"We got the uplinks of the crime scene photos." Jordan says, walking over and sitting across from Emily and Rossi. She puts the laptop on the table, letting everybody see it. "This is Geoff and Nancy Hale. Both their throats were cut."
"Any evidence of abuse?" Derek asks.
"Nothing." Jordan says.
"Slitting someone's throat is quick and efficient." Spencer says.
"That's because the real target was down the hall." Emily says.
"She has a name." Jordan says.
"What?" Emily asks.
"She's not "the target." Her name's Cate. She's 10 years old." Jordan says.
"All right." Emily says.
"AMBER alert in effect?" Rossi asks.
"Since 7 AM this morning." Jordan says.
"With the unsub's head start he could be anywhere within a 400 mile radius." Hotch says. "Make sure they're casting a wide enough net."
"Got it." Jordan says.
"Who discovered the bodies?" Derek asks.
"Jim Scheuren, Cate's biological father. He was supposed to take her for the weekend." Jordan says. "The police don't consider him a suspect."
"We'll want to talk to him anyway." Hotch says.
"We're also going to need a list of registered sex offenders in a 20 mile radius." Emily says.
"What's the makeup of the Hales' neighborhood?" Spencer asks.
"Mostly white and middle class." Jordan says.
"We'll need aerial views of the neighborhood. If Madison County doesn't have them, talk to Garcia." Bedelia says and Jordan nods.
"Dave, you and Morgan go to the crime scene. The rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct." Hotch says.
+++
"The Hales' neighborhood is a series of rural roads and one block streets." Spencer says.
"How far to a main thoroughfare?" Hotch asks.
"A little over 3 miles." Spencer says.
"So he didn't come upon Cate by accident." Hotch says. "Sheriff Bates." He calls.
"Yes." The sheriff walks over.
"Is Cate's father here yet?" Hotch asks.
"He's on his way." Bates says.
"Let me know the second he gets here."
"I told you, we already checked out his alibi. He's not good for this."
"I know, but he might know who is." Hotch says. Bates nods and walks off. Hotch focuses on the board while Spencer continues to study the aerial view of the Hales' neighborhood.
+++
The unsubs -- who are apparently a family -- let Cate go, leaving her on the side of the road. Emily talked to her at the hospital.
"Is it a match?" Bates asks Derek who is holding a handful of colorful glass shards. Derek nods.
"Which means the RV park owner was right." He says. "They spread it on purpose."
"So everything they do is part of some ritual." Rossi says.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Bates asks.
"A family that ritualizes killing together? Definitely not." Derek says.
"You know, if the family speaks Romanian, the spreading of the glass makes sense." Spencer says. "It's an eastern European superstition for good luck."
"So they're Romanian." Bates says. "We already knew that."
"Not just Romanian. We're talking about people that are highly superstitious and obsessed with ritual." Spencer says.
"Romany." Rossi says.
"Romany?" Bates asks.
"Gypsies." Derek says.
"More accurately, someone who has perverted Romany culture." Spencer says.
"Call Garcia." Rossi says and Derek takes his phone out. "They're tight knit and nomadic like our unsubs, but not usually prone to violence."
"Hiya, baby." Penelope greets.
"Hey, baby girl, we need to talk." Derek says.
"PG or NC-17?" She asks.
"You're on speakerphone." He warns.
"I charge extra for groups." She says.
"We need you to run through crimes similar to the Hale murders in the last two years." Rossi says.
"Oh, I already did that. Zip." Penelope says.
"Go back even further, Garcia. Cross reference against any small towns that have had reports of petty theft associated with waves of Romany populations entering the area." Spencer says.
"Romany?" Penelope asks.
"Gypsies." Rossi says.
"As in "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves?"" Penelope asks.
"Exactly." Derek says.
"Oh, bless you all for turning my life into a Cher song. You'll have it nearly immediately." Penelope says.
"You're the best." Derek hangs up.
"You need to get your men together right now." Rossi says.
"Why is that?" Bates asks.
"Cause whatever ritual these people are trying to play out, we know Cate Hale didn't fit their needs." Spencer says.
"Which means they'll have to try again." Derek says.
+++
Derek leads Hotch and Rossi into the office.
"What's going on?" Hotch asks.
"Garcia, you still there?" Derek asks.
"Present." She says.
"Explain what you got." Derek tells her.
"Okay, I went ahead and went further back looking for similar cases and I made the search national." Penelope says.
"All these are hits?" Rossi asks.
"Yeah. There's 30 of them." Penelope says. "They go as far back as 1909. Rapid City, South Dakota, Taos, New Mexico, Gary, Indiana. My map is lit up like a Christmas tree."
"All these girls were abducted and had their parents killed?" Hotch asks.
"The time between the kills was long enough and the regions of the country so spread out that it never showed up as serial." Spencer says.
"What the hell is this?" Rossi asks.
"I don't know. But it looks like it's been going on for generations." Derek says.
+++
The family killed another couple and abducted their daughter.
"A working theory from 1971 was that a transient killed the family and abducted Kathy Gray." Penelope says. "Then all the leads went cold."
"How do you watch your family get murdered and then make a life with the people who did it?" Jordan asks.
"It's Stockholm Syndrome." Rossi says. "You adapt or die."
"And now she's training her son to be a murderer." Emily says.
"At a certain point, once traditions are handed down generation after generation, there is no right or wrong. You simply accept the way the world works." Hotch says.
"The Romany are a closed society." Spencer says. "The unsub simply twisted and distorted traditions to become entirely insular."
"Abducting the children keeps the bloodline pure, and killing the parents ensures that people eventually stop looking for them." Derek says.
Sheriff Bates walks in.
"We got a report of an RV on fire about 20 miles from here." He informs.
