Criminal Minds (TV Series)

Miasma (2018)

A.J. Cook: Jennifer Jareau

Quotes 

• Jennifer Jareau : [closing quotation]  "All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born." - William Faulkner.

• Jennifer Jareau : Emily?

  Emily Prentiss : Hey, I was hoping we were gonna get the night off, but we've just pulled another case. I know it's been a long week, but I need you back here. Are you still in...

  Jennifer Jareau : Emily, something's going on.

• Jennifer Jareau : Okay, two more of the initial ten victims have been identified. Twenty-eight year old dentist Tyler Roberts and teen runaway Heather Pineda. According to missing person reports and the timeline the M.E. sent over, they're most likely victims number four and five.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : This guy's victimology is all over the place. I mean, he's bouncing back and forth between the vulnerable and working professionals.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : These may all be victims of opportunity, but there's a measure of compassion to these kills. It doesn't feel random.

  Matt Simmons : Yeah, he doesn't want them to suffer. It's almost like he's putting them to sleep.

  Luke Alvez : Or putting them out of their misery.

• Dr. Tara Lewis : This unsub has been back and forth across the city at all hours of the day, so he's clearly using some kind of vehicle to hunt.

  Jennifer Jareau : Well, he's most likely unemployed.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : We may not understand his ritual, but we know he feels an overwhelming need to complete it; enough to risk going back to the area despite a heavy police presence. These cemeteries are important to him, if not for personal reasons, then for what they represent.

  Jennifer Jareau : So, did he lose someone? Is that what triggered all of this?

  Luke Alvez : We should increase patrols in and around the graveyard and within a two-mile radius, and if they are important to him, he'll probably revisit.

  Jennifer Jareau : And ketamine is available on the street, but it's pricey, so, uh, we should also check in to vet offices, medical providers, see if any of them have had any recent break-ins.

• Dr. Spencer Reid : Medieval medical practitioners believed that chickens could absorb illness. They would rub the birds all over the bodies of the diseased in an attempt to rid them of their sickness.

  Jennifer Jareau : See, uh, this is a venetian bird mask. During the 17th century, doctors would stuff these with herbs and spices and wear them to protect against infection.

  Chief Thomas Wheeler : From the plague.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : That, along with the burning of the bodies and the burial ground, Tremé Cemetery number two, and the fact that it was originally built to house victims who died from cholera and smallpox, tells us that this unsub believes himself to be a modern-day plague doctor.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : A vigilante or angel of death whose job it is to stop sick people from spreading disease.

  David Rossi : Our unsub wants to eradicate not just the sick, but the sickness within them.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : In fact, it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that humorism, the belief that illness was caused by an imbalance of the fluids in the body, was discredited. Before that, it was believed that there were four humors in the body: black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm, all of which were susceptible to miasma, or bad air, that carried disease.

  David Rossi : Our unsub's fixation on these ancient medical practices speaks to a very specific kind of stressor.

  Jennifer Jareau : It indicates a distrust in modern medicine. He or a loved one may have suffered a loss brought on by illness or disease.

  David Rossi : Or he may blame modern medicine for failing to save a loved one.

  Jennifer Jareau : Our unsub was living on the fringes of society. His van was not just his means of transport, it was his whole life. And now that he's lost it, there's no telling what he'll do next.

• Jennifer Jareau : Okay, so let's think about this. He has no means of transportation, and he has nowhere to take his victims, so our unsub is starting over again. So, what does he do now? Does he steal another van?

  Luke Alvez : No. Too risky.

  Matt Simmons : This is a guy going through the stages of grief. So maybe anger's next.

  Jennifer Jareau : Well, he could start to lash out, focus his rage.

  Luke Alvez : Especially if he finds himself near a hospital or a pharmacy. Anywhere there's sick people.

  Jennifer Jareau : Okay, uh, let's put a warning out to hospitals and clinics to be on the lookout for any suspicious persons loitering in the area, see if they can post extra security at all entrances and exits.

