08x10 - Witness for the Prosecution

[bunniefuu]

¶ it's just one of those better days ¶

¶ when I can see my life ahead ¶

Man: Sorry, I'm gonna be a while.

Excuse me, do you know where there's another --

Ah, thank you. Thank you.

[ grunting ]

Stop!

Oh, my god.

Sadie.

[ railing clangs ]

Call 911!

[ crowd murmuring ] call 911!

Now, rick, be charming but not too charming.

That's like asking superman not to be too super.

What's wrong with being too charming?

Nothing, except when you are testifying in a m*rder trial.

Look, being charming tells the jury that you're confident,

But being too charming tells them that you're trying to be manipulative.

Oh, I see. This is why you never had me testify

In any of our cases.

You're jealous of my charm.

I'm serious, okay? Don't get cocky.

This is the first time you'll be testifying in court,

And it can get nerve-racking.

I'll be fine, especially since word on the street

Is the defense lawyer is a total hack.

Oh, yeah? Who is it?

Stan novak.

"short attention span" stan?

That guy gets lost in his own cross examinations.

[ chuckles ] yeah. You will be fine.

Too bad you won't be there to see me in action.

No, but I will. Is that wise?

I mean, publicly, aren't we still supposed to be separated?

This is the sadie beakman m*rder trial we're talking about.

Her reporting from iraq

Shaped the way many americans saw the w*r.

Plus it gave her the profile to launch her own news website.

And as captain of the precinct that closed her m*rder case,

It would be odd if I didn't show.

Then we should come up with a secret signal.

A little thing just between the two of us that says,

"I love you."

Oh, you know, I think that would be a little...

Do you need a tissue? No, this is my -- that's the secret "I love you" signal.

Do you like it? Rubbing your nose?

Yeah. Yeah, that's really romantic.

Anyway, I got to go.

I'm meeting vikram. I'll see you at the court.

Yes, I love you, too. [ chuckles ]

Beckett: Hey. Hey.

Where are we on surveilling caleb brown

And connecting him to loksat?

Exactly where we were last week

And the week before that and the week before that.

So nowhere?

Our target at the public defender's office

Is like a super villain -- no weaknesses.

Oh, come on. That's not possible.

Sure about that? 'cause cee cee and I have tried every pos--

Wait, what? Who's cee cee? No one.

Did you give your computer a girl's name?

You don't know my life.

Huh. I've never been happier about that until this moment.

Look, I am tired of lying to everyone.

I want my life back,

And given your new relationship with your computer,

It's time you get yours back, too.

So let's figure this out. What is caleb brown's weakness?

This is gonna be the easiest case I have ever tried.

How can you be so sure?

The defendant has a history of arrest

For robbing high-end houses while working as a cater waiter.

Sadie beakman caught her in the act

And the defendant k*lled her in order to get away.

Isn't that all circumstantial?

Yes, which is why it's a good thing I have you --

An eyewitness.

The defendant really should've taken that plea deal I offered.

Yeah. Why didn't she?

What do you think their defense is gonna be?

Don't concern yourself with that.

No matter how he tries to spin the facts,

You stick with what you saw.

Nina o'keefe k*lled sadie beakman.

The victim's family.

Oh, yes, I remember.

Hi. Nice to see you again.

Sorry it's under such terrible circumstances.

Yeah. Us, too.

So, how are you holding up?

Some good days, more bad.

We can't seem to get over it.

You know, my wife spent two years embedded

With troops in iraq and not a scratch.

And then a party in manhattan. Doesn't make sense.

Well, we're gonna get her justice.

¶¶

Marcus. Hey. Glad you could make it, captain.

So, um, what is this I hear about you asking lanie out?

No, no, no, no. You got that wrong.

Lanie asked me.

Really? That's what I...

Brown: Nina.

My name is caleb brown from the public defender's office.

I'll be representing you today.

What is caleb brown doing here?

That's a good question.

All rise! This court is now in session.

The honorable judge gloria wollcott presiding.

Be seated.

Well, well, well, mr. Caleb brown.

As lovely as it is to see you in my courtroom, where's mr. Novak?

Your honor,

Mr. Novak's wife went into premature labor last night.

Oh, no.

The baby's fine, as is the mother,

But obviously mr. Novak is unavailable,

So the public defender's office asked me to take over.