"Dave, you, Reid, and Morgan go check it out." Hotch says, the three getting up and leaving. "Garcia, I need you to digitally alter Kathy Gray's photograph to simulate what she would look like today."
"Consider it simulated."
"Thanks."
+++
Penelope simulated the photo and they put out wanted posters. They managed to get Kathy while she was at a mall and now have her in an interrogation room with Emily and Hotch.
"I can't help you if you're not going to be honest with me." Emily says.
"I already told you, I killed them." Kathy says.
"All by yourself." Hotch says.
"Yes." Kathy answers.
"Well, I know that's not true." Emily says.
"It is." Kathy says.
"How did you do it?" Hotch asks. "How did you abduct a child and control two adults while you slit their throats?"
"Oh, come on, you know she's not responsible for this." Emily says.
"I know we have a string of bodies, and she knows where her husband and son are." Hotch says.
"You are the victim here." Emily tells Kathy.
"No, she's not." Hotch argues. "She killed innocent people."
"Her family was murdered."
"And now she's killing other people's."
"Kathy, this is not your fault."
"My name isn't Kathy. It's Sylvia."
"No, it isn't." Emily denies. "Your name is Kathy Gray, and you were a beautiful little girl." She takes the photo of Kathy when she was a kid out of the file. "Your mom and dad were murdered and you were kidnapped. Do you recognize yourself there?" Kathy stares at it for a few moments. "You see?"
Hotch slams his hands on the table.
"I'm sick of this!" He shouts.
"Then leave us alone!" Emily yells.
"Where are you husband and son?!" He screams at Kathy.
"Look at me, Kathy. Don't listen to him." Emily says. "They stole your life. Let me help you get it back."
"That little girl is better off with my son than any man she could meet in your society." Kathy sneers.
"I'm sure you raised him very well. Tell me about your own mother." Emily says.
"I've already told you everything." Kathy says. "I killed them, all by myself."
"How's it going so far?" Spencer asks as he, Rossi, and Derek walk into the room where Jordan and Bedelia are watching the others.
"They're trying to crack her by reminding her of the girl she used to be." Jordan says.
"I hope this good cop/bad cop routine works." Spencer says.
"If her family gets away, we've lost that little girl forever." Rossi says.
"You're lying." Hotch says.
"Kathy--" Emily starts.
"My name isn't Kathy!"
"Yes, it is." Emily states. "Your name is Kathy Gray. You're from Vienna, Virginia. Tell me where your husband son are so I can help you get your life back." She says while Hotch spreads out crime scene photos from parents that have been killed.
"What to see what you did?" Hotch asks.
"Hey, don't show her those." Emily says.
"If she killed them herself, she can see it again. Serial killers like to relive their crimes. Do you know that?" Hotch asks. "This is Geoff Hale. He died from a strong, decisive cut. I think that was your husband. Nancy Hale, her wound was more tentative. This was your son, right? I'm sure by the time he teaches his own son how to kill, his hand will be steady."
"Okay, stop this." Emily tells him.
"This is the Robillard family."
"Kathy, you don't have to look at that."
"Do you want to see more?"
"I don't know what that is." Kathy says.
"Then look closely!" Hotch roars, shoving Kathy's chair closer to the table. "You don't recognize your own mother and father?"
Kathy cries.
"See? This is the tentative cut your future husband made while he slit your mother's throat. Where are your husband and son?" Hotch asks.
"Cate Hale is only alive because of you, Kathy. Isn't that-- your-- your husband wanted to kill her, and you didn't."
"No." Kathy cries.
"How does that make you feel?" Emily asks. "To know that he was willing to kill that little girl? That he would have been willing to kill you, too? They murdered your family, Kathy, and they took you in, but you were never really one of them."
"No."
"You were just a breeder."
"I won't betray my family."
"Your little boy is only 10. There is a chance he could get out of custody when he's 18, but that's only if we get to him."
"I love my family."
Hotch looks in the rest of the team's direction.
"She's ready." Rossi says.
"Then tell us where your son is and we can all help him together." Emily says as Rossi walks in. He gives Hotch a file and Hotch takes a piece of paper out.
"Scott Woodland, Zander Blanchard..." Hotch starts to list names.
"Okay, come on, give her a second." Emily says.
"Max Estep, Chip Jackson."
"I don't know who those people are." Kathy says.
"It's a list of every known fence in Huntsville." Rossi says.
"And you're gonna tell us who your husband took the goods to." Hotch says. "Coles Rudzinski, Pete Shernit."
"Come on, give her a minute to do the right thing." Emily says.
"Matt Thorne, Brent Woodhouse..."
"Okay, I can't stop him, Kathy. This is it. This is your last chance to make things right." Emily says.
"Kevin Everson, Mike Fenner, Morris Collins--"
"No!" Kathy slams her hand on the table and gets up.
"Reid, Davis." Derek says, the three leaving.
+++
They found out where the dad is and manage to corner him in an alley.
"FBI! Hands in the air!" Derek orders. "Hands in the air! Get on your knees! Down on the ground! Now!" He gets on his knees, keeping his hands in the air. Derek puts his gun up, grabbing the guy. "You know, we got a long list of girls to go through with you."
"In history, warriors invaded towns, killed the men, women, and boys. But kept the girls for themselves." He says while Derek handcuffs him and hauls him to his feet. "You exist because your ancestors did what was needed for you to survive."
"Get him out of here." Derek lets Bates drag the man off.
"You'll never find my boy!"
"We already have." Spencer states. The guy turns back and looks at them.
"Come on, come on." Bates drags him to a cop car.
+++
They let Kathy and her son see each other, but immediately stopped it when she told him something in Romanian. They got a translation and found out that she told him not to tell anybody about his brothers. When Emily asked how many he had, the boy wouldn't answer.