timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

082. the company

"So your cousin fled Chicago 8 years ago because a co-worker was stalking her?" Emily asks.

"Yeah, a guy named John Hitchens. Cindi and Yvonne came to me and asked me if they should be worried. Her emails and phone logs showed classic stalker behavior." Derek says.

"Multiple messages every hour. Gifts he sent which she later returned. That would enrage a stalker." Spencer says.

"But until they become violent, they're smart enough to skirt the law. Human resources at the investment bank wouldn't do anything, and Chicago P.D. couldn't." Derek says. "So Yvonne and I convinced Cindi to move. She contacted us from Charleston on her way to Savannah. And then she was gone."

"And Hitchens blew his brains out two weeks later in Chicago." Emily says.

"That was good enough for the local P.D. to conclude that he'd killed her." Derek says. "Except for one major detail. We never found the body. If his endgame was suicide, he wasn't organized enough to dispose of the body that permanently. That's why I never stopped looking. I just didn't think that she would surface right back here in Chicago."

"We need to reopen both cases. Both Cindi's disappearance and Hitchens' suicide. The discrepancies in each would explain her current behavior. Morgan, I need to talk to you when we land." Hotch says.

+++

"Detective Palmer, what do you have?" Rossi asks.

"I wish we had more to give you." Palmer says. "You know how missing persons cases are."

"Actually, there's quite a bit here. These were found in Hitchens' apartment after the suicide. Some were blown up from the original film stock." Spencer says as he puts stalker photos of Cindi up on the board.

"So if Hitchens took them, he didn't zoom in on photoshop. He's an old school shutterbug." Emily says.

"Reid and Prentiss, check Hitchens' photographic background. Even 8 years ago, most people had gone digital." Hotch says.

"The gun Hitchens used to kill himself was traced to this dealer." Rossi says.

"Local guy. Completely by the book. No record." Palmer says.

"The .44 was the only gun in Hitchens' possession. That's a big gun to kill yourself with." JJ says.

"We should talk to the dealer. Find out what his mindset was when he bought it." Hotch says.

+++

"So Cindi had two stalkers." Derek says.

"No, only one. Ford fits the profile better than Hitchens." Rossi says.

"Ford had multiple assault and harassment charges, all filed by ex-girlfriends and random women he met." JJ says.

"And Garcia found credit card purchases for black and white photographic equipment for Ford." Spencer says.

"So this guy killed Hitchens and then set him up." Derek says.

"Behaviorally it would make sense. If Ford was stalking your cousin, he would have seen Hitchens as competition, so he kills him and he plants the photos to throw off your investigation." Emily says.

"Hotch, I want to bring this guy in and question him personally." Derek says.

"Garcia just send us his address." Hotch says.

+++

Derek kicks the door open.

"FBI!" He shouts. They split up to look through the house. "It's clear here."