And you're up to speed on the case? Yes, your honor.

Plus I did a little work on my own this morning.

Any objections, mr. Weller? None, your honor.

Then let's proceed, shall we? Bailiff, bring in the jury.

Weller: The people call roger masters, your honor.

Sadie was kind, thoughtful. She was generous.

I would know. We were friends for over 20 years.

I was her cameraman back when she was still

A news correspondent before she started her website.

Thank you, mr. Masters. No further questions.

So, the m*rder took place at your townhouse, is that correct?

I'm afraid so.

My wife and I hosted the cocktail party

Where your client k*lled sadie.

Did you see my client k*ll her?

No. No, I did not.

Lanie: The fireplace poker punctured the ribcage

And nicked mrs. Beakman's aorta,

Causing massive blood loss and her eventual death.

Did mrs. Beakman die immediately?

It would've taken 5 to 10 minutes

For her to succumb to her wounds.

Dr. Parish, would mrs. Beakman have been in much pain?

Yes. Excruciating pain.

No further questions, your honor.

The defendant was on the run until me and my partner...

Until my partner and I caught up with her at grand central terminal.

And -- and did my client confess?

No. She didn't make a statement.

The only thing she said... The only thing she said

Was that she wanted to speak with a lawyer.

The people call richard castle.

Raise your right hand.

Oh, sorry. This is the right hand.

[ light laughter ] bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

And nothing but the truth? I do.

Mr. Castle, what is it that you do for a living?

I'm a m*rder-mystery novelist.

Have you held any other jobs?

Yeah, six years as a civilian investigator

Working with the nypd, homicides for the 12th precinct.

So, you're a bit of an expert

When it comes to solving murders?

Yes, and I use that expertise

To lend authenticity to my novels.

Now, what brought you to the home of roger and joanna masters

On the evening of September 14th five months ago?

Joanna masters won a charity auction

To have me come to her home and do a private reading

Of "driving heat," my latest novel,

Due to come out the following day.

[ gasps ] oh, my!

Richard castle -- in my home.

It is a pleasure to meet you.

Oh, I just adore your books.

I mean, nikki heat is, like, my role model.

I love her. Me, too. You are too kind.

And you are too cute. Keep talking.

[ laughs ] please come in, come in.

[ indistinct conversations ] oh.

Like you to meet my husband, roger.

Richard. Nice to meet you.

Welcome. Thank you.

And, uh... These are the beakmans.

Castle: That's when I met sadie beakman.

Sadie, lloyd, and their lovely daughter, annie.

Richard. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

I'm sure you recognize sadie

From her iraq w*r news reports,

After meeting the soon-to-be victim,

I met the soon-to-be k*ller.

Champagne?

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you for having me.

Sorry about the small poster. I ran out of the big ones.

[ light laughter ]

"driving heat," written by...This guy.

[ laughter ]

"the last thing nikki heat expected

When she received her promotion up to captain of the nypd..."

After the reading, I needed to use the restroom.

[ handle rattles ]

Man: Sorry, I'm gonna be a while.

So I went to use the facilities upstairs.

Stop!

That's when I saw the defendant k*ll sadie beakman.

Let the record reflect the witness has identified

The defendant, nina o'keefe, as the woman in question.

Nothing further, your honor.

Mr. Brown, your witness.

Mr. Castle, I-I don't want to take up too much of your time.

I only have a handful of questions.

First -- is it possible

That my client did not k*ll mrs. Beakman?

Oh, no. It was definitely her.

And you remember the events of the evening clearly?

Because I know that you have a history of memory loss.

Objection, your honor. Goes to credibility.

I'll allow it.

Brown: Mr. Castle, is it true that on may 12, 2014,

You were abducted by parties still unknown

And then returned 8 weeks later?

Yes.

And you still have memory loss?

Only of those eight weeks.

My memory of your client k*lling mrs. Beakman is crystal clear.

But how can you be sure?

Because I was an eyewitness.

Ah. So glad that you used that word.

Eyewitness.

Now, mr. Castle, you gave a reading of "driving heat"

On the evening in question,

The continuing adventures of nikki heat.

Might you humor the court and just give us a short reading?

Just the highlighted section, if you please.

"nikki had seen it often, as every cop had.

Otherwise-reliable eyewitnesses

Conflate or confuse details that seem indelible

To those not caught up in the trauma of the incident."

