Castle (2009–2016): Season 2, Episode 16 - The Mistress Always Spanks Twice - full transcript

There are two kinds of folks

who sit around thinking
about how to kill people:

psychopaths
and mystery writers.

I'm the kind that pays better.

Who am I?

I'm Rick Castle.

Castle.

Castle.

I really am ruggedly handsome,
aren't I?

Every writer needs inspiration.
And I found mine.

Detective Kate Beckett.

- Beckett.
- Beckett.

- Nikki Heat?
- The character he's basing on you.

And thanks to my friendship
with the mayor,

I get to be on her case.

I would be happy
to let you spank me.

And together, we catch killers

We make a pretty
good team, you know?

Like Starsky and Hutch.

Turner and Hooch.

You do remind me
a little of Hooch.

(Band of Skulls' "Patterns"
playing)

♪ there's one for the money ♪

♪ and two for the sin ♪

♪ and three for the time
when authority kicks in ♪

♪ there's four for the reason ♪

♪ and five for the tricks ♪

♪ but nothing's gonna save you
from the six, six, six ♪

♪ oh ♪

♪ oh ♪

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

One and two. Three and f--
Why you all Beyoncé this morning?

You got a school dance coming up?
(laughs) No.

Ashley gave me
some of her cheer routine.

She's been on the J.V.
for two years,

And she wants me
to tryout for the squad.
Cheerleading?

Yeah. Why?

Who are you and what have you
done with my daughter?

What's wrong
with cheerleading?

No, no, nothing's--
nothing's...

I'm just--I didn't know
you... wanted to be one.

Me either.

But I watched Ashley practice,
and it looks like fun.

And my college counselor,
ms. Schaefer,

said I need to consider
diversifying my activities.

I figure I'm a natural 'cause I
root for you all the time.

(chuckles)
(cell phone rings)

(beeps)
Oh, I gotta go.

Love you.
Have fun.

Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

(whispers)
Cheerleading?

So?

Who--
ah. The time you wanted
to play hockey

because all the cool guys
in school were playing it?

(normal voice) Yeah,
but I didn't join the team.

Well, no, because you
knocked out two teeth

at the first practice.
(sucks teeth)

Darling... let Alexis figure
this out on her own, hmm?

This coming from the woman
who just last week told me

not to reserve a seat
on the space shuttle?

Oh. Well, we have to
rethink that.

Really?
Mm-hmm.

(cell phone rings)

(ring)

(camera shutter clicking)

Vic's a female, late 20s,
no I.D.

She was found
hanging from the monkey bars

by a jogger just after dawn.

Is that honey?

(Lanie) From the smell of it,
I'd say it's caramel sauce.

But I'll be testing,
not tasting.

Caramel sauce?

Maybe our killer has
a sweet tooth.

(Beckett) Given her state
of undress,

I'd say it's more likely
he had a sexual fetish.

Yeah, I can do
the chocolate,

I'll even do the whipped cream
bikini, but caramel?

I prefer slippery
to sticky.

Does she know
we can hear her?
(laughs)

(Beckett)
Bondage cuffs, custom made?

Looks like our killer
liked public play.

How can you tell the difference
between custom and regular?

The leather is too high quality
to be mass-produced,

and it's hand-stitched.

No, I mean, how can you
tell the difference?

(police radio chatter)

So time of death?
From body temperature,

I'd say between 10:00
and 11:00 last night,

But I'm pretty sure
she was not killed here.

Based on lividity,
she spent several hours

in the fetal position
after she died.

And then was hung here
a few hours ago.

Petechial hemorrhaging
suggests she was suffocated.

And then there's these.

Was she restrained?
Looks like it.

Yo, Beckett.

Crime scene's negative
for any signs of a struggle.

Found about a dozen
partial shoe impressions,

But the ground's too cold
to get any imprints.

But... we did find this.

Wheel marks,
about 18 inches apart.

(police radio chatter)

Rolling suitcase?

And judging by
the depth of the tracks,

I'd say it was carrying
something heavy.

I'm guessing around, uh,
105 pounds.

So he killed her elsewhere
and then brought her here.

Yeah, which means the crime scene
could be anywhere.

The psychology
doesn't make any sense.

The crime scene was
pretty elaborately staged,

which seems to suggest

a significant amount
of premeditation,

but the murder itself--
suffocation--

might indicate
a crime of passion.

(Ryan)
Guy covered her in caramel.

Do you really think we're gonna
find a logical explanation?

Only a handful of bondage shops
in the city do custom work.

So let's take photos
of those cuffs, send it out,

see if anyone can I.D.
where it came from.

"only a handful of shops"?

Okay, what aren't you
telling me?

So much, Castle.
So very, very much.

(techno music playing)

(woman moans)

♪

It's a little creepy doing this
with you breathing on my neck.

Oh, sorry, bro. I mean,
I'd do it on mine,

but I.A. checks
browser history, so...

