Criminal Minds

At night on a Baltimore city street, a man has just arrived at his house. As he exits his car and opens the back door, two men from a van approach him, hit him, throw a sack over his head, and shove him into the van. Screams can be heard from the van, and one of the kidnappers tosses something into the man's car, then re-enters the van and drives away.



The next morning, Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss arrives at the BAU headquarters and tells Agent Anderson she needs to see her daughter, Emily, and one of her superiors. Prentiss and Hotch interview Ambassador Prentiss, Mrs. Chernus, the wife of the abducted man, and her daughter, Natalya, in Hotch's office. Natalya tells them she saw her father's car on the road the night before when she took out the trash, and her father had been kidnapped. Prentiss and Hotch tell the ambassador and the Chernuses they should have called the police – there are protocols to follow to involve the BAU on a case like this. Mrs. Chernus speaks to her daughter in Russian, telling her she knew the authorities would not help. Ambassador Prentiss tells the agents the kidnappers had left a note telling the Chernuses to wire $100,000 to a bank in Russia by noon, and, if they don't, adds Natalya, "They'll send another piece every six hours after." She unwraps a piece of paper that contains her father's severed ring finger.



In the conference room, a CSU tech agent attempts to put the finger in an evidence bag, but Mrs. Chernus does not want her to take it away. Natalya holds the cooler containing the finger on her lap as Reid asks her exactly what the Russian note says. Natalya is able to remember the note word-for-word, and Reid notes there is no personalization or salutation – the note is not addressed to anyone, and her father's name is not mentioned specifically, and it doesn't say not to contact the police. Natalya tells the team their family does not have $100,000, although the kidnappers think they do. Garcia tries to check on the bank account through her computer, but she has no idea how Russian banks store their data, so she suggests calling the bank directly. Ambassador Prentiss suggests they go through the Russian Embassy in Moscow and she'll be glad to handle that, but Prentiss is certain the banks will not cooperate with an FBI probe. The ambassador believes she still might have some friends in Moscow, so she leaves to begin making calls.



Hotch divides up assignments for the team. Morgan will take Natalya back to her house in case the kidnappers call again. Mrs. Chernus will stay with Hotch and Prentiss at BAU headquarters while they wait for an interpreter. Gideon and Reid will go to Baltimore to meet with local FBI Agent Kramer to see if he has similar open cases. On the BAU jet, Morgan notices Natalya seems more determined than frightened. Gideon tells Morgan to profile the house as well as Natalya when they get to the Chernus' home.



JJ introduces the Russian translator to Mrs. Chernus, and Prentiss leaves to assist her mother with the Russian banks.



In Baltimore, Agent Kramer meets Gideon and Reid outside the Chernus' home. He had been working a string of mutilation kidnappings in the Russian community for over a year, and tells them, "I've got zip." Families, witnesses, even victims are not cooperating. "These are Russian criminals kidnapping other Russian criminals." Kramer believes the Chernus family is involved in Russian organized crime because, although the Russian mob is ruthless, civilians aren't victimized. The families don't go to the police because they have something to hide. But the Chernus family did go to the authorities and they have no money. Reid calls Garcia to ask her to find everything she can find about the Chernus family, including their bank records and immigration status. As the three speak outside the house, one of the neighbors peeks at them through the curtains from his front window.



Morgan looks through the pictures on the mantle at Natalya's house and notices pictures of three children – two boys and a girl. Natalya tells him about her two brothers who died of diphtheria when she was five years old. Her parents were never the same. Another picture shows her grandfather who was a party official in the Communist government. He was jailed before the rest of the family fled Russia in 1988. She is bitter the Russian criminals followed other Russians to America and now still prey on them. Morgan tells her, "In America, they can only hurt you if you're afraid to ask for help." "Is that really true?" she asks. "Most of the time," Morgan replies.



In a large refrigerated room in a meat packing plant, Mr. Chernus is hanging by his from a meat hook, while a large Russian man punches him and another looks on. Lyov continues to hit Mr. Chernus, until the other Russian, Fyodor, stops him, telling him they just need to wait to get the money. Lyov tells Mr. Chernus he can't wait to cut him again, but Fyodor comforts Mr. Chernus, telling him "They'll send the money. They always do."



Agent Kramer tells Gideon and Reid that the Russians have recently sent "pakhans" or lieutenants to open branch offices of the Russian mob. They had been settling in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, but now were targeting others, like Baltimore. They are mainly offshoots of the Odessa Mafia and tough to crack since they all abide by the Vory v Zakone, "The Thieves' Code," the 18 defining principles of the Russian Mob, and stepping outside of it is certain death. Gideon has seen the neighbor looking through his window again, and approaches the man's door. The name "Gorban" is listed on his mailbox. Gideon introduces himself to Mr. Gorban, notices half his ring finger is missing, then asks him if he noticed Mr. Chernus' abduction the night before. Before Mr. Gorban can answer, a large black sedan pulls up, and Mr. Gorban shuts the door in Gideon's face. A man and two thugs get out of the car.



