07x07 - Once Upon a Time in the West

[bunniefuu]

WOMAN: Whitney Williams, 22. She went
into convulsions on the E train.

In and out of
consciousness ever since.

I want a CBC and an EKG.
Any sign of dr*gs on her?

Nothing. But at one point, she
said someone did this to her.

MAN: Whitney, can you tell me
what happened?

Diamondback.

(MONITOR BEEPING)

She's seizing. Push four
milligrams of Ativan!

(GLASS CLINKING)

Friends, thank you for
coming on such short notice.

Well, it's times like these
I'm reminded of Shakespeare,

who wrote,
"It's not in the stars..."

Ah, ah, ah.
He also said, "Brevity is

the soul of wit,"
so get to it, darling.

Yeah, okay. We just returned
from the Hamptons and...

We got married!
We got married.

MARTHA: Yes!

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Why did you do that?
You guys suck.

Okay, hold up, hold up.
You couldn't...

LANIE: No, no, no.

You guys jumped the broom
and didn't invite us?

It was spur-of-the-moment.
Spur.

MARTHA:
Oh, and it was perfection.

I mean, you should've been there.
It was fire and love.

At one point, there were all these
doves that just soared into the...

Gram? Gram,
maybe we don't rub it in.

Let's go get you another drink.

Oh, drink. Okay.
Yeah, come on.

Hold this.

I am your maid of honor.

I haven't had a carb in months,

just in case I had to put
that damn dress back on.

And you look great.
Save the flattery.

Kate, you owe me dinner.

I'm picking the restaurant, and
we're ordering all the desserts!

Okay.

Oh, girl, you're married!

Come here! (LAUGHING)

(GRUNTS) Ow.

Guys.

Guys, come on!
ESPOSITO: No.

We were really looking forward to
this for a long time, too, Castle.

We had a speech prepared
and everything.

Oh. Plus, we wrote that song.
Yeah.

(PHONE RINGING)
Seriously, you wrote a song?

RYAN: Yeah.

We're planning
a little reception.

You guys could do the song
at the reception.

No song for you.

You had your chance.

Guys, we're gonna have to cut
the celebration short.

There's been a m*rder.

Really?
We didn't get that call.

Once again, not invited.
Cheers!

Fine. We'll meet
you at the precinct.

Well, it could've been worse.

It still might be.
Who knows what

they're doing to
our place right now.

You heard what you just said?
"Our place." Our.

We're married.
We did it, Mrs. Castle.

(CHUCKLES)
We certainly did, Mr. Beckett.

Although,
this arguably isn't the most

romantic
post-wedding activity.

Or perhaps it's fitting,
considering how we met.

But you bring up an excellent point.
The honeymoon.

Yes, about
the exotic island getaway.

It... It's gonna have to wait.

Why?

Because when you went missing,

I used up all of my vacation
days looking for you.

So, no honeymoon?

Mmm.
Not for a while, I'm afraid.

So, instead of Mai Tais,
we get m*rder.

Great. No, it'll be great.

Whitney Williams.
She went into

convulsions,
then cardiac arrest.

We couldn't bring her back.

And her last words
were "Diamondback"?

What does that mean?
I have no idea.

And she believed that she
was a victim of foul play?

Yes, and so do I.

We ran a full blood workup, and

it came back with
high traces of digoxin.

That's a heart medication.

Derived from the foxglove plant.

According to our pathologist,
this was unpurified digoxin.

Taken directly from the plant,
it's lethal.

So, she was poisoned.

Any way to tell how long ago
she ingested the foxglove?

We're estimating 10 to 14 hours.

Have you
contacted the next of kin?

I thought you would
wanna handle that.

This is her In Case
of Emergency card.

ESPOSITO: Thanks for coming in, Mr.
and Mrs. Dagmar.

Well, since her mom passed,

I suppose we're the closest thing
to family that Whitney has.

She was our
first Dagmar scholar.

Dagmar scholar?

We sponsor
disadvantaged children.

Send them to the finest schools.

The poisoning occurred
between 10 and 14 hours ago.

Do you happen to know
where Whitney was,

or who she was with at the time?

No.

The last time we
saw her was a week

ago, when she
came over for supper.

Did she mention if she was
having problems with anyone?

Perhaps at work?

She did say she was going to take
some time off from her internship.

Do you know why?

Her mother's death was recent.

Whitney said she needed some
time to get over the loss.

Does the word "Diamondback"
mean anything to either of you?

No.
No, I'm afraid not.

CASTLE: Okay, "Diamondback."

I have whittled it down to three
possibilities as to what that means

and why Whitney would utter it
with her dying breath.

And I am sure that none of them
will be a waste of my time.

CASTLE:
Possibility number one,

it's
the password for a murderous

underground
snake-handling fight club.