According to previous testimony,

You use your expertise with the nypd

To add authenticity to your stories.

Is that correct?

The defendant k*lled mrs. Beakman.

I know what I saw.

Just like you knew what you saw on February 2, 2015?

Mr. Castle, did you give a statement

To a detective neely of westchester p.D.

That you were an eyewitness to the m*rder of eva whitfield

And that her husband, cole, was the k*ller? Yes, I did --

And was cole whitfield the k*ller? No.

So you've been wrong before.

That incident was a setup.

What happened to mrs. Beakman was not.

I saw the defendant k*ll her.

Says the man whose own writings

Speak to the unreliability of eyewitnesses,

A man who has given false eyewitness statements in the past,

A man with a history of memory loss.

Marcus...Help him. Don't you think I would if I could?

Mr. Castle, let's pretend

That you're a character out of one of your novels.

Would nikki heat think that you were a reliable witness?

That is a ridiculous question, and yes, she would.

I'm disappointed in you, mr. Castle.

I thought you of all people

Would be sympathetic to my client.

Weren't you once framed for m*rder?

That -- yeah, that was 3xk, the serial k*ller.

He had a vendetta against me.

That -- that was -- that was different.

W-why is it different for you but not for my client?

What makes you so special, mr. Castle?

Dr. Parish testified that the victim, mrs. Beakman,

Was alive for 5 to 10 minutes after being stabbed

And in excruciating pain.

Might it be that my client simply came across the victim

After the true k*ller stabbed her and fled?

But that -- this is not one of your stories, sir!

You do not get to make up the facts as you see fit.

Now, my client is fighting for her life

Just as you once fought for yours against 3xk.

So, now I ask you one last time, is it possible, mr. Castle,

That my client did not k*ll mrs. Beakman?

Yes, it's possible. Yes.

Yes, it is possible. Possible that you are wrong.

Nothing further, your honor.

Judge wollcott: Mr. Castle, you may step down.

Mr. Castle, you may step down.

Mr. Castle.

Step down.

¶¶

It's nearly 5:00.

We will pick this back up in the morning.

Court is in recess until 9:00 a.M.

[ gavel bangs ]

Come here.

Marcus, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened.

I got torpedoed. No, no, no, no.

You got nuked.

[ footsteps approach ]

Are you okay?

Beckett, I just blew the entire case.

Well, the trial's not over yet, right, marcus?

Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. We got a serious problem now.

Castle, you've just given the jury reasonable doubt.

But there's got to be something we can do, right?

Well, we have until court resumes tomorrow morning

To find new evidence

Or another witness who can prove nina's guilt.

Yes. However, what can you possibly uncover

In less than 16 hours?

I don't know. But we have to try.

Esposito: How many more times do we have to go through these case files?

As many as it takes.

Beckett, we got stacks and stacks of hay here but no needles.

I think we need a new strategy.

I can't believe how badly I blew it out there.

This is my fault, guys. I'm sorry.

Don't do that to yourself.

We've all been tripped up on the witness stand.

True. Back when I was in uniform,

A defense attorney got my head so turned around

That I testified the defendant actually kicked my ass

When I tried to arrest her.

What's wrong with that?

The defendant was a 75-year-old woman in a wheelchair.

I lost all credibility with the jury.

To this day, we pass the park where she feeds the birds,

She snickers, turns to her nurse, and tells her the tale

Of how she got one over on poor old javi.

Ms. Lucinda -- I will get her one day.

But have any of you botched your testimony in a m*rder trial?

Exactly.

Hey, espo, that story about ms. Lucinda --

So she still talks about how she made a fool out of you.

Yes. Thank you for rubbing it in, captain beckett.

You guys, we're approaching this wrong.

I mean, we've been trying to find a clue from the m*rder,

Whereas we should be looking for a clue from after the m*rder.

Yes. Nina's been held since her arrest.

She might've confessed something to a cellmate.

Let's bring nina's cellmate in. Mm.

Hey, thank you.

For what?

For not giving up on me.

Well, you've never given up on me, so...

Castle, wait.

Uh, not here.

Oh, right. Separated. Oh.

Are you okay? Do you have allergies?

No, that's the -- that's the signal. That's the...

Oh, yes. You really should think of something better.

