Bedelia and Spencer are in the elevator, making out, embracing the few moments alone.
"Why can't we tell them again?" Bedelia asks against his lips.
"Because it's against the rules." Spencer says.
"Garcia dates Kevin and everybody's cool with it." Bedelia says. "Maybe you just need to have a man to man talk with Rossi like he did."
"That idea is terrifying." Spencer pales.
"Yes, but you love me, so I believe you can do it." Bedelia says. "You really don't have to either. They'll be fine with it. Hell, they probably already know."
"We haven't told them." Spencer frowns.
"Yeah, but they're not idiots." Bedelia says.
"Maybe just... let's enjoy privacy." Spencer says.
"We're telling them, though. We can't keep it a secret forever."
"I know. I don't want to. But just for now. It's our little thing."
"I guess that doesn't sound too bad."
Bedelia starts to kiss him, but the elevator dings, the two moving away faster than the doors do.
+++
"Oh, you're not playing around." Emily says as she walks into the round table room, seeing JJ down a shot of a booster.
"Mm. Will's away all week, so I am pulling double duty with Henry." JJ says.
"Please tell me we are still on for Saturday night, because I have had it circled on my calendar for the last 23 1/2 days, which apparently, from the look of you, you did not." Penelope says.
"Garcia paid good money for those salsa lessons." Emily says.
"I'll get a sitter." JJ promises.
"Let's get started." Hotch says as all of the guys walk in. Spencer's hand brushes past Bedelia's shoulder when he passes her.
"Okay. Atlanta field office has a serial on their hands." Penelope says. "Two prostitutes stabbed and staged in the last two weeks."
"Atlanta's crime rate has skyrocketed over the past few years." Rossi notes.
"Especially the proliferation of solicited sex and drug use in the downtown area." Spencer says.
"Maybe this guy thinks he's cleaning up the streets." Emily says.
"It's rare for an unsub who targets prostitutes to pose the bodies. Means of disposal usually reflects how the person feels towards them." JJ says.
"It looks like he didn't think poorly of his victims." Rossi says. "Even kept them dressed."
"He could be filled with remorse." Derek says. "The arms are folded, the bodies are laid to rest in a quiet park outside the city. Maybe he knew them."
"It could be personal. There's a lot of rage in these kills. Multiple stab wounds." Emily says.
"What about sexual violations?" Rossi asks.
"No. The M.E.'s report says there's no evidence of sexual activity before death." Hotch says.
"So what's he doing with them?" Penelope asks.
"That's what we need to find out." Hotch says.
+++
"Both of the victims had $250 on them when they were found." Emily says. "Why wouldn't the unsub take that?"
"It's a lot to pass up. Money must not be on his mind." Rossi says.
"Dumping the bodies certainly is. He chose two different parks outside of Atlanta." JJ says.
"The parks are 15 miles apart and 40 minutes from the city. It speaks to his comfort zone." Spencer says.
"Or he didn't want to return to the same location and risk getting recognized." Derek says.
"Hey, guys, I hate to be the messenger of sad things, but yet another body has been discovered by some joggers at yet another park." Penelope informs. "Her name's Rebecca Moore, and get this -- a missing persons report was filed on her."
"Well, how long was she missing?" JJ asks.
"36 hours." Penelope says.
"Who filed it?" Emily asks.
"Her friend, Allyson Parker." Penelope answers.
"Prentiss, you and JJ find out from Allyson if she has any insight on why Rebecca was targeted. Morgan, Reid, and Davis, go to the disposal site, and Dave and I will set up at the field office."
+++
"So he parks in the road and then carries the body, what?" Derek asks.
"52.6 yards." Spencer says.
"Uphill. So he's gotta be in great shape." Derek says.
"Excellent shape." Bedelia says.
"You know, more often than not, prostitutes are murdered and dumped in the same area that they work." Spencer says.
"So then why take the time to drive the extra 40 miles outside the city?" Derek asks.
"Maybe he's already up here. He picks them up downtown, takes them to a secondary location, kills them, and gets rid of the body as fast as possible." Spencer says.
"Which means he lives nearby, in the suburbs." Bedelia says.
"With 76,728 other people." Spencer says.
"Terrific." Bedelia remarks.
+++
"Reid, anything?" Hotch asks.
"Now that we have three victims, there's a pattern. It looks like his area of control is near Ridgecrest." Spencer says.
"That's a bedroom community. Mostly white collar." The detective says.