Granted, that's probably
not what it means,

but it might be the basis
for my next Nikki Heat novel.

Possibility number two,
she was k*lled

by the Marvel character,
Diamondback,

whose special skill was
throwing diamond-shaped spikes

filled with poison.

Third possibility...

It's a dude ranch in Arizona.

We struck out with the Dagmars,

but we found
an e-mail to Whitney

from a "Diamondback
Old West Ranch,"

confirming a two-week stay
in bunkhouse number 14.

Old West dude ranch.
That's my number three.

It's exactly what I was gonna say.
Good work, boys.

You still suck.

And you owe us
for those tuxedo rentals.

Right.

So, she was on vacation in Arizona?
For two weeks?

RYAN: Yep.

She go with anyone?

No, but it looks like the whole
city-slickers-cowboy thing

didn't really agree with her.

Whitney cut her trip short
after only three days there.

She paid for
a last-minute ticket change

for an 8:00 a.m. flight out
of Phoenix this morning.

This morning?

So, she was poisoned in Arizona.

Somewhere between
1:00 and 5:00 a.m. local time.

And all indications are that
she left in a big hurry.

She even forgot
to turn in her bunkhouse key.

Okay, I need every detail
we can get on that place.

CASTLE: According to this,

"Diamondback Old West Ranch
is a living-history resort,

"where both staff and guests
dress in Old West attire

"and engage in cowboy activities."
This sounds pretty cool!

Or not, considering Whitney
might've been poisoned there.

Wait a minute.

If Whitney flew back today,

then she was coming in
on the train from JFK

when she had that seizure.

But the only
personal effect that

we found at
the hospital was her purse.

So, where's her luggage?

Maybe it was left in the subway
when the medics took her.

Well, if something
happened at that ranch,

then there might be evidence
of it in her suitcases.

I'll look into it.

And I'll keep
digging in her financials.

Maybe there's somewhere else
she went in Arizona.

And I'll touch base
with the local sheriff

and coordinate with him
on the investigation.

Thanks, big boy.

Look, Detective, the way I see it,
this is not an Arizona matter.

Sheriff,
we have evidence that Whitney

was poisoned in
your jurisdiction.

No,
what you have is speculation.

She could've been poisoned on
the plane, or at the airport.

Hell, I wouldn't
know where to begin.

Well, I'm telling you where to begin.
Diamondback Old West Ranch.

Detective, you gotta understand.

That resort is the lifeblood
of our little tourist town.

So, this is political?

No, it's personal.

Look, I've got people here.
Folks I grew up with.

And I can't just go in
and disrupt business.

Until there's
some concrete proof.

GATES: I'm sorry.

Without
the sheriff's cooperation,

there's only so much we can do.

So, we're just gonna let him
get away with this?

Kind of like how
we let you get away

with not inviting
us to the wedding?

Well, at least you were invited
to the champagne toast.

Sorry, sir.

Oh, no, no, no. I'm sure it was Mr.
Castle's fault.

Now, regarding the case,

I'll call the feds and see if
they can intercede on our behalf.

Sir, that could take weeks.

By then, any evidence or
witnesses could be long gone.

Uh, excuse me, sir. I checked
Whitney's financials.

She used a car service to get to

the airport in
Arizona this morning.

And I spoke with the driver.

He said she seemed upset
when she left the ranch.

Something happened there.

Yeah, but we have no way
to investigate it.

Wait.

Maybe we do.

We do?

Well, look at this place.

I mean, it's got beautiful
skies, wide open spaces.

Thrill of the Old West?

What better place
for an impromptu honeymoon?

For the investigation,
of course.

We could jump on a plane
and be there in a few hours.

Castle, you cannot be serious.

We can find Whitney's k*ller

and have a honeymoon at the same time.
It's perfect.

No, Castle, we are not having
a honeymoon at a dude ranch!

Well, then,
it can be our cover story.

We're a newlywed couple with a hankering
for the wild frontier, right?

And, look, Beckett,

I know you wanna see justice brought
to this young woman's k*ller,

and this...
This is the only way.

I hate to say this,
but your husband may be right.

This could be our best sh*t
at solving the case.

Fine.

Excellent.

Saddle up, honey, because
we are honeymooning out west.

Yee-haw.

(HORSE WHINNYING)

Oh. Whoa.

Wow. It's like we rolled right
into a John Ford movie. Thank you.

Okay there, hoss. Just remember,
we're here for a reason.

To find Whitney's k*ller.

Best honeymoon ever!
(SQUISHING)

Ew.

This is so not our honeymoon.

I think in the Old West, that
was a sign of good fortune.

(CHUCKLES) Lucky me.

Say, y'all must be
the newlyweds.

Well, welcome to the Diamondback
Old West Ranch, folks.