Great. Thanks.

What does that thing do?

Looks like
a potato peeler.

(woman screams and moans)
Yeah. Oh, that is nasty. Oh.

And illegal in 12 states.

Yeah, you're right.
That is weird.

Okay. Thank you.
What's weird?

Lanie ran a sart kit.

There's no signs of
sexual assault or activity.

This has all the makings
of a sex crime,

but there's no sex involved.

Well, maybe our psychopath
believes in abstinence.

It's more likely he has
a performance problem.

And there's no I.D.

Her fingerprints
aren't in the system.

(Esposito and Ryan)
Oh!

No, no, no, no, no.
How do you even
get in that position?

I don't know, but you should
try that with your,

uh, girlfriend, honey milk.
As a matter of fact,

I think I'm gonna buy this
for you right now.

Oh, jeez. How do you even
get in that position?

Right?
It's not even possible.

(woman) all fours. Now.

Oh, it's possible.

Anything on the canvass?

(Esposito)
Nothing yet.

And nothing back
from missing persons.

Given that it just happened
last night,

It's most likely not gonna be
reported for a couple of days.

What about the cuffs?

We found seven shops
in Manhattan

that make
custom bondage gear.

And while we're waiting
to hear back,

we're gonna buy a gift
for Ryan's imaginary girlfriend.

Ooh, yeah. When are we
gonna meet that Jenny?

When the time is right,
I'll bring her around.

I don't want you guys
scaring her off.
(cell phone rings)

Oh, there she is now.
Ugh. I don't know.

Hello. Detective Kevin Ryan.
You guys, give him a break.

I wouldn't bring my boyfriend
around here either.

(ryan speaking indistinctly)
Boyfriend?
Did I miss something?

(cell phone snaps closed)
So that was Barry
from the Love Shackle.

He says the cuff
might be theirs,

but he'd have to examine 'em
up close to know for sure.

Well, then have evidence
pull them

And tell them I'm coming.

Oh, a field trip
to a sex store.

(whispers)
I love this case.

Look at him
following her.

Who's whipped, huh,
me or him?

You, bro, hands down.

(cell phone chimes)

(chuckles)

(woman) ♪ I'm getting hot ♪

♪ under the collar, baby,
oh, come on ♪

You know, while we're here, we
should really pick up something

for that new
imaginary boyfriend of yours.

Oh, this his speed?

No.

But if you keep talking,
I'll put you in one of these.

(zipper closing)

Hey, guys.
Looking for something special?

Yes.
No.

Just gettin' started, huh?

Yeah, we get a lot
of first timers.

We carry everything
from bondage 101

all the way up to
the more advanced stuff

for your pleasure Phd.

But if you're just looking
to dip your toe in the water,

these little guys
are best sellers.

Want to give 'em a try?

No, thanks.

I've already got a pair
of my own.

Double cross lap stitch
on the seam.

Yeah, this is definitely
one of mine.

Can you tell us
who ordered them?

Yeah,
I remember this kid.

Very vanilla.

Then again, it's always
the normal-looking ones

that end up being
the most freaky, right?

Do you have a name
or a billing address?

Yeah. The cuffs were purchased
six months ago

by a Tyler Benton.

He had 'em specially made for
his girlfriend. Cute girl, too.

You remember her?
Yeah, brunette, mid-20s,

asked a lot of questions.

Did she by any chance
look like this?

Oh, my god.

We need to talk
to Tyler Benton

and find out
what he was doing last night.

My guess
is killing his girlfriend.

♪ Castle 2x16 ♪
The Mistress Always Spanks Twice
Original Air Date on March 8, 2010

That's Jessica

Jessica Margolis--
my girlfriend.

Next week was
our one-year anniversary.

I was going to propose.

Where were you last night,
Mr. Benton?

At the hospital.
I'm a first year.

I was working a 24-hour shift.
You can ask my attending.

Have you ever
seen these before?

Yeah, I-I bought them for
Jessica a few months ago. Why?

She was found
hanging by them in the park.

You guys like to play?
What?

No.
We never even used them.

They were--they were just
supposed to be a joke

because of her research.

Research?

I tried to be supportive,
but I should've stopped her.

I should've pushed her
to study something else.

What was she studying?

(sighs)

The sociology of sexual bondage
and domination.

She spent months
meeting people in that world,

trying to understand
what made them tick.

And they killed her for it.

And where did you keep
these cuffs?

I don't--I don't know.

At her place, I guess.
Her roommate probably knows.

The two of them were, like,
attached at the hip.

(woman, voice breaking)
Jessica and I

have been roommates
since freshman year.

We've lived together so long,
we're practically sisters.

Tyler said
that you might know

where she kept the cuffs
he gave her.

Oh, she showed them to me
when she got them,

but I never saw them
after that.

And when was the last time
that you saw Jessica?

Yesterday morning.

