EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN, VIRGINIA - DAY
Two teenagers in tracksuits are going for a run.
GIRL: How much further?
BOY: What?
GIRL: Are we almost done?
BOY: Do you want to stop?
GIRL: No.
BOY: Let's rest a while.
They slow to a walk.
GIRL: I promised I wouldn't slow you down. You go ahead. I'll catch up.
They stop walking.
BOY: I can wait.
GIRL: Adam, please. It's your work out. Go. I'll meet you at the Point.
ADAM leans down and they kiss.
ADAM: You're out of shape, cheerleader.
GIRL: Oh, yeah? Let's see you do three back flips and land in the splits.
ADAM: The point?
GIRL: The point.
ADAM starts jogging away.
The GIRL sits down on a rock, catching her breath. She reties her shoelace.
She hears a bird flying away suddenly and looks up.
She hears another strange noise, like someone running. Then something like a distant scream.
She gets up and starts looking around nervously.
GIRL: Hello? Is somebody there? Adam... if you're trying to scare me, I'm gonna kill you.
The GIRL runs away. She pauses when she hears more strange noises, then continues running down a slope.
The GIRL sees ADAM lying on the ground, not moving.
GIRL: Adam?
The GIRL scrambles down the last embankment toward him.
GIRL: Adam. Adam!
The GIRL lifts ADAM's head and her fingers come away bloody.
GIRL: Adam! Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Adam, please wake up. Adam. Baby, please, baby. Please! Adam!
The GIRL hears footsteps and we see black leather shoes.
GIRL: Noooo!
The GIRL shakes her head as she screams.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
We see the blood where ADAM's head was. It is now a crime scene. Two people wheel ADAM's body away on a gurney.
A POLICE OFFICER walks past the gurney and stops beside another who was examining the blood left behind. The SECOND OFFICER stands.
SECOND OFFICER: Victim's the Lloyd boy, isn't it? The quarterback?
FIRST OFFICER: Adam. Just saw his parents yesterday heading up to Nantucket. Listen get me their number up there, will you?
A THIRD OFFICER, stands farther away and calls to the FIRST OFFICER.
THIRD OFFICER: Sheriff Bridges. There's something here.
SHERIFF: What is it?
THIRD OFFICER: You're gonna want to see this, sir.
The SHERIFF walks over and squats down to examine an old skeleton.
THIRD OFFICER: Looks like the head is busted open.
SHERIFF: Just like Adam Lloyd.
THIRD OFFICER: You want me to get the crime scene folks down here?
SHERIFF: Yeah.
The THIRD OFFICER turns and begins walking away.
SHERIFF: Wait. Hold on.
The THIRD OFFICER returns. The SHERIFF pulls a branch down and stares at something behind it.
SHERIFF: We're gonna need a lot more than the crime scene folks.
INT. B.A.U. KITCHENETTE - DAY
REID is pouring sugar straight from the canister into a coffee mug labeled with his name. MORGAN approaches him from behind.
MORGAN: Easy there, tough guy. Have some coffee with your sugar.
REID: I need something to wake me up.
MORGAN begins pouring himself a mug of coffee.
MORGAN: Ooh. Late night?
REID: Very.
MORGAN: My man.
REID: Not that kind of late night.
MORGAN laughs, then walks over and puts his hand on REID's back. REID drinks his coffee.
MORGAN: OK, so tell me, what does keep young Dr. Reid awake at night? Wait, let me guess. Memorizing some obscure textbook. No, no, no, no. Working on cold fusion. No, I got it, I got it. Watching Star Trek... and laughing at the physics mistakes.
REID: Actually, there aren't that many scientific errors in Star Trek. Especially considering how long ago it was made. There are certain improbabilities, but not that many outright errors.
MORGAN: Right.
MORGAN walks away.
REID: Hey, Morgan?
MORGAN pauses and turns to look at REID.
REID: Uh, do you ever have dreams?
MORGAN: I'm sorry?
REID: I guess nightmares would be a more accurate description.
MORGAN: Is that what's keeping you up?
REID: I used to get them occasionally but lately it's like I have them every night.
MORGAN: What are they about?
REID: This. What we do. Do you have nightmares?
MORGAN: Reid, I'm not sure if I'm the right person for you to talk to about this.
REID: Why not?
MORGAN: It's just, uh...
MORGAN shakes his head.
MORGAN: Did you ask Gideon about it?
REID: No.
MORGAN: You should.
ELLE approaches.
ELLE: Hey, Hotch wants everyone in the round table room.
MORGAN looks at REID.
ELLE: Something up with you two?
REID: No.
REID walks up the stairs and MORGAN follows.
INT. B.A.U. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
J.J. walks into the room, reading from a file, followed by HOTCH and GIDEON.
J.J.: McAllister. Western slope of Massanutten Mountain in Virginia.
REID, MORGAN and ELLE enter from the opposite door.
J.J.: Two bodies discovered in the woods
J.J. starts pulling sheets from the file, setting them on the table.
J.J.: Both with apparent blunt trauma to the head.
REID and MORGAN are looking at one full-page photograph.
REID: Skeletons?
J.J.: One of them. The second victim was just killed this morning.
ELLE: How do we know there's a connection?
HOTCH: They were found about 75 feet apart with nearly identical head wounds.
MORGAN picks up the folder.
MORGAN: Where's the rest of the case file?
