Trama

While the BAU are in Miami investigating a series of bizarre ritualistic murders, Reid suffers from intense migraines which makes him concerned about his health.

Reid is suffering from prolonged headaches and hallucinations, which he has not told the team. The symptoms are exacerbated by exposure to light, which will not be helped by needing to travel to Miami, Florida for their next case. Three people so far in a Latino neighborhood have been murdered in what looks to be some sort of Afro-Caribbean religious ritual. The victims, all murdered in their home (if you count that the one homeless man was murdered where he usually sleeps), had their eyes and mouth covered with shells. Hands or fingers were severed and some animals were also sacrificed. All the victims seemed to have willingly participated in the ritual ceremony before they were murdered, meaning that they knew their killer. The team's task in finding the unsub is made more difficult in that the residents of the neighborhood are suspect of outsiders, especially the authorities. In speaking to Hollis Walker Jr., a local college professor and authority on Afro-Caribbean religions, they learn that there will probably be seven victims in total for a specific ritual which seems to be in play. Julio Ruiz, a worker in the local soup kitchen where all the victims frequented, and his assistant, a former troubled teen named Elian Morales, are prime suspects as they fit all the characteristics of the profile, including actually participating in and understanding the religion. Inconsistent statements lead the team to the unsub. This case is especially illuminating for Reid in dealing with his personal issue.—Huggo

The BAU team arrives in Miami to investigate a bizarre, ritualistic murder (involving a bloody goat skull). Almost immediately, Reid begins to suffer from strange headaches. Morgan asks the boy wonder if he is feeling alright. "A lot better than that goat," Reid quips despite the pain. Hotch and Emily, meanwhile, visits the scene of the crime. Inside the home is a bloody footprint. Sloppy on the part of the killer. "It's almost like he planned this thing very carefully, then reality was nothing like his imagination," Emily says. "But he is getting used to it." Hotch theorizes that the unsub had been here before. He also explains why shells that have been placed over the victim's eyes and mouth. "He's symbolically silencing the victims," Hotch says. Spooky.

Cut to Morgan and Reid, who interview Jimmy, the victim's self-professed "best friend." Jimmy tells the pair that the victim was suffering from cancer, but wasn't visiting a doctor. Instead, the victim was using some kind of home remedy. The community is no help, however. Derek calls Garcia and requests an "expert on Afro-Caribbean religion." Hotch wonders why the victims would participate in a ritual before they were killed. Could they have possibly known what they were getting into? Later, Reid studies the case files when his head begins to hurt again. He sees visions of the goat head ... a dove ... a strange chalk drawing on a concrete floor. What does it all mean?

The next day, Morgan gets bad news from Hotch: Jimmy has been murdered. "Anyone talking to us can be a risk," Hotch notes. It gets worse. Jimmy's head and hands were cut free from his body. His brain and tongue were also removed. Professor Walker, meanwhile, arrives and explains that all the signs -- outside of the murders, of course -- point toward a religion that calls on the "spirits of the dead." Later, the BAU team delivers its profile to the local cops. The unsub is likely younger -- or at least immature -- and might be in a position within the community help those in need. In other words, he preys on those who come to him for help. Garcia then calls: all the victims were frequent visitors to a nearby soup kitchen where Jimmy was interviewed. Interesting.

So Morgan and Reid visit a man who works at the soup kitchen (one who refused to speak to them earlier) -- and find a roomful of people engaged in a ritual that involves sacrificing a chicken. The leader of the ritual, Julio, stops cold upon seeing the agents. Turns out Julio used to be in a gang that specialized in cutting the hands and heads off their victims. Later, Reid interrogates Julio, who admits that all the victims came to him to be "healed" before they were killed. Unfortunately, Reid is having another one of his headaches -- and Julio seems to know it. The suspect then begins to chant and shake.

Rossi and Emily, meanwhile, heads back to Julio's place and discover a pair of bloody shoes ... and a stash of "smack." It could belong to Julio's assistant, a young man Morgan and Reid saw earlier. Sure enough, the young man walks in on Rossi and Emily -- and makes a run for it! The BAU team members give chase, but lose the boy on the streets. Damn. Back at police HQ, Morgan worries about Reid. "Something weird was definitely going on in there," he tells Hotch. Later, Julio explains that his body was temporary taken over by a saint -- and that the chanting revealed that the spirits of the dead were "spoiling" Reid's head. Considering the creepiness, Reid takes it well.

Morgan enters with news: they found a bag of drugs at Julio's house. Julio explains that his young assistant, Elian, is the child of junkies -- and is probably using again. Julio appears genuinely upset to hear that Elian is on the run. Julio claims to have taken in the boy in an attempt to teach him "right and wrong." Alas, Julio displayed some "tough love" by putting Elian in juvenile detention until about a week prior -- when the murders started. Theorizes Rossi: "His rage against Julio and his junkie parents could be taken out on the victims." More evidence: the blood on the shoes found in Elian's room is human.

Later, Julio offers his help in finding Elian. He also tells Reid that the boy wonder's head if full of "ghosts" from doing this kind of grisly investigative work "day in and day out." "Ghosts?" asks a skeptical Morgan. Reid looks away before exiting. Julio also explains that the cut-out tongue would mean nothing in a ritual -- which is strange because Professor Walker, an expert on the subject, never mentioned as much. Walker is also writing a book. "What better way to get publicity then a series of murders?" Emily asks. Suddenly, then, the suspicion shifts from Elian to Walker, who could have served as a secondary father figure to Elian after Julio sent the boy to juvie. In fact, the BAU team theorizes that Walker could have given Elian all the bloody artifacts from the murders under the guise of teaching him (Elian likely didn't realize the blood was human). Walker also did quite a bit of book-research work at the soup kitchen. It all fits.

Julio, in the meantime, combs the streets for Elian when he is BASHED in the head by an unseen assailant. Meanwhile, Garcia reveals that Walker's mother committed suicide when he was younger. His father, who wrote 10 books on African religions, also clearly abused Walker. So the professor is competing with dear ol' dad for recognition and approval. Sounds like motive. The BAU team heads to Walker's home, but finds it empty. Suddenly, Reid has his worst headache yet. When the pain clears, he spies a newspaper clipping about a foster home ... one that is located directly across the street.

So Reid, on his own, heads to the foster home -- and finds Walker holding Elian and Julio hostage. "Everyone will want to learn about the religion that drove the boy crazy!" raves Walker, who has planned to frame Elian all along. He also plans to blame the boy for the impending deaths of Reid and Julio. Reid argues that it's not about the book, but about earning his father's approval. The revelation unnerves Walker just enough that he briefly lets his guard down. Reid thinks fast by grabbing a blunt object and HITTING Walker in the face. Just then, the BAU team BURSTS through the door. Walker is arrested.

"Do you think he'll come to visit when I'm in jail?" a pathetic Walker asks. "My father?" Julio, meanwhile, asks Reid if he really believes that it was coincidence that he suddenly spotted the photograph of the foster home. According to Julio, it was the help of the ghosts. Julio then hands Reid a supposedly magical bracelet for "protection." Asks Hotch: "Are you alright?" Reid says he is fine. Later, the boy wonder visits a doctor -- and discovers that there is nothing physically wrong with him. The doctor suggests a "psychosomatic" disorder. Reid, whose mother suffers from mental illness, vehemently denies the prognoses -- and storms out of the office. To be continued, we're sure ...