Castle (2009–2016): Season 2, Episode 21 - Den of Thieves - full transcript

CASTLE: 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'd 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.

(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

(GRUNTING)

You need someone to steady your bag.

Are you offering?

Yeah. Sure.

All right.

- Thanks.
- All right.

(GRUNTING)

Nice.

(CHUCKLING)

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

- Thank you.
- Anytime.

Beckett.

ALEXIS: All right, here comes the turn.

Mmm. Actually, sweetie,
it's called the river.

Right. Right.

The fifth community card
is called "the river" or "fifth street."

Now you're on the trolley, kid.

(SIGHS) So, who won?

Oh. Well, actually,
you had me until the river.

Mmm-hmm. And you got a third jack,
and trip jacks beat trip nines.

- You win.
- Don't sweat it, sweetheart.

Just your first lesson.
What do you say we call it a night?

What? No. Let's keep playing.

Shuffle up and deal.

MARTHA: Ah! Hello, darlings.

Oh. What's all this?

Dad's teaching me the basics
of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em.

I'm shocked.

Shocked there's gambling in here.

Deal me in.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Good evening, Detective Beckett.

(POLICE RADIO CHATTER)

Victim's name is Paul Finch.

According to the registration,
it's his car.

What do we know about him?

ESPOSITO: We ran him for next of kin,
found his wife.

RYAN: She's on her way in.

And his rap sheet.

He's a thief.

Couple of bank jobs,
some corporate B and E's.

But he hasn't been arrested
in a few years.

So he's either really lucky...

- Or he's out of the game.
- What happened?

I'd say he was electrocuted.

That had to be pretty high voltage
for him to get burns lhis that.

Sure. You connect these leads directly
into the ignition system,

you rev the engine high enough...

BECKETT: Looks like they were
trying to torture him,

but ended up killing him instead.

Either way, it wasn't pleasant.

You know, whoever did this

either wanted to send a message
or needed something from him.

What would somebody need
from a retired...

What?

His eyes are closed.

Did anyone touch the body
before you came here?

Nope. It was like that when I got here.

The killer must have closed them
postmortem.

- That means he knew our victim.
- That means he knew the victim.

I would say, he probably felt guilty
about what he had done,

wanted to erase it.

Have CSU sweep the cars,
and let's fume the body.

Maybe we'll get some prints
off of his eyelids.

You got it.

CASTLE: What is it?

You tell me.

Maybe he was murdered by
The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

BECKETT: Mrs. Finch,
we're very sorry for your loss.

Does this look familiar to you at all?

No, I'm sorry.

Look, I know what my husband was,

but Paul had been out of the game
since he left prison.

When we got married,
he swore off taking scores.

Then a few weeks ago, he said
he had to go do something for a friend.

Did he tell you what or who?

No.

I begged him not to do it, but he...

He said he owed the guy
from way back.

Paul was a thief, Detective,
but he had this sense of honor.

He was old-fashioned like that.

He was a good man, Detective.

I mean,
God knows he had his faults, but...

This?

He didn't deserve this.

So the guy comes out of retirement
for one job and ends up dead.

That cannot be a coincidence.

Yeah, what lures a guy

who's been retired for years
back into the game?

Must've been something big.

BECKETT: That was Robbery
on the phone.

They logged in a break-in
at a branch of Manhattan Mutual

the day before yesterday.

Bank heist.
That fits with Finch's profile.

Did they have any details?

Nope. They're sending
the new guy up now.

And that would be me.

ESPOSITO: Oh!

- What's up, bro?
- How you doing?

Why didn't you tell me you transferred?

You know, I've been settling in.

Hey, uh, this is my boy, Tom Demming.

He was one of the best cops
back at the 54th.

This is my partner, Ryan.

- How you doing? You, too.
- Nice to meet you, man.

- ESPOSITO: Richard Castle.
- Yeah, the author, right?

That's right.

And this is Detective Beckett.

- Yeah, we met.
- Yes. Hi.

Hi.

(CHUCKLES) So, Paul Finch, huh?

He's one of the few guys on the island
who could've taken a score like that.

Like what?

A couple of pros tunnel into the vault,
drill open a safe deposit box,

leave nothing behind
but the great smell of Brut.

And you think that Finch couldn't have
pulled this off on his own?

