06x02 - Dreamworld

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Castle". Aired: March 9, 2009 –; May 16, 2016.*
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Bored with his success, celebrated mystery novelist Rick Castle teams with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett to solve the case of a copycat k*ller who re-creates m*rder scenes from Rick's novels.
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06x02 - Dreamworld

Post by bunniefuu »

Previously on Castle...

Oh, my God! You're proposing!

Okay. You're surprised.

- I got the job.
- In DC?

Is this your case? What's it about?

It's classified.

Someone gained access
to Cybertech's clean room

and stole a highly classified
hardware security module.

What do we know about our thieves?

Jack Bronson, 35.
Recently retired Marine Force Recon.

We're gonna
walk over to my car together,

and you're gonna get in
like you know me.

You were at the golf course
with the Feds.

Did they say
anything about Valkyrie?

Hey, man, are you okay?

Going to Dreamworld.

Valkyrie?

What's Valkyrie?

Well, I don't know about Valkyrie.
But Dreamworld?

It's a highly classified
special operations base in the Gulf.

Beckett's into something
way bigger than she realizes.

You don't understand.

Jack was being set up.

It turns out that
something else was stolen

from another lab in that building.

It was a chemical agent.

That toxin was used
to k*ll Jack Bronson.

It was placed
in the ventilation system of his car.

I was in that car.

Based on the amount
found in your bloodstream,

you have less than a day to live.

What about an antidote?
There has to be an antidote.

The only existing vial
was stolen with the toxin.

They can make more, right?
They have to be able to make more.

It would take too long to synthesize.

- How long?
- A week.

That's too long.

Are you sure I was exposed?

I mean, I feel fine.
Maybe they were wrong.

Look, there's a doctor coming in
from Walter Reed.

He's gonna be able to answer any other
questions that you might have.

No, well, I think you already did that.

Hey.

We're gonna find
whoever's behind this.

And when we do,
we're gonna get that antidote,

'cause I'm not letting you out
of our engagement that easily.

All right.

So, where are you in the investigation?

We're looking into every possible lead.

That's what you say
when you're nowhere.

Castle.

The guy who abducted me...

- Yeah, Bronson.
- Right.

Was he m*llitary? Special ops?

Marine Force Recon. Why?

Okay, because before he d*ed,
he said something.

"Valkyrie," yeah.
We've been looking into it.

There's nothing in the databases.

Not that.

He said something about Dreamworld.

Now, I didn't think it was anything,
but according to Esposito,

Dreamworld is the code name of
a special ops ghost base

somewhere in the Middle East.

And you think that that somehow
relates to the theft of the toxin?

I think Bronson thought it did.

Sorry to interrupt. I'm Dr. Goldberg,
here to check on Mr. Castle.

How's he doing?

Better than I am. Where are we?

Well, we know whoever's behind this
framed Jack Bronson for the break-in,

and then used the toxin to k*ll him.

Which means they would've
had to have crossed paths with him

in order to deliver it.

Exactly. Hendricks and his team are
retracing all of Bronson's movements

to get a who and a when.

It's a needle in a haystack,
but maybe we'll get lucky.

Anything on Valkyrie?

Nothing that connects.
Analysts are still working on it, though.

Have you ever heard of something
called Dreamworld?

What's Dreamworld?

The pralidoxime and atropine

will stave off the effect of the toxin

and buy you some more time.

How much more?

An hour, maybe two.

I'll give you another sh*t
every four hours,

but eventually, it won't be effective.

And then what?

Towards the end,
you'll start to feel weak,

experience shortness of breath.

Why did Bronson die so quickly
and I'm still alive?

Bronson was in the car for hours,
so he got the mother lode.

You were in the car
just for a few minutes.

Ingested in liquid form,
you go down in seconds,

but based on your blood work,

you have at least another
10 to 12 hours.

So, then,

apart from the fact that I'm dying,
I'm fine.

You're asymptomatic.

I'll try to keep you that way
for as long as possible.

A ghost base in the Middle East?

Look, I know this is a long sh*t,

but Bronson may have been trying
to communicate a message.

Or it's just the ramblings
of a dying man.

Look, we checked the government
and m*llitary databases.

There's no official reference
to Dreamworld, if it even exists.

I think it exists.

What did you find?

A name just popped
in a Pentagon archive.

Brad Parker, a reporter for
The Washington Union.

What's a reporter got to do with this?