(Castle)
What about her research?

Did she ever talk to you
about where she went,

Uh, the people involved?

No, she pretty much kept
all that to herself.

(Esposito)
Detective Beckett.

Excuse me.

(sniffles)

So the bed hasn't been slept in.
There's no signs of a struggle.

Cell phone, purse?
Nada.

Which means
she was somewhere else

where she was killed.

Okay, let's put a trace
on her cell phone.

If she has a gps locator,
we might get lucky
all right.

(Beckett)
Did Jessica ever mention

where she was going to be
last night?

No. I-I got in
at around 10:00.

It didn't look like
she had been home.

Since Tyler was on call,
I...

I assumed she was
up at the university

working on her thesis.

(man) I wish I could
help you, Detective.

sometimes she'd work late,
but she wasn't here last night.

Are you sure about that?

I was here till 11:00
grading papers.

I would've seen her.

As her advisor,
how much would you know

about the people
that she was researching?

She was spending a lot of time
with a dominatrix

named Mistress Venom.

(chuckles) Mistress Venom?

Sounds more like
"Penthouse Forum" than Phd.

Mr. Castle, people who study
sex-related fields

are often derided
within academia.

Jessica was determined
not to be held hostage

by their little minds.

Venom was Jessica's guide
to that world.

If you want to know more about
the people Jessica was studying,

You'll have to ask Venom.

(knock on door)
Kelly, this is Detective Beckett

and Richard Castle.

They need to see
Jessica's research.

(Castle) She kept her notes
locked up?

She was a finalist
for the Kellerman fellowship.

(chuckles)
You know,

when you're competing against
other people in the department,

the last thing you want to do is
leave your notes lying around.

Well, it looks like
a lot of late nights.

When Tyler was on shift,

she'd just pull an all-nighter
and go visit him on his breaks.

Kelly, did you hear
how they found her?

Matt--

Tied to the monkey bars
on a playground

in her underwear?

Matt, um,
this is Detective Beckett.

She's here investigating
Jessica's death.

Matt, Jess and I
all started the Phd program

at the same time.

I can tell you were close.

I'm sorry. It's just--

Kelly, did Jessica have
any enemies in the department?

Anyone in school that she
didn't get along with?

Just because we were competing
for the same fellowship

doesn't mean
that we weren'civil.

Not everyone was civil.
In the last few weeks,

Jessica was getting these
phone calls on her office line.

(Beckett)
What kind of calls?

Um, heavy breathing,
moaning.

Made you want to take
a hand sanitizer shower.

Seems a little immature
for grad students.

Look, I'm studying the impact

of A.I.D.S. treatments
in inner-city clinics.

Kelly's is about overcoming
the glass ceiling.

And Jessica was watching
a dominatrix

dig her stiletto
into some loser's chest.

She was bound to get
some grief for it.

(man)
ah.

(metal rattles and clicks)

Jessica's notes on Venom's sessions
are pretty detailed.

She studied these guys
like lab rats.

But she only identifies them
by nickname--"ladyboy,"

"pin cushion"
and "scared bunny."

You know, if they didn't know
what Jessica was doing,

and one of them found out...

Fear of exposure would be
a strong motive to kill.

I wonder what attracted her
to all this.

Well, according to
her thesis proposal,

she became interested in s&m
after witnessing

a dysfunctional relationship
up close.

Apparently her dissertation

compares the overt expressions
of dominance in the dungeon

to more subtle expressions
in real-world relationships...

Like who drives.

Hey, I would drive
if you would let me.

That actually didn't prove my
point like I thought it would.

You know, it says here
that Mistress Venom

works in a bondage club
somewhere in Dungeon Alley,

but it doesn't say
which one.

Dungeon Alley.

It's an area between
Chelsea and Midtown.

There's a whole slew
of fetish clubs there.

Yes, I know
where Dungeon Alley is.

I want to know...
How do you know?

(drops pen on table)

Vice raided a few of them

looking for a reason
to shut them down.

But since
there's no sexual contact

and the acts are all consensual,
it was a perfectly legal.

Hmm. You know,
you should moonlight.

Seriously, you would make
a fortune.

Come on. Haven't you ever
wanted to do...

something with your handcuffs
other than arrest criminals?

No.

But there is one hot...

wild...

kinky thing
that I do like doing.

(grunts)

Putting killers
behind bars.

See? You're already a tease.
You're halfway there.

Hey, we tried to trace
the creepy calls

that Jessica was getting
at her office.

But since they were routed

through the main switchboard
at the college,

there's no way
to determine their source.

What about the cell phone?

The day she died,

she placed a call to her
boyfriend at the hospital,

she placed a call to
her voice mail at the office,

and she placed two calls
to Lady Irena's House of Pain.

Lady Irena's House of Pain?

That must be where
Mistress Venom works.

Did you get an address?

Yeah, an office building
on 38th.