HOTCH: There isn't one. The sheriffs are on the scene waiting for us.
J.J.: Their location is only a half hour away by plane.
MORGAN: What's the rush?
GIDEON picks up a piece of paper and looks at it.
HOTCH: Well, there was evidence on the scene that could cause a bit of a public uproar.
GIDEON: A satanic cult.
MORGAN looks down at the photograph. It's a tree trunk with a red five-pointed star, and the words "SATAN LIVES LOD".
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
GIDEON (V.O.): Sir Peter Ustinov said, "Unfortunately, a super-abundance of dreams is paid for by a growing potential for nightmares."
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
J.J. and GIDEON are sitting and looking at files. HOTCH is walking down the aisle with another.
HOTCH: J.J., we need to obviously, keep this out of the press for as long as possible.
J.J.: I'll do what I can.
HOTCH keeps walking and takes a seat across the aisle from ELLE and REID.
ELLE: Why is that so important?
REID: There was a nationwide scare in the 1980s involving satanic ritual killings and abuse. The Satanic Panic, it was called. It began after the publication of a book about repressed memories being recovered through hypnotherapy. Memories of growing up with devil worshippers who use children in their rituals and ceremonies.
HOTCH: Most of the claims were later found to be false or just impossible.
REID: Still, numerous therapists accepted the assertions as true and began searching for similar signs in their own patients. After one year, thousands of people reported the exact same "repressed memories".
HOTCH: The Bureau conducted an investigation and concluded that most of the most of the ritual killings or abuse were more urban legend than anything else.
ELLE: You're saying that there's no such thing as devil worship?
GIDEON: Not at all.
MORGAN walks in from the front of the plane.
GIDEON: But most of the Satanism that we've seen is juveniles damaging property, desecrating churches, cemeteries.
MORGAN picks up a photo from in front of J.J.
GIDEON: To my knowledge, there has never been a proven case of a satanic ritual killing in the United States.
MORGAN: Well, maybe there is now.
The picture is of the tree trunk taken from farther away.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
GIDEON walks toward the tree trunk, followed by REID.
The SHERIFF approaches J.J.
SHERIFF: Mornin'. John Bridges.
The SHERIFF and J.J. shake hands.
J.J.: Yeah. We spoke on the phone. I'm Agent Jareau, and this is Agent Gideon and Dr. Reid with the F.B.I.'s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
GIDEON shakes the SHERIFF's hand.
GIDEON: Hi.
SHERIFF: Thanks for coming out so fast.
J.J.: Yeah. Of course.
SHERIFF: There was an in-service in Charlottesville last year said if we ran into any unusual homicides we were supposed to call you folks sooner rather than later.
GIDEON: Yeah, they were right.
SHERIFF: Is this unusual enough?
REID: It certainly is interesting.
GIDEON: You guys must get a lot of this, huh? Satanic stuff?
SHERIFF: Not really.
GIDEON: Who found the bodies?
SHERIFF: A hiker found the first one at the trail and my deputies located this one while searching for evidence.
REID squats down to examine the skeleton more closely.
SHERIFF: We don't even know if it's a man or a woman.
REID uses a stick to lift a piece of decayed fabric from the skeleton.
REID: It's a man. The male pelvis is more narrow and the opening at the bottom is heart-shaped, as opposed to oval.
REID sets the fabric down and uses his stick to poke at a dark substance at the base of the tree trunk.
REID: Melted wax?
J.J.: Candle wax?
REID: Candles are used in rituals.
GIDEON: They're also used on birthday cakes.
REID: Actually, they were originally used to protect the birthday celebrant from demons for the coming year. As a matter of fact, down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan ritual.
SHERIFF: What kind of doctor are you?
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
HOTCH is pulling on gloves while walking with the SECOND OFFICER toward the place where Adam's body was found.
SECOND OFFICER: He was kind of a local hero. A high school football star.
HOTCH: So a pretty strong kid, huh?
MORGAN walks down the embankment the way the GIRL in the beginning did.
SECOND OFFICER: I know he used to run out here on the mountain all the time. That's not easy.
MORGAN: Was he out here running today?
SECOND OFFICER: He was wearing sweats.
ELLE bends down to examine a tree trunk nearby.
MORGAN: A crime of opportunity or was the unsub laying in wait for this kid specifically?
SECOND OFFICER: Unsub?
HOTCH: Unknown subject. The killer.
ELLE walks over and stands beside the SECOND OFFICER.
ELLE: If it is a cult, do you think they cared who the victim was?
MORGAN: Maybe. Maybe not.
HOTCH: So we're talking about a blitz attack on a high-risk victim-- one who could defend himself--
HOTCH picks up the rock that was lying beside the pool of blood.
HOTCH: With a weapon picked up at the scene.
ELLE: Disorganized offender. It could be a cult.
MORGAN: The Manson crime scenes were textbook disorganized murder.
ELLE: This looks like a heavily traveled area.
SECOND OFFICER: A lot of the locals walk these paths. Some tourists, too.
ELLE: If you are gonna conduct a ritual killing? Would you do it in the middle of a traveled path?
HOTCH: Well, if the other crime scene was a ritual site where the pentagram is I might blitz the victim here and drag him to the other scene.
ELLE: Why didn't they?
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
GIDEON, REID, J.J. and the SHERIFF are still examining the site where the skeleton was found.
GIDEON: Does "L.O.D." mean anything to you?