They call me
Gentleman James Grady,

and I am the proprietor
of this here establishment.

Uh, I am Rick.
This is Kate.

And may I just say,
this place is amazing.

Yeah, very authentic.

Oh, that's what you jackaroos
came for, ain't it?

The legend and, dare I say,
romance of the Old West.

Now, these brochures
in your hands

detail all the activities
that we have to offer here.

From cattle driving to nature
walking, we got it all.

And my friendly
staff of ranch hands,

uh, they're the ones
in the red bandanas

in the brochure
and all around here,

they will guide you through any
adventure your hearts desire.

So, shall we begin?

Actually, we just
got in on the red-eye,

and hoping to
check into our room.

No problemo.

Seeing as you're newlyweds,

I upgraded you to
a suite in our Grand Hotel.

Oh. Well,
we're much obliged.

Yeah, sure are,

but we were looking for a
more authentic experience,

and we're kind of hoping to stay
at one of the bunkhouse rooms.

Whatever the little lady wants.

I can see who wears the
10-gallon hat in your house.

(CHUCKLES)
(BECKETT LAUGHS)

Yeah and, um, Mr. Grady,
I know that this sounds silly,

but my lucky number is 14.
Is that room available?

Uh, Daisy Mae! Daisy Mae!
We need you, dear.

That's my missus.

Like yours, she runs the show here.
(CHUCKLES)

Hon, uh, these lovebirds wanna stay
in bunkhouse 14. Is it vacant?

Sure is. But why? It's a
single room with a twin bed.

Oh, that's okay.
We're, uh... We're cuddlers.

Yeah.
Well, all righty, then.

But first, folks, we gotta get you
out of those bibs and tuckers.

(FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)

GRADY: Ooh-hoo! Whee.

Take a look at this belvedere.

I do look good, don't I?

(LAUGHS)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
Oh.

This is like three fantasies
coming true all at once.

Only thing missing is...

Gentleman James, where do we
get the replica g*ns?

Like yours?

GRADY: Replica?

Son, this is Arizona.
It's open carry.

Say, do either of you two know
what's quicker than lightning?

What?

This g*n tamed the Wild West.

Colt .45 Single
Action Peacemaker.

I wanna be him when I grow up.

Well, yeah, if you grow up.

It's all about practice.

Which you can do
with one of our firearms

available for purchase at
our gift shop.

In fact, why don't we mosey
on over?

Yeah, uh, Mr. Grady, you know what?
Maybe later.

Right now we're
both a bit knackered,

so we were hoping
to go to our room.

So glad you're staying with us.
Much obliged, ma'am.

Much obliged, ma'am.

We were wrong.

The key that Whitney had with
her wasn't her room key.

Well, then what does it go to?

I don't know.

Here's 14.

Oh, wait. Whether we like it or
not, we are on our honeymoon.

So, we must act accordingly.

Oh, jeez! (LAUGHS)

(LAUGHING)

BECKETT: Oh, yeah.

So not our honeymoon.

You're looking for disinfectant?

And clues. Remember?
Whitney was staying here.

I highly doubt we're gonna find

anything in this
room that can help us.

Howdy, partner.

I don't know if it
comes with the room,

but there's a naked cowboy
shaving in our bathroom.

I'm sorry, what?

My fault,
forgot to lock the door.

It's a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. I'm
in the room on the other side.

Oh... I'm Rick. This is Kate. We,
uh, just checked in. Newlyweds.

Oh, congratulations.
I'm Tobias.

Hi. But didn't Mr. Grady say

that there was a woman
staying in our room before?

Ah, yes. I'm surprised they let her
stay in so close with menfolk,

considering the customs
of the Old West.

Well, I guess when
they found out me

and her both
enjoy chasing cowboys,

they figured,
"What the heck?"

Uh, you know, we're about
to brew some coffee.

Would you care for a cup?

Mmm. I like my coffee like I like my men.
Strong, black and bitter.

Ooh. You're fun.

I bet you and your old bunkhouse
mate got into all sorts of trouble.

Not me.

But Whitney, on the other hand...
Now, don't get me wrong.

She's a sweetheart, but she's
a bit of a hell-raiser.

Really?
Yeah.

How so?

Okay, like, our first day here,

we went on
a horseback-riding tour.

She snuck off in
the middle of it.

Get out! Where did she go?

Probably went to go hang out
with her ranch hand.

One of the red
bandana boys that work here.

She used to stay out with
him all night, every night.

Sounds like I better keep
him clear of my missus.

Who was this Romeo?

I don't know, she wouldn't say.

She just said he was tall,
dark and handsome.

Oh, and married.
Married?

Get out!
Yes.

Ooh, I wonder if
there was any trouble.

I think the reason
that we got this room

is because
Whitney left so early.

She sure did.

