07x11 - Castle, P.I.

[bunniefuu]

(g*n COCKS)
(g*nsh*t)

Richard, you're dressed.

Well, it is morning, isn't it?

Well, it's just that
ever since you were banned

from working cases
with Katherine,

you and your pajamas have seen
an awful lot of each other.

Well, I think
you're exaggerating.

I admit, I've taken
the occasional day off

to recharge, but hardly
think it's fair...

Wow. Castle,
you're dressed?

Yes, I'm dressed! I did not think
it would be such an event.

Hey.
Morning, babe.

Does this mean you have something
special planned for today?

As a matter of fact, I do have
something special lined up.

A surprise, actually, for you.

Really?
What kind of a surprise?

Well, now if I told you that
it wouldn't be a surprise.

But trust me,
you're gonna love it.

Okay, now,
why does that scare me?

Because you're smart.

Hmm. Come on,
Castle. Spill.

Master interrogator
like yourself,

and that's the best you've got?

Maybe I'm just getting started.

(CELLPHONE RINGING)
Or not.

Beckett.

RYAN: Victim is Shana Baker.

According to her pay stubs, she
worked at Eastbourne Preschool.

Point of entry is a
window in her bedroom.

Somebody broke the glass.

She would've heard that, and
based on her body position,

it doesn't look like
she was trying to run away.

No, she wasn't.

No signs of defensive
wounds or struggle.

Just a single g*nsh*t
to the chest.

Which means our k*ller was
in here when she came home.

How a woman so astute could
choose to marry Castle...

Ah, come on,
Perlmutter, admit it.

You miss him too.
PERLMUTTER: Please.

Just knowing he's
not gonna be here

makes coming
to work sheer bliss.

(LAUGHS)

All things considered.

Time of death?

Well, lividity
and liver temp suggest

between 9:00 and 10:30
last night.

Neighbors were out, which is
probably why no one heard the sh*t,

but CSU, they did find this.

A cigarette butt.

Yeah, it was in the fire escape
outside the bedroom window.

And the neighbors above and
below are not smokers.

Neither was the victim. Not
with pearly whites like these.

So, if our k*ller had time
to grab a smoke,

then this wasn't a B and E.

Our k*ller was lying in wait. Which
means, this was premeditated.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

Where's the dog?

Dog's gone.

Might've been scared off
by the g*nsh*t.

Or, like Lassie,
Sparkles is out there

trying to track down our k*ller.

Really? Lassie?

Someone has to provide us
with out-of-the-box thinking

now that Castle's not around.
CASTLE: Thank you,

but I'll take it from here.

Castle? What are you doing?

You know that you're not
allowed to be here.

Actually, I am.

Because I'm no longer Richard
Castle, ordinary citizen.

I am now Richard Castle,

private investigator.

You got your PI's license?
Without telling me?

I took an online course. Finished
last night. Are you surprised?

Can we talk for a second?

Excuse me.

(CHUCKLES)

Castle, the PI's license
doesn't change anything.

The DA's still not gonna let
you investigate with us.

Oh, you see,
that's the brilliant part.

I'm not going to be
investigating with you.

No!

Instead, I'm gonna
conduct my own

parallel investigation
alongside yours.

Nice try, but you know
that's not gonna fly.

Actually, it will fly.

You see, as a licensed PI,

I'm legally entitled
to investigate

this case on behalf
of my client.

Ah. So who's
your client?

I'm sorry, that's confidential.

I'm sorry,
so is this investigation.

BECKETT:
I'm afraid he's right.

PI's license or not,
this crime scene is closed.

So, you're gonna have to go.

That's fine. I've already seen
everything I need to here, anyway.

I'll conduct my
investigation elsewhere.

Elsewhere where?

I'm sorry,
that's confidential too.

Huh.

ESPOSITO: Is he serious?

I think he is. And I think
I'm getting a headache.

Um, Ryan, see if you can get a hold
of this building's superintendent.

Look for any security cams and try
to reach out to her next of kin.

Espo, you and I should go to the
school that she worked for,

see if they can tell us anything
else about Shana's life.

You really didn't know
about this PI thing?

No, I mean, I saw him spending
hours on the computer,

but I just figured
he was playing Terra Quest.

Mmm-hmm.

So, what're you gonna do?

Well, there's not
much that I can do.

Look, I know that he's doing
this to spend time with me,

and I don't wanna
hurt his feelings.

I don't know,
maybe it'll be harmless.

Harmless? This is Castle
we're talking about.

Okay, but he knows nothing
about the case or the victim.

So, how much trouble can he be?

We're about to find out.

Castle, how did you get here?
Well, it turns out the subway

really is faster than
morning traffic.

No, I mean,
how did you get here?