Six months ago he tried to publish
an article called "Inside Dreamworld,"

but it was quashed over
national security concerns.

What does the article say?

I don't have the text.
They've classified it. I have the title.

I'll call my contact at the Pentagon
and see what he can dig up.

In the meanwhile,
track down this reporter,

find out what he knows.

You could also check
Bronson's phone records.

He and this reporter
might be connected.

Castle, you should be resting.

Well, there's plenty of time
for that later, apparently.

If it's all the same,
I'd rather be helping.

Mr. Castle, I understand your desire
to be involved, but you...

No one is more motivated than me
to solve this.

And if it doesn't work out,

I'll be out of your hair
by the end of the day.

You know, sir, Castle is the only one

that has first-hand experience
with Bronson.

He might be an asset.

Okay.

But, Agent Beckett,
he's your responsibility.

I know.

Sir, it looks like Bronson
and the reporter are connected.

His phone records show calls
to and from The Washington Union

around the time the article was written.

Bronson must've been a source
for the article.

Go. Find out what he knows.

Uh, Mr. Castle.

You can assist us,
but only from inside this building.

Right.

Look, uh, thanks for backing me up
with Castle.

Is he always such a character?

Yeah. It's one of the things that
I love about him, too.

There.

Mr. Parker!

Mr. Parker, excuse me,
we're from the Attorney General's office.

We need to ask you a few questions
about an article you wrote.

Inside Dreamworld.

Really? We're gonna do this again?

You people are unbelievable.

Excuse me?

I wouldn't give up my sources
when you k*lled the article.

So why would I give 'em up now?

Because it looks like
one of your sources was m*rder*d.

Do you recognize him, Mr. Parker?

Bronson.

He was m*rder*d?

Yes. And now other people's lives
are at stake.

Now tell us everything you know
about Dreamworld.

First time
I heard about Dreamworld was in '03.

I was serving with the 173rd
in Kandahar at the time.

The story stuck with me, so, about
a year ago I started poking around.

Found out it was a forward operating
base in northern Afghanistan.

A launching pad for covert special ops
in the region.

Did Bronson work at that base?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'd heard his name a couple
of times, so I approached him.

And what'd he tell you?

Nothing at all.

In fact, he seemed pretty freaked out
that I knew he was stationed there.

Asked me how much I knew.

About him, Dreamworld.

About what he'd done.

Wait. What did he mean by that?

He never told me.

Whatever it was, he sure as hell
didn't want it getting out.

The next thing I know,
my editor's k*lling the story.

At the personal request
of Defense Secretary Reed.

These conversations that
you had with Bronson,

did he ever mention
the word "Valkyrie"?

No, why? What's Valkyrie?

Wait. The Secretary of Defense himself
called to k*ll the story?

That's unusual.

Try unheard of.

But I'm guessing that the subject matter
struck a nerve.

Look, prior to his appointment
as Secretary of Defense,

General Reed was in charge
of Central Command,

which ran all missions
out of Dreamworld.

Are you suggesting that the Secretary
of Defense is hiding something?

You have another explanation?

So, a stolen m*llitary toxin
and a secret government base.

I mean, what do you think
this is all about?

I don't know,
but I have a feeling Bronson did.

Where are we headed?

To talk to the one person who might
actually know what's going on.

The former commander of Dreamworld,
Defense Secretary Reed.

Mr. Secretary.

This must be damned important

if the Attorney General's personally
asking me to take this meeting.

It is.

Three days ago, a lethal toxin was
stolen from a government lab.

Our investigations led us to the m*rder
of an ex-marine named Jack Bronson.

Do you know him?

It's possible. A lot of men
served under my command.

Why? You think he was involved
in this theft?

No. But he may have known who was.

We believe that this is connected
to a m*llitary base named Dreamworld.

Well, I hate to break it to you,
but Dreamworld's a myth.

It's a m*llitary legend. It doesn't exist.

Are you kidding me?
Are we actually gonna play this game?

- Sir...
- Agent Beckett, was it?

Whoever took that toxin, if they use it,

there will be mass casualties.

- So, if you know something...
- Sir!

Someone was writing an article
about Dreamworld.

You personally had that story k*lled.
Why?

Why?

Because the enemy reads newspapers,

and there's no way in hell I'm gonna risk
American lives

by handing out operational details
about a special ops base.

If such a base existed.

What about Bronson?

What's his connection to that base?

If it indeed does exist.

Everything I'm about to say
is off the books, are we clear?

