"Over the last three weeks, the bodies of Myia Collins and Lauren White have been found in Diamond Bar, California, a suburb 25 miles east of Los Angeles." Penelope says.

"Both victims were found in alley dumpsters." Hotch says. "Each had her throat slashed and had been brutally beaten."

"This guy literally dumped his victims like trash." Rossi says.

"Classic misogynistic sadist." Kate says.

"Definitely looks like the torture escalates with each attack." Derek says.

"These women weren't just cut, they were beaten to a pulp. That feels personal." JJ says.

"It's possible the unsub knew both victims, or at the very least used them as a surrogates for the true object of his anger." Spencer says.

"He abducts, offends, and disposes of each victim before anyone notices they're gone." Hotch says.

"He may be preying on loner types." Derek says.

"It looks like both have ligature marks on their wrists and ankles." Danielle notes.

"Which means he has a secure secondary location where he holds them captive." JJ says.

"So he could be testing how much torture his victims can take." Kate says.

"And then when he's done with his fun, if things don't go as planned, he silences them permanently by slitting their throats." Derek says.

"The preliminary M.E. report shows that neither of the victims were sexually assaulted." Spencer says.

"Maybe he's impotent." JJ suggests.

"Or the abuse is what really turns him on." Rossi says.

"Either way, he's enjoying their pain. And he's gonna want to experience that again. Wheels up in 30." Hotch says.

+++

"This creep definitely has a type." Penelope states. "Both women were roughly the same age, same look. Cute brunettes are his thing."

"Myia Collins was single. She grew up in the area and worked at the local elementary school as a substitute teacher." Kate says.

"Lauren White recently moved back to Diamond Bar after she and her husband split." Rossi says.

"It says here Lauren recently started working part time as a nurse." Derek says.

"So both women had jobs in which it wouldn't necessarily be noticed if they were gone for a few days." Hotch says.

"What about friends and family?" Danielle asks.

"Lauren has a sister, Heather. Myia, not so much. All her family is in Ohio." Penelope says.

"We know this guy's good at being invisible. Both women were last seen leaving work and never made it back home." Rossi says.

"He has to be abducting them in public." Derek says.

"Both were technically single. They could have been looking to meet new people. Maybe that was his in." JJ says.

"Raymond Fernandez used to place personal ads in the newspaper." Spencer states. "He would seduce and rob the women who answered them."

"The unsub could be a lonely hearts killer." JJ says.

"Maybe he hunts his victims at places where singles hang out. You know, bars, night clubs, chess tournaments." Spencer lists.

Everybody gives him weird looks.

"I mean, he's not wrong." Danielle defends. "If you're at a chess tournament, you're definitely single." She lets out a small laugh. "No offense." She tells her brother.

"If the women turned down his advances, it could have emasculated him." Hotch says.

"You rejected me. I'm literally going to make you feel my pain." Rossi says.

"But he's not breaking their hearts, he's breaking their bodies." Derek says.

"All right, when we land, JJ, you and Kate go to the M.E. Morgan, reach out to the families. The rest of us will set up at the precinct." Hotch orders.

+++

"Agent Hotchner. Thanks for coming out."

"Detective Davenport." He shakes his hand. "This is Agent Rossi, Agent Reid, Dr. Reid."

"Welcome. Right this way." Davenport leads them through the door. "To be honest, this kind of thing doesn't happen around here. This guy has the entire city on edge."

"A serial killer will do that." Rossi remarks.

"Your team can set up in here." He motions to the room.

"Thank you." Hotch tells him, the group going inside. They look at the board that has a map and crime scene photos already on it.

"Have any witnesses come forward?" Spencer asks.

"I have my guys out interviewing local merchants, but so far we're coming up empty." Davenport says.

"Have you noticed any variations in traffic patterns near where the bodies were found?" Spencer asks.

"That road's a commuter nightmare. Why?" Davenport asks.