To the school
where Shana worked?

Oh! Well, the neighbors
didn't know very much.

I figured her work
would be your next stop.

So, I've heard about this place.

It's the feeder
school in the city.

The only place to be if you're
three years old and connected.

Isn't that Spalding Elliot
over there?

The State's top prosecutor.

He's on the short list
for Attorney General.

CASTLE: And behind him, James
Kallman, Internet billionaire.

Even spotted Diddy
in the carpool lane.

Well, this place is a bastion
of the city's elite.

Wonder what our victim did here,

what foul schemes
she was tangled in.

Uh, Castle, you can't just follow me
inside and sit in on my interview.

Well, actually, um,

I was here first, so, really,
you're following me.

Shana was our
admissions director.

Parents, kids,
everybody loved her.

How did she seem
to you recently?

Any changes in her behavior?

Actually, I don't know.

She hadn't been around
the past few days.

Why not? She'd been
working long hours

to finalize admissions
for our new students.

She'd just sent the acceptance
letters out last week,

so she took the past couple
of days off to recover.

If acceptance letters went out,

does that mean rejection
letters went out as well?

Look, I know what
you're thinking.

And, yes, parents can
get a bit emotional,

especially when it comes to
their kids being turned down.

But nothing has ever risen to the
level of something like this.

Well, maybe this year it did. There's
something you guys gotta hear.

MAN: (ON PHONE) You think
you can ruin my kid's life?

Bitch, I know where you live and
you'll never see me coming!

(ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS)

This was left on Shana's
voicemail a few days ago.

And pretty much describes
what happened to her.

Doctor Matthews,
do you recognize this voice?

I'm afraid I don't.

Okay, check with the rest of the
staff, see if anyone else does.

We'll also need copies
of the school's phone records,

as well as a list of parents
that received rejection letters.

MATTHEWS: Of course.

Can I get a copy
of that list too?

I'm gonna take that
as a "no."

Can't say that I'm shocked.

Group of powerful people not
used to hearing the word "no."

BECKETT: Come on, Castle.

You really think that
rejection from preschool

qualifies as motive for m*rder?

With a feeder school
like this one?

A rejection from here

could mean not getting into
the "right" elementary school,

which affects high school, which
affects college, and... Oh, my God.

People do insane things
for their kids.

You'll see.

Where are you off to?

Back to the precinct.

Oh.

Look, Castle,
if it was my choice...

Oh, please. Why would I
wanna go to the precinct?

No, a PI's work is
done in the field,

and I've got lots of
leads to follow up on.

Okay, I'll see you tonight.

See you tonight.

So unfair.

(LAUGHS)

A private investigator?

I swear, sir, I had
nothing to do with this.

Yet he showed up
at your crime scene!

Let me remind you,
the DA was very explicit.

Ever since he worked
that case for the mob,

Mr. Castle can no longer take
part in our investigations.

He's not. I mean, technically he's
conducting his own investigation.

And since he's licensed,

legally, there's not much
that I can do to stop him.

Okay, Detective.
But let me be perfectly clear.

You cannot help him either.
And that goes for you too.

I'm sorry?

No sharing of information,
no granting access. Nothing.

Or there will be hell to pay.
Understood?

Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.

GATES: Good.

"How much trouble
can he be?"

Trust me, once he finds out that he
has to work this case without me,

he's gonna get bored
and he's gonna move on.

He found our victim's
school without you.

Yeah, but that was easy.

He doesn't have
access to financials,

to phone records,
to street-cam footage.

I mean, how far is he gonna get?

You know what would really suck?

If Castle solved
this case before we did.

And that is not possible.

Yeah, but what if he did?

Well, then we'd
never hear the end of it.

Uh, no, you would never
hear the end of it.

You're the one who has
to go home to that guy.

Listen, there is no way that he
can solve this case before us.

All right, who are you

and what are you doing
with a dead woman's dog?

Think you can get the drop on me?
(CHOKING)

You don't know
who you're messing with.

Who are you?
Why're you following me?

(CHOKING) I can't
answer if I can't talk.

(COUGHS) Okay, my name is
Richard Castle, and I'm a...

Oh, I can show you.

No!
(SCREAMS)

CASTLE: Pepper spray?

Why did you do that?

I thought you were
reaching for a g*n!

No, I was reaching
for my PI license!

(CONTINUES COUGHING)

You're a PI?

Oh, man. I'm sorry.
Here, come here.

I was mugged last week,
all right?

You can't trail
people like that.

Sorry. I'm looking into
the m*rder of Shana Baker.

Whoa, hey.

Shana's dead?
Yes.

She was my friend.
Hey, who k*lled her?

Brian Whitman. Senior partner
at Tenzer Capitol.

We traced the threatening call
to his office.

