?" Tara smiled, watching as Spencer closed his eyes again.
Spencer's eyes opened, watching from the floor as Rosa was knocked to the floor, trying to defend herself. He could hear the sound of Rosa whimpering. Spencer could hear the sound of a blade entering the skin multiple times. He started to see a red liquid escape from Rosa's body. Managing to get up, Spencer knocked the knife out of the assailant's hand, the - now bloody - knife falling to the floor.
"She's struggling. Nadie was struggling." Spencer breathed.
"Because the other man is stabbing her." Tara continued, Spencer nodding.
"Yeah. And I think that I should try CPR, but there's just so much blood. My heart's beating fast. And it feels like I'm moving in slow motion." Spencer exhaled, trying to keep calm.
"Wait. Something's wrong. There's a knife...and blood." Spencer's face dropped.
Spencer picked up the bloody knife, his body sort of hovering over Rosa's dead body as he tried to get the assailant away from Rosa.
"Who has the knife?" Tara asked, confused.
"It's in my hand. I'm bleeding." Spencer admitted.
The unknown person stood up, while Spencer remained hovering over Rosa's dead body with the knife in his hands.
"Okay. Because you cut your hand." Tara explained.
"It all goes blank after that." Spencer exhaled, opening his eyes.
"That's about how far you got with Emily. You're psychologically blocking whatever happens next." Tara leaned back in her chair.
"Why?" Spencer asked.
"I'm not sure. Uh, why don't we take a short break. Yeah?" Tara asked, exhaling.
"Okay." Spencer nodded, watching as Tara stood up and left the room.
———
Coming back from a short break, Spencer paced around the interview room while Tara looked up at him.
"Did they check the vents in the motel room? The last time we caught Scratch, he was dosing people through the vents, which might be why I'm remembering in pieces." Spencer suggested.
"Rossi said that was the very first thing he checked for when they were in Mexico. Look, we need to start again." Tara explained while Spencer sat down.
"Now, this time I want to focus on Nadie's reaction when the door opens. Is she frightened? Does she know the person?" Tara started, watching as he closed his eyes again.
Spencer and Nadie's attention snapped to the door when it opened suddenly, scaring them both.
"We were both surprised. It all happened so fast that..." Spencer spoke, but Tara kept going.
"What about you? Did you recognize him?"
Spencer tried making out the figures facial features, but all he could see was the outfit they were wearing and a blurry face.
"Hmm." Spencer groaned as he rubbed his eyes and tried to un-blur the face in his mind.
"Mm-mmm. I'm trying, but I...I can't make out his features." Spencer shook his eyes, squinting his eyes.
"Okay, let's go back to when you were blocked. You're helping Nadie and she's not responding." Tara went back.
Nadie's body was covered in blood as Spencer hovered over her.
"There's nothing I can do." Spencer exhaled.
"And what about him? I mean, you must feel him in your peripheral vision, behind you somewhere." Tara asked.
The unknown figure stood behind Spencer, just watching him. He didn't move.
"Yeah, he's behind me. And I can feel him watching me, and I'm..." Spencer's eyes opened. He stared at Tara, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock.
"What is it?" Tara asked, confused.
"...It was me." Spencer breathed.
"What was you?" Tara asked again, trying to understand.
"It's how I cut my hand, it's why he was watching me. 'Cause I was stabbing her. I killed her." Spencer exhaled, shocked.
"Spencer." Tara exclaimed as Spencer jumped from his seat and ran over to the door.
"Spencer, that's not possible. That's not possible. Breathe!" Tara yelled as Spencer started slamming his fist against the door repeatedly, trying to get the guard's attention.
Tara decided to end the interview for the day. Heading back to Quantico, she pulled out her phone and dialled Emily's number.
"This is Prentiss." She picked up.
"Emily, it's me." Tara spoke.
"What happened with Reid?" Emily asked, her voice full of concern.
"We hit a stumbling block. He wanted to stop. His brain is constructing a false narrative for what happened in Mexico." Tara explained.
"That's not uncommon. Sometimes a manufactured memory is better than no memory at all." Emily exhaled.
"Oh, I've seen it countless times in my work. People see things that weren't there or remember events that never happened." Tara chucked.
"Tara, I want your professional opinion, cold and objective." Emily asked.
"All right." Tara nodded, holding her phone tightly to her ear.
"Do you think Reid's losing it? I mean, in a bigger sense." Emily asked, Tara exhaling.
"No. No, I don't. I think that even before all of this happened, he was under more stress than he'd ever been. And you couple that with the terrible memory of what happened in Mexico, it's just making reconstructing what happened in that motel room that much more difficult." Tara explained, leaning back in her chair.
"But not impossible." Emily raised her eyebrows, hopeful.
"No. No, we can get there. It's just gonna take more work." Tara smiled.
"What can I do to help?" Emily asked.
"Well, just tell the prison that the doctor needs more time with her patient." Tara smiled.
"I'll call the Warden." Emily nodded.
"Okay. I'm gonna finish up a few things here, and then hit it hard with Reid in the morning." Tara exhaled.
"Good luck. Keep me in the loop." Emily asked.
"Absolutely." Tara nodded, ending the call.
———
(The Next Day, At The BAU Office)
"Spoke with my contact at the NSA, and she says if Reid can swear under oath that he saw Scratch in that motel room, then we are a go putting him on the terror watch list." Emily explained as she and the team sat in the conference room.
"That's great news." JJ smiled.
"Except none of that means anything if Reid can't remember what happened." Rossi exhaled.
"So let's hope Tara makes progress." Cassidy nodded.
———
(The Next Morning, Federal Prison, Interview Room)
Spencer sat in the interview room, Tara sitting opposite him.