Oh, conveniently located for all
your lunchtime spanking needs.

All right you guys
look through her notes,

see if there's anything
that's there

that might implicate
one of her clients.

meanwhile, Castle and I will go
and meet this Mistress Venom.

(cell phone beeps and dials)

Whips, women and murder--
sounds like my lucky day.

(whispers) I'm so glad
you're excited by this.
Whoo.

(normal voice)
Hi, my name is Kate,

and my boyfriend has been
a very bad boy.

Yes, that's right.

His name's Ricky.

(lowered voice)
What are you doing?

Actually, a friend of mine
recommended a Mistress Venom.

Wait.
Is she available today?

4:00 pm?
You know what?

Sure, that's perfect.
Thank you.

(normal voice) Okay, that's
very funny. Now call her back.

Unh-unh, Castle.

This is the perfect way to get
Venom without tipping our hand.

What's the matter, Castle?

You afraid
of a little role play?

(laughs)

Yeah, you better run.

(elevator bell dings)

(woman) welcome to
Irena's House of Pain.

(chuckles)

This place looks like
a law firm.

What'd you think
it was gonna be,

torture wheels
and women in corsets?

Well, yeah.

That's in the back.

Welcome to Lady Irena's
House of Pain.

How can I serve you?

Well, answer her!

You see
what I have to deal with?

My boyfriend Ricky has
an appointment at 4:00 pm

with Mistress Venom.

Will you be joining him?

Oh, yes. I've been dying
to watch him squirm.

Mistress Venom would be
delighted to have an audience.

Follow me, please.

(Bree Sharp's "Superconductor"
playing)

♪ hey! ♪

Do you think
we could gag him?

Remember, my safe word
is "apples."

♪ hey! I've got the frequency
to turn you on ♪

♪ I've got the frequency
to turn you on ♪

♪ superconductor,
keep it goin' ♪

♪ I've got the frequency
to turn you on ♪

♪ hey there, tin smiles, I been
loading down your files ♪

♪ moving up your dials ♪

hey you should bring
your new boyfriend here.
♪ I been load

♪ I am program,
clicky-click at your command ♪

Mistress Venom?

Mistress Venom is unavailable.

But I'm Lady Irena.
I own this dungeon.

I'm sure we can find another
dominatrix to suit your needs.

I'm afraid we can't.
I'm Detective Beckett.

I need to speak with her
right now

concerning
a murder investigation.

Who was murdered?

Jessica Margolis.

The Phd student who was
observing her sessions.

There was no one
observing her sessions.

Are you sure?

Positive. Privacy is
paramount in my dungeon.

You've never seen
this girl?

Of course I've seen
that girl.

She wasn't observing
Mistress Venom.

She was Mistress Venom.

Well, this explains
the marks on her body.

Jessica must have been
wearing this before she died.

Like cruel shoes,

these outfits can leave marks
for hours after you wear them.

She had three sessions yesterday.
She left around 7:30.

You really had no idea
that Jessica was conducting

A sociological experiment
out of your dungeon?

No.

She came to me
about six months ago.

Quickly became one of
my most requested doms.

Did Jessica have any clients

who were unusually obsessed
with her?

(chuckles) of course.
I mean, they all were.

But her clients
were submissive.

Killing
is an act of dominance.

You and I both know
that people aren't that simple.

Men might come here
for humiliation and torture,

but it's easy to imagine
that one of them

might have been pushed too far
and lashed out.

If she was concerned for her
safety, she would've told me.

Do you have a list
of Jessica's clients?

Detective... (chuckles)

All of the services
that we provide here

are perfectly legal.

Now part of that service

is protecting the privacy
of our client.

I'm not about to betray
the trust that they've paid for

because you have a hunch.

Oh, I think it's more than just a hunch.
Well, gee, I'm sorry.

Unless you have a court order,
my hands are tied, so to speak.

You're pretty well-versed
in law for a dominatrix.

Don't let the leather
fool you.

I used to be a partner
at a law firm.
Wow.

When you dominate
and manipulate men

in every boardroom
and courtroom that you're in,

This just seemed like
the natural progression.

(wspers)
It's called Mistress Red.

Excuse me?

My lipstick.

I noticed
you couldn't stop staring.

(whispers) Sorry.
It was just hypnotic.

(whispering) It's not you.
It's her.

(normal voice)
Well, if you're so upset,

we could find someone
for you to go medieval on,

Like, uh, him perhaps.

She wants to protect
her clients?

What about her girls?

Hey. You the cop?

(normal voice)
I'm Detective Beckett.

I'm Mistress Sapphire.
So it's true?

She's dead?

Yes. I'm sorry--

This weird thing
happened last week

I think
you should know about.

With one of her clients?

Sort of.
A first-time client came in

for a session, but he left
just after a few minutes.

I found her
in the locker room, crying.

Did she tell you why?

No.

This client, do you remember
anything about him?