No, it was a two-man job
at the minimum.

There's definitely another player
floating around out there.

We've run a search
for his phone records and financials,

so hopefully we'll find something
that ties him to a partner.

Or maybe the partner
turned on Finch after the robbery,

decided he didn't need him anymore.

Either way, we know that the robbery
and the homicide are connected.

That seems like an awful lot of trouble
for one safe deposit box.

Yeah.
And they left stacks of cash untouched.

The guys downstairs thought I was nuts
when I hopped on this case,

but I like the weird ones.

Hmm. How about that?
Beckett likes the weird ones, too.

Yeah.

What could be in that box

that'd be worth digging
a tunnel to and killing for?

Diamonds? German bearer bonds?
Nazi gold?

DEMMING: We still don't know yet.

The bank had some trouble
locating the owner,

but he's supposed to be
coming in this afternoon.

Would you like to join me
for the interrogation?

Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to.

Good.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna need you guys
to hit the street

and see if you can scare up
any of Finch's associates.

Maybe anyone
that he's taken scores with in the past

or people that he owes. Thank you.

You got it.

What can I do?

You could watch.

Two weeks ago, I saved your life twice.

BECKETT: Thank you for coming in,
Mr. Cana.

Call me Fred.

DEMMING: And obviously
we're going to do everything we can

to help you recover
your stolen property.

What exactly was in the box?

Stamps.

- Stamps?
- Yeah, I collect them.

It kind of surprises me
it took you so long to reach out to us.

The folks at the bank said
they left you a half a dozen messages

over the last couple of days.

Well, I been busy, you know?

I been working a lot.

And what is it that you do?

I'm in private security.

This stamp collection,
how much was it worth exactly?

It's hard to put a price tag
on an item like that

because of, you know,
the sentimental value.

And who else knew
that you were keeping it at the bank?

Just a select group
of other stamp enthusiasts

with whom I formed relationships
over the years.

So how long you been
a philatelist, Fred?

Hey, watch your mouth, pal.
Fred Cana don't go that route.

Philately is the study of stamps,
Mr. Cana,

which you would know if you were,
in fact, a collector.

Come on, Fred.
What's really in the box, huh?

What'd they steal from you?

I don't have to take this crap.
I'm the victim here.

RYAN: Hey.

Hey, you guys rounding up
the usual suspects?

Yeah, and every hood
this side of Harlem

says Finch has been out of action
for years.

Where's Beckett?

Oh, she and Captain America
are in there with Fred Cana.

Fred Cana?

Yeah, he's the guy
who rented the safety...

(CHUCKLES) Officer Esposito!

Actually, it's Detective Esposito now,
Fred.

Congratulations.

Fred here is a bagman
for Victor Racine.

Who's Victor Racine?

He's a syndicate man.

Made the leap from organized crime
to legitimate businessman

while no one was looking.

Racine is connected and untouchable.

You ought to know.

Esposito and his old partner
tried to touch him a few years back.

How about I touch you instead?

- Come on! Come on, tough guy!
- ESPOSITO: Let's go, man!

RYAN: Come on. Take a walk, all right?
He's not worth it. Man.

- What the hell was that all about?
- He works for Victor Racine.

So?

Victor Racine killed my partner.

His name was Ike. Ike Thornton.

We partnered up
back when I was at the 54th.

We worked
the Organized Crime Task Force.

Victor Racine was our target.

Until, one day,
Ike didn't come into work.

It's like he just disappeared.

To make matters worse,
Internal Affairs came around here

asking all these questions,
talking like Ike had gone over,

that he was working for Racine.

It was an absolute load of crap.

Couple of days later, some kids
found Ike's car out by the docks.

Shot to hell, blood all over the seats.

All the hallmarks of a professional hit.

Yeah, only we couldn't tie it back
to Racine.

His guys had dumped Ike's body
so that we could never find him.

The department shut down
the whole operation after that.

I transferred here.

But I know one thing,

if Fred Cana has a safe deposit box,

it's because he's holding something
for Racine.

And it ain't no stamps.

BECKETT: He wants blood.

I don't blame him.

From the look of it, I'm guessing

Racine had Finch killed
for stealing from him.

That explains why he was tortured.

So he'd give up his partner.

You know, whatever they stole
from that safe deposit box,

Racine wants it back bad.