Her last night here, she
rolled in at 3:00 a.m., upset.

She woke me up
with all her crying.

What happened?

That's what I said, but she
didn't wanna talk about it.

She left before the sun came
up, didn't even say goodbye.

Oh. (INHALES SHARPLY)
I'm late for chow.

Thanks for the coffee.
See y'all around.

BECKETT: Okay. (CHUCKLES)

An affair with a married man.

Yes, and she was with him
until 3:00 a.m.

That's right in the middle of
her time-of-poisoning window.

We gotta find this guy.
But how?

We're undercover. I can't just flash
my badge and get people to talk.

Exactly. Which is why we don't
approach this like cops,

we approach this like writers.

So, we procrastinate
and make stuff up?

No.

Well, yes, but no.

In this particular instance,

we approach the investigation
like writers by doing research.

Now, there are
seven ranch hands to

fit the bill of "tall,
dark and handsome."

In order to figure out which one

was fooling around with Whitney,

we have to first determine
who of them are married.

That means we need to go
on a wedding ring search.

And these are the possibilities.

So, I split their
classes up between us.

Whoa. Hold up. "Harmonica
for beginners. Cowboy saloon."

How come you get all
the cool activities?

And I get hog-tying?

Because this was my idea.

Though it will be a shame

that we're spending the first
day of our honeymoon apart.

Except we're not. Because
this is not our honeymoon.

Okay, bye.
(PHONE RINGING)

Be safe.

Hey, Ryan, how's it going?

Oh, wonderful. In fact, we were
just discussing your nuptials.

Not the actual event, since
neither of us were there.

Guys, is this really
why you're calling?

ESPOSITO: Partly, yes.

And we have news.
Here's the good.

MTA cameras show that Whitney's
bags were left on the subway.

Here's the bad news. They were
stolen by a homeless man.

But we put out a BOLO. Hopefully,
somebody'll recognize him.

ESPOSITO: Also, Lanie found
something during her autopsy.

She found traces
of a wax-covered

cardboard under Whitney's nails

and on
the waistband of her pants.

Wax-covered cardboard?
Like butcher paper?

Well, Lanie says it's too hard to tell.
What about you and Hop-Along?

Learn anything?

Well, so far,
it looks like our victim was

having an affair
with a married man.

But the problem is,
his identity is a mystery.

Well, speaking of mysteries, we
spoke with Whitney's friends.

They said prior
to her departure,

she was spending a good deal of
time at the Historical Society.

Do they know
what she was doing there?

Well, we're still
looking into it, but...

Okay, guys. I gotta go.

Hey, Kate. Wait, are you
going to hog-tying class?

Mmm, yeah.
Me, too!

Oh, my God,
we're gonna have so much fun!

Yeah, we sure are. Hog-tying.

Yee-haw.

(GROANING)

(MID-TEMPO
PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)

CASTLE: No ring.

One down.

What'll it be, feller?

I'll take, uh, coffin varnish.

Some what?

You know, a gut warmer, base burner,
nose paint, cowboy cocktail.

What do y'all call whiskey here?

Whiskey.

(POURS WHISKEY)

Ooh.

Hey, mister.
I sure could use your help.

I'm looking for
the Peacock boys.

Well, I haven't seen them, Marshal.
But I'll, uh, keep an eye out.

(CHUCKLES)

You just gonna bat your eyes,
mister, or are you gonna play?

Oh, yeah! Hey, I'm a sporting man.
Here we go.

Hey there, partner.
Couldn't help

but notice you got
a ring on your finger.

Just had mine put on.
Newlywed.

This isn't a ring.
It's a noose.

(ALL CHUCKLE)

That bad, huh? Ooh.

Yeah, I suppose, one woman for the
rest of your life is a tall order.

What's your secret?
You'll figure it out.

Oh, come on. What, do you got a little
left-handed missus on the side?

I don't cheat on
my wife, friend.

Oh.

Well,
that's, uh, not what I heard.

(BELL CHIMING)

You no-good, mangy cur.
You got an ace up your sleeve!

You know what we do with
card cheats in here, mister?

Hold it, boys.

Hear them bells? It's high noon.
That means it's show time.

Take it out back. Time for a
good old-fashioned g*n fight!

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)
Yee-haw!

What do you know? Huh?
My wife send you?

Hey, I've never met your wife!

Who told you I was a cheater?

Whitney did.

Damn it!

I knew it! Look, everything that
woman said to you was a lie.

Ollie! What in tarnation!
Mister, are you okay?

You thought that was real?

Yes! Ollie, up high!

He... You asked
him to throw you out?

Yeah. Like, Old West style.

Ollie's been... He's all, "Yeehaw," and...
(IMITATES g*nf*re)

Well, all righty, then. As long
as you're enjoying yourself.