Yes.

Bronson was an outstanding Marine.

But he only worked one mission
out of there.

A high-value air strike in Jalalabad

that took out Anwar Zawari,
Al-Qaeda's number two.

What was Bronson's role?

He was our man on the ground,
set up in a nearby building.

He reported
when Zawari went in the house.

Then, when the air strike was launched,

he painted the house with a laser
to guide the m*ssile.

Did the word "Valkyrie" have anything
to do with this strike?

Was it the name of a mission,
or a code name?

No. It's not familiar.

Look, that operation
was a big win for us.

It crippled Al-Qaeda's
entire command structure.

Was there any talk
of Al-Qaeda retaliating?

There was chatter. Always is.

But we took out Zawari a year ago,
and they never hit us back.

Unless they just did.

And this is just the beginning.

I have Homeland tightening security
at every likely D.C. Target.

Government buildings,
tourist attractions, transit hubs.

The bad news is the toxin's versatile.

It could be deployed
through the ventilation system,

it could contaminate a reservoir,

it can be detonated with a b*mb

and release a toxic plume
over part of the city.

And if that happens, we'd be dealing

with a lot more than just a couple
of deaths on our hands,

and I am so sorry.

No, it's your job.

And if we stop the next att*ck,
it might mean saving me.

But if this is Al-Qaeda retaliation,
how did they know about Bronson?

He was on the ground
during the air strike.

He might've been seen by locals
or Zawari family members.

Well, let's check for any
Zawari family members,

friends or associates in the D.C. Area.

If Al-Qaeda is about to strike,
they must have people on the ground.

I'll be in the Tech room.

- Look...
- I'm okay.

It's my mother.

She's been calling all morning.
I can't avoid her forever.

Okay.

Hello, Mother.
To what do I owe the pleasure?

Richard, you were ushered out of here
last night like a common criminal.

You don't answer my calls.
What the hell is going on?

No, Mother, I'm fine.

Dad, did they arrest you?
Do you need us to bail you out?

What about a lawyer, Mr. C?
I know a guy at the ACLU.

Oh, please.

No.

Uh, I just had some special knowledge
of a case that Beckett's working on.

She had them send an escort, that's all.

Oh, well, thank God.

Um, oh, Gina called this morning.

She has a bunch of books for you
to sign for some company VIPs.

Right. They're in my office,
at the back bookcase.

If I'm not there tomorrow,
she can come pick them up.

And, Mother,

thank you.

When's he coming back?

Let me talk to Alexis.

He wants to talk to you, honey.

Hey, Dad.

Hopefully, I'll be back
tomorrow morning.

And, um...

And you know I love you, right?

Of course.

It's time for your next sh*t.

Already?

Dad? Everything okay?

Yeah. They're calling me,
so I have to go.

Okay. See you tomorrow.

Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.

Did Dad sound weird to you?

Sir, we've got something.

Turns out you were right
about Zawari's family.

We identified six members
of his extended family living in the U.S.

Four in California, and two cousins
right here in D.C.

We were in the process of running
them down when Hendricks found this.

Yeah, in reconstructing Bronson's
movements prior to his death,

we were able to track him to here,
a coffee shop in Dupont Circle.

A few seconds after he leaves,
this man follows him out.

We've ID'd him as Waqas Rasheed,
second cousin to Zawari.

And Agent Richmond
is trying to track him down.

But here's what we know.
He has dual U.S. -Afghan citizenship,

is a graduate engineering student
at Georgetown.

And, sir, he was in Jalalabad
the night of the Zawari air strike.

Five of his other cousins
were k*lled in the att*ck.

Burying that many family members,
that could radicalize anyone.

Got him.

We got him. We have a live feed

of Rasheed walking east
on 14th Street, between E and F.

- Backpack.
- Could be the toxin.

- And the antidote.
- Let's move!

Stop!

Federal agents, stop!

It's not here.

Where's the toxin?
Rasheed, where's the toxin?

What if he doesn't talk?

He'll talk. They always do.

What if he doesn't talk in time?

We have teams combing his apartment.

If he has the toxin and the antidote,
they'll find 'em.

Thanks. For letting me be a part of this.

When you write your next novel,

maybe you'll find a place for a dashing
Colombian-American federal agent.

Consider it done.

Anything at Rasheed's?

We went over every inch of his place,

and there is no sign of the antidote
or the toxin.

He may have hidden it somewhere...