Guy's a big sh*t with even bigger
anger-management problems,

including slamming his Tesla

into this driver
who cut him off.

Anyone at the school
recognize him?

No, but I had unis show his
picture around Shana's building.

The same day he left
that voicemail,

neighbors saw him banging on
her door, yelling obscenities.

He promised he'd be back.

So, I was a little aggressive

when Miss Baker didn't let
my son into that school.

But that doesn't
mean I k*lled her.

"Bitch, I know where you live and
you will never see me coming."

That sounds like
a death thr*at to me.

I was being dramatic.

How were you being
when you sh*t her?

(SIGHS) Look,
you don't understand.

And neither will a jury.

I had no reason to k*ll her.

She changed her mind
about my son.

She decided to let him in.

Mr. Whitman,
we have the school records...

This just happened two days ago.

Call down there.
You can check.

I even have the letter
she wrote me.

Your son had
already been rejected.

So why would
Shana change her mind?

I don't know.

She just did.

Whitman's alibi checks out.

He was on an investment call to Hong
Kong at the time of the m*rder.

And the school
verifies his claim.

Shana did reverse
the decision on his son.

Do you think she gave in
to Whitman's threats?

Nah, the headmistress said

that Shana would
never cut a deal.

If she felt threatened,

she would've notified
the school or the police.

Unless there's
more to the story.

Let's dig into Whitman.

See if there's anything else
that connects him to Shana.

He's hiding something.

Well, looks like
our victim might

have been hiding
something herself.

According to
this bank statement,

she withdrew $3,000 in cash
out of her account

the day before she d*ed.

And I take it that's not her
normal pattern of withdrawal?

No, in fact, it nearly cleaned
out her savings account.

So what would
Shana Baker be doing

that she needed that much cash?

Shana was going out of town.

That's why she wanted me
to keep Sparkles.

I'm assuming you're better with
dogs than you are with people.

Where'd she go?
No idea.

In fact, the whole thing
was sort of weird.

How so?

Well, usually when
I take Sparkles,

she tells me weeks in advance.

But this was really sudden.

I had to take him right away.

And she always tells me
where she's going,

but she didn't
tell me this time.

Do you think her trip
had something to do

with why she was k*lled?

Well, seeing as how she
dropped her dog off with you

and the very next day
she was m*rder*d,

my guess would be, yeah,
the two were related.

Where do you think she went?

(HUMMING) Ah!

Castle!
Perlmutter.

What are you... You're looking
at my victim's chart!

Well, I'm just making sure
you filled it out properly.

And may I say, for a man, you
have exquisite handwriting.

Oh. Give it back!

Hey, hey, hey.
Look, look, look!

You could make this a lot
easier on me, Perlmutter.

Oh, because
that's what I live for.

I just believe that your victim

traveled somewhere
before she d*ed.

Is there anything in the
autopsy that indicates where?

I would rather
switch places with her

than tell you.
Now, give me that!

I am warning you, Castle...

Here it is.
"Stomach contents.

"Two ounces of peanuts,
partially digested pretzels,

"blood contains trace amounts
of over-the-counter sedative."

She was on a plane.
She flew somewhere.

Thanks for your help.

This isn't over!

(CELLPHONE RINGING)

What?
It's Beckett.

We're trying to
explain some anomalies

in our victim's
financial records.

Are there any signs
that she traveled recently?

Well, as a matter of fact

I was just discussing that
with the writer you married!

Castle was at the morgue?

How the hell did he find out
our victim had left town?

I don't know, but Perlmutter was
right about the air travel.

According to TSA records,

Shana took a 4:30 flight
to Boston two days ago.

What was she doing in Boston?

She doesn't have any
family or friends there.

And I spoke to the school,
she wasn't there for work.

But she paid for
the trip in cash,

like she was trying
to keep it secret.

It says here that her return flight from
Boston landed yesterday at 6:00 p.m.

Just hours before
her m*rder that night.

Meaning this mystery trip might have
something to do with her death.

Yeah, and look at this.

According to her cell records,

right after she landed,
she made a call

to the New York Ledger's
news desk.

What's a preschool
admissions officer doing

calling the Ledger's news desk?

Maybe she uncovered something
she thought was a story.

But I checked
with them over there,

nobody remembers talking to her.

We got to find out what she
was doing during that trip.

Yeah, we do.

Before your husband does
and makes us all look bad.

I can help with that.

The last charge that Shana
made on her credit card

was for a lunch at a
restaurant two days ago.

That's right
before she left town.

She split the bill with
this woman, Nicole Morris.

She's an attorney
at Harrison and Reid.

ESPOSITO: That's one of the
top law firms in the country.

Why would Shana
be meeting with an attorney?