It's adorable. Mnh-mnh.

Damn. That's a good photo of nina.

You know, in my mug sh*t, I look like a train wreck.

Probably because I was high on cr*ck at the time.

Just answer the question.

Has nina revealed anything about the m*rder?

Yep. Between the three of us, she's guilty as hell.

What do you know?

[ sighs ]

Ryan: Okay, bridget, what do you want?

Oh, what does any girl want, detective?

The personal satisfaction of bringing a k*ller to justice?

50 bucks in my prison commissary every week for the next 10 weeks.

40 bucks for 5 weeks.

Eight, and that's as low as I'll go.

Deal. But you better have some solid information.

Now, has nina confessed to the m*rder?

No.

But I know she did it.

Look, here's the deal with nina.

She's a mouse. Doesn't talk much.

Then one day she lets slip she's worried

The prosecution might find out about her secret.

What secret? Didn't say.

I think it has to do with her boyfriend or something.

What boyfriend?

If nina has a secret boyfriend out there,

There's a chance she confessed to him. Yeah.

No, I'm just trying to figure out

Who nina was dating when she was arrested.

Am I working with the police?

No. No, no.

I went to high school with nina.

What school? Uh...Taft?

Hello? Uh...

None of nina's people

Are gonna help us build a case against her.

We're gonna have to figure out a different way

To identify nina's boyfriend.

I just did. Follow me.

So, I went through nina's financials.

It turns out the night before the m*rder,

Nina bought drinks at a bar on the east village.

Now, that bar went out of business.

However, the hotel next door

Had surveillance footage from that night.

Look.

Now, bear in mind, this is the night before nina k*lled sadie.

There's nina. Is nina's boyfriend in this?

Not her boyfriend. Wait for it.

Her girlfriend.

Sadie!

Yep.

[ high-pitched voice ] the victim and the k*ller were having an affair?!

Why is my voice so high? [ clears throat ]

¶¶

Weller: You see, beckett?

This is why I love the 12th precinct.

You guys never let me down.

This recording gives you new motive for m*rder,

And it's ironclad.

Nina and sadie were having an affair.

Clearly, they were fighting,

And nina most likely k*lled her in a crime of passion.

Okay. I will have my people track down

Former employees of this bar,

And hopefully one of them can corroborate the affair.

Okay, and I'll have my team

Touch base with sadie's family and friends.

Maybe they can shed some light as to what was behind this little love affair.

You see, marcus? And you were worried.

[ chuckles ]

Okay, boys, we found nina's coffin.

Now let's nail it shut.

I'll talk to nina's employees.

I'll go talk with her friends.

Sadie was having an affair with that woman?

That is so twisted.

Well, you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

So you knew nothing about sadie's extramarital affairs?

She was good at keeping secrets.

Then why hire the catering company that nina worked for?

Sadie's recommendation.

She went to an event that they catered,

Said the food was amazing.

I bet that's how sadie and nina met.

What do you think, richard?

Entirely possible.

See! I told you I was a nikki heat fan.

I even think like her, too.

It's uncanny. [ chuckling ] I know.

It's good that you moved the basketball hoop away from the townhouse.

Oh, yeah, those things, they're just an invitation for burglars to break in.

Or murderers like nina to break out.

Well, we always keep the hoop there. Nina moved it.

Yeah, we didn't even realize that she had until the day after the m*rder.

How are you sure it was nina that moved it?

Well, if it wasn't her,

Who else could it have been?

Ryan, a moment?

Excuse us.

The basketball hoop being moved

Speaks to a premeditative act.

Yeah, but our theory of this whole thing

Is a crime of passion. What are you thinking?

That we don't know the whole story.

Someone else was up here before I caught nina over sadie.

Please tell me you're joking.

The fact the basketball hoop was moved is significant

Because nina didn't have any reason to do it.

Kate... Why am I back here?

Marcus, this is a legitimate concern.

If nina didn't move the hoop, then who did and why?

Let's stick with what we know. Castle saw nina k*ll sadie.

End of story.

I'm not actually 100% sure about that anymore.

Wait. Don't tell me you're buying into caleb's ridiculous defense.

Rick, you got your bell rung in court today. It happens.

Caleb brown is a hell of an attorney.

Now you got to let it go.

So you're not going to investigate?

You saw the tape. They were having an affair.

