"We can't let Cheryl speak with him any further," Gideon said, breaking the intense silence that filled the room.
"Why not?" Cheryl demanded.
"It's only feeding his psychosis." Reid explained "To allow your interaction. Was Trish involved in any serious relationships prior to the kidnapping?"
"With the boy that was killed." Evan replied "They were together for two years,"
"Trish didn't want me to tell you. They were getting engaged,"
Gideon let out a stress-filled sighed "Well, that certainly could have been the unsub's stressor,"
Reid nodded in agreement.
"What does that mean?" Evan asked. "Will someone please tell me what we're dealing with here?"
"De Clerambault's Syndrome," Reid said "Otherwise known as Erotomania, the belief that someone, usually of higher social status but not necessarily a celebrity, is in love with you. Erotomanics believe that the objects of their affection are subtly professing their love for them through looks, gestures..."
"Glances." Gideon interrupted "He said 'you asked me with your glances',"
"The unsub truly and full-heartedly believes that Cheryl and Trish are in love with him. They don't tell him this with their voices. No, with gestures and looks. He's obsessed with them,"
"What does that mean?" Evan questioned.
"He is the most determined kind of criminal," Gideon admitted.
***
"Crime of obsession. Your specialty, your lead, Morgan," Hotchner said as the team stood in the kitchen.
"I think we should recheck everyone on Davenport's staff against the profile of a stalker," Morgan claimed.
"Aren't stalking behaviors pretty diverse?" Elle questioned.
"There's overlap. Narcissistic, inflated sense of self-worth, history of bad relationships,"
"What do we know so far?" Hotchner asked.
"He's probably white, obviously male..." Morgan listed. "Sophisticated speech pattern,"
"Sophisticated, yet bizarre," Gideon explained "He rarely uses contractions. It's not 'You're', it's 'you are',"
"This guy's pretentious. He wants to sound smarter than he actually is." Morgan shrugged "Whatever position of authority or level of success this guy has, he had to struggle for it,"
"We also have to face the possibility at this point..." Hotchner began.
"That Trish may already be dead," Samarra finished.
"You know, so far he's called every play. I say we apply some pressure, make him sweat," Morgan said.
"Well, there's only one way to do that," Gideon claimed.
***
Everyone in the room remained silent and unmoving when the phone rang.
Davenport moved to pick up the phone.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Gideon told him before picking up the phone and then hanging up.
"What are you doing?" Davenport asked.
The telephone rang again.
"Agent Gideon..."
Gideon answered the phone "Hello?"
"Tell me there was a technical issue with the line," the unsub said, "because if you actually hung up on m..."
Gideon hung up once more.
"What the hell are you doing?" Davenport questioned.
The phone rang again.
"Are you gonna answer it?" Cheryl asked.
"Why is he doing this? What is he...what..." Davenport wondered. "You're gonna drive this guy crazy. Just answer the phone,"
"Quiet." Gideon told them "Please, quiet,"
Samarra stopped Cheryl from going to the phone "Cheryl, he knows what he's doing,"
"Somebody has to answer it!" Cheryl exclaimed.
"Just answer the phone, for God's sake!" Davenport argued as he went for the phone "Pick up the phone..."
"Don't touch it!" Gideon told him.
"Gideon knows what he's doing," Elle said.
Gideon answered the phone "Davenport residence,"
"Are you out of your mind?" The Unsub exclaimed. "You do realize, you do understand, that I'll kill her?! Do you..."
Gideon hung up again.
The phone rang again.
"You're killing my daughter!" Davenport exclaimed "Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone!"
"Get him quiet," Gideon said. "Mr. Davenport get a hold of yourself,"
"Answer the phone!"
"Quiet him!"
Gideon answered the phone
"She is dead!" The Unsub exclaimed
"No!" Cheryl cried.
"You hang up on me again, and I rip her open!"
"I'm sorry. You must have the wrong number," Gideon claimed as he hung up again.
"Come on, Gideon," Morgan said.
"You killed her," Davenport cried.
"No, sir," Gideon said.
"Oh, yeah. Then what...what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm saving your daughter, Mr. Davenport,"
The telephone rang again.
"Have a little faith," Gideon said as he answered the phone.
"Put Cheryl on the phone." The unsub demanded.
"No. You're finished talking to Cheryl,"
"Listen to that tone of authority. Just like your published work, Agent Gideon. Fascinating to hear the same arrogant quality in your own voice,"
Reid nudged Sam and she moved away from Cheryl to put on her headphones and get back to work.
"Are you a bit of a pedant, Jason, a bit didactic?"
"Well, that's a very interesting conclusion." Gideon noted "You sound intelligent, and you certainly sound educated, and...we both know that's not true,"
"Oh, I know all about you. The ambitious Agent Hotchner? Do you wanna be the director of the FBI someday, Agent Hotchner? Would you step on Jason Gideon to get there? I think you would. Posttraumatic stress is a very good excuse. Even your sick, pregnant wife can't get you to leave your post. Jason Gideon, an expert in the criminal psyche, yet unable to diagnose the autistic leanings of the very insecure Dr. Reid. Well, maybe he can make money counting cards in Las Vegas. The Lovely Elle was promoted too soon. She doesn't have what it takes to make it in the BAU Boys Club. You're no threat to me, you're no threat to anyone. And Token Derek Morgan wants to be taken seriously, but he is just a pumped-up side of beef. And little Samarra Reid, a girl who thinks that solving everyone else's demons will save her from her own. I know who you are, I know how you think, and I know what to do next! Do you?" The unsub hung up.
Samarra let out a shaky breath as she took off her headphones.
"What the hell was that?" Davenport asked "Why did he say that he knows what to do next? Is he gonna hurt my daughter?"
Gideon shook his head "He was grandstanding. You don't know that. You...you can't possibly know that,"
"Mr. Davenport, I have learned more in the last 5 minutes than in the last 24 hours,"
"Oh, really? Well, I don't understand. Why is he focused on you right now?"
"Because we are interfering in his relationship with the girls," Morgan explained.
"He said he knows all about you,"
"Apparently, yes." Sam sighed.
"He profiled us, Mr. Davenport," Morgan said.
"Why would he do that?" Chloe asked.
"To show us how smart he is," Elle replied.
"Oftentimes the best profilers are the unsubs themselves," Reig explained. "They're the ones who are able to walk into an arcade full of children and pinpoint the boy or girl that can be led out quietly,"
"But he made a mistake because he gave us something he didn't expect," Samarra reasoned.
"Uh-huh, which is?" Davenport asked.
"He told us how to find him,"