I don't know,
but a high-powered attorney,

a secret trip paid for in cash,

and a phone call to a news desk.

This is starting to
smell like conspiracy.

Well, I hate to admit it, but baby
Castle over here might be right.

Conspiracy or not,
if this lawyer

met with Shana
just before her trip,

she may know something about it.
So, where can I find her?

Her assistant says that she's
out all day with some clients,

but you might be
able to catch her

at her 3 o'clock.
Here's the address.

Okay, thanks.

Nicole Morris?

Uh, Detective Beckett,
NYPD. I...

Castle?
What are you doing here?

I work here. Welcome to
Richard Castle Investigations.

When were you gonna tell me
that you had an office?

Uh... Eventually.

No, we're married. Married
people tell each other things.

Yeah, but you weren't exactly
thrilled when I got my PI license.

'Cause you didn't tell me!

And what is she doing here?

Oh! She had lunch
with the victim,

right before
the victim left town.

No, no, no, I mean,
how did you find her?

Ah. I was checking
the victim's credit card

for plane ticket charges
to see where she flew,

and instead I found
a lunch charge...

Wait a minute. You checked
her credit card records? How?

Okay, we're getting into
kind of a gray area here,

so let's just say it involved
her mother's maiden name

and a serviceable falsetto.

Uh, I'm sorry.

I have another appointment. Is
this gonna take much longer?

Be right there, Miss Morris.

So, Detective,
so long as you're here,

would you care to
sit in on my interview?

I had no idea
she had been k*lled

until you called.
It was quite a shock.

Miss Morris,
how well did you know Shana?

Not very.
I met her a few months back

when I toured Eastbourne
School for my daughter.

We hit it off, but I decided
not to apply this year,

so I was surprised when
she called the other day.

She said it was urgent, that she
needed to meet before she left town.

CASTLE: Did she say
where she was going?

Boston, I think. Something
about Radnor University.

Did she mention
why she was going there?

No, and frankly, after the
questions she was asking,

I didn't really wanna know.

Why? What did
she ask about?

m*rder.

Specifically felony statutes

covering m*rder in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

What qualifies as accessory to
m*rder, conspiracy to commit m*rder,

what's the difference between m*rder
and manslaughter, that sort of thing.

I was hoping her interest
was theoretical.

But now that she's dead,
maybe it wasn't.

Again, thank you,
Miss Morris, for your time.

Of course. Please, call me
if I can help in any way.

I will.

Did you hear that?
Felony law about m*rder.

Do you know what this means?

Yes, that there's a hell of a lot
more to Shana's trip than we know.

And whatever trouble she
got involved in up there,

I'm betting it
followed her home.

Okay,
if that's the case, then...

(STAMMERING) I'm... I'm sorry,
Castle, we shouldn't be doing this.

Doing what?
Uh, this.

You, me, theorizing together.

It's not right, especially here,

after this whole PI thing, I...

No! Shh!
Don't think about it.

Just think about how it feels
when we work together.

Besides, we have the place to ourselves.
Who's gonna know?

Yeah.
Yeah.

(CELLPHONE RINGING)

It's work.
Don't answer it.

No, but I have to.

Hi, Espo. What's up?

So, you asked me to dig
deeper on Brian Whitman,

see if there were any other
connections to Shana.

Well, you'll never
guess what I found.

No! No, you're right,
that can't be a coincidence.

What's not a coincidence?

Okay, bring him in.

Bring who in?

I'm sorry, baby, I gotta go.

Mwah. You're not gonna
tell me anything?

You said married people
tell each other things!

Who the hell do you think
you are, Detective?

Why am I back here?

Uh, Mr. Whitman, please.

You know, you're a generous man.

You support charitable causes,

you sit on the board of numerous
esteemed organizations,

including Radnor University.

So?

So, just before Shana Baker d*ed,
she took a trip to Radnor.

You know anything about that?

Sorry, can't help you.
BECKETT: I think you can.

Her trip, your position
on the school's board

and her helping getting your
son into that preschool.

I think those three are related.

And you're gonna tell us how.

Or we're just gonna
find out anyway.

Then we're gonna take
your ass down for obstruction

and maybe accessory to m*rder.

Not to mention what's gonna
happen at that preschool

when they find out
you refused to cooperate

on an investigation of one
of their employees' deaths.

I don't think your
kid is going to be

enrolled there for much longer.

Okay, okay, okay. Look, look,
look, she came to me, okay?

She wanted me to pull
some strings at Radnor,

and in return,
she got my kid in.

What strings did
she want you to pull?

She wanted me to contact
the Dean of Students.

Tell him Shana was
coming to see him,

and that she needed help
with something.

And what exactly
did she need help with?

She wouldn't tell me.