Yeah, but how did he get onto Finch
in the first place?

Maybe he recognized
the great smell of Brut.

I'm sure that Racine is the kind of guy
who has his sources.

So you like our stamp collector
for doing the deed on Racine's behalf?

Sure, except we called.

He has witnesses
willing to corroborate his whereabouts.

- Of course he does.
- And we have no proof otherwise.

Oh, speaking of which, they brought up
the CSU report on the crime scene.

The car was wiped down.

Other than Finch and his wife,
we got no usable prints.

And we still don't have an ID
on that metal symbol we found.

Meanwhile, our stamp collector
has an alibi,

and we currently have no evidence.

So what is our next step?

We talk to the real victim
of our robbery.

Mr. Victor Racine.

Bold. I like your style.

What, you think he's the kind of guy

who's just gonna tell us
what's in that box

or maybe admit to killing the thief?

Watch and learn, Castle.
Watch and learn.

To what do I owe this pleasure, huh?

A safe deposit box at Manhattan Mutual

was broken into the other night,
Mr. Racine.

It was registered
to an associate of yours, Fred Cana.

You don't say.
What's this world coming to, huh?

Mr. Cana claims that the box contained
his stamp collection?

I've never known Mr. Cana to lie

to me.

We believe that it held something
a little bit more valuable.

Maybe something of yours.

Oh, really? And why is that?

Because one of the guys
involved in the robbery

was found murdered
in a parking garage last night.

Actually, Mr. Finch was tortured
before he was killed.

Now, why would someone do that
if all he stole were stamps?

Hmm.

Where were you last night?

Home.

And I have
around-the-clock bodyguards

who can attest to my whereabouts,

but you don't think I killed Finch.

You assume
I had somebody do it for me,

so you're here just to

count coup, aren't you?

Sorry. What was that?

The Plains Indians
considered it an act of bravery

to get close enough
to one of their enemies

to touch him with a coup stick.
Is my hair...

- Looks good.
- Thanks.

This item or items
that were in the safety deposit box,

if they're so valuable, why aren't you
out chasing down Mr. Finch's associate

in this endeavor? After all,
you know what the old saying is,

"no honor among thieves."

See, what'd I say? Waste of time.

Well played, Detective.

Thank you, Detective.

"Well played"? All he did was deny it.

You can learn a lot from a denial.

Like what?

Like Racine hasn't found
Finch's partner yet.

Because Racine would
never point us in that direction

if he already knew
who or where the partner was.

He must want this guy pretty bad

if he's willing to have the cops
do his legwork for him.

How does it help Racine
if we find Finch's partner first?

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Racine's connected.

He'd have no trouble
having Finch's partner killed in jail.

Beckett.

Hmm.

Okay. We'll be right there.

Lanie's ready to fume the body.

All right,
you guys head back to the morgue.

I'm gonna go see if Finch's financials
have come in yet.

BECKETT: Okay.

- What?
- Nothing.

CASTLE: That is so cool.

Do you mind if I take pictures?

Knock yourself out.

But if any of them
end up on the Internet,

I will hunt you down and hurt you.

So, what's with
the handsome robbery detective?

Demming?

Oh, we're just working
the case together. That's all.

Mmm-hmm.

But then again, you have been
working with Castle for a year

and not a damn thing
has happened, so...

We had a pool going.

I lost a lot of money on you two.

You guys.

Yahtzee. The killer left a print
when he closed our victim's eye.

Let's run it.

Huh.

What?

We got a match on the print,
but the guy it belongs to is dead.

But that's impossible.

Unless he's a zombie.

Not a zombie.

A cop.

Isaac "Ike" Thornton.

- Esposito's old partner?
- He's alive.

I went to his funeral,
held his wife's hand.

And now you're telling me he's alive
and working for Racine?

That he murdered Finch?

It was the perfect disappearing act.

He knew that everyone would think
that Racine had killed him

and dumped his body somewhere.

No, I don't see how he could do it.
To the badge, to me?

I would've taken a bullet for him.

Esposito.

This is Lieutenant Holliwell
from Internal Affairs.

We've met.

- You called IA?
- No.

I called them for your protection.

I'm sorry, Detective.
I don't really enjoy being proved right.

No, of course not.