"The unsub had to know the traffic in order to escape detection." Hotch says.

"Grand Avenue's 18 miles long and runs through 4 other cities." Spencer says.

"He could have spread the dump sites but chose not to." Rossi says.

"Both victims were found within a mile of one another." Davenport says.

"That's a huge risk the unsub didn't have to take." Danielle says.

"The area must be important to him." Hotch says.

"Or convenient." Spencer counters. "What are you willing to bet the unsub either lives or works nearby?"

+++

"Thanks, Garcia." Rossi hangs up. "Well, Lauren's ex-husband, Doug, checked out. He's been in Seattle touring with his band the past few weeks."

"According to her sister, she was promiscuous." Derek says, walking in. "Said she would fall head over heels for any man who showed her the slightest amount of attention."

"That may rule out the lonely hearts theory." Spencer says. "That type of unsub typically thrives off of challenge."

"Lauren wouldn't have given him that." Rossi says.

"You know what? There might be another connection we haven't considered." JJ says. "Myia was never promoted to full time because supervisors described her as quiet and submissive."

"Heather said Lauren struggled with needing a man to validate her worth." Derek says.

"It speaks to both their levels of confidence." Spencer says.

"This unsub could be targeting women with self-image issues." Danielle says.

+++

The unsub abducted another woman and the team are currently giving the profile.

"We believe we're looking for a white male in his mid to late 30s who has a history of physical and psychological abuse." Hotch states.

"This unsub is a projecting punisher, which means he's victimizing women he believes in one way or another haven't stood up for themselves." Rossi says.

"With the first two victims, he caused injuries that are consistent with domestic abuse." Derek says. "With his latest victim, Greta Thomas, not only is she a mother, but she's an actual victim of abuse."

"And her husband was jailed last night after an altercation at the family home." Hotch states.

Spencer glances down at Danielle, noticing her picking and pulling at her fingers behind her back.

"Which is why we believe the unsub's mother was the one that actually suffered physical abuse." Kate says.

"It's likely he blamed her for allowing the violence to enter and continue in the home." Spencer says.

"Rather than viewing his mother as a victim, he holds resentment towards her because of the upheaval and fear he lived with." JJ says.

"He hates the idea of what she represented." Rossi states. 

"The hesitation marks on the earlier victims indicate that the unsub feels conflicted by his actions." Spencer explains.

"It's possible he does not want to hurt the women he abducts, but somehow he feels he has to." Derek says.

"Given his warped sense of justice, he may see himself as a protector of these women." JJ says. "He may even want them to fight back."

"He lost control at an early age and he's desperate to regain it." Rossi says.

"We should look at domestic abuse cases going back 25 to 30 years." Hotch tells everybody. 

"Take a look at locations battered women frequent -- group homes, women's shelters, legal hearings." JJ lists.

"For now, our primary goal is to bring Greta Thomas home alive and safe." Hotch states. "Thank you."

Danielle lets out a small sigh as they finally finish. She rubs her ear, quickly escaping the crowded room.

~ ~ ~

Danielle calmed herself down in the bathroom and is back in the conference room where they have the board set up. She's the only one in there for the moment, staring at an old case file of a domestic abuse case.

"Hey." Danielle flinches at the voice, whirling around in her chair to find Spencer. "Sorry." He quietly says.

"No, it-- you're fine. I'm just jumpy." Danielle dismisses, running a hand through her hair.

"Because of the case?" Spencer asks.

"Well, we are, as always, dealing with a crazy bad guy." Danielle remarks.

"Yeah, but... what he's doing. Why he's doing it. What Greta Thomas is going through." Spencer says.

"Spencer, I'm fine." Danielle huffs, pulling at her ear. Spencer sighs, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from her ear.

"No, you aren't." Spencer argues.

"Spencer--"

"If you wanna call me out, I can call you out. I raised you. I have all the rights to call you out." Spencer states. Danielle sighs.