She just asked me to make
the phone call to the Dean.

That's all I know. I swear.

So, we're good, right?

I mean, my son's still in?

The Dean confirmed that
Shana was there yesterday,

requesting access to Radnor
campus police files.

RYAN: Police files?
Which ones?

He didn't know, but according
to their records room,

she looked through
incident reports

from 1999.

Huh.

Why would she be looking at
15-year-old incident reports?

I bet Castle knows.

Are you kidding me?

There is no way
he's ahead of us on this.

Hey. He got to the morgue
before us, and that lawyer.

Ryan, he is resourceful, but
he is not that resourceful.

He got you to
marry him, didn't he?

Call him.
Let's see where he's at.

I just cut him out of the case.

I can't call him and
ask him what he knows.

Then don't ask him.

You're a detective. Detect.

Thank you for picking up dinner.

Didn't want you to starve
on that PI's salary.

So, how's your first case going?

Did I tell you
I got pepper sprayed today?

You say that like
it's a good thing.

Yeah, I mean,
now I'm kind of stuck.

I know our victim took a trip
to Radnor University,

I just have no idea why.

I hacked into
her social media accounts...

Wait, you know how to hack
into social media accounts?

Hacking might be overstating it.

Her password for everything
is "Sparkles," her dog's name.

Point is,
without police resources,

the best I can do is go through
her friends' online posts

and look for some connections
to Radnor University.

Are there any?

Just one thing,
but it happened 15 years ago.

I have no idea
if it's even relevant.

I just wish I knew what Beckett had.
(PHONE RINGING)

ALEXIS: Mmm!

Richard Castle Investigations.

Hey, babe. Just checking in.
What are you doing?

Oh, just hanging out at the office.
How about you?

He has an office?

Uh, just wondering
how your day's going?

Good. Really good, actually.
How about yours?

Yeah, mine's good too.

Really, really good.

That's good. Great.
I should have said, "Great."

Mine's great.

Great. That's...

Okay, so I'll see you tonight.

See you tonight.

He knows something.

She has something.

And you have to find out what.

And I'm gonna find out what.

Oh, hey, there.
You're home early.

Hey.
I couldn't wait to see you.

So, I picked up a bottle of wine

on the way home.
It's your favorite.

Oh, that is such a big glass.

What's the occasion?
No occasion.

I just figured this would be
a great way for you to unwind

after a long day at work.

Oh, that's so nice.
And where's your glass?

Oh, it's over there.

Well, why don't we top that
off for you, shall we?

Once we get all
nice and relaxed,

unwind...

There we go.

You can tell me
all about your day.

Yeah. (CHUCKLES)

Wait a minute.

You're not trying
to ply me with wine

to find out what I know
about this case, are you?

Of course not. That's not what
you're trying to do, is it?

No.
Okay.

Because if you were trying
to find out what I know,

that would mean you're stuck.

I'm not stuck.

Good. Because I'm
not stuck either.

So you do know something.
So you do know something.

Maybe.
Maybe.

All right, this is crazy.

If we both have something,
why don't we just trade?

Castle, I can't.
You know that.

Oh, can't!

What happened to
that rebellious girl

with the leather jacket
and the motorcycle?

Would she say "can't"?

(SCOFFS) She enforces the law
now, and drinks expensive wine.

Then think about our victim.

Are you really gonna let
a couple of silly rules

stand in the way
of bringing Shana justice?

Okay, fine.

We'll do it just this once.
For her.

You first.
You first.

We'll go at the same time.

Ready?
Yeah.

She was looking into
old police records...

Shana had an old boyfriend
who d*ed at Radnor University.

Wait. She had an old boyfriend
who d*ed at Radnor University?

How long ago?
Fifteen years.

His name was Jeff Whalen.

He drank too much at a party
and fell out a window.

If she was looking into
old police records...

And interested in
homicide laws...

She must've thought
that his death

was more than just an accident.

She was investigating a m*rder.

And somehow that got her k*lled.

Oh, my God.
I missed this.

(BECKETT MOANING)

CASTLE: Last night
was amazing.

Wait.

Are you talking about the put-together
we did on the case, or...

That. But the put-together,
that was pretty amazing too.

(SIGHS)

It's been forever
since we tried that.

I forgot how creative
you can get.

We're not talking about
the case anymore, are we?

Mmm-mmm. (LAUGHS)
(CELLPHONE RINGING)

(KEYPAD BEEPS)

Hey, Ryan.

Great. Okay,
how long before the file...

Before it gets there?

Before what gets there?

You were about to say
"files," weren't you?

No!

Oh, you texted Ryan last night
about Shana's old boyfriend

and told him to get those
old police files for you,

while you were in bed with me.

Ryan, I'll be right over.