It's a crime of passion. Nina is guilty, plain and simple.

Don't we have to be sure?

Rick, look at me. I'm sure.

Marcus, if we could just -- stop.

This case cannot afford

To have you pour any more doubt into people's ears.

Listen, I know you two are separated and all,

But could you please talk to him? Mm-hmm.

Castle, are you sure that nina's innocent?

I don't know.

But what's worse than letting a guilty person go free?

Sending an innocent one to jail.

All right.

Go home. I'll swing by later.

Martha: So you don't trust what you saw?

I don't know that I can anymore.

I just...Keep running it in my head over and over again.

And you think nina was just trying to help this poor woman?

Nina's back was to me.

I didn't actually see the death blow. I...

You got to believe me, you guys.

I-it really looked like she did it.

Martha: Mm-hmm. Well, I believe you.

It's just honestly it sounds to me like nina k*lled her.

Me too. I have to find out for sure.

Dad, there's no way to do that.

I know.

Or is there?

I've got it.

And I'd only have to do two things.

One, delay the trial so I have a chance to investigate,

And two, have a one-on-one conversation with nina.

Uh, nina's lawyer will never allow it.

Which is why I'm going to have to be very clever

With how I go about this.

I take it you have a plan.

You know I do, mother.

Might I ask you what it is?

I'm gonna get thrown in jail.

[ knock on door ] yes?

Good morning, your honor.

Mr. Castle, you can't be in here.

And yet here I am.

Your honor, I was made a fool of yesterday on the stand.

I have a reputation to protect, so I would like...A do-over.

A do-over?

A do-over.

Okay, two things. One -- that's stupid.

And two -- your presence in my chambers is highly unethical.

I could hold you in contempt of court for this.

Well, I would like to... See you try.

[ beeps ]

Reggie, come in here, please.

Mr. Castle, I'm aware of your friendship with the mayor,

So even though you don't deserve it, I'm gonna let you go.

Reggie, escort him out of the building, please.

Oh. Your honor, I see you attended law school

At hudson university. Mm.

That explains why you're so bad at your job.

Excuse me?

Yes, you see, uh, everyone knows

Only criminals attend hudson university.

I myself have solved three homicides there.

[ telephone rings ]

Hello?

Martha: Gloria wollcott, please.

Speaking.

Yes, this is tri-mountain security calling.

The alarm on your connecticut home was triggered.

The officer responded,

And I'm afraid the report

Is that your residence was burglarized.

What?! Okay, I'm on my way.

My house has been burglarized.

Your honor, you know who I am and what I'm capable of doing.

I can find those burglars for you.

How? Well, first I would need a listing

Of all the hudson university students and alumnus in the tri-state area.

Okay, that's it.

Contempt. Have him thrown into a holding cell.

[ door buzzes ]

[ door buzzes ]

Hey, my trial was supposed to begin like five minutes ago.

What's going on? Judge postponed your trial until tomorrow.

You'll be transported back to rikers at the end of the day.

Castle: Hey.

So, what are you in for?

[ scoffs ] sorry, bad joke.

[ door closes ] don't talk to me.

Nina, look, I know about the affair with sadie.

The a.D.A. Knows it, too. He is gonna use it to bury you.

Why are you telling me this?

I was there, nina. I saw you. I saw you with my own eyes.

I didn't k*ll sadie! I loved her.

So, yeah, you were there, but you saw it wrong.

So tell me what I missed.

I found sadie on the ground. Someone had already stabbed her.

She was struggling to breathe, so I pulled the poker out.

I was trying to help her.

So then why did you run?

I knew how it looked. I panicked.

Why didn't you tell that to the police when they caught you?

Please. I've been arrested before, and I got screwed over.

You know why? Because none of the cops believed me.

I wasn't gonna make the same mistake twice.

Did you at least tell your lawyer? Of course.

I told my original public defender all about the affair,

But he said it'd just come across as motive.

Surprise, surprise. It did.

What about the fight?

The fight you had with sadie outside the bar

The night before the m*rder?

It was nothing.

Nina...

Nina.

I think you're telling the truth,

But I can't help you unless you tell me the whole story.

The fight was about a couple things.

I was sick of sneaking around,

But sadie was all paranoid because she had been caught

Cheating with other guys in the past.

Other guys?

So, you were her first...