REID: Uh-uh. I don't know of any significance in Satanism, either.
J.J.: Well, I could have Garcia research this "L.O.D." thing if I could get a call out.
J.J. fiddles with her cell phone, bringing it to her ear and looking at the screen.
SHERIFF: Not much of a chance of that out here.
GIDEON: Are there any cults in the area that you know about? Secret groups? People you see you don't know much about. People who stay to themselves mostly.
SHERIFF: This is a very religious area. Church on Sundays, fellowship on Wednesday, bible classes. If there was a secret group, I'd probably know about it.
REID: That's an inherent contradiction.
SHERIFF: Excuse me?
GIDEON: He means if there was a group being secretive you probably wouldn't know.
SHERIFF: Look, people out here just want a quiet place to raise their kids. What I know is none of them are capable of doing this.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
GIDEON, J.J. and REID are walking up a slope. They make their way toward the first crime scene. HOTCH walks toward them.
HOTCH: Find anything interesting down there?
GIDEON helps J.J. up.
GIDEON: Yeah, it does look like some kind of ritual site.
ELLE walks over to help REID.
REID: Have any of you ever heard the expression "lod" or the acronym "L.O.D."?
ELLE: Not me.
WOMAN: Cherish? Cherish?
A blonde WOMAN approaches the crime scene. An OFFICER stops her from walking past the tape securing the scene.
WOMAN: Sheriff Bridges!
SHERIFF: It's OK, Harris. Let her in.
The WOMAN makes her way toward the SHERIFF, ducking under the crime scene tape.
WOMAN: Was Adam Lloyd killed out here?
SHERIFF: Who told you that, Veronica?
VERONICA: Was he? My daughter was with him. They were out running together this morning. Oh, my god. I can't find her. Cherish is missing. Cherish is missing! Help me, please.
GIDEON walks toward the woman.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
The SECOND OFFICER makes his way under the crime scene tape and gestures to VERONICA.
SECOND OFFICER: Take her home.
GIDEON: We're looking for someone who can overpower our victim abduct a girl from a traveled path without being seen.
REID: It certainly fits with the cult theory. More than one unsub to control multiple victims.
HOTCH: But if the attack were ferocious enough a single unsub could, too. Kill Adam and grab the girl while she's in shock.
ELLE: This is some rough country. We only went one-quarter of a mile, and we almost got lost.
MORGAN: The unsub has to be from this area. You don't just stumble onto a place like this.
GIDEON: J.J., where'd the sheriff go? He's setting up a search party. Tell him I want him to use volunteers from the area. Locals.
J.J.: Do you want him to know why?
GIDEON scoffs.
GIDEON: No, not yet.
HOTCH: Is it wise to alienate him?
GIDEON: Well, he thinks we're looking for a monster. If we tell him we're looking for volunteers so we can profile who shows up he might call the whole thing off.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
The SHERIFF and SECOND OFFICER are standing beside the open boot of a police car. The SHERIFF is fiddling with a map.
SHERIFF: State won't be here for over an hour. We're not gonna wait. I want you to gather everyone up and I'm going to assign grid locations.
SECOND OFFICER: Yes, sir.
J.J. approaches from the roped off scene. The SECOND OFFICER walks away. The SHERIFF spreads out the map in the boot.
J.J.: You have a moment, sheriff?
SHERIFF: I've got a missing girl, 100 square miles of woods, not enough men and in a couple of hours it's going to be dark.
J.J.: Have you considered using the people that live in the area?
SHERIFF: I'm not gonna have civilians messing up the crime scene.
J.J.: We can instruct them not to touch anything until a member of law enforcement arrives.
SHERIFF: What if they get lost, too?
J.J.: We can have them sign in to a volunteer sheet and keep track of what grid square they're in. Look... I grew up in a small town. You have the state police coming in?
SHERIFF: Yeah.
J.J.: Your locals can do a better job of finding this girl than any Statie. You know that.
SHERIFF: You'll keep track of 'em?
J.J.: I've coordinated searches all over the country.
SHERIFF: Let's go.
The SHERIFF walks away, followed by J.J.
SHERIFF: Harris, I'm going downtown. Don't do anything until I get back, all right?
REID chases down J.J. and the SHERIFF.
REID: Hey, can I come with you guys? I need to call Quantico and have them research that whole "L.O.D." thing.
SHERIFF: Yeah, sure. Hop in.
The SHERIFF gets into a police truck.
EXT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
The police truck pulls in outside the Sheriff's Office. J.J. and REID get out of the passenger side. The SHERIFF gets out of the driver's side and walks toward the building. A MAN is waiting outside.
MAN: What's happened, John?
SHERIFF: Reverend Paul Burke, this is-- I'm sorry, I forgot your names.
J.J. I'm Agent Jareau. This is Dr. Reid.
SHERIFF: They're with the F.B.I.
REVEREND: F.B.I.? It's true, then? Adam's dead?
SHERIFF: Cherish Hanson's missing, too.
REVEREND: Is there anything I can do?
SHERIFF: Actually, yes. We're putting together a search party. Could you call the congregation?
REVEREND: Of course. Of course. I'll go make some calls.
SHERIFF: Thanks, Reverend. This way.
The REVEREND starts walking away.
The SHERIFF leads J.J. and REID toward the building.
The REVEREND looks back at them.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
The SHERIFF leads REID and J.J. between the desks.