Agent Kramer introduces the man who emerges from the sedan as Arseny Lysowsky. Lysowsky tells Kramer he heard the Chernuses had problems, although the Chernuses haven't told anyone but the FBI about the kidnapping. Natalya runs out to confront Lysowsky, insisting that he has her father. Lysowsky says he's only there to help, in any way she'd like him to. He tells Natalya she didn't have to involve outsiders, but she tells him to leave, and her family will never ask for help from him.



At the meat packing plant, Fyodor is left with Mr. Chernus. Chernus is shivering from the cold, but, as Fyodor begins to remove his coat to give to Chernus, Lyov reenters the room and demands the knife. Fyodor tells him there are still more than two hours left before the deadline, but Lyov insists. Lyov says he is doing this now because the FBI has become involved in the case. He then lops off Mr. Chernus' ear.



Natalya is becoming frustrated. She wants to know what Morgan and the team are doing to help since she only has two hours to give the kidnappers money she doesn't have. Morgan explains they are studying the situation, and he is studying her victimology to try to determine why the Chernuses were targeted. He's noticed there are no pictures of Natalya after her brothers died. The family is not close, and they have no money but they don't want anyone to know it.



At the Prentiss home, mother and daughter discuss her assignment to the BAU, and Prentiss explains that, although it is difficult and demanding, it is where she wants to be. Before their discussion breaks down into an argument, a Russian official returns the ambassador's call. He explains that there is nothing he can do to cut through the red tape with the Russian banks. Ambassador Prentiss is very upset that she wasn't able to do anything to help, and Prentiss returns to the BAU headquarters.



Gideon and Reid are at the Baltimore field office getting a crash course on the Russian mob from Agent Kramer. Reid examines drawings of tattoos that are used to communicate which criminals are associated with which crimes. The Pakhan, which means "Head Thief in Law," is the boss and controls criminal activity in the area. He also has access to the Obochek, a pool of money that he can use almost without question. Garcia calls with some background information on Lysowsky. He was born in Dol Goprudniv, near Moscow, is a widower, and has spent time in four separate prisons including one in Perm, but she could find no connections between him and the Chernus family.



Reid, Gideon and Kramer then discuss the Vory v Zakone. This code includes mandates to forsake all relatives, including spouses and children, and to help fellow criminals, but it doesn't mention helping non-criminals. Gideon wonders why Lysowsky wants to help the Chernus family, and asks Kramer where he could go to speak with Lysowsky. Gideon doesn't understand a man who would kidnap a man, and then offer help to get him back. Kramer tells him about a restaurant he uses as a base of operations called "Little Kiev."



Prentiss returns to Hotch's office to tell him it turns out her mother "isn't infallible after all." They both are frustrated by their inability to help the Chernus family.



Morgan and Natalya begin discussing their families to pass the time. He tells her that he is from Chicago, and she explains that she grew up in Dol Goprudniv, near Moscow. Yuri, a small boy from down the street, comes to the door with a box for Natalya. Inside they find her father's ear. Morgan rushes out into the street to see if he can find the man who gave the box to Yuri, but the street is empty.



Outside Little Kiev, Gideon and Reid quickly finish reading through the files about additional kidnappings. Kramer tells them even the victims with obvious wounds and fingers missing would not talk about their kidnappings because they were all criminals themselves. Morgan calls Gideon and tells him about the delivery of Natalya's father's ear. A handwritten note that was delivered with it now demands $500,000 by 1:00 p.m., and further states, "Say hello to the FBI." Gideon asks Kramer to wait outside the restaurant while he and Reid interview Lysowsky, since Kramer and the Pakhan already have a relationship, and Lysowsky would not want to lose face in front of Kramer.



Morgan tries to comfort Natalya who has retreated to the bathroom, hysterical, but she won't answer him through the door. As he becomes concerned, he hears a car speed away outside, and rushes out to see Natalya racing off.



At the restaurant, Gideon and Reid sit with Lysowsky as he eats a bowl of borscht. Gideon tells Lysowsky that he understands Lysowsky has a problem. There is only one reason why a man like him would go to the Chernus' home with an offer of help. As Lysowsky uses his napkin, Reid notices the tattoos on his hands and arms, and reads off the details: "Four watchtowers and a convict signifies a stay in prison, each one of those crosses represents an individual sentence." Gideon tells him he didn't get where he is in the Russian Mob by reaching out to people in need in the community. Gideon has figured out that someone in Lysowsky's organization is acting without Lysowsky's knowledge or control. Lysowsky denies it. Gideon knows that, if anyone in the Odessa organization finds out that Lysowsky has a maverick, he will lose everything, and might even be killed. Lysowsky reveals a large tattoo of a cross on his chest and asks Reid if he knows what that means. "You're a Thief in Law – the boss." "In my world there is no such thing as a control problem," Lysowsky states. "There is control and there is dead."