It was a week ago, and I only
saw him from behind.

But he was wearing
one of those medical shirts.

Scrubs?
Yes.

You thinking
what I'm thinking?

Jessica's boyfriend discovered
her secret identity.

And instead of proposing
to her, he kills her.

Jessica was the love
of my life.

Why would I want to hurt her?

Because she hurt you.

What the hell
are you talking about?

You said so yourself.
You wanted her to stop.

You were gonna make her study
something else.

It must have been
a real shocker

when you realized she wasn't
just studying that world,

She was living it.

What the hell is this?

This is crazy. You're telling me
this is real?

You're telling me
Jessica was one of them?

Why did you go
to the dungeon last week?

Was it to confront her?
The dungeon?

We have a witness
who saw you there.

It's completely
understandable.

The woman that you loved
lied to you?

I could see
how you could lose control

and go into a jealous rage.

And then in a panic,

decide to stage the body
in a manner so unusual,

we'd naturally assume it was
someone in the bondage world.

I never went to a dungeon.

There was no jealous rage
because I didn't know!

I was going to marry her.

We just signed a lease
to move in together

three days ago.

If I was so angry with her,
why would I do that?

(camera shutter clicking)

(telephone receiver clatters)
(Beckett) He was telling
the truth about the lease.

not only did he and Jessica
sign the lease,

but it was also notarized.

That doesn't mean
he didn't do it.

He coulda had her sign
to help his alibi.

Maybe she was afraid
of him.

I've been thinking--
the dysfunctional relationship

she refers to
in her research--

There's a passage where
she describes subject "a"

as being afraid to tell
subject "b" that she's leaving

because he's become
dangerously codependent.

What if
she was describing Tyler?

Maybe that's why she became
a dominatrix,

to give her the courage
to stand up for herself.

We have uniforms combing through
hospital security footage.

If Tyler left
at any point that night,

There should be some trace.

In the meantime, let's just keep
digging through those notebooks.

We're gonna need
more than speculation

if we want to file charges.
Great.

♪

(woman moans)

(computer beeps)

(woman moans)

(moan)

♪

(camera shutter fires)

♪

Dad!
(grunts)

(music stops)

Do we need
to talk about this?

This is research
for a case.

Oh.

And we need to get you
some noisier shoes.

Seriously, I--
hey, you made the team.

No. Tryouts aren't
for another month,

but Ashley let me take
her uniform home

to see how it fit.

And what do you think?

I think
it's totally not me,

which is why
I kind of like it.

It's not you,
so you like it?

Yeah.

You know how in "Storm Fall,"

you killed off Derrick Storm
because you were bored with him?

Yeah.
Sometimes I feel that way about me,

like I'm hiding inside
my comfort zone.

And maybe it's time
to venture out a little.

Well, does that venture
have to include pom-poms?

I don't want to look back
on high school

and feel like
I missed out on something.

So promise
you'll be supportive.

Yeah, I, uh...

I promise.

Go, dad!

Whoo!

Move, move, move.
Get out of the way.

'cause the bears are comin',
and we're ready to play.

Go, bears!

You ever want
to be a cheerleader?

No. Did you?

Not me. Alexis.

She wants to try out for the team.

So?
So?

You see what they wear?

She wants to join a team,
why not join mathletes?

Why can't she do both?

Besides,
kids try on personalities

the way they try on clothes.

It's the way that they
figure out who they are.

What are you looking for?

According to
the security footage,

the boyfriend never left
the hospital during his shift.

It wasn't him.
Maybe he faked the footage.

He's an intern,
not Jason Bourne.

Oh. Well, there goes
my subject "b" theory.

So Jessica left the dungeon
at 7:30,

and she was killed sometime
between 10:00 and 11:00.

If she didn't go home
or to the university,

then where did she go?

Beckett.

Something in here
you gotta see.

It's one of
Jessica's subjects.

She calls him "sam-I-am."

Because he has
a Dr. Seuss fetish?

Because he's a sam--
"a smart-assed masochist."

According to her notes,

a sam pretends
he wants to be submissive,

but what he actually wants to do
is dominate his Mistress,

usually with
passive-aggression.

Instead of asking
for what he wants,

he makes a game out of
making other people upset

so they can be punished.

Really?
There's people like that?

Only these sams
can be dangerous.

Sometimes resorting to threats
to provoke their response.

Listen to this.

"he said Mistress Venom
was the one

"who needed to be punished.

"he said he was going to
finder, tie her up

"and drown her,

but in something... sweet,
like caramel."

Sexual obsession

and a description
of the crime scene.

Sounds like our guy to me.

(Esposito) yeah,
but we only got a nickname.

We have more than a nickname.
We have enough

to force Lady Irena
to turn over her client list.

Judge Markway, please.

Ooh. Sounds like someone's
gonna get punished.

(Esposito chuckles)

William Caraway,
aka "sam-I-am."