Well, you're gonna let me take
a look at those files, right?

I mean, that's only fair.

Castle, I can't.

That would be crossing the line.

You didn't seem to care
about lines last night.

No, last night,
it was anything goes.

Yes, Castle,

and it was great.

Come on, we both know it was just
a (WHISPERS) one-time thing.

You know, I thought
we had something special!

Is that the file?

Yeah, and it looks like your 2:00 a.m.
hunch paid off.

What were you doing up
so late anyway?

I was working on the case.

Huh.

Well, I don't know what Shana was
looking to find in that report,

but it refers to witness
statements taken at the party

where Shana's boyfriend,
Jeff Whalen, d*ed.

But the witness statements, as well
as the list of people who gave them,

they're all missing.

The file's been tampered with?

It looks that way.

When I called over
to Radnor, they said

that those pages
must have been lost

when their records
were digitized 10 years ago.

What about the officer that
wrote the original report?

Passed away a few years back.

Okay, if the information
is missing,

then what did Shana learn from
this report that got her k*lled?

According to the guy
in the records department,

when Shana finished
with the archive,

she asked for directions
to the alumni office.

Now, I placed a call over there,

but they don't open for
another half an hour. So...

Oh. How'd it go
with Castle last night?

Is he ahead of us or behind us?

Uh, we're definitely
on top of him.

Without access to
those police files,

they are gonna
leave me in the dust.

I thought you became a PI
to work with Beckett.

When did it become
a competition?

When she took something beautiful
that we'd built together

and shared it with another man.

What?

Investigatively speaking.

But I may have found
a way to catch up.

I have been looking for any mention
of Shana's boyfriend's death.

Wading through newspapers,
public records, and the like.

And, check this out.

It's from the
Radnor University Daily.

Do you notice anything
unusual about this ad?

That people were ever
actually afraid of Y2K?

(CHUCKLES) Yes, that,
and the ad is above the fold.

I worked on my school paper,
that's layout 101.

You never place an ad above
the fold on the front page,

unless something changed last
minute, creating a space to fill.

Like the lead story
was shortened.

Something was pulled from it
just before they published.

And I bet it relates
to this case.

You could track down the reporter,
see if he could tell you.

Except the story
is credited to Staff.

But there is someone
else who knows.

Who?

The person who ordered the article
shortened in the first place.

The editor.

ESPOSITO: Frank Jackson? Yeah,
the guy at the alumni office

said that Shana came in requesting
all of his contact information.

Frank Jackson. Why does
that sound so familiar?

Because he is now a reporter
at the New York Ledger.

That's who Shana was calling
the day she d*ed.

And I can tell you why.

Fifteen years ago, Frank
Jackson was the president

of the exclusive
Tiger Claw Social Club,

the organization that hosted the
party where Shana's boyfriend d*ed.

So, Shana called Frank
as part of her investigation.

She knew that if he was
president of that club,

he must've been
at the party that night.

And if there was a cover-up,
he would've been in on it.

Then he could be our k*ller.

Excuse me, Mr. Jackson!

I wanted to talk about an article
you edited about 15 years ago,

about a student who d*ed
at the Tiger Claw Social Club.

I'm sorry, I'm late.
Another time.

You left something out of
that article, didn't you?

Something about
how Jeff Whalen really d*ed.

Who did you say you were again?

I'm Richard Castle.

I'm a private investigator
working the Shana Baker m*rder.

Okay, not here.

I know somewhere nearby.
It's more private.

We still can't find Jackson.

He's not at his apartment and
he's not answering his phone.

Okay, put out an APB.

If he's Shana's k*ller,
then he may try to run.

Yo, that was the Ledger. One
of Jackson's co-workers said

that he saw him leave the
building about an hour ago,

with some guy who
looked like Castle.

Then Castle found Jackson?

And he has no idea
how dangerous he is.

Damn it, Castle, answer.

Why can't he just stay out of this?
(CELLPHONE RINGING)

When have I ever
stayed out of anything?

Oh, thank God.
Now, what are you doing here?

I know the rules,
but given who I'm with,

I thought we might
make an exception.

I knew this day would come.

When Shana called
the other night,

I was almost relieved.

Just tell Detective Beckett
what you told me.

About why she called.

It was about her boyfriend.

She wanted to know how Jeff
Whalen really d*ed that night

at Radnor University.

Jeff was pretty wasted. He
went upstairs to get some air,

and the next thing I remember
was the scream.

Now, I didn't see what happened,

but I know Jeff wasn't alone in that
room when he fell out the window.

You think that he was m*rder*d?

All I know is the next day I was
pressured to change the story.

I was told to
take out any mention

of who was in the room with him.

But who pressured you?

Someone big.