I take it
you were the investigating officer

- when Ike Thornton disappeared?
- I was.

And what put you onto him
in the first place?

Racine was always
one step ahead of us,

like he always knew
what we were thinking.

It didn't take too much to figure out
that he was being tipped off by a cop.

Luckily, we had an informant
at the time that confirmed it,

but before we were able
to arrest Thornton, he disappeared.

Most likely found out
that we were coming for him.

When we found his car,
we just assumed Racine killed him.

Looks like he brought him
into the family instead.

Has Thornton contacted you?

What do you mean, contacted me?

Whoa. What exactly
are you accusing my partner of?

I'm not accusing. I'm asking.

Asking what?

If I knew all along? If I was part of it?

The answer's no.

Well, such an elaborate hoax,

it seems like it would take
a little bit of planning, a little help.

I just told you, I didn't know.

What do you want me to do,
take a poly?

Would you? Take a polygraph test?

- Wait a minute...
- lf it'll get you off my back.

Esposito, you don't have to do this.

- I want to.
- Good.

My office. One hour.

Guy was out of line back there.

I'd be asking the same questions
if I was in his shoes.

You know you can talk to me, right?

I put all that stuff behind me, bro.

The only thing
I have left from back then...

This, right here.

Back in the day, when I was in the 54th,

everybody used to carry
one of these with them.

It was like a sense of pride, you know?

Ike have one of those?

- Yeah. Why?
- Let me see it.

The 54th.

It must have broken off
when he was struggling with Finch.

It was him.

You know, no one would blame you
if you stepped off this case.

No.

Partner or not, he killed a man.

CASTLE: This guy's pulled
a ghost routine for years.

Gave up his old life, his friends.

A guy can't pull a disappearing act
like that without help from somebody.

He had Racine's help.

Well, Racine or no Racine,
he was married, right? Has a kid.

They must have known.

I saw Carol last month.
She doesn't know anything.

You sure about that?

Hell, I'm not sure
about anything anymore.

Where you going?

Take a poly, clear my name.

Go pick up the wife.
Let's see what she knows.

I'm sorry. I don't believe you.

His thumbprint's
on our victim's body, Carol.

He's alive.
There's no other explanation.

They never recovered Ike's body,
so I don't know.

Someone could've
cut off his thumb and...

Yes, they could've done that,
but you know they didn't.

Come on, Carol. It's been years.

An attractive woman like you
hasn't found someone new?

It's not easy when you're a single mom.

Not that that's any of your business.

You know what you get when a cop
dies with a warrant out on him?

I'll tell you what you don't get.

You don't get a folded flag

and you sure as hell don't get
a penny of his pension.

And yet, you somehow managed
to make mortgage payments...

If Ike is alive,
that means we're still married.

And you can't compel me
to testify against my spouse.

She knew he was alive, but did she
know he was working for Racine?

She's a cop wife
and she knows her rights.

Good luck getting anything out of her.

She might talk to me.

Oh! Look who passed his poly.

Yeah. Had the feeling that Holliwell
was kind of disappointed.

(CHUCKLES)

She knows me.
I might be able to get her to open up.

All right, take a run at her
in the morning.

And I'll get a unit down to the house
in case Ike decides to show up.

Right.

CASTLE: Betrayal, lies, deceit.

Sounds like my first marriage.

- What?
- I'm trying to figure out

what was so damn important
in that safe deposit box

that Finch and his partner
would risk their lives that way.

Who are you calling?

Demming.

I was just calling you.

What a coincidence.
I was just coming to see you.

Wow. It's like
we're all on the same case.

Esposito told me about Ike.

- You have a lead on him yet?
- BECKETT: No.

We're working on it.

What about Finch's partner?

Ah, there's nothing in his phone
or his financials that points to one.

But the bank surveillance tapes
finally came in.

I was gonna scrub them in the morning.

If Finch cased the joint
in the last couple weeks...

Then maybe the mystery partner
went with him.

Exactly. You want to join me?

Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to.

Great. I'll see you in the morning.

Okay, great. I'll see you. Good night.

Good night.

Castle, can I ask you something?

You and Beckett,

is there something going on?

- Me and Beckett?
- Yeah.

- No.
- Look, man, if I'm offside...

No flag on the play.

Great.

Okay. Great.