(SIGHS)

Damn!

That could've cost me my job.
Look, mister, I'm sorry.

Save it. You want my silence?
Tell me about Whitney.

What happened between you two?

Look, she came on to me. Started
flirting, getting all handsy.

A bunch of the boys saw us
and figured we hooked up.

But we didn't, I swear it.

In fact, I think she was
just after my ranch key.

Ranch key?

It's on a snake key chain.

I think she picked it off me
when she was pawing at me.

What does the key open?

The ranch shed.

I mean, you're saying
that she stole your key

to open the ranch shed?
What's in the shed?

Nothing.
Just ranch supplies.

I don't get it. Why would Whitney
steal a key to this place?

I don't know, but clearly it has
nothing to do with the affair.

Right, so what was she after?

Castle, do you remember
how Lanie said

that she found traces
of wax-covered cardboard

under Whitney's nails
and in her waistband?

Yeah, so?

So, you know what's wrapped
in wax-covered cardboard?

Dynamite.

She broke in here
to steal sticks of these.

Ranchers use dynamite
to clear their land.

What the hell was
Whitney using it for?

Is there any indication why
Whitney would steal dynamite?

Not yet,
but Castle and I have been

re-tracing
every move she made,

starting with that horseback-riding
tour that she snuck away from.

Well,
any idea where she was going?

I asked around,

and apparently,
the trail that she took

led to the Native
American reservation.

Wait a minute. It wasn't the
Yavapai Reservation, was it?

Yeah. How'd you know?

The Historical Society.

Whitney was looking up
obscure documents and maps

from the late 18th,
early 19th century.

Yeah, most of them had to do

with the construction of a dam
near the Yavapai Reservation.

Well, did anyone know why she
was researching that area?

No, but it's probably the reason

she went out there
in the first place.

But it doesn't explain
why Whitney needed dynamite,

or why she was poisoned.

Look, it's all gotta be related.

Castle and I are
headed up to the

reservation to get
some answers now.

Uh, guys, I gotta go.

(HORSE NEIGHS)

Whoa, whoa. Ho, ho.

Hey there!
Beckett, meet the boys.

This one's Esposito, I'm calling

the little one Ryan.
You ready?

Uh, Castle, when I asked you
to find us a ride,

I was thinking of something more
along the lines of a pickup truck.

The reservation's 15 miles away.
This is gonna take forever!

Yeah, well, what can I tell ya?

Everything here is
authentic Old West.

Really?

Couldn't resist, huh?
Just had to get a six-sh**t.

Right? Isn't it great?

And it gets better.

I got you one, too. It's a wedding gift.
His-and-her matching set.

And who said romance dies
after you say, "I do"?

(CASTLE CHUCKLES)

Esposito, Ryan! Hyah!

(HORSE NEIGHS)

Whoa, whoa.

Seriously?

You're rolling up
to the reservation

dressed like extras
from a Gene Autry movie?

That's some real
cultural insensitivity.

Sorry. Sir,
we didn't mean any offense.

We're
vacationing at Diamondback.

Yeah.

Yeah, I figured that. I was
just messing with you folks.

Relax.
(BOTH LAUGHING)

He got me.
Welcome.

BECKETT: Whew!

Well, I'm Rick.
Yes.

This here is Kate.
And we are on our honeymoon.

Ain't we, honey?
BECKETT: Yeah, we sure are.

So, we met a guest at Diamondback.
Her name was Whitney.

She said that she came out here

and she discovered
some breathtaking views.

Yeah, sure.
I remember Whitney. Nice girl.

Yeah.

She came out a few days ago
riding an Appaloosa.

But she wasn't interested
in the scenery.

Really? What was she, uh,
interested in?

Did it have anything
to do with dynamite?

Dynamite? No, she just had a
question about a Yavapai word.

What word was that?

Aha gah hel'lah. She wanted to know
if it could be misinterpreted.

Seems an odd question.
Not really.

Many of our words change
depending on the context.

"Aha gah hel'lah"
means "river."

But sometimes
it means "stream."

Why would she want to
know about that word?

I have no idea.

But Whitney was happy
with my answer.

She thanked me and left.

And that was it?
I don't get it.

Well, I don't get
newlyweds dressing

up like cowboys
on their honeymoon.

But I try not to judge.

CASTLE: You know, the more
we learn about Whitney,

the less I understand
about what she was up to.

Yeah. I mean,
the Historical Society,

the Yavapai word, the dynamite.

How does all of that add up
to someone poisoning Whitney?

It just doesn't make sense.

CASTLE: What else doesn't make
any sense is, we're married,

and we're not acting like it.

BECKETT: Hmm, what do you got
in mind, cowboy?

(HARMONICA PLAYING)

Admit it. You're impressed.

Yeah, you're right. I am.

