𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 ➣ 𝓼. 𝓻𝓮𝓲𝓭

𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷

"It would have to be someone with a woman very close to the UnSub to make him react this way." Mara paced the room while Reid sat in the chair behind her.

"Then why go after surrogates?" Reid asked her.

"I don't think we're dealing with a typical homeless person," Mara replied. "He's good with chemicals, owns a car."

"I think the only mistake in our profile was assuming there was something wrong with his physical composition." Reid suggested.

"You think it's only his mental state?" 

"I think this guy might be smart enough to use his disability to his advantage so he comes across-"

"As harmless." Mara finishes, her eyes boring into Reid's as they made connections.

"But then when he's alone and the victim rejects him, he goes off."

"What if he doesn't live on the street?" Mara suggested. "What if he's in a halfway house?"

Reid dialed Garcia's number and put her on speakerphone. "Garcia, I need a list of halfway houses and mental health centers in the UnSub's comfort zone."

"Five are being sent to your phones."

"Which of those were around in the eighties?" Mara asked, Garcia smiling at the thought of the two being together.

"There are two in your area."

Hotch split up the team, leaving Mara and Reid out of it. "What about us?"

"Stay here and check VICAP for similar M.O.'s and signatures."

Reid nodded, realizing that Hotch was essentially punishing Reid for his behavior today.

He nodded again and sighed before taking a seat at the round table, dialing Garcia's number.

It was about an hour later when Morgan called Mara to update the pair. "We've got nineteen people here and Hotch has eleven."

"Send your names to Garcia, have her cross-check them against jobs that use sulfuric acid."

"All right," Morgan replied. "How'd Reid?"

Mara glanced over her shoulder at the pacing boy. "He's angry and frustrated."

"You two seem to be getting closer."

"You're wrong about that."

"At least try and g-"

"Goodbye, Morgan."

The team spent all night interviewing the nineteen people released from the group home, none of them fit their profile. They didn't have a lead. Until JJ came in, shoving her phone in her pocket.

"Tammy Bradstone's parents just filed a report," she said, putting the picture on their evidence board. "Their daughter didn't return from Homecoming last night."

"Her face is similar to our three vics." Reid said.

"She's about the same age." Mara agreed.

"And the after party where she was last seen is smack in the comfort zone." Reid added.

They knew that something was off about this abduction. She was taken nowhere near public transportation. They thought she might have known the UnSub. Maybe even been the target all along.

Morgan got Garcia to hack into Tammy Bradstone's computer while Morgan and Mara looked around her room. Mara noticed the boxes of hair dye in the trashcan.

"Did your sister dye her hair recently?"

"Yeah," the little sister replied. "To look nice for the Homecoming dance. She was even gonna wear the same dress my mom did."

Her mom came in and asked the two is they found anything yet. Morgan smiled gently at the mom. "Do you know anyone who is transient or mentally ill?"

"Uh, yeah," the father answered them. "My brother. He didn't get enough oxygen to his brain, when he was born."

"What's his name?" Mara asked, pulling out her phone and starting to dial Hotch's number.

"Cy Bradstone."

Garcia was listening in. "On the halfway house list, all I got was a Ben Bradstone."

"Oh, that's his real name," the father said. "Cy's the name he made up."

"Where does he live?" Morgan asked.

"Well, he crashed here from time to time, but he's basically homeless."

"His frontal lobe damage is one of the indicators of serial killers." Mara commented, something she learned from Reid.

"Cy isn't a serial killer. He wouldn't hurt anybody, especially not my daughter."

Mara could tell the difference in behavior in the mother. She moved closer to the mother, catching her attention. "Has Cy ever acted inappropriately toward Tammy?"

"No, I wouldn't let him in here if he had." The mother said.

"He makes you uncomfortable, doesn't he?" Mara asked as she nodded. "Did you have blonde hair in high school?"

"Yes."

"What are you getting at?" The father interrupted. 

"Sir, your daughter just dyed her hair blonde," Morgan said. "You allowed her to wear your dress. I'm just thinking it may have triggered something for Cy."

They left the house with identification on who their UnSub was. They found out that the mother was the ultimate target. They kissed when their were in tenth grade in a spin the bottle game, while the mother let go of the incident, Cy never did.

They found out he worked at a garage and that's how he got the sulfuric acid. They couldn't figure out exactly where he was living so they got the mother, Lyla, to call Cy and lure him back to the house.

The plan worked out and they arrested their UnSub and found Tammy alive. Hurt, but alive.

On the plane, everyone settled into their own corner, Morgan praising Mara and her first case back.

She moved into the seat in front of Reid. His eyes didn't lift from the book but he knew she was there. "I heard Mr. Bradstone wants to watch the tape."

"People have an innate curiosity the see things in order to confirm them."

"Well, that explains why I'm going to Rossi's tomorrow night," Mara chuckled. "I want to see if he really can cook. You coming?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, focusing his eyes back on the book. "I'm not so sure I can make it."

"Look, Spencer, I know you're mad at us because we didn't tell you what really happened and I understand that," Mara said quietly. "But I promise you, we had no choice."

Reid rolled his eyes slightly, not moving his eyes from the book. "You mourned the loss of a friend. I mourned the loss of six. This whole thing gave me an ulcer."

Reid chuckled but tried to hide it. Mara caught it and smiled gently. "Are you gonna go to Rossi's tomorrow?"

"We'll see."