Lesbian?

Yes. Is that a problem?

No, not with me. You should check my source history.

But you said you were arguing about a couple of things.

What really pissed me off was that sadie asked me

To do something at that cocktail party.

What did she ask you to do?

Bring her roger masters' empty champagne glass.

Roger masters the host?

Why would she want his empty glass? She wouldn't say.

And that really got me fired up

Because if I got caught stealing,

Even something as trivial as a champagne glass,

I would've lost my job.

But you stole it for her anyway, didn't you?

At the end of the day, I'd do anything for sadie,

And she knew it.

She had me wrapped around her finger the moment I met her.

Walk me through it. Tell me what happened.

When roger was done with his champagne,

I retrieved the empty glass and quietly handed it off to sadie.

What did she do with it? Went upstairs.

I followed her up like 20 minutes later

To see what was going on.

That's when I found her.

And you told all this to your lawyer? Yes.

But my original public defender

Was too overloaded with other cases.

And, truth be told, he thought I was guilty.

He wanted me to take the a.D.A.'s plea deal.

Thank god caleb brown took over.

At least he's fighting for me.

[ door buzzes ]

Yo. How's it hanging, jailbird?

You already pissed off the a.D.A.

So, what, you figured,

Why the hell not piss off the judge, as well?

Yeah. Can you guys get me out of here?

Already done. Bailiff called us to come get you.

[ door buzzes ]

I'm gonna figure out what happened.

I promise.

Are you out of your mind?

I didn't do anything wrong.

You tricked a judge to postpone a trial,

And then you illegally questioned the defendant.

Yeah, but other than that, I didn't do anything wrong.

Yo, beckett, castle's convinced that nina's innocent now.

Because why?

Because sadie wanted roger's glass?

I think she was after his dna.

Why?

Roger was her cameraman for 20 years.

Nina said that sadie had had affairs with men in the past.

Maybe they had had one

And sadie's daughter was actually roger's.

So, uh, what, you think that sadie cooked this whole thing up

So she could get a dna sample for a paternity test?

Only one way to find out. What do you want us to do, captain?

I -- beckett. Look.

Uh, go talk to roger, see what he knows.

What is he doing here?

I'll handle this. You just be normal.

Brown: Captain, you crossed the line.

I know that you had castle go in and interview my client --

Look, counselor, castle and I are separated.

He is no longer associated with the 12th precinct.

So neither I nor the nypd

Can be held accountable for his actions.

So you knew nothing about it?

That's what I said, isn't it?

I don't believe you.

And I don't care.

Typical cop.

Wait.

What?

Look, if you repeat what I'm about to tell you,

I will deny it.

I have people looking into nina's case.

Do you believe that she's innocent?

I didn't say that, but I think we have to be thorough.

And now that the trial has been postponed,

We have time to investigate further.

I appreciate that, captain.

Counselor, nina wasn't your client until yesterday morning.

Why are you so passionate about this case?

[ cellphone ringing ] for the same reason that I assume you are.

Justice.

[ cellphone beeps ] this is caleb brown.

Yes.

Yeah?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way.

So, while the judge was heading home,

She called a neighbor, who checked on her house.

Turns out, the house was not burglarized.

Anyway, she's ordered that the trial resume in a half an hour.

So if your people are going to help prove nina's innocence,

They'd better hurry.

[ doorbell rings ]

You again.

Hello, roger. We need to talk.

Now what?

Joanna.

[ gasps ] well, hello!

Sorry for the interruption. This won't take long.

It actually can't. Trial's gonna start again in a few minutes.

And we need to nail down who the real k*ller is

Before an innocent woman gets convicted.

What do you mean innocent? You saw that woman k*ll sadie.

No, roger, I only thought I did.

You see, the mind is a funny thing.

Doesn't like a vacuum. So it fills in the blanks.

Much like when I discovered sadie and nina were having an affair,

I automatically assumed nina k*lled her in a lover's quarrel

When really the two of them were working together

To get something from you, roger.

[ scoffs ]

What is he talking about?

I'm sure I have no idea.

May I? Please.

Turns out that sadie asked nina to bring her a glass

With your dna on it.

The question is why.

My turn? Go for it.

We think that you were having an affair with sadie.

[ scoffs ] I knew it!

All those years you were working together,

Your little secret conversations.