• Jennifer Jareau : I just keep sitting here, hoping for a revelation.

  Matt Simmons : Oh, this guy's elusive. We found his home, secondary location, means of transport, but not his name. He feels invisible.

  Jennifer Jareau : But it couldn't have always been the case, you know? At some point, this guy, he had friends and family.

  [a thought strikes her] 

  Jennifer Jareau : He lost someone important to him.

  Matt Simmons : So what are you thinking?

  Jennifer Jareau : This timeline. We need to go back to where it all started for our unsub, with his first victim, Hunter Dillon.

• Jennifer Jareau : We thought our unsub was on a mission to cleanse the streets, but it's way more complicated than that. This whole ritual of his is an act of mercy in his mind. It didn't just come out of thin air.

  Matt Simmons : I think he's been thinking about it, preparing for it in some way.

  Jennifer Jareau : Exactly. But we haven't found anything connecting our unsub to the first body, Hunter Dillon. What if Hunter wasn't his first victim?

  Luke Alvez : That would mean there's another victim out there we haven't identified.

  Jennifer Jareau : Okay, so our unsub started by putting people out of their misery, saving them from their sickness. What if the woman he lost, who was sick, didn't just die, but she was his first kill?

  Dr. Spencer Reid : Then everything he's done since would be about reliving that moment, justifying that action.

  Luke Alvez : These murders would be about easing his own guilt.

• Matt Simmons : There's plenty of evidence of this woman in the van. Just no DNA and no prints.

  Jennifer Jareau : Okay, what about her belongings?

  Dr. Spencer Reid : We have clothes and blankets.

  Luke Alvez : A small jewelry box.

  Matt Simmons : Uh, some toiletries.

  Jennifer Jareau : And this bouquet. Why would someone keep dead, rotting flowers?

  Dr. Spencer Reid : It could be of personal significance, an emotional attachment that overrides his compulsion for cleanliness.

  Jennifer Jareau : Okay, did the CSUs find any prints or DNA on the plastic wrapping?

  Luke Alvez : No, but the wrapping did have a label that led to a flower shop. The CSUs followed up but came up empty-handed.

  Matt Simmons : That's because they're not Penelope.

  [dialing his phone] 

  Matt Simmons : Garcia, we need your help.

  Penelope Garcia : Bring it.

• Penelope Garcia : Talk to me, my pretties.

  David Rossi : What can you tell us about Tanesa and Kevon Winters?

  Penelope Garcia : Okay. Tanesa Winters. She died three weeks ago. She's survived by her son Kevon. It looks like he was born in New Orleans. Uh, he spent some time in Houston, but he returned at some point because I've got a local college transcript and a notice from a collection agency. Kevon dropped out of school, thousands of dollars in debt. That's when the trail goes cold.

  Jennifer Jareau : We also need information on this flophouse. It was condemned about ten years ago. It's on 44th and Fig.

  Penelope Garcia : Uh, I can tell you it's not there anymore. It's now a coffee shop. Let me take a deep dive here and see what secret secrets I can find.

  David Rossi : We believe Tanesa Winters lived there for a short time.

  Penelope Garcia : Yeah, she did. The tenants there filed a civil suit. It looks like Tanesa was the primary plaintiff. Uh, they sued for negligence and bodily harm. That building sustained a lot of damage after the flooding caused by Katrina.

  David Rossi : And let me guess. It was never properly cleaned or vented.

  Penelope Garcia : It was not. Uh, Tanesa became very ill due to black mold. The residents repeatedly asked for the building to be inspected, and the landlord and the insurance companies ignored them.

  Jennifer Jareau : That's it. That's the unsub's stressor. That's the root of all of this.

• David Rossi : Whatever happened to the landlord who owned the building?

  Penelope Garcia : Walter Trudeau paid out a modest settlement and went on to become a local business mogul. He owns a lot of property in the area.

  David Rossi : If the unsub is now directing his anger to those he holds responsible for failing to help his mother, Walter Trudeau will be on that list.