Senior vice president
at Stewart, Cabot and Sagansky.

The global consulting firm?
Mm-hmm.

(Castle) No wonder Lady Irena
was protecting his identity.

Castle, why don't you
sit this one out?

I think Mr. Caraway will
respond better to a strong...

female hand.

Sam-I-am... in a box...

with a fox--
we're gonna need some popcorn.

Sit.

First why don't you tell me
why the hell I'm here?

I got a board meeting--

I said sit down... now.

(folders thud)

Good boy.

Your Mistress would be
very proud of you.

Excuse me?

Mistress Venom.

Lady Irena's House of Pain.

You like to be tied up,
you like to be spanked,

But more than anything,
you like to make threats.

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

There is no
dominatrix-client privilege

In New York.

And your Mistress
was very thorough

in documenting your deepest,
darkest desires--

The thing with the matches,

How you liked it messy.

She wrote that down?

She also wrote how you wanted
to turn the tables on her,

how you threatened to tie her up
and drown her in caramel.

I-it's fantasy.

But the fantasies
weren't enough.

(folder thuds)

And so you had to make
your dreams come true.

No, that's not possible.

The more she said no,
the more you became obsessed.

You didn't want to be
the submissive.

You wanted to dominate her,

and the ultimate domination
is murder.

No, I swear. I didn't
even know she was dead.

You were very specific
in your threats,

and that's exactly
how we found her.

Do you really expect me to
believe that that wasn't you?

Well--well, someone
must have found out.

Someone could've read
her notes.

Where were you
two nights ago?

Mr. Caraway,
where were you?

I was with my wife.

It was our anniversary.

(Esposito)
His wife confirms it.

He was with her at the
anniversary party all night.

This staging
was way too specific

to be just a coincidence.
Somebody knew.

Maybe she told someone.

Maybe someone had access
to the research.

Filing cabinet's not
Fort Knox.

Anyone with access would've read
exactly what we read

and could use it
to throw us off their trail.

Okay. You and Ryan
go back to the dungeon.

See if any of the girls
swap stories after work.

Meanwhile, Castle and I
will go to the university

and see who had access
to her research.

Okay.

(woman) ♪ when I walk ♪

♪ I walk right on ♪

♪ when I move... ♪

No, Mistress Venom
never mentioned him to me,

or any of her other clients.

Really? Come on.

You girls
don't share shop talk?

You work here long enough,

and the kinkiest things
you could ever imagine...

(smack)
are just another day
at the office.

The only time we trade info
is if we share clients,

but Mistress Venom
didn't share.

Do you mind
unstrapping my boot?

(crop smacks three times)

Uh, thank you,
Mistress Amber?

Yes.
Mistress Scorpion?

Okay, I get 'em confused.
I'm sorry.

Okay.
(Ryan) Did she have any clients
that might have been,

uh, acting suspicious?

(smacks twice)
(whispers) faster.

Is, uh,
is there a possibility

that she may have mentioned
one client's fetishes

to another client?
(normal voice)
Absolutely not.

Lady Irena beats confidentiality
rules into our heads.

Mistress Venom wasn't stupid.

(smack)

Is there a problem?

Just this knot.
It's like an octagonal knot.

It's got, like, eight sides.
I've never seen a knot like--

Detective Esposito
bringing crime to its knees.

Sit.

So none of the girls claim
that they remember Jessica

talking about
any of her clients.

But I think we might have
an explanation

as to where she was between
the time she left work

and when she was killed.

Uh, Mistress Scorpion thinks

that Jessica might have been
working off the books.

Well, if she was,
then she was asking for trouble.

Nothing upsets Lady Irena
more than some girl

trying to screw her
out of her 40%.

(smack)
Ow

Hey, Irish, you want to he out
your little buddy here?

He seems to be all thumbs.
(clicks pen)

(Beckett) You were
her office mate, Kelly.

It would've been very easy
for you to access her files.

No, it wouldn't.
I told you.

She was very private
about her work.

You mean to tell me, she didn't
once slip out to the bathroom

And just leave her notes
sitting on the desk?

If she did,
I wouldn't be interested

and the night she was killed,

I was in Westchester
with my folks.

(Beckett) Does anyone else
have access to this office?

The only other person
with a key to the office

is maintenance.
What about your keys?

Did you ever lose them
or lend them to a friend?
No.

I mean, I gave them
to Matt last week

because he said he had
some papers here.

What, you think he broke in
to her filing cabinet

and took her research?

That is exactly
what I'm thinking.

You said it yourself. It's
a very competitive program.

And they were both finalists
for the same fellowship.

This is, uh, Matt's proposal
for studying

the effect of A.I.D.S.
on inner-city clinics.

Look at the picture.
He's in scrubs.

It wasn't Tyler who confronted
Jessica at the dungeon.

It was Matt.