You were cheating on me this whole time, weren't you?

Honey, it's not true. I swear.

See, sadie wanted a sample of your dna

To prove that you are the father of sadie's daughter.

Oh.

Oh, for the love of god.

I told you. I don't understand.

Roger is infertile...

Due to a childhood illness, and sadie knew that.

Hell, the mailman probably knows it, given how much roger talks about it.

It was a very traumatic experience.

As is this. I'd like you to leave.

Sorry, roger. No can do. Sadie wanted your glass.

If not for dna, then why? Perhaps a fingerprint.

Why would sadie need his fingerprint?

Roger: I have no idea.

Your wife does.

Right over there. Behind the picture.

Roger: Joanna, how could you?

Oh, please, I've been dying to know what you've been hiding

In your safe for years now, roger.

And the fact that you didn't knock up sadie

Doesn't mean you weren't knocking boots.

If you think I'm opening that without a warrant, you're crazy.

How long would it take to get us a warrant?

An hour or two.

We don't have that kind of time.

Joanna, you're a fan of nikki heat. Yeah, so?

So, how would you like to have a main character named after you in my next book?

Joanna, don't you dare.

How about a villain?

Deal.

[ whispering indistinctly ]

You wouldn't.

[ beeps ]

What are we gonna find on this tape, roger?

Said it's here, right?

Roger: Yeah, but you know how they lie.

[ rustling, footsteps ]

[ sighs ]

Here. Found something.

Tell me that's not a wmd.

Whoa. You know what that is? Yeah.

One of the $5-million duffel bags

The cia's handing out all over iraq.

Let's take it.

What? No.

Sadie, come on.

It's 5 million bucks, and no one's ever gonna miss it.

Roger, forget about it. We're reporters, not thieves.

I'll notify jsoc when we get back to base.

All right, let's get out of here.

But you didn't leave it, did you?

You can see on the tape that we did.

Sure, and then once you stopped recording, you went back to get it.

Esposito: Over a billion dollars in cash went missing

During the iraq invasion.

What's a lousy $5 mil?

You couldn't just leave it, could you?

Yeah, that's exactly what I did.

Except sadie didn't, did she?

No. She didn't.

She snuck back and took it for herself,

And then she smuggled it to the states, tried to cut me out.

But you had the tape, and you used that

To blackmail her so you could get your share.

But sadie didn't like you having all that leverage.

What I can't figure out is,

What took sadie so long to try to get this tape back from you?

Oh, I get it. You b*rned through the money

That sadie gave you originally, so you needed more.

I am mortgaged to the hilt, okay?

All my credit cards are maxed, and my wife won't stop spending.

Hell, she forked over 15 g's to that stupid charity auction

To have the great richard castle

Read a couple of chapters out of his novel.

Okay, so you went to sadie demanding more money,

She refused, and then when you caught her in your office

That night trying to take what was yours --

You grabbed the fireplace poker and you k*lled her.

No! I didn't even know sadie was trying to steal the tape

Until you guys showed up at my house earlier.

Prove it. Where were you at the time of the m*rder?

Do you promise not to tell my wife?

I was in the basement

Getting baked with chip evans and lester davis.

I lied because I promised my wife that I would stop toking.

It's just...I'm under a lot of stress lately.

Please tell me you solved it.

Roger's alibi checks out.

We're back to square one with zero leads.

Any luck with weller?

All he cares about is getting a conviction,

And from the look of the jury when they found out

About nina and sadie's affair, he's gonna get it.

We need to figure something out.

I have an idea.

Castle, what are you doing?

Saving an innocent woman's life.

Judge wollcott: Mr. Brown, your witness. Stop the trial!

[ spectators murmuring ]

Okay, so...Now what?

I don't know. I didn't think this one all the way through.

Mm.

Hello, your honor. Nice to see you again.

Hoping to make another visit to the holding cells, mr. Castle?

No, your honor. Once was plenty, thank you.

And my sincerest apologies for the interruption.

However, there has been a development in the case.

Beckett: Excuse us, your honor,

But the defense has a witness to call to the stand.

Uh, your honor, the defense would like to call

Richard castle to the stand.

¶¶

So, nina definitely didn't do it.

Tell me something I don't know, like who did.

No idea.

Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,

And nothing but the truth? I do.

Looks like I got my do-over after all.