"Okay, well, I'm also not 9 anymore. You can't make me talk." Danielle replies.

"You can sit out on the case if--"

"No. No, I don't need to--" Danielle takes a deep breath before she starts yelling. "I don't need a break. I am fine."

"Dani, if it's too personal--"

"I am fine!" Her voice raises slightly, shutting Spencer up. "I--" She sighs, rubbing her forehead. Spencer sadly watches her, her cheeks reddening as she gets worked up. She bites the inside of her cheek so she doesn't cry. "Can you just leave it alone? If I need help, I will come to you, okay?"

"Promise?" Spencer asks. Danielle lets out a long sigh before looking at him and his puppy dog eyes.

"Promise." She quietly tells him.

Spencer nods.

"Do you want some water? I can get you a snack, too." Spencer says.

"I-- yeah. Yeah, sure." Danielle says, knowing he's mostly giving her a few moments to pull herself together. Spencer nods, getting up. He quickly kisses her on the head before walking out.

Danielle sighs, burying her face in her hands.

+++

They had called it a night, knowing they all needed to get some sleep. Going back to their hotel, everybody went to their own rooms, bidding goodbye until the morning.

Danielle lies awake in her bed, playing with her fingers as she stares up at the ceiling. She glances around the room, letting out a small groan.

After careful consideration, she gets up. She grabs her phone and room key before leaving, making sure the door's shut. She walks the small distance to Spencer's room and gently knocks on the door.

After he doesn't answer for a few moments, Danielle continues to knock on the door, it growing louder by the moment. The door finally opens after a minute or two, a slightly disheveled Spencer on the other side.

"Dani?" He asks, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry." She winces. "I didn't know you were asleep already."

"It's okay." Spencer promises. "What do you need?"

"I... could I sleep in here?" Danielle asks. "It just-- my mind won't stop running and... and sleeping in any of the other dudes' rooms would be kinda weird. I'm not sleepover close with Kate, JJ would probably poke and prod more than you. So..." She shrugs. "Plus, I do feel safest with you, even if you are a twig."

"Thank you?" Spencer's face scrunches in confusion.

"Yep." Danielle mumbles, walking into the room. Spencer shuts the door, locking it.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, just... don't want to be alone." Danielle says, getting on the untouched side of the bed. Spencer returns to his spot, lying down in bed.

"You want to talk about it?" Spencer asks.

"Nope." Danielle shakes her head. "Just... rummaging around all the bad memories." She sighs.

Spencer gives her a sympathetic smile, reaching out and gently squeezing her hand.

"You're safe." He reassures. "He can't get you. The unsub isn't gonna get you either."

"I know." Danielle mumbles, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it to her chest. "I just... he takes up a lot of mental space sometimes." She weakly laughs.

"I get it." Spencer says, rubbing her arm. He continues to rub her arm until he's certain she fell asleep.

+++

"Final M.E. report just came through. Take a look at the stomach contents." Rossi hands out the files.

"Saltwater, honey, ginger, and tea." Spencer lists.

"She also found multiple ulcerations of the vocal chords of both victims, most likely from all the screaming." Rossi says.

Spencer stares into space.

"Spill it, kid. I can see you got a theory." Derek says.

"The saltwater could serve another purpose." Spencer says. "Honey, ginger, tea, and saltwater are often used to treat sore throats."

"Maybe something about their voices is what's driving him." Rossi says.

"But a sadist wouldn't go to such lengths to heal his victims." Derek says.

"Especially when his final act of rage is slicing their throats." Rossi says.

"This guy's destroying the very thing he's trying to preserve." Derek says.

"All the torture could simply be a means to an end." Spencer says.

"If it's not about the violence, what's it about?" Rossi asks.

"Their screams." Spencer says.

+++

"According to child services, Peter was in and out of foster homes. Says he carried a tape recorder with him wherever he went." Spencer informs.