Either that, or it's already out there,
ready to be deployed.

Break him.

So, why am I here?
What's this about, huh?

You're related to Anwar Zawari.
Is that correct?

A man doesn't choose his family, okay?

I had nothing to do with Anwar
or his beliefs.

Yet you were in Jalalabad
the night that he d*ed.

Yes, but not to see him.
I have relatives there.

I was spending time with them
for Ramadan.

I understand that five of your relatives
were k*lled in that U.S. m*ssile strike.

And for that I blame Anwar,
and them for being with him.

Now, why am I here?

You studied engineering.

Specifically, electrical system designs
for commercial buildings.

You have a gift for making every fact
sound sinister.

Well, you'd be able to break into
a secure facility.

I didn't break into anything.

I want an attorney.
I have a right to an attorney.

Enemy combatants don't get attorneys.
Or trials.

Where is the toxin, Rasheed?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I think you do. In fact, I know you do.

This is Jack Bronson,
former U.S. Marine.

He was in Jalalabad
the night of the strike.

And this is you,
following him outside of a coffee shop.

Three hours later, he was dead.

You're not gonna tell me that
that's a coincidence.

This is about him?

Well, you have it wrong.

I wasn't following him.

He was following me.

Why would he be following you?

He wanted to know if
I had talked to anybody.

About our secret.

Your secret?

What secret?

The night of the m*ssile strike,
I was at my brother's home,

just a block away from Anwar's.

I heard the expl*si*n. I ran out.

The house was destroyed.

And I was the first one there,

so I wanted to see
if there were any survivors.

And that's when I saw Bronson,
standing there in the rubble,

holding a body.

Whose body?

A young woman.
One of the servants in the house.

And when he saw me,

he drew his g*n.

And I thought, for sure,
I was a dead man.

But then he spoke.

And he knew my name,
and where I lived, and what I did.

And he told me that if I told anyone
about what I had seen, he would k*ll me.

And then he left.

With the body.

He took away a dead servant's body?

Look, I've done my best
to forget about it all.

Until he found me in the coffee shop,
and he kept asking me,

"Who did you tell?
Why are they setting me up?"

And I swore to him I didn't tell anybody.

Okay, whatever is happening here,
whatever is going on,

I swear to you,
I have nothing to do with it.

So, none of the intelligence agencies

can link Rasheed
to known Al-Qaeda elements.

And he's got a solid alibi
for the night of the break-in.

He could still be involved.

Is there any chatter
about an imminent att*ck?

No more than usual.

What's your take on Rasheed?

I don't think he's our guy.

Based on?

His story. I mean, he said that he saw
Bronson carrying a servant girl's body?

I mean, the only way that he'd come up
with a story like that was if it was true.

So, aside from the name Valkyrie,

which no one we've spoken to
seems to know anything about,

we pretty much have nothing.

Which means I'm a dead man.

No, Castle. Not nothing.

We have what Bronson told you,
what Rasheed told us.

We know that this revolves around
something that happened

the night Zawari was k*lled.

Something more than just the air strike.

Now, what we have to do
is figure out what it was.

I'll have D.O.D. Send over
the mission documents.

Maybe something in there
will help shed some light.

These are
the mission documents?

Is there even a sentence that
doesn't have redactions?

Not a complete one.

Somebody is definitely trying to hide
whatever went on here.

I'm sorry, Castle. This is pointless.

Can you do a word search
for "Valkyrie"?

It doesn't appear in the document.
Probably because it was redacted.

Right, but what about a search for
blacked-out, eight-letter words

the same length as Valkyrie?

Aren't all eight-letter words
the same length?

Well, not in a proportional font
like Times Roman.

Um, each character will vary in size

from the narrowest, lower case "i,"
to the widest, the upper case "W."

So the combination of letters
in the word "Valkyrie"

will create a very specific length,
not unlike a typographical fingerprint.

I may be able to work with that.

If we could find
the blacked-out Valkyrie,

we might be able to figure out
what it means from the words around it.

It's a long sh*t, I know.

Not that long.
We got some hits.

These are thumbnails
of the whole document.

It's everywhere, highlighted in red.

The last page seems to have
the largest concentration.

Can you enlarge it?

"Target acquired." "m*ssile engaged."
"Target destroyed."

This is the transcript
to the m*ssile strike.

Maybe Valkyrie was
the code name for Zawari.

No, it's got to be more than that.

But there's not enough context to
piece this thing together.