SHERIFF: Use any phone, doc, you just dial 9 to get an outside line. I've got an emergency phone list back here in my office.
REID pauses to look at a bulletin board. The main heading reads "MOUNTAINEERS STATE CHAMPS!"
REID picks up a football on a stand and looks at a picture of Adam in his football uniform.
FOOTBALLER: Did you play ball?
The FOOTBALLER is a teenage boy wearing a letter jacket. He's holding a couple of books.
REID: No.
FOOTBALLER: Yeah, I probably wouldn't have, either, if not for my father.
I'm Cory.
REID: Spencer Reid.
REID shakes CORY's hand. He looks at the books CORY is holding.
REID: Who's that, Nietzsche? "Thus Spake Zarathustra" was rather antagonistic of the Judeo-Christian world view for this town, isn't it?
CORY: I don't think too many people here would've bothered to read it. If they had, they wouldn't understand it. Might as well be a Hawking essay on quark theory.
CORY sets his books down on a desk.
CORY: Nobody ever got that reference before. Is my father around? The sheriff?
REID: He's in his office with another agent.
CORY: Agent?
REID: I'm with the F.B.I., Behavioral Analysis Unit.
CORY: Profilers?
REID nods. CORY laughs.
CORY: This is mad cool. I got, like 100 questions I go-- wait. Why would F.B.I. profilers be here in McAllister?
REID: There was a murder outside of town on the mountain.
CORY: A murder?
REID: A girl's missing.
SHERIFF (O.S.): It's Cherish, son.
The SHERIFF walks from his office toward REID and CORY.
CORY: Cherish Hanson?
SHERIFF: We're putting together a search party. I need you to get the rest of the team together and meet us out at the trail about a half mile south of the Point.
CORY nods.
CORY: Yeah. Ok.
EXT> MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
A large group of people, mostly men and footballers is gathered just outside the tape.
MAN: Came as soon as I heard, sheriff.
The SHERIFF points toward J.J.
SHERIFF: Good morning, Henry. Sign in with this lady here then just stand by for a few minutes.
From the far end of the crowd, opposite the crime scene tape, the REVEREND calls out.
REVEREND: Everyone, please, as soon as you've signed in make your way back to the police cars. That's where you'll be assigned your groups. Thank you.
ELLE is standing with GIDEON beside the tape. MORGAN walks up behind them and ducks under the tape.
ELLE: I grew up in Brooklyn. You couldn't get this many people out for anything less than free money.
A line of teenagers is walking past.
MORGAN: Well, here come the jocks and cheerleaders.
SHERIFF: Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention, please? Now, you're all assigned grid squares to search. Each grid has a deputy or an F.B.I. agent. You find anything, do not touch it. Just let your grid leader know. Now, are there any questions? All right. Everyone get in your group now.
CORY: All right, you guys, let's head out.
One teenage girl in a brown jacket and red pants stays for a moment longer to stare at the crime scene. GIDEON watches her, then heads toward J.J.
GIDEON: You have the sign-in sheets?
J.J.: Yeah.
GIDEON: Is Garcia standing by to do background on them all?
J.J.: I got a deputy waiting to take me back to the station. I'm gonna fax her soon as I get there.
GIDEON: Good. This type of unsub can't resist injecting himself into a show like this. He's here with us.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
Various parties of searchers make their way through the trees.
INT. GARCIA'S OFFICE - DAY
GARCIA is typing on her keyboard.
GARCIA: Man, this is one Peyton Place of a town.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
J.J. is holding a corded phone, and looking at her sign up sheet.
GARCIA (V.O.): Most everyone lives well above the median income of the country.
INT. GARCIA'S OFFICE - DAY
GARCIA has a few windows open on her screen. The main one says: "Why your business should relocate to McALLISTER COUNTY!!"
GARCIA: You got doctors, lawyers... one guy owns a bunch of shoe stores up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
The screen now reads "McAllister County Shoe Tycoon"
J.J. (O.S.): Ha. Is he married?
GARCIA: Yeah. Story of my life, sunshine. Reverend Paul Burke, looks like he became born again in prison.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
J.J. reaches for a pen.
J.J.: Prison?
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
We see that REID's search party includes the REVEREND.
GARCIA (V.O.): Yeah, two years as a guest of the State of Ohio for embezzlement.
INT. GARCIA'S OFFICE - DAY
GARCIA's screen now shows "Ohio Department of Public Safety".
GARCIA: I'm seeing a lot of tax sheltering and various hanky-panky here but I'm not sure what would suggest potential Satanic cult members. Hold on.
J.J.: Wait, you got something?
GARCIA: Yeah, I got a guy with a ton of debts, spotty work history, his house is in foreclosure. He's got a record, too. Assault with a deadly weapon 3 years ago.
J.J.: Wait. Does it say what the weapon was?
GARCIA: Baseball bat.
J.J.: Our unsub used a blunt object.
GARCIA: Bats are blunt, aren't they?
J.J.: What's this guy's name?
GARCIA: Dent. Henry Dent.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY
J.J. uses her pen to find the name on her sign up sheet.
J.J.: OK. Here he is. "Grid B-5." OK, that puts him with...
J.J. uses her pen to point to the appropriate square on the map.
J.J.: Elle.
EXT. MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN - DAY
ELLE walks past a tree. HENRY is behind her. ELLE bends down to fix her boot. HENRY walks right up to ELLE, and reaches down to touch her on the shoulder.