This is actually
kind of magical.

To us. To the journey,
and to what lies ahead.

What?

You know,
maybe this is our honeymoon.

Hmm?

(CUP CLATTERS)

Castle, don't move.

Your wish is my command.

No, I'm serious.
Don't move an inch.

(RATTLING)

(g*nshots)

Ahhh! What...
(HORSE NEIGHING)

Oh, no.

No, no! No, no, no!

Espo! Ryan! Come back!

Guys, no! Come back!

Oh.
(SIGHS)

(HORSE NEIGHING)
(SIGHS)

Well, you were right before.

This is so not our honeymoon.

Well, thank goodness!

We were fixing to
put together a posse

to go searching
for the two of you.

Yeah, sorry, Mr. Grady.

We tried to call you, but we
couldn't get a signal in the hills.

Your horses came back hours ago.
What happened up there?

We met a namesake of your ranch.

Oh, a rattler.

Yeah, well, why don't you
mosey on over to the cantina

and strap on a feed bag and get
some fresh jitter juice in you.

Yeah, I think we'll do that.

Yeah, just as soon as we get
on some fresh union suits.

Yee-haw.

GATES: You found
our victim's suitcases?

Yes, sir. Our BOLO
got a hit on the homeless guy

who took them from the subway.

Inside, Whitney's research.

And something we haven't seen before.
A letter.

There's no return address,
but it's

got an Arizona
postmark dated 1992.

A 20-year-old letter?

"Slim,
in care of Rebecca Doolin."

A Jersey address.

We're hoping to track down Ms.
Doolin so we can get some answers.

The letter's from
a guy named Clyde.

We assume that
the photograph is him.

It says here that Clyde was a
seasonal worker at Diamondback.

Yeah, 20 years ago,
before the place was a resort.

But here's the interesting part.

In the letter, Clyde goes on about
how he and a guy named Dutch

were close to figuring out
some big secret.

What big secret?

RYAN: It doesn't say.
But Clyde wrote,

"I just need a few
more weeks, Slim.

"Dutch and I are so close.

"It all comes down to a
mistranslation of a Yavapai word."

Let me guess.
"Aha gah hel'lah"?

Yeah. How'd you know?

It's the same word Whitney was
asking the Yavapai elder about.

Well, Clyde goes on to write,

"I can hardly believe
that one little old word

"is the key to the secret
of the Peacock boys.

"As soon as I find it, I'm coming
on home to you. Love, Clyde."

The Peacock boys.
How do I know...

They're wanted men!
Cornelius and Percy Pea...

...cock.

Hey, Ryan, any idea who those
people in the letter are?

No, but Javi's
trying to track down

the lady who
the letter was sent to.

I'll keep you posted.

Yes, posted... Keep...

(STAMMERING) Keep us post...
Thank you. Thank you, Ryan.

Eyes back in their sockets, cowboy.
We got a m*rder to solve.

Right.

Now, who is this Clyde fellow, and
why did our victim have his letter?

And what does any of this have
to do with the Peacock boys?

Good questions, and I
know who has the answers.

You do?

The same person who always
has the answers in Westerns.

The affable,
all-knowing barkeep.

Train robbers.

Held up the Southern Pacific
back in 1893.

Made off with 50 bars
of US Treasury gold.

Gold?

24 karat AU, feller.

The Peacock boys, they outran
a whole squad of soldiers

by traversing Deadman's Gorge.

Two days later, they was gunned
down just outside of Phoenix.

But the gold was gone.

And no one knows
anything about it?

There were rumors.

1947, the missionaries
started writing down

the old stories of
the Yavapai people.

One of them was about Black Fox,

just a kid
abducted by them Peacock boys.

Forced him to be their guide.

But during their journey,
they stopped,

and they tied poor Black Fox to
a tree just south of the river.

And they rode off
in their gold-laden wagon.

But when they returned,

it was empty.

The Peacock
brothers stashed the gold.

Well, that's what
everybody thought.

'Cause when the story surfaced,

treasure hunters,
they came a-coming.

Anybody ever find it?
Nope.

And that's why this is just
another legend of the Old West.

CASTLE:
Whitney was after the gold.

What if when those missionaries
wrote down Black Fox's story,

they wrote it down incorrectly?

That Yavapai word
has two meanings, remember?

What if the Peacocks didn't
stash the gold near a river?

What if they
stashed it near a stream?

Castle! Look at these maps
from Whitney's research.

In 1893, there was a small
stream north of the river.

And then,
in 1920, it was dammed off.

Wait,
that means all those years,

everyone was
looking for the gold

in the wrong place.
In the wrong place!

That's why
Whitney needed the dynamite.

To blast open whatever
hiding place it was in.

But what do you do when you
discover 50 bars of gold?

Fly it home in your carry-on?
'Course not.