I borrowed Kelly's keys.
That doesn't prove anything.

Which is why we took a look
at the whole picture.

This is a list of phone calls

made from your cell phone
to the university switchboard.

Each one coincides with
a harassing call to Jessica.

You made those calls.

Look, it was a joke.

How about
your little visit to Jessica

at the dungeon last week?

Was that a joke as well?

She didn't tell anybody
where the dungeon was.

So how'd you find it?

Did you follow her
or the clues in her research?

You were her rival
for a fellowship.

You needed her
out of the way.

And when you read her research,
you saw your chance.

Look, I needed
that funding, okay?

My work is important.
I mean, come on. Seriously.

I couldn't let her get
that fellowship.

And when I saw her research,
I mean, it read like fiction.

So I went to the dungeon
to find out.

So you broke in
to her filing cabinet,

You copied her research,

and then you followed her
to the dungeon.

You're not putting
a whole lot of checks

in the innocent column here,
Matt.

(scoffs)
The innocent column.

Listen... (clears throat)
I threatened her.

All right?
But I did not kill her.

When I found out
that she was Mistress Venom,

I told her that if
she didn't withdraw

her fellowship application,
I was gonna tell her boyfriend.

And when that didn't work,
you killed her?

It did work.

Jessica withdrew her application
the day before she was killed.

How do you know?

Because she blind copied me
on an e-mail

that she sent to
the head of the committee.

We were cool.

What she was most concerned
about was getting back

this research that I copied.

So as soon as she was
out of the running,

I brought it all
back to her apartment.

(Castle) You know you are
morally challenged

if your murder alibi
is a blackmailing scheme.

Yeah, but if he's
telling the truth,

then we have no motive.

Well, hello, gentleman.

How was your trip to the dungeon?

Well, we learned that Esposito
is not very good with laces.

There were a lot of laces--

I-I loosened 'em for you.
Yeah, sure.

None of the girls admit
to Jessica sharing

any of her client secrets
with 'em.

Oh, one of 'em thought

that she might have been seeing
clients outside of the dungeon,

which might explain
the hole in our timeline.

But we ran through her phones
and financials again.

We can't find
any record of it.

How out you?
Hear you have a suspect.

(computer beeps)
Had.

Matt was telling the truth.

Jessica pulled out
of the fellowship.

But if he was telling the truth,
then where's all the research

he brought back
to her apartment?

Given her concerns
for privacy,

she wouldn't
just throw it away.

And we know she didn't take it
back to the university.

Well,
maybe we missed something.

Maybe she hid it somewhere.

Or maybe Matt is lying
about the research.

So you didn't see
a stack of paperwork?

No, I would've noticed that.

Maybe she took them
up to school?

No, it wasn't there either.

Are you sure
Matt's telling the truth?

Most people lie
to avoid suspicion.

Not a lot of people lie
to incriminate themselves.

That night
that you came home,

did you notice anything
different or out of place?

Now that you mention it,
I did find something odd.

Earlier tonight I was
emptying the dishwasher,

and I found a wine glass
with lipstick on it.

It didn't seem like
Jessica's shade,

and it wasn't one of mine.

I put it aside
to hand-wash it later.

Recognize this shade?

If I'm not mistaken,
and I rarely am,

that's Mistress Red.

Did you know that lip prints
are a lot like fingerprints?

No two are exactly alike.

Hmm.

We found this on a wine glass

in Jessica's apartment.

What do you think we'll find
when we compare it to your lips?

That stain could've been there
for months.

But it wasn't.

We checked with your...
car service.

They said they dropped you off
at 9:00 pm

in front of Jessica's place
the night she was killed.

You were the last one
to see her alive.

What happened that night?

Did you find out
who she really was,

That she was studying
her clients

without their permission?

I mean,
if word of that got out...

that would've destroyed
your business.

That can't
have made you happy.

And you're grasping
at straws,

And that
can't make you happy.

Detective, at this time,

I'm exercising my right
to legal counsel.

I won't be answering
any further questions.

Yo!

How'd it go
with Lady Irena?

She's lawyering up.

What'd you guys find
at Jessica's apartment?

Well, it looks like
we found the crime scene.

Irena was pretty good
at cleaning up after herself.

There was no trace
or blood evidence,

but the area around
Jessica's bedside table

lit up like a Christmas tree.

It'd been
scrubbed down with bleach.

That's why we didn't find
Jessica's research.

Irena got rid of it all.

Yeah, but she didn't
quite clean everything.

Once C.S.U. stripped the bed,
the swab test

revealed dried saliva
in one of her pillows

from her screams
as she was smothered.

Looks like she'd do anything
to protect her business,

even kill.

All right, lawyer or not,
let's book her.

Let's do it.

(liquid boiling)

(Martha)
hmm.

Are you straining those noodles
or just my patience?

Hmm?

Oh, I'm... sorry.
just...