He said he was just trying to
protect his son's reputation.

He told me he
could ruin my life,

or he could do
great things for me.

I was a kid and I was scared.

And since the cops already
said that it was an accident,

I figured why ruin two lives?

Only it wasn't an accident.

By the time I realized

the investigation
had been rigged,

I had already helped
to cover up a m*rder.

And if you had come forward,

your career as
a journalist would be over.

Yes, sir.

I can't hide from
it anymore, you know?

Who were they protecting, Frank?

Who pushed Shana's
boyfriend out the window?

The last person I told
that, um, wound up dead.

I mean, you sure
you really wanna know?

Let me get this straight.

You think federal prosecutor
Spalding Elliot k*lled Shana Baker?

The events support it, sir.

According to Mr. Jackson, right
after Shana spoke to him,

she went to confront
Elliot about his role

in her former boyfriend's death.

And he's a parent at her school,
so she knew where to find him.

Look, it's no secret that Elliot is
being groomed for bigger things.

So, maybe he
needed to silence Shana

to keep her from destroying him.

Detective,
if you're gonna go after

the top federal prosecutor
in New York,

you're gonna need more than just the
word of a compromised journalist.

You're gonna need
bulletproof evidence.

And you don't have it.

What if we can place Elliot
at the crime scene?

We found a cigarette butt
with DNA evidence on it.

Which you're gonna
match to his how?

I doubt if he's gonna volunteer
his DNA if he's guilty.

We'll find a way.
Tread lightly, Detective.

You're hunting big game here.

And until we have
a stronger case,

we cannot afford to
attract any attention.

Which means, Mr. Castle,

you cannot be involved
in this at all,

even in your
private investigator capacity.

Sir, we never would have
gotten this far without...

Oh, no, actually, she's right.
Rules are rules.

As a matter of fact, I shouldn't
even be here right now.

(DOOR OPENING)

Well, that was
easier than I expected.

Yeah. Huh.

(MOUTHING) Come on.

Come on.

There.

One sample of damning DNA
evidence coming right up.

Sorry, Sherlock.
Not this time.

Pros will take it from here.

I...

A cigarette butt? Is that
supposed to mean something?

It was recovered at the scene
of Shana Baker's m*rder.

Preliminary DNA tests
indicate it's yours.

That's not possible.

It is. Because you were there.
You k*lled her, Mr. Elliot.

That's ridiculous.
I didn't even know her.

Why would I k*ll her?

Because she knew the truth

about what happened
that night at the party.

About Jeff Whalen's m*rder.

We know that she
tracked you down.

And when she confronted you,
you had her silenced.

Okay, listen. Okay,
she did track me down.

And she practically accosted me

in front of my office
the other night.

And I told her the truth,
all right?

That I... Yes, I was in the
room the night that Jeff fell.

But I did not push him.

It was an accident.
It's in the report.

Then why did your
father cover it up?

Because he knew that
the truth wouldn't matter.

That I would be
convicted in the court

of public opinion
just for being there.

And then my political career
would be over

before it ever started.

So you swept it under the rug,

and then when
Shana came along...

Shana. Do you think
she was the first?

Listen, my enemies have been circling
around this story for years.

And you wanna know why the
media's never run with it?

Because there's nothing there.

Until now.

(SCOFFS)

I'm being set up.
Mr. Elliot...

Shana said somebody
contacted her

and told her that I pushed Jeff.

They urged her to
"look into" the truth.

And then she ends up dead,

and you find this at the scene?

You're claiming
someone is framing you?

I'm a criminal prosecutor.

Do you honestly think
that I would be stupid enough

to leave a piece of evidence
like this behind?

Look, I made my name
fighting corporate greed.

And my political ambitions

are no secret
to anyone. This...

Don't you see?
This is the perfect way

for my enemies to destroy me.

Okay, there's only one problem
with that theory, Mr. Elliot.

In order to frame you,
a person would need to know

that you were there
at that party 15 years ago,

and know that
Shana Baker had just

come from seeing you
an hour earlier.

Maybe there's
a simpler explanation.

There is no conspiracy against you.
You k*lled her.

I couldn't have k*lled her,

because I was at
a fundraiser that night.

Yeah, we checked into that.

You got there at 11:00.
Shana was dead by 10:30.

I swear to you.
I am being set up!

I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have no other
choice but to arrest you for...

Wait! (PANTING)

He's telling the truth. Spalding
Elliot is not our k*ller.

Hi.

Was I not clear when I told you

to stay away from this case?

Okay, I can see you're upset.

But I promise, in a moment
you'll understand. Jeremy.

This is Jeremy. He is the
victim's friend and dog-sitter.

Oh, so, Jeremy is
some sort of a witness?