  Jennifer Jareau : Yeah, we need to warn him. Penelope, can you get ahold of Mr. Trudeau and let him know that we'd like to speak with him? And send us...

  Penelope Garcia : His home and work address? It's like I do this for a living. And... oh! Flag on the play. Sports reference. Uh, Trudeau spends a lot of time at a bar he owns. I'm sending you the address now.

  David Rossi : Garcia, before you go, find out what you can about Tanesa Winters' death, specifically the cause.

  Penelope Garcia : Copy that. Here it comes.

• Kevon Winters : Don't come any further. Stop.

  Jennifer Jareau : I'm SSA Jennifer Jareau.

  Kevon Winters : Where's Trudeau?

  Jennifer Jareau : Kevon, I... I understand you lost your mother recently. I'm... I'm so sorry. My... my husband lost his dad to Katrina.

  Kevon Winters : The storm didn't take my mother. It was Trudeau. That building wasn't safe, and he knew. They all knew! The doctors, the insurance companies, but it was Trudeau. He hid it from us. He lied. And if he would have done what he was supposed to do, my mother would have never gotten sick. She'd still be here!

  Jennifer Jareau : You're... you're right. Trudeau didn't do the right thing. He didn't, but you... you can, okay? You can let this innocent man go.

  Kevon Winters : No, no, no, no! He has to face me!

• David Rossi : Not bad for the first time steering the ship. Prentiss would be proud. Have you heard from Emily?

  Jennifer Jareau : No. I, uh, I texted her to let her know we were on our way back, but...

  David Rossi : I'll be glad when this is all over.

  Jennifer Jareau : Yeah.

• Emily Prentiss : How was the case?

  Jennifer Jareau : We got our guy

• Assistant Director Linda Barnes : My apologies for the cloak and dagger routine with the e-mail. I needed a reason to bring you in that would ensure a certain confidentiality.

  Jennifer Jareau : What do mean Agent Prentiss has been placed on administrative leave?

  Assistant Director Linda Barnes : I've been looking over your work, and I think you're doing an excellent job. Why do you think the brass didn't give you a shot at Unit Chief when Agent Hotchner elected to leave?

  Jennifer Jareau : Prentiss was the natural choice. She had seniority.

• Assistant Director Linda Barnes : You're aware this month marks the one year anniversary of Agent Reid's arrest in Mexico?

  Jennifer Jareau : I was aware that was coming up, yes.

  Assistant Director Linda Barnes : When something like this happens, it's standard operating procedure for the Director to initiate an internal audit. I've been asked to go over the BAU's case load to make sure that you're following protocol.

  Jennifer Jareau : We work by the book, always.

  Assistant Director Linda Barnes : Then this should be a fairly painless process.

  Jennifer Jareau : Of course.

  Assistant Director Linda Barnes : As team leader, Agent Prentiss will need to give a full account of the BAU's actions. That's why, effective immediately, you will be the acting head of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Pending further review, you and your team will remain on active duty. Agent Jareau, as a courtesy, I chose to inform you first. I'll be speaking with Agent Prentiss in the morning, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this between us until you hear from me.

• Jennifer Jareau : Tremé Cemetery's an active site. It's famous. It's the oldest cemetery in the city.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : Home to Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans, known for her powers of clairvoyance, healing, and intimidation. Legend has it that she once helped free a man accused of murder by praying for 72 hours straight with three hot peppers in her mouth.

  Luke Alvez : Voodoo queen. I mean, is that what this is? Some kind of ritualistic killing?

  Matt Simmons : I see these Xs here. They're used to denote the grave of a powerful voodoo practitioner.

  Jennifer Jareau : Markings like this aren't uncommon in these parts. These look like they've been here for a while.

  David Rossi : Could be the reason our unsub chose this particular crypt to do his bidding.

  Emily Prentiss : New Orleans PD wants us there ASAP. There is one more thing. I won't be coming along. JJ will be acting as Unit Chief in my absence. I have a meeting with Assistant Director Barnes tomorrow morning. It's short notice, but as far as I understand, it's just a standard administrative review, so I'm sure everything will be fine.