HENRY: You all right there?
ELLE flinches away and stands up.
ELLE: Whoa! Way to scare a girl.
ELLE continues walking.
HENRY: Saw you bent over.
ELLE: I was tying my boot.
HENRY: These almost never come untied.
HENRY lifts his foot to show ELLE his boot.
ELLE: Good for you.
HENRY: My name's Henry.
ELLE: Well, then good for you, Henry.
They stop talking.
ELLE: I'm Elle.
HENRY smiles.
HENRY: Like the letter? That's a different kind of name.
ELLE: Had it all my life.
HENRY: That's funny. Your whole life.
ELLE begins walking again. HENRY continues to follow her.
HENRY: You're with the FBI, right? That must be exciting.
ELLE: It has its moments.
HENRY: It's dangerous, too, right? I mean, you go after killers and things. Really bad guys. You ever have to shoot--
ELLE spots a note attached to a tree with a red stain on it. She uses a glove to detach it.
ELLE: "Satan commands the virgin be sacrificed at the next full moon."
HENRY: That's tonight, isn't it?
ELLE unfolds an evidence bag with her other hand. HENRY reaches over her shoulder to point at the note.
HENRY: Wh-- what's that?
ELLE: Blood.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
REID is looking at a file. HOTCH stands beside him, reading a file of his own.
REID yawns.
HOTCH: Tired?
REID: I'm fine.
HOTCH: We all get them sometimes.
REID: Get what?
HOTCH: Nightmares.
REID looks over at MORGAN who is on the phone with his back to the room.
REID: It's not that bad.
HOTCH: You want to talk about it, you know where I am.
HOTCH pats REID on the shoulder and walks away.
J.J. and the SHERIFF walk out of the Sheriff's office.
J.J.: Uh, they're ready.
HOTCH: Okay.
J.J. makes her way to the side of the room, and HOTCH begins lecturing the assembled officers and CORY.
HOTCH: Contrary to popular belief there has never been a proven case of satanic ritual killing. Never a verified human sacrifice. Having said that, there have been isolated cases of animal sacrifice... And many, many cases of vandalism in the name of Satan.
MORGAN: But that doesn't mean that ritual Satanism is impossible. More importantly, for our purposes there have been cults that killed, just not in ritual fashion.
REID: The Reverend Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. His followers killed a U.S. Congressman and three people before committing mass suicide and leaving over 900 people dead. And, perhaps the most widely-known of the killer cults, the Manson family under the direction of Charles Manson killed nine people in a four-day period in an attempt to initiate a race war.
ELLE: Killer cults do exist, and they all have one thing in common: invariably they're headed by charismatic megalomaniacs.
REID: You're looking for that leader. He's who will stand out. He'll be memorable to somebody, people who aren't in his group will see him as strange, weird, scary.
HOTCH: Since we're dealing with professed satanists, which is often practiced by younger males, we may be looking for teenagers. Heavy metal music is often associated with Satanism and these kids and their leader may reflect that in their look.
MORGAN: Most likely, there'll be sex, drugs and alcohol. And the leader, he'll be older. It's part of his charm.
HOTCH: And he is from this area. He's definitely local.
ELLE: These woods are too thick and confusing for a visitor to get around in.
SHERIFF: You think one of our own people is doing this?
HOTCH: We're sure of it.
SHERIFF: I would know if someone was capable of doing--
CORY: Dad.
The SHERIFF turns to look at CORY.
CORY: I know somebody like that.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
A dark sedan pull up in front of a house blaring heavy metal. A man gets out and lights a cigarette.
CORY (V.O.): His name's Mike Zizzo. He graduated about five years ago. He's in his 20s, but he still hangs out with high school kids.
INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
ZIZZO embraces his followers.
CORY (V.O.): He's got a group of them. They follow him everywhere. They all get high and listen to heavy metal.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Inside the SHERIFF's office, CORY is leaning on a chair. The REVEREND stands behind him. The SHERIFF is standing behind his desk.
CORY: He calls them the Lords of Destruction.
REID is sitting in a chair.
REID: L.O.D.
SHERIFF: How do you know this, Cory?
The SHERIFF leans down.
SHERIFF: It's all right, son.
CORY: I've been there, where they hang out drinking beers. He talks about Satan all the time. Says he's the one true god.
GIDEON: Where is this place?
CORY: On the other side of the mountain. The old Jenson house.
SHERIFF: It's out of my jurisdiction.
HOTCH: Not ours.
HOTCH walks away from the window. GIDEON and REID stand up to leave.
CORY: Sorry, dad.
The SHERIFF follows the B.A.U. out of the office. The REVEREND places a hand on CORY's shoulder.
EXT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The B.A.U. team follow some officers to their black S.U.V.s
GIDEON sees the girl in the brown jacket from earlier. GIDEON shuts the car door and walks away.
GIDEON: I'm not going on the raid.
HOTCH: What's up?
GIDEON: I don't know yet.
The cars drive away. The GIRL runs away. GIDEON follows her.
INT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
Heavy metal is playing. Various Satanic paraphernalia hang on the walls. There is a fire.
EXT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
A police car and the B.A.U. car pull up outside the house.
INT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
A lot of shadows of people move around inside the house. "LUCIFER" is painted on the wall.
EXT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
OFFICERS with flashlights walk toward the house with the B.A.U. team.