"It gives him easy access to his hunting grounds and disposal sites." Hotch says.
"Vehicle blends into both places." Derek says.
"Allyson remembered seeing a van parked on the street the night that Rebecca disappeared." Emily says.
"And she'd seen it before. But get this -- it was parked in a loading zone for hours." JJ says.
"Well, let me check any recent tickets." The detective says.
"Our analyst already did that. Nothing." Emily says.
"It's not a residential area, so a vendor maybe. Garcia's pulling permits now." JJ says.
"He's done this 3 times before. Each victim left with 250. That's a $750 investment he didn't have to make." Rossi says.
"He has every chance to take that money back, but he buries it with them instead." Derek says.
"It could be an obsession or a manifestation of his guilt." Emily says.
"Everything that happened postmortem -- keeping them dressed, crossing their arms, laying them to rest -- it's all very nurturing. But the kills are the exact opposite, incredibly violent and angry." JJ says.
"Multiple personalities?" Emily asks.
"Or multiple unsubs." Hotch says. "The violent one asserts his dominance and the submissive one is left to clean up the mess." Hotch says.
+++
"Julie Harmon was a sexual surrogate." Derek says, walking over.
"Whoa! Sounds like somebody felt a little progressive prescription might fix everything." Emily says.
"Well, they were wrong." JJ says.
"That's not just going from high to low risk victims. A sexual surrogate's a very specific type." Hotch says.
"It's like they were trying to fix something. Why else would you call a therapist?" JJ questions.
"They do treat patients with all types of disabilities, whether it's developmental, physical, or emotional." Bedelia says.
"Well, my guess is this guy had all 3." Derek says. "Let's look at the physical. He's got the upper body strength to kill. But the victims' bruises tell us that he was using restraints."
"Only they're not around the hands and feet, where you'd typically restrain a victim." Rossi says. "They're tramline bruises around the thighs."
"It's as if the victims are straddling a chair. Physical infirmity, strong arms. What if the unsub's in a wheelchair?" Spencer asks.
"That would explain the van parked in the loading zone. Handicap permits grant access all over the city. I'll call Garcia." JJ walks off.
"We should talk to social workers, physical therapists, anyone who deals directly with the disabled." Hotch says.
"Given the anger and inability to perform, those injuries are not recent." Derek says.
"His explosive outbursts could be built up frustration, which usually manifests when things are out of one's control, like an accident." Spencer says.
"Okay, so let's go with that. I mean, whoever's helping him has a definite loyalty. Responsibility, even." Derek says.
"The caregiver could have caused the impairment." Hotch says.
"He's the one who has shown remorse and guilt. He might have a sense of morality." Rossi says.
"If that's the case, the best way to break up a partnership is to drive a wedge between them." Emily says.
"And the key to doing that is to tell the caregiver he's forgiven. Give him the strength to leave." Derek says.
"I'll tell Agent Brooks to organize a press conference." Hotch says.
+++
"Everything about Julie Harmon's murder was different." Derek says. "It was the most violent and remorseful. It's like the partners were each at their extremes."
"All of the bodies were disposed of in a nurturing way, but you're right. Julie was wrapped in plastic. It's neat. It's almost too neat." Emily says.
"Maybe the caretaker is a woman." JJ suggests. "By nature, women prefer cleaner disposal methods."
"I don't know. I mean, that terrain was something serious. I mean, no offense, ladies, but Reid, B, and I hiked up that ridge and there's no way a woman, physically fit or not, could carry dead weight all that way." Derek says.
"Speaking as a woman, I agree. I mean, honestly, Spence barely made it up there either." Bedelia says.
"Wha--" He frowns at her. "Yeah." He mumbles.
"And we profiled that the partner's in a wheelchair, so that would make it impossible for him to help with the disposal." Emily says.
"So there's a third person involved. That rarely works. It's always two against one." Derek says.
"They'd have to trust one another completely." Spencer says. "So what kind of relationship involves that dynamic?"
"They'd have to be incredibly good friends." Derek says.
"Or blackmailing one another." Emily says.
"Siblings." Spencer suggests.
"What about parents? What if it's parents protecting their kid?" Bedelia asks.
"Yeah. They raise them. They-- they root for them." JJ says.
"They would share the same genes." Emily says. "Apples don't fall far from the tree."
"A parent would hold themselves accountable, that explains the guilt." Spencer says.
"But what kind of sick family pulls this off?" Derek asks.