Don't smile
when you have a good card.

You need to develop a poker face.

Trust me. It comes in handy.

Except when it doesn't.

(STAMMERING) What do you mean?

Never mind.

Pair of ladies. What have you got?

(SIGHING)

Boom!

Two cowboys! I win.

Who's the daddy now?

You win like your grandmother.

(LAUGHS) So it looks like I owe you
one night of solo dish duty.

And you owe me
four days of bed-making duty,

three spa treatments,
two pairs of sunglasses,

and a Bulgari purse for Gram.

What's wrong?

I'm not used to losing.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Hey, Carol. Got a few minutes?

Uncle Javi!

- Hey, what's up, buddy?
- What's up?

- How you doing?
- Good.

Good. Oh, man, you looking tall.

Hey, this is my boy, Kevin.

Hi. I'm Tim.

Nice to meet you, Tim.

Hey, he loves baseball cards.

Why don't you take him upstairs
and show him yours?

- Come on.
- RYAN: Yeah, let's go.

How long have you known?

Carol, it'll be a lot easier for him
if you just tell me where he is.

(SIGHS)

So you can arrest him?

Carol, he killed a man.

No.

His prints were on the body.

Please.

Please.

Do not try to find him.

Not now, not when we are so close.

So close to what?

(SIGHS)

I'm sorry.

I can't.

You know, if your mouse finger
gets tired, we can switch.

That's okay. I think I can handle it.

Oh, I get it. You don't want to give up
the driver's seat.

Hey, I brought coffee.

Ah, you know what? It's okay.
Demming already brought some.

Did he now?

Hey, Paul Finch.

Oh, yeah. He's casing the place.

BECKETT: And look who his partner is.

That's his wife Monica. She said
she had no idea what he was doing.

There's someone else with them.

That's...

BECKETT: Ike Thornton.

If he's working for Racine,
what's he doing with Finch?

So Ike was working with Finch?

Yeah, it looks that way.

I'm guessing he discovered Racine was
keeping something valuable in the box.

He needed Finch's skills
to help him get it.

But if they were working together,
why would he kill him?

CASTLE: Maybe Racine was right.

Maybe there is no honor
amongst thieves.

And maybe he didn't do it.

We have him at the scene.

Him working with Finch,
what his wife said, it doesn't add.

Something else is going on.

Looks like we're about to find out what.

BECKETT: Here's the thing, Monica,
we're not interested

in whether you helped
your husband case the bank.

All we care about is finding the guy
who killed him. Ike Thornton.

You think Ike Thornton killed Paul?

Let me tell you the kind of man Ike is.

About 12 years back, he collared Paul
and his kid brother Barry on a heist.

Ike saw that Barry was a first-timer,
so he cut him a break.

Paul went to jail for five years,

but he never forgot
what Ike did for his brother.

That's why he did this last job with him,
as payback.

Payback's a bitch,

because we found Ike's fingerprints
on your husband's body.

I don't believe it.

It doesn't matter if you don't believe it.
The fact is, Ike was there.

He tortured and killed your husband.

What was in the box, Monica?
What did they steal from Racine?

It must have been pretty valuable

if Ike decided to kill your husband
so he wouldn't have to split it.

(LAUGHS) Split it?
There was nothing to split.

What was in the box?

(SIGHS)

A book. A ledger.

A ledger?

Something that showed
all of Racine's pays and owes

on all of his businesses,
not just his legitimate ones.

An accounting
of all of Racine's illegal operations

could be worth a bundle in blackmail.

It could if they'd gotten it,

but when they hit the bank,
the box was empty.

Empty?

The ledger wasn't there.

So a guy tortures and kills his partner

after breaking into a bank
to steal something from his boss

that wasn't actually there.

It sounds crazy
when you say it like that.

Look, I know he was my partner,
but no matter how I slice it,

it makes no sense
that Ike would kill Finch.

- Detective Beckett.
- Lieutenant Holliwell.

Sorry to interrupt,
but my team's been up on a wire

monitoring the cell phones of several
key members of Racine's organization.

We've been listening
for any mention of Ike Thornton.

- And?
- And it turns out,

we're not the only ones looking for him.

Racine just put a price
on Thornton's head.

BECKETT: Racine must have found out
he was going after the ledger.