INT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
The B.A.U. enter the house with guns drawn.
MORGAN: FBI! Don't move!
In the light from the flashlights we see that the teenagers are dressed as typical punks, dyed hair, strong make-up, dark clothes.
MORGAN: I said turn the music down now! Up against the wall! Everybody up against the wall now! Up against the wall!
ZIZZO doesn't move. He stands with his arms outstretched, staring at the police.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
The GIRL is sitting in the front pew. GIDEON sits down beside her. She has a bible open on her lap. There is no one else in the room.
GIRL: Do you believe in God?
GIDEON: Excuse me?
GIRL: Do you believe in God?
GIDEON: Yes.
GIRL: How about the devil?
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
HOTCH, ELLE and the SHERIFF are interrogating ZIZZO.
ZIZZO: Is someone going to tell me why I'm here or are we just going to play staring games all night?
HOTCH pulls an evidence bag from the file folder he is holding.
HOTCH: This was found where Cherish Hanson went missing.
ZIZZO: No wonder everyone's all freaked out. McAllister's perfect debutante is in trouble.
HOTCH sets the evidence bag on the table and pushes the note toward ZIZZO.
ELLE: Read the note.
ZIZZO reads it and grins.
HOTCH: You think someone threatening to kill this girl is funny?
ZIZZO: No, I think someone calling Cherish Hanson a virgin is funny.
SHERIFF: You're a Satanist, Mike?
ZIZZO: Sure.
SHERIFF: And you worship the devil?
ZIZZO: You know what Satanism is?
HOTCH: Educate us.
ZIZZO: The word Satan comes from ancient Hebrew. It just means opposer. Satan opposes the hypocritical morals and dogmas of the so-called Holy Church and its followers. If you grew up in this town with God shoved down your throat every day you'd oppose it, too. It's all hypocrisy. Do this. Don't do that. And all the time, the adults are the ones screwing up. So basically we're just atheists. Aggressively atheist.
ELLE sets three photos down in front of ZIZZO. The first is Adam, lying dead. The Second is the skeleton. The third is the tree trunk with the pentagram.
ELLE: How aggressive, Mike?
ZIZZO looks surprised.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
GIDEON is still sitting beside the GIRL.
GIRL: You're one of the FBI agents, aren't you?
GIDEON lifts his left leg and crosses it over his right.
GIDEON: Is there something you want to tell me?
GIRL: Do you think God is vengeful?
GIDEON: I don't know.
GIRL: You don't think he punishes us?
GIDEON: After Hurricane Katrina, I read some essays by religious scholars. One writer said God was punishing America for its immorality. New Orleans was a wicked city, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Another one, a priest from New Orleans, he thought the hurricane was proof of God's love. Those levees didn't break until after the storm was over. If they'd broken sooner, thousands would've died. So... I guess the answer to your question depends on whether or not you think you have something to be punished for.
GIRL: My friend Cherish... she's missing. And it's my fault.
EXT. JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
REID and MORGAN are talking to the SECOND OFFICER, in the driver seat of his police car.
SECOND OFFICER: I've got to give the sheriff a report. I'll be back as soon as I can. You guys need anything?
REID: Coffee would be nice.
MORGAN: He takes about a quart of sugar in it.
He starts walking away.
REID: Two teaspoons is fine.
SECOND OFFICER: You got it.
REID follows MORGAN.
REID: Morgan. You knew I didn't want you to tell Hotch about my nightmares.
MORGAN turns to face REID.
MORGAN: Reid, that's something they need to know about.
REID: What do you mean "they"?
MORGAN: Hotch and Gideon.
REID: You told Gideon, too?
MORGAN: Yeah, and it's OK, kid.
REID: What if they think I can't do my job? What if they want to pull me off the team?
MORGAN: They won't.
REID: Oh, yeah? How do you know that?
MORGAN: I just do.
MORGAN walks back toward the house.
REID: You had no right, man. I-- I confided in you. You know, this is exactly what I get when I trust someone. It gets thrown back in my face.
MORGAN walks back to REID and stops in front of him.
MORGAN: Mine started 6 months after I got into the B.A.U.
REID is stunned into silence.
MORGAN: Yeah. Mine.
MORGAN leans against Zizzo's car.
MORGAN: We were working a strangler case in Montana. Four victims. Me, I was still pretty young at the time, so you know, I was feeling myself. I was cocky, I was arrogant. The locals, they didn't have anything, so I stepped up. I said I can nail down a profile for you just as soon as I can get what I need.
REID: More victims?
MORGAN: She was found the next day. So I went down to the scene to do my thing. And as I was looking over the body, that's when I saw them. Her eyes, Reid. They were wide open. And there was something different about them. It was like they were looking right at me. Like she knew. I asked for a victim. Well, here she was. That's when they started for me. Night after night I would fall asleep and I would see those eyes. They were dead eyes. Accusing eyes. And it got to the point where it was happening even when I wasn't asleep. Reid, everywhere I went, I saw those eyes.
REID: What did you do?
MORGAN: Gideon. He knew. I didn't tell him. I was like you. I didn't want anybody to know. He just... he knew. And he sat me down and he just kind of talked me through it. I still have the nightmares to this day, just not nearly as often. But when they come back, I know how to handle them better.
REID: What did he say?
A car pulls up. CORY gets out.
CORY: Did you find her? Cherish?