So, she left it there, she went
back to New York for help.

But perhaps
the k*ller caught onto her,

poisoned her to silence her and
to keep the gold for themselves.

When Whitney went home,
she was upset.

Does that sound like someone
who just found gold?

Okay. Hmm, you got me there.

But if Whitney
was searching for the gold

and the k*ller tracked her,
there could be clues.

You keep assuming that the
gold's still out there.

Don't forget, Clyde and
Dutch were looking for it.

They might have found it.

Not if they didn't have those
old maps that Whitney had.

You just wanna
go after the gold.

Of course I wanna go after
the gold! It's gold!

Okay, look.

If we use Whitney's research,

we may find
Whitney's k*ller, too.

Come on, Beckett.
What do you say?

REBECCA: Yeah, that's me.

But I haven't lived
at this address in years.

Rebecca, who is Slim?

She was a friend of mine. Her
real name's Virginia Williams.

Wait, does she have
a daughter named Whitney?

Well, Virginia was pregnant with
Whitney when she stayed with me.

Virginia was
a real mess back then.

How so?

Knocked up,
no money, no prospects.

Virginia got so fed up with
getting letters like these,

she finally wrote Clyde a "Dear
John" letter and moved on.

Wait, are you saying that
Clyde is Whitney's father?

Mmm-hmm.

Do you have any idea
where Clyde is now?

It's been 20 years.
How would I know?

BECKETT: Whitney must've found Clyde's
letters after her mother passed.

Yeah, and that's
what started her quest.

Now, according to the map,

the stream used to be
right around here.

I think.

Maybe.

I don't know.

Castle, what are you doing?

I am tracking
Whitney's path to the gold.

And how are you doing that?

By staring at the dirt.

That's how they do it
in all the old Westerns.

Yes, because they're cowboys.
You're a New Yorker.

An Easterner. A city slicker.

Yes, and because
I'm a city slicker,

I can tell you with absolute
certainty, Whitney was here.

How? You don't know
how to read tracks.

No! No. But because I'm a New
Yorker, I know how to read litter.

Check this out.

Charred,
wax-covered cardboard.

Whitney must've detonated
the dynamite nearby.

We're close.

Ah.

More there.

Beckett, look at this!

There's gold in them thar hills.

You go first, check for snakes.

(CASTLE LAUGHS)

CASTLE: This place is old.

This mine must've been abandoned

before the Peacock boys
stashed their loot.

(SIGHS) Slow down, Castle.
Just be careful.

Are you kidding?
There's treasure in here.

Whitney found the gold.

Or Clyde found the gold and
split it with his buddy Dutch,

and simply abandoned
Whitney and her mom.

CASTLE: I'm absolutely positive
Clyde didn't find the gold.

BECKETT: And how can
you be so sure, huh?

Because it's still here.

For over a century,
50 ingots of pure gold

have been trapped in
this cold, dark tomb,

waiting patiently to be rescued.

(EXHALES)

You hear that, Beckett?

You hear them calling?

(SCOFFS)

Calling to me.

Your wait is over, my golden friends.
I'm here to save you.

(CASTLE SCREAMS)

Okay, that's not gold!

BECKETT:
That's blunt-force trauma.

Yeah, and given this hat, I'm pretty
sure I know who the victim is.

It's Clyde.
Yep.

Castle, do you think that Whitney
came out here to find her dad?

Well, explains why she was
so upset when she left.

You were right. Clyde found
the treasure years ago.

Yeah, but then his buddy Dutch
double-crossed him.

Dutch took the gold for himself,

left his
blood-stained shirt behind...

And if he k*lled once,

what's to stop him from k*lling
again to protect his secret?

Wait. If Whitney found
her m*rder*d father,

why not just go
straight to the sheriff?

Why take the first flight home?

To confront her father's k*ller.

Dutch was just his
nickname. Castle, look.

There's a laundry tag on this shirt.
It has the initials "P.D."

Philip Dagmar.

I had nothing to do
with Whitney's death.

Are you sure about
that, Mr. Dagmar?

Or should we call you "Dutch"?

We checked your phone records.

There was a call from the ranch
pay phone to your cell phone

the morning of Whitney's m*rder.

She called you, didn't she?

What did she say?

That she was flying home. She
needed to speak with me in person.

Why didn't you
tell us this before?

Because it makes me look guilty.

You're right. It does.

I bet you've
still got connections

in that one-horse town,
don't you?

Why would I k*ll Whitney?

Because she knew
about your secret, Dutch.

We found Clyde's skeleton.

The skeleton you left when you
took those 50 bars of gold.

So, you're saying
that the story about

the Peacock boys
and the gold is true?

Yep, and someone
found out the hard way.

Well, that's not
gonna be good for business.

Now, don't you worry none.