Um...

Mr. Castle, yesterday, you testified

That my client was guilty of k*lling mrs. Beakman.

Do you still believe that's true?

No. Nina's innocent.

[ jury murmuring ]

Okay, and when, may I ask,

Did you change your mind about my client?

When I realized that nina was a victim.

Victim of bad timing.

First and foremost, my own.

Bad timing, you say?

It was my bad timing

That brought me to the crime scene too late.

Had I gotten there earlier,

I would've seen nina finding sadie already stabbed.

Okay, but then my client ran.

Why? Because she knew how it looked.

While we're on the topic of bad timing,

Let's not fail to mention the timing

Of nina originally being paired with a public defender

Who didn't care about the truth, unlike you, sir.

Um...Well, mr. Castle, is there anything --

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the court? Yes.

Good people of the jury, it is frightening to think about,

But nina o'keefe is on trial today

Simply because I needed to use the restroom

And the one downstairs...

Bad timing.

The bathroom downstairs was occupied.

Call 911!

[ crowd murmuring ] call 911!

I was rushing through to the back of the house,

Thinking nina was the k*ller and that she was getting away,

But the true k*ller never left.

[ door opens ] the true k*ller...

Was still in that bathroom, cleaning the mud from his shoes,

The mud he collected trudging through the backyard...

...To and from k*lling sadie.

Mr. Castle, did you see this man?

Yeah. Talk about bad timing.

He came out just in time for me to catch him.

Can you point to this man in this courtroom?

The man who k*lled sadie beakman?

Yes, I can.

It was her husband, lloyd beakman.

[ spectators gasp, murmur ]

How dare you.

Wait, you and mom disappeared from the party

At the same time.

No, I-I remember because I was trying to find you guys.

All right, that's enough. I want order.

Beckett: Apologies to the court, your honor.

Joanna masters thought that sadie

Was having an affair with her husband, roger,

But she was wrong, and so were you.

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Sure, you do.

You saw your wife head up those stairs.

You had your suspicions. She had cheated on you before.

So you headed out to the yard,

You moved the basketball hoop over

So you could climb up it and get a better look.

But sadie caught you spying in the window, didn't she?

So you came inside

And accused her of having an affair with roger.

Dad, what did you do?

What did I do?

Your mother was having an affair with...

Her, of all people.

And it was so funny to your mother that I assumed it was roger.

She laughed and laughed.

So you were upstairs with sadie.

W-w-w-what I meant was --

What happened, lloyd? Did you lose control?

Is that why you k*lled her?

[ voice breaking ] I didn't mean to. I didn't mean it.

I loved sadie, but I just --

Mr. Beakman, my advice to you

Would be to stop talking and find yourself an attorney.

Mr. Beakman, you're under arrest for m*rder.

Come on. Hands.

[ handcuffs clicking ]

[ exhales sharply ]

Your honor, in light of these developments,

The people file a motion to dismiss all charges

Against nina o'keefe.

Judge wollcott: Granted. Case dismissed.

Thank you.

[ gavel bangs ]

Great job, guys. You should be proud of yourselves.

Why? We blew it. Yeah.

For five months, we had an innocent woman rotting in jail.

No, that one's not on us.

Nina's original defense attorney did that to her.

At the end of the day, we're the ones who brought her justice.

Speaking of which, I got to take back

Everything bad I've ever said about defense attorneys.

That guy caleb brown, he's all right.

Ryan: Yeah. He's a stand-up guy.

We'll see you later, beckett. Yeah.

Beckett: Okay, goodnight, guys.

[ door closes ]

Caleb's a "stand-up guy." if they only knew.

No, they're right.

I mean, caleb is a monster, but what we learned today

Is that he is a monster who is desperate to do good.

So?

So, we were looking for his weakness.

And we just found it.

Castle: Hey. Celebratory champagne.

Felt appropriate, given the twist it played

In today's courtroom drama.

Yes, enough drama to fill a legal thriller.

Maybe you should try a new genre.

Maybe I should try to make sure I never testify in court again.

You kept an innocent woman out of jail, rick.

I'm proud of you for that.

Couldn't have done it without you.

So...

How is your investigation into loksat coming along?

You know I can't tell you about that.

Right, right. For my own safety.

Uh... But I can tell you this.

I'm getting close.

That's good, because so am I.