"One that's probably done it before." Spencer says.
+++
"We think they have an only child. It's unlikely a sibling would participate in something this extreme." JJ says.
"If they felt responsible for the accident, they might have rationalized doing anything to make him happy." Hotch says.
"Well, we doubt murder is something they planned on. It's more like a lethal side effect of their son's condition." Derek says.
"If there was orbital cortex damage from the accident, it would help explain why killing is his release." Emily says.
"If the mother has psychopathic tendencies, she could have passed it down through the X chromosome." Spencer says.
"Garcia's looking up accidents now that have the parents at fault." Bedelia says.
"That list has to be long." Rossi says.
"It is. So she's also looking for unsolved cases in the state." Bedelia says. "There's a good chance this isn't the first time the son's acted out."
Bedelia's phone rings and she answers it.
"Hey, Pen, you're on speaker." She tells the blonde.
"Okay, the only thing I can find that's remotely similar to this is from 5 years ago. A coed at Georgia State was stabbed and left in a park." Penelope says.
"Did she have bruises on her inner thigh?" Rossi asks.
"Uh, M.E. says... yes, she did." Penelope says.
"All right, Garcia, check student enrollment that year for students with campus handicap permits." Hotch says.
"I got a bushelful of matches. Let's narrow this down." Penelope says.
"Uh, look for in-state residents. If the unsub was injured, there's a good chance he stayed close to home." JJ says.
"They're all locals." Penelope says.
"The parents would have covered it up and they would have pulled their son out of school after the murder." Emily says.
"Here we go. Jeffrey Collins. He dropped out of school weeks after the murder and has since lived with his parents." Penelope says.
"What's his story?" Derek asks.
"Sending it to you right now. He's the only child of Linda and Donald Collins. He was a local athlete. Became paralyzed when he was in a car accident when he was 15." Penelope says.
"It says here the mother was driving, but the injuries weren't consistent with being behind the wheel." Derek says.
"But the father's were. Look. Broken ribs, ruptured spleen, minor concussion." Spencer says. "He's obviously the one who hit the steering wheel."
"Let me guess, the father was drunk." Rossi says.
"Yeah, twice the legal limit." Penelope says.
"Sounds like they switched places and she covered for him." Rossi says.
"But helping your husband avoid a DUI is far different than helping your son dispose of bodies." Spencer says.
"Not necessarily. The mother fixes things. She could have manipulated the husband into making up for his failure." Hotch says.
"Garcia, you got an address?" Derek asks.
"Sending it to you now." She says.
+++
"We were on our way to the Collins home when we received the call." Spencer says.
"Donald Collins was behind the wheel. Died on impact. We found this in his coat pocket." Brooks hands Emily a letter in a bag. "He confessed to all four murders."
"Even in death he's still covering for his son." Emily says, giving the letter to Hotch.
"No one else in the car?" Hotch asks.
"No." Brooks shakes her head.
"No skid marks. He probably hit the pole going about 65 miles per hour." Spencer says.
"He committed suicide. It looks like he was trying to replicate the accident that made Jeff a paraplegic. This was his ultimate penance." Emily says.
"Is this their endgame?" Hotch asks.
"If he was trying to replicate the accident, Jeff and Linda would have both been in the car." Spencer says.
"So where are they?" Bedelia questions.
+++
They get to the Collins house and get out. They split up, Bedelia going with Derek, JJ, and Rossi to the front door.
Derek kicks the door open.
"FBI!" He shouts.
"Help me!" The woman that Linda is holding onto.
"Put the gun down." Derek orders.
"Listen, Mrs. Collins, we need you to put down your weapon." Rossi says.
"Get the hell out of my house!" She orders.
"Get my dad. He'll tell you she's crazy." Jeff says.
"Your father was killed in a car accident." JJ says.
"What?" Jeff asks his mom.
"Did he tell you what he did? He killed all those girls, that sick son of a bitch." Linda says.
"Linda, this is over, Jeff is coming with us." Derek says.
"He's not going anywhere." Linda says.
"Your dad took his own life because he couldn't stand to be a part of this anymore." JJ says.
"He couldn't stand the guilt. He's a drunk." Linda says. "Look what he did to my boy!"
"You did this. She's lying." Jeff says.
"You need to let him take responsibility." Rossi says.
"We know that Jeff hurt those girls." Derek says.
"You people. You think you're gonna come in here and you're just gonna take my son and you're gonna lock him up like some animal!" Linda yells.