"I cannot do this anymore, all right? I told you it was better if you all just stayed away. You're making it worse." Spencer groaned, wiping his eyes. He clearly didn't get much sleep last night, and Tara could tell.
"No, Spencer. Your brain is playing tricks on you. You realize that, don't you?" Tara asked.
"Why? Because the cognitive gave you an answer you'd rather not have?" Spencer rolled his eyes, not caring as much as he did before.
"No, because Spencer Reid is incapable of murdering an innocent woman in cold blood." Tara shook her head, watching as Spencer scoffed.
"You have no idea what I am capable of." He stated at her.
"Look, prison is a difficult place. You've probably had to do things in here to survive that you would never think of doing in the outside world, things that make you feel guilty or ashamed. But the brain has to handle that guilt, has to process it. And sometimes it spreads the guilt around into places it doesn't belong." Tara explained, trying to calm him down.
"I could see the knife in my hand." Spencer insisted.
"We know Scratch uses drugs to change our perception of what's real and what's not." Tara exhaled.
"What do we do now?" Spencer exhaled, rubbing his eyes.
"Do you want to go back in that hotel room and find out what really happened?" Tara asked.
"Yes." Spencer breathed.
"Then say it. Not to me. Say it to yourself." Tara smiled, determined.
"I want to go back." Spencer nodded, closing his eyes.
Nadie screamed, Spencer bending down so he was closer to her.
"What's in your right hand?" Tara asked.
"Nothing." Spencer spoke, exhaling.
"Where's the knife?" Tara asked, watching as Spencer remained calm.
Spencer picked up the knife. As he lifted it off the ground, he cut himself, dropping it further away from him and Nadie.
"I moved it so I could get to her, and that's probably how I cut my hand." Spencer explained.
"What happens next?" Tara asked, tilting her head.
Feeling a fine mist spray over his body, Spencer turned around, seeing the mist directly over him, a figure in black clothing holding the item that's spraying the mist
"I hear a noise, like a spraying sound. And I feel a mist over my shoulder, so I turn." Spencer explained.
"Do you recognize who it is?" Tara asked.
"No." He shook his head.
"Look hard. Spencer, concentrate. Let the image come into focus." Tara insisted.
As the mist sprays, at first, the face stays blurry, but as he looked closer, the image of a woman popped into his head, before Stratch's face was fully visible.
"It's him. It's him. I see him. It's Scratch. It's Scratch. And he's drugging me." Spencer kept talking, now determined.
"And I hear him say something. He says something. He says..." Spencer explained before stopping.
"What...what does he say?" Tara asked, seeing the confusion on Spencer's face.
Spencer looks up at the figure, noting the slightly long brown hair, the beanie. The earrings and the black nail polish.
"It's time. Time to go." The woman spoke as she held up a set of keys in her hand.
"...says "time to go". Time to go. Then she just walked out of there like she didn't have a care in the world." Spencer's eyes opened, looking at Tara, who shook her head, confused.
"Wait, wait a minute." Tara exhaled.
"Like she wanted me to chase her." Spencer continued.
"Spencer, stop. You keep saying "her." Tara looked at him confused, shaking her head.
"'Cause it wasn't Scratch who framed me. It was a woman." Spencer finally realised who was in the motel room with him and Nadie. He wasn't exactly sure who the woman was, but he was sure that she was a woman.
The spraying stopped. The woman's face was still blurry, but he watched as she removed the beanie from her head, revealing her long brown hair.
———
(At The BAU Office)
"A woman?" JJ looked at Tara, confused.
"He was very clear about it. He remembered her hair, her painted fingernails." Tara nodded, confirming JJ's confusion.
"So she killed Nadie Ramos." Cassidy almost jumped for joy at the news, but she knew they only knew it was a woman, not who that woman actually was.
"Yes. He says he saw her do it." Tara confirmed.
"Okay, but what about Scratch?" Penelope asked, confused.
"He says he remembers her spraying some kind of fine mist in his face." Tara continued.
"Which is consistent with Scratch's M.O." Derek nodded.
"Right. But he does not recall seeing Scratch at all." Tara exhaled.
"You're sure this memory is accurate? You said he manufactured a false memory earlier in the cognitive." Rossi asked, concerned about the accuracy of the interview.
"And he is sleep-deprived, which can interfere with memory." JJ reminded the group.
"Right, that's true, but that false memory was directly related to the stress he's currently experiencing. This was different. He was not projecting. Look, in my opinion, this is a credible recollection." Tara explained, hopeful.
"Okay, so that could mean that Scratch is manipulating another victim suffering from dissociative identity disorder." JJ suggested.
"Or he's working with a full-fledged accomplice for the first time." Emily added.
"What woman would willingly associate herself with Scratch?" Penelope scoffed.
"And why would Scratch risk taking on a partner?" Derek asked.
"That's what we need to find out. We'll start by checking all of the women in the database we compiled of D.I.D. patients." Emily insisted.
"Wait, how- how was he?" Cassidy asked as she looked at Tara, her right index finger and her thumb fidgeting with her engagement ring. The close it got to her and Spencer's wedding date, the more anxious she became about Spencer being found guilty.
"He's, um, he's having a hard time." Tara admitted.
"We gotta get him out of there, you guys. If not for his sake, but for Cassidy's sake as well." Penelope wrapped her arm around Cassidy's shoulder, hugging her.
"We will, but right now it's late, and we're no good to him running on fumes. Clear your heads, get some rest if you can, we'll start fresh in the morning." Emily instructed, watching as the team started leaving. Everyone but Cassidy.
"Hey, Cassidy. You're staying with me tonight. No if's, and's or but's." Emily smiled as she watched Cassidy nod, grabbing her go bag before they both headed toward the elevator.