Not quite.
Jeremy, if I may?

Oh, the dog? The dog is the witness?
Mr. Castle...

Just watch.

(SPARKLES WHIMPERING)

Castle, what are you doing?

I'm proving this
man's innocence.

BECKETT: Castle!

Mr. Elliot, if I may...

Please, no.
(SNEEZING)

See, I remember reading in
a profile of Mr. Elliot

that he has a severe allergy
to long-haired dogs.

And the victim's apartment
was covered in dog hair.

Exactly.

Now, does this seem
like the kind of man

who could wait in
Shana's apartment?

Let alone smoke a cigarette
while he did so?

Please.

No, but I mean, he could
be faking the whole thing.

Please. Please, get him out of
here, before the hives start!

I think that ship has sailed.

Okay, yeah,
definitely not faking that.

Now, here is Spalding Elliot
arriving at the fundraiser,

the night of Shana's death.

Note the lack of red
splotches on his face.

There is no way
that he came straight

from her apartment
looking like that.

Which means Ryan nailed it before.
This is a conspiracy.

Ryan, you played the "C" card?

Well, I mean, you weren't around.
Somebody had to step up.

Okay, for this
set-up to work,

someone had to activate Shana,
and tell her about the cover-up.

CASTLE: Right,
that way her death

would create an investigative
path that led straight to Elliot.

Setting him up for her m*rder.

My guess is we're dealing with
some kind of big-money fixer,

a shadowy g*n-for-hire
Michael Clayton type.

Well, whoever planted Elliot's
DNA at the crime scene

had to have gotten the
cigarette butt from somewhere.

Which means they had to intersect
with Elliot at some point.

If we can figure out
where and when...

GATES: "We," Mr. Castle?

Really?

But I...

I brought...
On a silver...

Fine.

I'll show myself out.

CASTLE: We were all after
the same thing, justice.

Trouble is, when it came to me,

Lady Justice had
different plans.

While Beckett and the boys
closed in on the k*ller,

I'd been kicked to the gutter,
like yesterday's trash. (CHUCKLES)

It just didn't seem fair.

BECKETT: You're right,

it's not fair.

Hey, Beckett!
I was just listening

to some notes I made for the...

I just...
What are you doing here?

You know, we took another
look at the cigarette butt,

the one with Elliot's DNA.

It turns out it had traces
of barbecue sauce on it.

I thought you said
you couldn't share.

I can't.

But if you hadn't shared,

then we'd still be looking
at Elliot as our k*ller.

And besides, we got the place to ourselves.
So, who's gonna know?

So, I assume Elliot
has had barbecue recently.

Just last week,
at a rib joint Uptown.

We scrubbed the security video,

and you'll never guess
who we found

digging through the ash can for
one of Elliot's cigarette butts.

No way!
That's our Michael Clayton?

Likely hired by whoever's behind
all of this to befriend Shana,

whisper in her ear
and urge her to investigate.

And who ensured we followed
the trail to Radnor. Oof.

I wish I could see
the look on their face

when you slap the cuffs on them.

Yeah, well, maybe you can.

Mr. Castle,
I got an urgent call

to meet you here
regarding Shana Baker.

Yes. Yes, just one final
question, Miss Morris.

Who hired you to k*ll Shana Baker
and frame Spalding Elliot?

(CHUCKLES)

What are you talking about?

I think you know.

That's you retrieving
Elliot's cigarette butt

so you could plant it at the crime
scene after you k*lled Shana.

Nicole Morris, you're under arrest
for the m*rder of Shana Baker.

You know, I always heard Harrison
and Reid were a k*ller law firm.

Now, I know why.

Case closed.

You think we'll ever know
who Nicole Morris works for?

Ah, she's not gonna tell us.

But we did find several large
payments wired to her account,

and Elliot is determined
to find their source.

I would be determined, too.

That guy would be
spending time in jail,

if it wasn't for
a dog named Sparkles.

And a PI named Castle.

I'm proud of you.
I just...

I thought this was another one of
your larks. A way to k*ll time.

But you impressed me.

You know,
I kind of impressed myself.

I got all sorts of ideas
for my new book.

Just one thing didn't
work out as planned.

You know that if
this was up to me,

we would be
working together, right?

Yes, but since it's not,
and we can't,

I was wondering how you'd feel
if I kept with this for a while.

Don't move.

Hmm.

What's this?

It's my answer.

(GASPS)

(WHISPERS) I am so gonna
wear this to work tomorrow!

Keep going,
there's something else.

(CASTLE LAUGHING)

So, maybe you can use that
to locate an actual client.

I can see something
I like better already.

You care to go into
the other room and share?

On one condition.
What?

The hat stays on.
(LAUGHS)

CASTLE: Mmm!