  Jennifer Jareau : Okay. Um, wheels up in thirty.

• Luke Alvez : First Barnes pulls you in for a late-night meeting, then Prentiss. I mean, it feels like something's going on.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : Yeah, and why all the urgency? I mean, couldn't it have waited 'till we all got back?

  David Rossi : Something must have triggered an internal review.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : It's me. It's been almost a year since my arrest in Mexico.

  Jennifer Jareau : It's just an annual review. Standard operating procedure.

  Luke Alvez : Matt, you worked with Barnes on your last assignment. How much trouble are we in?

  Matt Simmons : I mean, I hate to say it, but this is the exact same thing that she did with the IRT before disbanding the unit. She started with the head of the team, then she worked her way down. She tried to pit us against each other.

  David Rossi : Barnes' reputation precedes her. She's climbed the ranks well.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : Well, clearly she's good at her job.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : We're better.

  Jennifer Jareau : And we haven't done anything wrong. We can't worry about this right now because we have a case. People need our help.

• Chief Thomas Wheeler : Five of the ten victims have been identified. These three, Jason Chambers, Lindsay Montoya, and Gary Keulchy, were homeless. And these two, Sonequa Fox and Daniel Rikers, were working professionals.

  Jennifer Jareau : And Mr. Rikers and Ms. Fox were both reported missing a week and a half ago.

  Chief Thomas Wheeler : That's correct. They both left their homes in mid-city and never returned.

  Matt Simmons : And the three homeless victims were last seen in a shelter near the French Quarter?

  Chief Thomas Wheeler : Yes. We periodically check the night roll calls when we find a body. They were most likely panhandling in the area.

  David Rossi : Our unsub crossed racial and gender lines.

  Luke Alvez : And he's mobile.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : You know, realistically, it's likely each victim was abducted, killed, and disposed of individually.

  Jennifer Jareau : We need to see what the M.E. can tell us about the timeline of the murders.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : And we'd expect an unsub like this to start with high-risk victims like the homeless and then move on to low-risk victims like Sonequa and Daniel, but until we ID the remaining victims, it's really hard to draw any conclusions.

  Luke Alvez : So he'd need somewhere to hold them and do his bloodletting business before bringing them back to the crypt.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : I've already started a geo-profile, but the more we can learn about the victims' last moments, the more accurate it'll be.

• Chief Thomas Wheeler : Found another burned body. This time in a crypt in Tremé Cemetery number two.

  Jennifer Jareau : Just one?

  Chief Thomas Wheeler : Yeah. And the crypt wasn't nearly as secluded.

  David Rossi : We've disrupted his routine. Another tomb, but now he's improvising.

• Matt Simmons : Unsub was confident he wouldn't be caught. This would take a lot of effort.

  Jennifer Jareau : What do you got?

  Luke Alvez : Scorching patterns on the concrete indicate the unsub used some kind of accelerant.

  Matt Simmons : No signs of blood or trauma. It's likely he was killed elsewhere and then disposed here.

  Jennifer Jareau : All right. Well, our victim here is Jeremy Paulson. According to his wife, he left work early last night, told co-workers he wasn't feeling well. His car was found parked at the neighborhood basketball court. His water bottle and basketball were found nearby.

  Matt Simmons : So did he meet someone or was he just playing hooky?

  Luke Alvez : We should get local PD to canvass the area for witnesses, both here and at the park.

• Jennifer Jareau : This crypt doesn't have any voodoo markings or symbols, which is odd, considering that a lot of the graves in this area do. So maybe it's not as important to him as we initially thought.

  Luke Alvez : Well, if this doesn't involve voodoo, then why the elaborate M.O.? It's not for show. He's concealing and burning the bodies.

  Jennifer Jareau : And we found his burial ground and he barely skipped a beat. This feels less like some kind of a ritual and more like a mission. Question is, what's his grievance?