"In his statement of the night when his parents died, he said they were arguing. Maybe he recorded it." Derek says.

"John never mentioned Peter giving him a tape." Kate says.

"Maybe Folkmore didn't know. Karen died before Peter could give him the tape." Spencer says.

"You think he would hold on to it for all those years?" Kate asks.

"Well, it's possible. The tape would have been his last memory of his mother, so he kept it for himself." Derek says.

"Something must have happened to the original recording." Spencer says.

"There's your trigger." Kate says as Derek's phone rings.

"He's not going to stop until he replaces what he lost." Danielle says.

"Hey, sweetness, give it to me good." Derek says.

"I will. Peter Folkmore has only existed in the system for the last 16 years." Penelope says. "He works at the Angel Network for Women for the last 8 years."

"Working there allowed him to do for other women what he couldn't do for his mother." Kate says.

"Karen wasn't the only one making distress calls. A month ago, Peter called the fire department regarding a small fire in his basement. According to insurance claims, he lost a slew of, quote, "priceless belongings.""

"That's right before the murders started." Spencer says.

"Do you have an address?" Kate asks.

"Work and home already sent to you." Penelope says.

"JJ, Danielle, and I will take the house." Kate says.

"We'll grab the others and go to the shelter." Derek says.

+++

They get to the house and JJ kicks the door open, everybody going inside. They split up, Danielle going to the basement.

She quietly walks down the steps, keeping her gun and flashlight at the ready. She looks around before she walks further into the room. Spotting a closet, she makes her way over to it.

Before she's able to open it, the doors swing open and Peter punches her. Danielle grunts as she falls to the floor, her gun and flashlight flying across the room.

She starts to get up, running for her gun, but Peter hits her in the back with a baseball bat knocking her back down. Danielle cries out in pain as she falls back to the floor.

Peter swings at her head, but she manages to duck. She grabs him, trying to knock him down, but Peter overpowers her, slamming her into the wall making her cry out in pain. He grabs her, Danielle turning and punching him in the face a few times. Peter punches her before throwing her to the floor.

Danielle groans as she props herself up on her elbows, scooting back a bit. Peter grabs his bat, holding it up, prepared to strike.

"Scream for me." Peter orders. A gunshot goes off, the bat falling from Peter's grip. He falls to the floor.

"Yeah, right." Danielle mutters.

"You okay?" JJ asks her.

"I'm fine. Go-- go check on her." Danielle points back to where Greta is.

"We need a medic down here ASAP." Davenport says into the radio.

"Hey. You okay?" Kate asks, helping Danielle stand up.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Danielle says. "I've had much worse."

Kate picks up a recorder and presses the button, the group listening to what just happened. Kate stops the recording after the gunshot.

+++

"Are you sure you're okay?" Spencer asks, frowning at his sister's black eye and the bruise on her forehead.

"I'm fine, Spence." Danielle insists for what feels like the millionth time.

"You don't look--"

"Spencer." She enunciates his name. "You're super overbearing. Stop it."

"I'm just making sure you're okay." Spencer says.

"And I appreciate that." Danielle tells him. "But when I say I'm okay, don't keep asking me if I'm okay."

"We're both very good at lying about that, though." Spencer points out.

"Okay, well, I'll manage." Danielle assures.

"I just--"

"I know." Danielle groans, knowing he only cares. "I know you're just... being overprotective, over worried big brother-dad, whatever. But I am fine." She promises. "It's two small bruises that'll be gone before you know it."

"And your mental state?" Spencer questions.

"Well, in all fairness, I don't think I've had a good mental state since, like, birth. Or least since dad walked out." Danielle says. Spencer gives her a look. "Get a sense of humor, would you?"

"Danielle." He warns.

"I'm not any worse than usual. I think that counts for something." Danielle says. "So, I'm gonna take a nap, do not wake me until the year 2030." She smiles, making her way to the couch while Spencer rolls his eyes.