Natalya enters the restaurant looking for Lysowsky. She says she made a mistake and now wants his help. She thanks Gideon and Reid for trying to help her, but claims that she doesn't need their help anymore.



Ambassador Prentiss comes back to the BAU to talk to Prentiss just as Mrs. Chernus is learning her husband's ear had been cut off. Prentiss explains they don't think Mr. Chernus is dead. Ambassador Prentiss wonders if the family has still been told to wire the money to the same Russian bank. When Prentiss says yes, the ambassador explains that, at the morning briefing, Garcia had told them that without an understanding of how Russian banks operate, she could not get any information. Ambassador Prentiss hands a paper to Prentiss that contains all the information Garcia needs to get into the Russian banking system. Her contacts have finally come through for her.



Morgan arrives at Little Kiev to find Natalya getting into a sedan with Lysowsky. He can't believe the team is going to give up just because she told them to leave. Reid notes that, if a crime victim claims no crime occurred, there's nothing for them to do. Gideon corrects him – it wasn't the victim, it was the daughter of the victim. The only proof they have of the crime is the body parts. "Where is the ear?" asks Gideon. "Natalya's got it." Morgan calls JJ and tells her to look inside the cooler for the finger. JJ finds that the cooler is empty.



Morgan checks out the Chernus' home, finding it empty, but the garbage can in the kitchen full. When Hotch first interviewed Natalya she had said that she noticed her father's empty car in the street when she went to take the garbage out. "She could be halfway to Dol Goprudniv by now." Reid recognizes this is the same Russian town that Lysowsky is from.



Garcia describes the information from Ambassador Prentiss as "bread crumbs." It is a series of sites and passwords that lead her to the structure of the Russian bank's server. She can now get the account information.



Reid, Gideon, Morgan and Kramer have put it all together and determined Natalya was part of the crime from the beginning. Morgan blames himself for not seeing through her act. Reid counters: "She sought us out. We were so blinded by the fact that she trusted us that we never considered not trusting her."



Prentiss and Garcia key the account number into the computer to learn $500,000 had already been transferred into the account. The name on the account is Lyov Fulyenko – the last name is Lysowsky's dead wife's name. In the meat packing plant, Fyodor checks the computer and sees the money has been wired into the account. He announces to Lyov and Mr. Chernus that it is all over. Lyov agrees, coming up behind Fyodor. He stabs Fyodor through the chest with a long knife.



Gideon once again talks with Mr. Gorban, the Chernus' neighbor. He asks him who paid his ransom when he was kidnapped. Gideon asks him if it was Lysowsky who paid his ransom. He doesn't say anything, but Gideon reads it in his face that this is true. Gideon, Reid, Morgan and Agent Kramer return to talk with Lysowsky. Gideon asks why he's paid all the ransoms. Reid explains Lyov is a son's name, but the Thieves' Code says to never have children. Lysowsky says that Lyov means "lion." He knew when the first man was taken that "no one else would be so bold… and so stupid." It was just a way of letting him earn his own money, and he couldn't admit that he wasn't blessing the kidnappings, or even that his son existed. He assures the agents Mr. Chernus will be home soon, and will need medical attention. When Gideon asks him what he will do now, Lysowsky replies, "We take care of our own troubles."



Natalya arrives at the meat packing plant. Lyov is about to kill Mr. Chernus, and she tries to talk him out of it. He says that, when they started this plan together, they agreed on no witnesses. If Mr. Chernus talks, they will lose everything. Natalya says goodbye to her father and tells him she resented living in that house with the shadow of her brothers hanging over her. They came to America to have things and they still have nothing. Four Russian mobsters enter the meat packing plant, telling Lyov to put the knife down.



The scenes shift rapidly. Mr. Chernus is bandaged and taken to his home. Natalya and Lyov's dead bodies lie on the refrigerator floor. Lysowsky sits alone in his restaurant. Mrs. Chernus learns her husband is okay. Gideon and Reid take Mr. Chernus for medical attention. The Russians dispose of the bodies in the bay.



Prentiss goes home to tell her mother that Mr. Chernus has been safely returned and to thank her for her help. Ambassador Prentiss mentions it's nice to feel needed again. She is an ambassador without an assignment, and she's been without one for quite a while. Prentiss can't believe she's hearing her mother doubt herself. Her mother tells her that she doubts herself a lot, but "not showing it is what being a diplomat is all about." Prentiss invites her mother to dinner.



[recap written by highwaykind and phf3947]