REID: No.
CORY: Did Zizzo say anything?
CORY rushes toward the house.
MORGAN: We don't know. We've been here the whole time.
REID: Cory, calm down.
CORY: How am I supposed to calm down? Cherish is missing. Did you check all over?
REID: We searched the whole house.
CORY: What about the outbuilding?
MORGAN: Outbuilding?
CORY: Did you check the other area? Back in the woods?
MORGAN: I didn't know there was another area.
CORY: Yeah, it's like a sluice structure or something. He took me there once. It's this way.
CORY heads left, into the woods.
MORGAN: Let's go.
MORGAN and REID follow CORY.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
GIDEON and the GIRL are still talking.
GIRL: The skeleton under the tree, he died a year ago. He fell off the trail, cracked his head open. He was just some tourist or something.
GIDEON: How do you know that?
GIRL: We went to see the body all the time. We watched it decompose.
GIDEON: Who did?
GIRL: We did. Everybody, the whole group.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
ZIZZO is looking at the picture of the tree trunk.
ZIZZO: What the hell is this?
HOTCH: Why don't you tell us, Mike?
ZIZZO: I've never seen this before.
Elle points to each thing in the photos as she speaks.
ELLE: Pentagram, body, candles, L.O.D.
SHERIFF: Lords of Destruction.
ZIZZO: I've never seen this.
HOTCH: From where I stand, Mike, it looks like you signed it.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
GIDEON and the GIRL are still sitting in the front pew.
GIRL: At first we were just curious, you know? We would go, a couple of us at a time, show each other. None of us had ever seen a dead body before. And then it kind of became our thing. Something that we had that our parents didn't know about. It was ours.
GIDEON: This was a human being.
GIRL: I told you that we're being punished.
EXT. WOODS OUTSIDE JENSON HOUSE - NIGHT
CORY leads REID and MORGAN along a trail.
CORY: It's up here. This is their secret place.
It's a burnt and decrepit building. MORGAN turns on his flashlight. He highlights a pentagram with "LOD" written beneath it like the tree trunk.
MORGAN: Reid?
EXT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
MORGAN uses his flashlight to look under the building. Then he goes up the stairs and into the house. CORY and REID stand outside, watching.
CORY: I can't believe this is happening. This kind of thing doesn't happen in McAllister.
REID: You said you read the profiling books. You know bad things happen anywhere. Anywhere at anytime.
INT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
MORGAN's flashlight spotlights leaves, then shoes attached to legs, finally resting on Cherish's bloody, lifeless face.
MORGAN looks into her eyes and shakes his head.
EXT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
MORGAN walks out of the building. CORY walks forward and pauses at the bottom of the stairs. REID follows him.
CORY: She in there?
MORGAN walks down the stairs.
CORY: Is she all right?
MORGAN: Cory, she's in there.
CORY: Is she dead?
MORGAN walks past CORY and REID. REID puts a hand on CORY to stop him from following MORGAN.
CORY: She can't be dead.
CORY turns to look at the building. MORGAN starts dialing his cell phone, then shuts it.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
ZIZZO is still being interrogated.
ZIZZO: Look, we drew our stars upside-down, get drunk, and listen to metal. That's it. Hey, we don't kill people.
SHERIFF: This is your chance to make this right, Zizzo.
ZIZZO: You don't want to make it right. You wanna blame someone who doesn't conform to your view of how people should act and think.
GIDEON opens the door.
GIDEON: I need to talk to you, all of you.
GIDEON walks away.
EXT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
CORY and REID are still standing. MORGAN approaches.
MORGAN: Reid, I want you to go to the house and see if the deputies have come back.
REID: What?
MORGAN: We need the sheriff and the crime scene team here.
REID: But--
MORGAN: Reid. Do it.
REID rushes away. MORGAN checks his cell phone again and shuts it.
CORY: I can't-- I can't believe... Cherish.
MORGAN takes a step closer.
MORGAN: I'm sorry about your friend.
CORY: I saw her the other day. It was a pep rally.
MORGAN walks away.
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
GIDEON, the SHERIFF, HOTCH and ELLE walk into the main room.
GIDEON: I've been with Brandy Dreifort. Do you know her?
SHERIFF: She's a friend of my son's.
GIDEON: She's a friend of Cherish's, too.
SHERIFF: And?
GIDEON: Well, they all knew about the skeleton.
SHERIFF: Who did?
GIDEON: Football team, cheerleaders, everyone. They all watched this man decompose like it was a game for their amusement.
ELLE: What?
GIDEON: As far as I can tell the only kids in that area who didn't know were Mike Zizzo and the L.O.D.
SHERIFF: It's ridiculous.
GIDEON: Sounds impossible, it's unbelievable. She told me all about it. The guy was a hiker or something. Probably have him listed, missing person somewhere.
HOTCH: Jason how do you know the L.O.D. wasn't involved?
GIDEON: Well, she said the pentagram and the candles,they weren't there a few months ago.
SHERIFF: Which means?
GIDEON: Someone wanted us to believe there were Satanists here.
EXT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
MORGAN sits on the bottom step. CORY remains standing.
MORGAN: Reid tells me you've read all the profiling books.
CORY: Actually kinda hoping to be one of you guys someday.
MORGAN laughs.
MORGAN: Are ya? So then you know what profilers do?
