[𝟐] 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 - 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨

𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

THE FIRST NIGHT WITHOUT ROSIE WAS TOUGH FOR EMILY AND I. After each day at work, we had a ritual. We'd come home and talk about our days. It sounds simple and stupid but it was our tradition.

And now we can't even speak to her.

Emily and I were trying not to let it affect our performance at work. The thing about this job, is we've learned to compartmentalize things well. Maybe it's not a good skill, but it comes in handy. It was just all the more reason we needed find Scratch.

We told the team when they got back from their case in Arizona. They all felt horrible. Rossi offered to lead for a few days so we can take some time off but I know I didn't want to. I just wanted to distract myself from worrying about Rosie and getting this case is closed.

We need to focus on freeing Spencer and finding Scratch. Then, Rosie can come home.

At the end of the night, Tara came back to the office from her cognitive with Reid. They had a breakthrough.

Spencer saw a woman in that room with him.

"A woman?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. He was very clear about it. He remembered her hair, her painted fingernails." Tara replied. It's the most he's remembered. This is really good.

"So she killed Nadie Ramos." Luke spoke.

"Yes. He says he saw her do it." Tara replied.

"Okay, but what about Scratch?" Penelope asked.

"He says he remembers her spraying some kind of fine mist in his face." Tara replied. If this is really Scratch, that makes sense.

"Which is consistent with Scratch's M.O." Emily added.

"Right, but he does not recall seeing Scratch at all." Tara said. What if this isn't Scratch and there's some other wackjob about to get him?

"You're sure this memory is accurate? You said he manufactured a false memory earlier in the cognitive." Rossi questioned.

"And he is sleep deprived which can interfere with memory." JJ added.

"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 said. I believe her.

"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." Stephen spoke. That's all we need. Two of them..

"What woman would willingly associate herself with Scratch?" Penelope deadpanned. She has a point.

"And why would Scratch risk taking on a partner?" Luke asked.