All that nonsense is from long
before y'all bought the place.

It's not gonna scare anyone off.
And I'll make sure of it.

We appreciate that, Sheriff.

Jimmy, I sure could use the ranch's
ATVs to get up to this mine.

Of course. We got two of them.
They're all yours.

Come on, I'll take you to them.

Detective, would you mind
showing me the way?

Not a problem.

Try to stay out of trouble
while I'm gone, Castle.

Where's the fun in that?

Sounds like you've had
a hell of a day, son.

Wanna bend an elbow
and tell me all about it?

Drinks are on me.

I did the best I could for
Whitney, all these years.

But she wanted to find out
what happened to her father.

God, I can't
believe she found him.

And when she did, you knew
exactly what to do, didn't you?

So you hired someone
to poison her...

No, I didn't k*ll Whitney.

But I think I know who did.

Come on, Dutch.
We know it was you.

Clyde and I couldn't find the
location of the old stream,

so we enlisted the help of
someone who grew up in the town.

Clyde and I planned
to turn in the gold

and collect the finder's fee
from the Treasury.

But our new partner disagreed.

They fought, and Clyde fell,
landed on a rock,

and hit his head.

He was dead in minutes.

That's when I sold my soul.

For 25 bars of gold.

Mr. Dagmar,
who was your other partner?

Smooth.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Oh, excuse me.

Ah.

Ryan, they didn't have
mobile phones in the Old West,

so you're kind of k*lling
the vibe and my buzz.

RYAN:
Listen, is Beckett with you?

No. Why?

I've been calling and texting.
She's not answering.

Oh, she's on an ATV.

She probably can't hear her phone.
What's up?

There was a third partner.
He's the k*ller.

The sheriff?

No, it's James Grady.

Well, I guess this is goodbye.

Grady, stop!

Who's gonna make me, son? You?

Look, Grady, you, uh...
You k*ll me,

that's just another m*rder
you're gonna have to answer for.

Not if I make it
to Mexico first.

I can't let that happen.

(CHUCKLES)

You've got sand, boy,
I'll give you that much.

Why don't you sit on down
and have another drink?

Come on,
son, think of your wife.

I am.

Well, then,

you've got a hankering for a
residence in the bone orchard,

I'll accommodate you.

Any last words?

Yeah. If I survive this,

I'm giving this place
a scathing review on Yelp.

(g*nshots)

Hey!

I, uh,
guess you got Ryan's message.

Castle, I leave you alone
for five minutes

and you end up in a showdown?

Yeah, well,

good thing I married the
fastest g*n from the East.

Given that Whitney
checked in under her own name,

Grady may have been onto her
from the moment she arrived.

Probably didn't take him long
to figure out why she came.

And when he did,

he must've followed her to the
mine and seen what she discovered.

Yep. On the morning she left,

Grady made specific Internet
searches on foxglove poisoning.

Sounds like you got him
dead to rights, Sheriff.

Well, with what you did here,
we sure do.

Detective, I'm in your debt.
Y'all take care of yourselves.

Thank you, Sheriff.

(ENGINE TURNS OVER)
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)

Well, I guess we
cleaned up this town.

Yeah, I reckon we did.

So, I guess it's,
uh, time to go home.

ESPOSITO: Nah, nah. Well,
you know what really gets me?

It's that they said they only
invited immediate family.

What? We're not family?

More like poor relations.

And we're probably the reason that
they fell in love in the first place.

Right?
You know,

I've been listening to your
bellyaching for the last few days,

and I have to ask, what the
hell is wrong with you two?

Come on, sir.
It doesn't bother you?

You really wanna know
what I think, detectives?

I think that the two of you
should stop whining

like two little school girls who
weren't invited to the dance,

and be happy that your friends,
your very dear friends,

have found a way
to make it work.

Especially after all the hell
those two have been through.

Now, that's what I think.

Well,
when you put it that way...

Yeah.
I guess, in some opinions,

we have been kind
of jerks about it.

Right.

Yeah, you have.

But if you're interested,

there might be something you
could do to make it up to them.

Well, Rick,
I'm sorry to see you guys go.

Oh, yeah. Me, too.
But it couldn't be helped.

Hey there, cowboy. Where are
you off to in such a hurry?

Beckett, what are you doing?
We're gonna miss our flight.

You gotta be in
the office by morning.

No, I don't.

Yeah, you do. You don't have
any personal days left.

Actually, I kind of do.

For our wedding gift,
Ryan and Esposito

have both agreed to give me two
of their vacation days, each.

They did?
Yeah.

So, now, we have four days to do

whatever we want.

And you wanna stay here?

Of course I wanna stay. After
all, this is our honeymoon.

Oh, wait, we're gonna still go
to that island getaway, right?

Yes, absolutely.
Okay, good.