INT. McALLISTER SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT
GIDEON: The unsub likes to inject himself into the investigation. That's what this type of killer does. Who gave us is Zizzo? Who knew all about him?
SHERIFF: You're talking about Cory?
GIDEON: It was convenient, wasn't it? Lucky we had a kid right in the room who could tell us where the L.O.D. was. A group of fringe kids nobody in the town would like. But you called us here to advise you. My advice would be to get in front of this before your son hurts himself or anybody else. You know where he is, sheriff?
SHERIFF: He went up to the Jenson house to see if your guys found anything on Cherish.
HOTCH: Morgan and Reid are out there right now.
The SECOND OFFICER enters the room.
SECOND OFFICER: Hey, sheriff. Did you open the gun locker?
SHERIFF: No.
SECOND OFFICER: Someone did. There's a revolver missing.
EXT. SLUICE BUILDING - NIGHT
MORGAN: You know that we look at a crime scene from a different perspective than regular cops, right? We look for more than just the evidence. We try to pick up on the behavior of the killer. For example, the guy we're looking for in this crime would be classified as a disorganized killer.
CORY: Sounds like Zizzo, doesn't it?
MORGAN: Yeah. Sure it does. But then again, sometimes a disorganized killer only looks disorganized. Sometimes it's actually an organized guy, and pretty smart guy. Somebody who can manipulate a crime scene to make it look like somebody else did it. Because of that, we also gotta look for someone who might try to put himself right in the middle of an investigation so that he can influence things. Especially if he knows exactly what it is that we're looking for.
MORGAN stands up and walks toward CORY. CORY walks away.
MORGAN: I mean, he wants to control this, right? And that would extend to discovery. Wantin' the body found when, and especially where he wants that body found.
CORY turns to face MORGAN.
CORY: You mean me?
MORGAN: This was more than just a lucky guess, wasn't it?
CORY: I knew about the building.
MORGAN: You also knew about Zizzo and the Satanism.
CORY: I was only trying to help.
MORGAN: Well, you did that. We couldn't have found this place without you.
REID: Hey Morgan, no one's up there.
CORY: Get over here.
MORGAN: Reid! Reid!
CORY manages to grab REID around the neck and point his gun at him. MORGAN has his gun raised. REID has his hands up.
MORGAN: Cory.
CORY: This got all messed up.
MORGAN: Don't be stupid.
CORY: She wasn't supposed to be with him. It was his run. He runs it every day, not her.
MORGAN: Cory, listen to me. We can fix this. But you've got to let Reid go.
CORY: I never meant to hurt her. But make no mistake I will shoot your boy right now.
MORGAN: No, you won't.
CORY: Tempt not a desperate man.
CORY flicks the safety off.
CORY: Put the gun down.
MORGAN loosens his grip on the gun, holding his hands up in surrender.
MORGAN: OK all right. You win.
CORY: Drop it. Drop the gun!
MORGAN: OK. OK. You win.
MORGAN slowly bends down and lowers the gun.
MORGAN: I'm putting the gun down.
MORGAN drops the gun and raises his now empty hands.
MORGAN: You're in control, Cory. Let him go.
REID: "For the evil is man's best force. Man must become better and eviler." That's what this is about, right? Zarathustra? The superman? There's no moral obligation for killing someone if you're superior to them? But Nietzsche was speaking metaphorically about evolving as a species.
MORGAN: You're just a horny kid who wanted to get rid of the cheerleader's boyfriend.
CORY: No.
MORGAN: Yes.
CORY: That was never my intent-
MORGAN tackles them as REID struggles out of CORY's grip.
MORGAN: c'mon.
MORGAN punches CORY. He looks over at REID, leaning on an elbow.
MORGAN: You all right?
REID: What happened?
MORGAN: Him bringing us down here was way too much of a coincidence.
REID: I got that. But did you have to tackle us both?
MORGAN: You're welcome, Reid.
MORGAN pulls CORY to his feet.
MORGAN: C'mon. Let's go, Cory.
MORGAN and CORY walk away. REID breathes through the pain while sirens sound in the distance.
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - NIGHT
GIDEON (V.O.): Playwright Eugene Ionesco said, "Ideologies separate us, dreams and anguish bring us together."
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - NIGHT
ELLE, J.J., HOTCH and MORGAN are asleep. REID is sitting upright in his seat, not even trying. Across from him, GIDEON is laying back.
GIDEON: Reid.
GIDEON pulls out his wallet, opens it and shows it to REID. There is a photograph of a family.
GIDEON: Deborah Louise Addison. Her husband Tim. The kids are Amber and Keith. Eight and six. In 1985, Deborah Louise was walking home from school. She was abducted. She was 13. We profiled the unsub. And we were able to locate her before he harmed her. She writes a letter to the B.A.U. every year. She updates us on her life.
REID: It's nice, but--
GIDEON: We all have bad dreams. Everyone on the plane. Who wouldn't? We hunt the worst of humanity we see the depths of depravity. We dream of monsters.
REID: In my dream there's a baby in the middle of a circle and there's someone on the other side. And I can't get to her before--
GIDEON: Every night I look at Deborah. Helps me to go to sleep thinking of the victims we've saved. We don't always beat the monsters to the babies but we do enough to make the job worth it. Keep the nightmares bearable.
GIDEON removes the photograph from the wallet and hands it to REID. REID looks at it and smiles. He shuts his eyes to get some sleep.