What we need
is an UN-redacted transcript.

Or the original audio recording.

What are you thinking, Richmond?

For a strike in Jalalabad,

they'd probably use an F-16
out of Bagram Air Base.

I did a year as Chief Technical Officer
at Bagram.

Part of my job was

dumping in the fighter jets' flight data
onto a central server.

If I can access it,
I might be able to get that audio.

What are we waiting for, McCord?

We played by the rules.
And that's what they gave us.

Do it.

Castle, it's your mom.
What do you want me to tell her?

You've reached the voicemail
of Special Agent Kate Beckett

at the Attorney General's office.
Please leave a message.

I just always thought that you and I
would have kids together.

Really? Well, have you talked to Jenny
about this?

Hell, you know what I mean.

They'd be on the same tee ball
and Pop Warner teams.

- We'd co-coach.
- Co-coach?

- You wanna be head coach?
- Yeah.

- Try getting a date first.
- Dude.

Hey, Martha. What brings you here?

Look, I know you're busy,
but I'm worried about Richard.

Really? Why?

Last night he was just whisked away
by a couple of federal agent thugs.

Then when I talked to him today,

he was nice, sincere,
no smart-ass quips.

So, something is definitely wrong.

And Katherine isn't answering my calls.

Well, I'm sure there's an explanation.

And I need you to find out what it is.

Any trouble breathing?

Yeah, but I think that's just anxiety.

- I can get you a sedative.
- No.

Thank you. But I think I'd rather
stay sharp as long as possible.

Oh, sorry.

No. No problem. We're all done here.

You want a coffee?

No, I'd rather die
than drink any more of that sludge.

Oh.

Too soon?

Agent McCord,
can I ask you a question?

Yep.

How is she doing here?

Beckett? She's good.
She has a lot of potential.

So, she'll be okay.

Hey.

She's gonna be great.

Hey, McCord. I'm in.

I cross-referenced the flight recording
database at Bagram

with parameters
from the mission documents.

If that information was accurate,

this should be audio
of the Zawari strike.

Alpha One,
Eagle's contact target.

Copy, Eagle.
Omaha, what's your status? Over.

That's Defense Secretary Reed.

As theater commander,
he'd be running the operation.

Alpha One,
Valkyrie's still inside target.

That's Bronson's voice.
So, Valkyrie must be Zawari.

Eagle, prepare to engage.


Alpha One, Valkyrie's
still inside. Signaling to get her out.

Get her out? Valkyrie's not Zawari.
Maybe it's the servant.

Omaha,
Valkyrie needs to get out now.

I'm signaling, Alpha One,
no response. Stand by.

We're not missing our window.

Eagle, this is Alpha One.
Engage target.

Negative, Eagle.

We have an American intelligence
asset in there,

and we need to wait for her to get out.

An intelligence asset?

Just give me two minutes.

Negative, Omaha,
we can't risk losing Raptor.

On my authority, you are clear
to engage target. Over.

m*ssile engaged.

No, Valkyrie's still in there!

Target destroyed.
Eagle heading home.

Omaha, retrieve Valkyrie's body
and get her back to Dreamworld.

Protocol Boomerang. Over.

Roger.

Valkyrie was the servant.
She was one of ours.

No wonder the transcript
was so heavily redacted.

Secretary Reed k*lled
an American operative.

And then ordered Bronson
to cover it up.

m*ssile engaged.

No, Valkyrie's still in there!

Target destroyed.
Eagle heading home.

Omaha, retrieve Valkyrie's body
and get her back to Dreamworld.

Protocol Boomerang. Over.

Roger.

So what are we saying here?

That Bronson was m*rder*d to cover up
the death of an American operative,

with the implication that General Reed
is behind it?

The sitting Secretary of Defense?

A position he got largely because
of his success in taking out Zawari.

His political star was on the rise.

Maybe he couldn't afford to have
damaging details out there.

But if he wanted to silence Bronson,

why would he go through the trouble
of setting him up first?

And none of this explains
the theft of the toxin.

Sir, he lied to us.
About Valkyrie and about Bronson.

Either he's involved,

or he knows a hell of a lot more
than he's telling us.

Only, you have no proof.

Listen, Beckett, I know what's at stake.

For you and for Castle.

But I can't let you go at him
without concrete evidence.

Hey.

So, I'm guessing Villante said no
to the idea of waterboarding the truth

out of Secretary Reed.

Yeah, something like that.