"Linda, put it down." Bedelia orders.
"Mom." Jeff quietly calls.
"I always told you that mommy would take care of everything." Linda says. She aims her gun at Jeff, but Bedelia shoots her. She falls to the ground and the young blonde escapes her grasp, rushing to the side as she sobs. Derek goes over to check on Linda while Bedelia and JJ rush to Erika.
"It's okay. It's okay." Bedelia assures, putting her hands on Erika's shoulders. "It's okay."
Rossi handcuffs Jeff.
+++
Bedelia and Spencer are sitting next to each other on the jet and JJ is across from Bedelia. Emily walks over, seeing JJ's upset face after she gets off the phone.
"Still no sitter?" Emily asks, sitting by the blonde.
"My sitter is not available. Apparently I have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a sitter on a Saturday night." JJ chuckles yet there's not much humor in it.
"What's going on tonight?" Spencer asks, not looking up from his book.
"Oh, it was ladies night, but--" Emily says.
"I forgot to book a sitter." JJ says.
"I'll do it." Spencer offers.
"Spence." JJ gives him a look.
"What? I've seen an episode of Mr. Belvedere." Spencer says.
"You've never babysat by yourself before." JJ says.
"I think he could do it." Bedelia vouches for him.
"You know, uh-- he could do a couple of hours." Emily says.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Spencer asks.
"Don-- don't ask her that." Bedelia whispers.
+++
They're at the triathlon for Hotch the next morning, waiting for him to get to the finish line. All four women have sunglasses on and miserable looks on their faces as they're surrounded by cheering and excitement.
Bedelia leans against the barrier as she rests her head in one of her hands. She's between Spencer and JJ, the man's cheering and hyperactive wave of the small flag making her want to strangle him.
"Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!" Spencer yells out, waving the flag. Bedelia glares up at him. "A couple hours. A couple of hours. And you guys didn't come home until sunrise." He says.
"Why are you yelling?" JJ asks.
"Make him stop." Emily groans.
"Hey, hey, Jack, Jack." Derek calls, patting Jack's leg. "Earmuffs for a minute. Earmuffs." Jack covers his ears ears. "What did you guys drink last night?"
"The Green Fairy. You're in the FBI. Could you get the entire crowd to stop cheering?" Penelope begs.
"By my estimates, Hotch will be finishing any minute." Spencer says.
"Do you see him, Uncle Dave?" Jack asks.
"I think I do, kiddo. Right there! There he is!" Rossi points out Hotch who is running up. Spencer and the Jack's cheers get louder, Bedelia wincing.
"There he is! Come on!" Derek cheers.
Bedelia attempts to be supportive, lightly clapping her hands.
The guys and Jack all cheer as Hotch crosses the finish line.
"Let's go see your dad, Jack." Derek says, walking off, everybody following.
Spencer lets out a cheer.
"Come on." Spencer grabs Bedelia's arm, gently pulling her up so she's standing on her own. Bedelia whines as he leads her over to the group.
"Go get him, Jack! Go get him!" Derek gets the boy off his shoulders and puts him on the ground. "Go, go, go! Go! Go, go!"
"You did it!" Jack cheers.
"I did, buddy, I did. Can you believe it?" Hotch asks, drinking water.
"Did you see my sign?" Jack asks.
"I did. That's for you, buddy." Hotch puts the medal around Jack's neck. "Your sign's fantastic."
"Look at you. How do you feel?" Rossi asks.
"I think I'm gonna live." Hotch says.
"That's pretty impressive. I had money on the swim killing you." Emily says.
"I practiced." Hotch says.
"And it paid off. Good job." Derek tells him.
"Thank you." Hotch says.
"Hey, you guys want something to eat?" Spencer asks.
"Yes, something greasy." JJ immediately answers.
"Oh, heck, yeah." Bedelia says.
"Oh, yeah." Emily agrees.
"Hotchner!" They hear a woman call.
"Beth!" Hotch calls. "Jack, there's someone I want you to meet. Com here." He leads him over to the brunette. They watch the woman hug Hotch.
Beth, Hotch, and Jack walk over, everybody starting to leave.
"Just let the ground swallow me whole." Bedelia mumbles to her boyfriend.
"Sorry. Don't really want to live without you." Spencer says. He makes sure the coast is clear before kissing her cheek. "Come on." He wraps his arm around her back, pulling her with him, as they catch up with the others.