Brian Appel

The BAU travels to San Diego to stop a rapist and murderer who commits his crimes in the middle of the day. The suspect appears to blend into the neighborhood so well the local authorities have been unable to capture him.

The squad are led into a psychological game with a budding serial killer, who challenges them to solve a series of complicated clues in order to prevent the murder of his next victim.

The team continues to unravel the clues and riddles of a psychopath in order to save his most recent victim. Instead of focusing on the personal aspects of the case, Gideon tells the team to profile the killer as they would in any other investigation. While the team splits up to hunt down the killer, Dr. Reid stays behind to work on the clues and uncovers a personal connection that cannot be ignored and could crack the case wide open. Meanwhile, one of the team fights for their life.

The team members try to identify a stalker before he can attack a woman who is being stalked in Silver Spring, Maryland.

While Agent Hotchner takes a leave of absence to contemplate his future with the BAU, the team is called to investigate a home invasion case in Nashville without him.