How are you feeling?

Ah, good. I think I'm just due
for another sh*t.

I'm Agent Beckett
from the Attorney General's office.

- I need to speak with Secretary Reed.
- Do you have an appointment?

No. This is a matter of national security.

I'm sorry, if you don't have
an appointment, I have to ask you...

Just please get to the Secretary.
I told you, this is a matter...

- Ma'am, you need to step back.
- Secretary Reed!

Secretary Reed, Agent Beckett
from the Attorney General's office!

We met earlier today, sir.

Michael, who is that?

I'll take care of it.

Sir, we just need to speak.
This is a matter of national security.

Joseph.

You show up at my home?
Who the hell do you think you are?

I should ask you the same thing.

You lied about Valkyrie.
You obstructed a federal investigation.

I told you all you need to know.

I need to know everything. What is
going on and what are you hiding?

You are barking up the wrong tree,
Agent, and it's gonna cost you.

There's a deadly toxin out there.

If so much as one person dies because
you won't cooperate, then I...

You'll what?

Look, whatever this is,
it has nothing to do with me.

You might wanna remember
the first rule of combat.

You don't ever start a w*r you can't win.

What?

Hey, Beckett, it's Esposito and Ryan.
Is everything okay?

Fine. Why?

Castle's mom came by,
all worried about him.

Come on, Beckett, what's going on?

Everything's fine.

You take a breath in through the nose
and out through the mouth.

Like yoga.

What the hell were you thinking?

Sir, I was just following a hunch.

Next time, follow orders.

I had to go to the mat with
the Attorney General to keep your job.

Wait. Secretary Reed complained
to the Attorney General?

If that surprises you,
you're not as smart as I thought.

No, sir.
It's just, if Reed was behind this,

he wouldn't have made that call.

Right, because he wouldn't wanna call
attention to himself.

Is that why you went out there?

To force him to show his hand?

I'm impressed.

Yeah, well, don't be.

Looks like I just ruled out our only lead.

Guys, I've got something.

I was following up on Valkyrie to see
if there was anything more to the story.

This is a family photo we got
from Rasheed.

He identified this woman as the servant

whose body
Bronson took after the air strike.

And we've identified her
as Farrah Usman.

Yeah, she's listed
as a civilian contractor

working out of the U.S. Consulate
in Kabul.

It's a typical cover
for an intelligence operative.

Yeah, and she was supposedly k*lled
by a roadside I.E.D.

The same night as the Zawari att*ck.

Well, that makes sense.

The injuries from an I.E.D.
look a lot like those from an air strike.

That's not the story. Look at this.

So, Farrah Usman's body was shipped
back to Dover two days later.

It was claimed by this man.

Recognize that name?

Brad Parker, the reporter?

One and the same.

I don't get it.
How is he connected to Valkyrie?

According to the paperwork,

he was her fiancé.

He's involved in this whole thing.

As a combat vet, Brad Parker
would've known his fiancé's injuries

weren't from an I.E.D.

That's why he was doing the story
on Dreamworld,

and why he tracked down Bronson.

He was trying to figure out
how she actually d*ed.

And he's ex-m*llitary. He would've had
the skills to pull off that heist.

So, what are we saying here?

That Parker stole the toxin
because of his fiancée?

That this is about revenge?

Well, the toxin would be perfect for that.

It's deadly
and undetectable by autopsy,

unless you're specifically looking for it.

Which is why he tried to hide the fact
that it was stolen

by staging the other theft in the building
and framing Bronson.

Where are we on tracking Parker?

He's not at work.
No one's seen him all day.

I can't get a trace on his cell signal.
He must've turned it off.

- Sir, if there's the slightest chance...
- Hit his apartment. Go.

Castle,

you stay here.

I was given less than a day to live
just a little less than a day ago.

If Parker has that antidote,
I need to go with them.

Okay.

Clear!

Bedroom's clear!

Clear. Where the hell is this guy?

All right, guys,
let's get to work.

That toxin or antidote are in here,
I want them found.

These are blueprints of the research
building the toxin was stolen from.

And a confidential file on the toxin.
Parker's our guy!

He's got background on Secretary Reed.
Research materials.

Reed's his next target.

He's going after the man that
gave the order that k*lled his fiancée.

And I think I know where.

This is confirmation of Parker's press
credentials for Reed's address

at the Naval Academy.

Reed's talking to new cadets
at 5:00 p.m. Today.