Hmm.
This case.

keep thinking
that I'm missing something.

Yeah, me, too. Salt.

Whoa. W-whoa. Ee. Doh.

Can you die
from sodium poisoning?

(door opens)
Ooh. You have a point.

(door closes)
Hey, that smells good.

(Martha)
mm.

But... I already ate?

Oh, no.

So did you and Ashley
do cheerleading practice?

Uh, no. Turns out,

Cheerleading conflicts with
my fencing schedule,

my violin lessons
and French Club.

Cheerleading is
more of a lifestyle.

and as much
as I like to visit,

it's not really a place
I'd like to live.

I told you
she'd figure it out.

Well, we both learned
a valuable lesson today.

You learned that you can
expand your horizons and grow.

I learned that if that involves
short skirts and boys,

I'm not gonna like it.
Fair enough.

Fine. Now that you've both
learned your lessons,

how about starting
on the dishes?

You're gonna need a fire hose
to clean this up.

No, I cooked.
Someone else cleans up.

Clean up.

Who washed the pillowcase?
What?

Esposito said C.S.U.
didn't find anything

until they stripped the bed.

That means there was saliva
on the pillow,

but not on the pillowcase.

You're right.
Someone washed the pillowcase.

But the washer-dryer cycle
would've taken at least an hour.

At which point, the roommate
would've been home.

Irena couldn't
have gotten out in time.

Only one person
could've cleaned the apartment.

I-I don't understand.

I thought you'd caught
the killer.

We thought so, too.

If it wasn't her,
then who?

It was you, Danielle.

Me?

Oh, why would I kill
my best friend?

In her research,

Jessica describes being in
a dysfunctional relationship,

one she was scared to leave

because the other person

had become
so dangerously codependent.

At first we thought
it was her boyfriend Tyler.

But it wasn't, was it?

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

The research that Matt
dropped off--her research--

must've been very hurtful

to read all the things
that she wrote about you.

Jessica loved me.
She would never hurt me.

"subject 'b' shows all the signs
of being a masochist,

completely dependent
for her sense of self."

We know you read
the files, Danielle.

that's why you staged
her body that way.

No, I didn't read anything.
There was nothing here.

Because you got rid
of it all.

You're wrong.
It had to have been you, Danielle.

You were the only one
who had time

to clean up after yourself.

Judging from
her office space,

Jessica wasn't
the kind of girl

that scrubbed her floor clean
with bleach.

Jessica told you...
she had to get away from you.

(Danielle cries)

She told you...
she was gonna leave.

(crying)

She...

She was...
everything to me.

I thought we were family.

(sniffles) but then she wrote
those awful things!

She had no right.

What happened
that night?

She said she was...
gonna move out,

that she was done with me.

I pushed her.

She fell.

Her head...
hit the table.

She started to scream.

She said--she said
she hated me!

I told her to shut up!
I just wanted her to shut up.

And then you put
a pillow over her head

and you suffocated her.

(crying)

I... I didn't mean
to kill her.

I just didn't want her to go.

(continues crying)

(Beckett) in the end,
Castle was right.

The murder
was a crime of passion.

The cuffs, the caramel
were all just theater

to throw us off.

I can't help but think

that if Matt hadn't copied
Jessica's research,

Danielle never would've read it,
none of this woulda happened.

(Montgomery)
Well, now he won't get

his precious little fellowship
or his degree.

What about Lady Irena? What was
she doing at the apartment?

Some of the girls thought

that Jessica was working
off the books.

So Irena came by to tell her
to knock it off.

They had a glass of wine,
and she left.

She just did it
on the wrong night.

Yeah, but why'd she give you
such a hard time, then?

Because she's a lawyer.

And a dominaix.

Hey. You made it.

(Lindsey Ray's "Picture Perfect"
playing)

♪ou played your piano ♪

(Ryan) Guys, uh,
I want you to meet...

Jenny.

Hi.

Welcome. We've heard
wonderful things about you.

Oh, the same goes
for all of you.

I-I feel like
I know you guys already.

You are so much prettier
than your picture in "Cosmo."

Kevin gave me his copy
of "Heat Wave."

I could not put it down.

And thanks for being
such a great partner.

You know, make sure you
keep him safe out there.

You got it.

♪ la da da da da ♪

(Ryan)
We have a movie to catch.

I'll see you guys tomorrow.

You guys
have a great time.

♪ ...We are ♪

Damn. If I had a girl like that,
I might be whipped by her, too.

Now we know why he didn't
bring her around sooner.

So the two of you don't act
like idiots around her.

No, so we wouldn't try
to steal her from him.

So what about this
imaginary boyfriend of yours?

Are we gonna see him
around here

or is he at home
tied to a bed?

What's the matter, Ricky?
You jealous?

No. You only get
to punish him at night.

You punish me all day.
Well, you deserve it.

What did I do to you?
Let's just start...

♪ just the way we are ♪