- That's in 20 minutes.
- We gotta lock Reed down.

Secure Parker and get that antidote.

Thanks for coming, Mr. Secretary.

It's my pleasure, Admiral Johnson.
It's nice to get out of the office.

Hope you don't mind that
we do the press line first.

Oh, that's fine.

Do you want me to get a hold
of Dr. Goldberg

and have him meet us there?

He already gave me my last sh*t.

Only thing that can help me now
is the antidote.

Naval Academy's press department
says Parker hasn't checked in yet.

Security teams are already on site
looking for him.

Copy that.

It doesn't make any sense.
Why wouldn't Parker be there yet?

There's thousands of people there.

Maybe they just haven't
spotted him yet.

Why go through the trouble
of getting press credentials

if you're not gonna use them?

Unless he's pulling another head fake.

Like the encryption system was a cover
for the theft of the toxin.

m*llitary tactics. Always making sure
we're a step behind.

Except a step behind what?

I mean, this has to be about revenge,
so it has to be about Reed.

Maybe he wants to do to Reed
what Reed did to him.

Take away the person
he loves the most.

His wife.

Beckett, why'd you turn around?
Is it Castle?

No. We have a hunch.

What kind of hunch?

Defense Secretary
Reed's office.

This is Agent Beckett from
the Attorney General's Investigative...

- Hold, please.
- No, wait. Hello?

Kate...

Castle, just stay with me.
We're almost there.

Hi. Brad Parker.
I'm here for the interview.

Mrs. Reed's expecting you.

Thank you.

Defense Secretary
Reed's office. How can I help you?

Excuse me, Mrs. Reed. Mr. Parker.

Thanks, Julie.

Please, make yourself comfortable,
Mr. Parker.

Thank you, ma'am.

Can I pour you some tea?

Well, only if you're having some.

That's a deal. Do you take sugar?

You've reached the Reeds.

We're not available,
so please leave a message...

Come on! Damn it.

Kate.

No, Castle, just look at me.

Just hang on, okay?
We're almost there.

Castle. Oh, my God. No!

No! Rick, look at me. Will you...

Mrs. Reed.

She's not responding.

Send an ambulance.
She's not breathing!

Parker, drop the phone.

What are you doing?

Where's the antidote, Parker?

Lower your w*apon.

He poisoned Mrs. Reed!

Stay with her.

It's over, Parker!

We know everything.

Now give us the antidote
before it's too late!

No, wait...

Did Reed wait
when he ordered the strike? No.

No, now it's his turn to see how it feels.

She's gonna die.

Just like Farrah.

Please, Parker, she's not the only one
that you've poisoned.

My fiancé's dying.
He needs that antidote.

No, you don't understand.

You're too late.

It's too late.

You better
hope you're wrong.

Castle.

Castle.

Hmm.

Hey.

Hi.

I had the strangest dream,
and you were there.

- Oh, thank God!
- Hi, Dad.

And you were there.
And you were there.

Hey, Mr. C.

I did some healing Reiki on you.
Looks like it worked.

And you were there.

I think
he's gonna be all right.

Yeah, thanks to you.

Well, why don't we give you guys
a moment? Come on.

We'll be outside if you need us.

Okay.

- Love you.
- Love you, too.

Hmm.

Hey.

Hey.

How was your weekend?

Mmm, you know. Uneventful. Yours?

Hmm.

Same.

But at least I got to see you.

I'm so sorry, Castle.

This wasn't supposed to be this hard.

What, Washington, or us?

Sometimes, the hardest things in life

are the things most worth doing.

Just because we haven't figured it out
yet doesn't mean we won't.

Tell you what, though,

next time I say I'm dying to see you,
let's keep it metaphoric.

Deal.

Hmm.

How's he doing?

He's okay, considering.

What about Mrs. Reed?

Uh, she will pull through.

And what about Secretary Reed?
What's gonna happen with him?

What do you mean?

He withheld information
to save his own ass.

People almost d*ed because of it.

Well, we both know it's not that simple.

Well, there's gonna be an investigation
at least, right?

You want everything to be
black or white, I get it.

But in this town it rarely is.

And to do this job,
you have to make peace with that.

But, hey, that was a hell of a hunch
about Mrs. Reed.

You should feel really good about this.

Yeah, well, that was Castle.

But you were smart enough to act on it.
That was your call.

And you backed me up
without even knowing my play.

That's what partners do.

Yeah. That's what partners do.
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