I guess you're not the only one
your old partner betrayed.

Carol.

Where you going?

If Racine's going after Ike,

the first place he's gonna go
is the same place we went,

his wife and kid.

- Ryan.
- Yeah.

I'm gonna call the surveillance team.

(POUNDING ON DOOR)

ESPOSITO: Carol!

Carol, it's Javi!

Carol!

Timmy!

Upstairs. Go.

Carol!

Timmy!

(SIGHS)

Nothing.

They're gone.

Surveillance team said they never left.

- How the hell did they...
- Racine.

Have the uniforms
canvass the neighbors.

Maybe somebody saw something.

Yeah, on it.

I appreciate
what you done for my boy, Javi.

Carol and Tim. Where are they?

Somewhere
where Racine can't find them.

We've had guys on this place 24l7.
How the hell did you get in here?

Three years as a ghost,
you learn a few things.

So IA was right.

Three years ago.

Now.

- You were working for Racine.
- Is that what you believe?

You let me think you were dead.

And now you're holding a burner
on me.

(SIGHS)

You're a good cop, Javi.

But I put this down,
you're gonna take me in.

And I can't let you do that, not yet.

- Not when I'm so close.
- So close to what?

There is a dirty cop on Racine's payroll.

So in order to throw them off of his guy,
Racine dirtied me up.

And IA bought it hook, line and sinker.

Why didn't you just come to me?

Look, cases like mine
are contagious, brother.

I couldn't let you catch what I had.

Racine's guy fed them
so much garbage,

they could lock me up.

And if I had let them,

Racine would have had me
shanked at Rikers

before I could clear my name.

- Where you been?
- Watching, learning.

That's how I found out about the ledger.

Racine's pays and owes.

Everyone on his payroll,
including the dirty cop that set me up.

But the ledger wasn't in the bank
like you thought.

Somehow, Racine found Finch.

You were there, man.
We found your prints.

He was dead when I found him, Jav.

I just closed his eyes. Come on, man.

And the ledger?

I know where the ledger is.

But I need a little more time, Javi.

Just until tomorrow night.

You used to carry yours
with you all the time.

(SIGHS)

I still do, man.

Then that means there's
somebody else mixed up in this,

somebody from the 54th.

Whoever it is,
they tipped Racine that I'm still alive,

which means they're close.

Maybe a part of your investigation.

54th.

Demming.

It's him.

Got to be.

Remember how he said
he requested this case?

ESPOSITO: Said he liked
the weird ones,

but it was just so he could hunt down
the thieves for Racine.

I knew there was something
I didn't like about him.

Too pretty.

Bet he takes yoga classes
just so he can pick up girls.

All these years, he's been
lining his pockets with Racine's cash,

leaving Thornton holding the bag.

Probably subscribes
to The New Yorker,

but doesn't even read it.

The guy's been playing us all along,
using us to find Finch's accomplice.

Just leaves copies laying out
where people can see them.

Let's nail the bastard.

How?

If he was tipping off Racine,
he wouldn't use the precinct phone.

He'd use his cell.

We could pull his SIM card.

If there are any calls to Racine,
we have all the proof we need.

How are we gonna get
his phone away from him?

What's up, man?

I have an idea.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

- (LAUGHS)
- Wow.

It's been a while for me.

You know, I'll try to be gentle.

You do that.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Too much for you?

No, no.
I'm just a little slow to get started.

(GRUNTING)

But I think I'm starting
to find my rhythm now.

(ALL COUGHING)

(CLEARS THROAT)

ESPOSITO: Let's go. Hurry up.

(HISSING)

Ow! What?

Hey, man. What's up? Showering?

- Got it.
- Let's go.

(GRUNTING)

- Any leads on Thornton?
- None.

How's Esposito taking all this?

How do you think?

I mean, here's a guy who's been
carrying his 54th key fob

in honor of his partner's sacrifice.

- I had one of those.
- Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

(GRUNTING)

(EX CLAIMS)

But I lost mine years ago.

Come on.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

All right.

Bet this guy does a lot of sexting, too.

It's uploading now.

(GASPING)

I gotta tell you, I don't know
how much longer I can keep this up.

You know, I hear it helps
if you think about baseball.

(GRUNTING)

So what do you do for fun, Kate, huh?

When you're not trying
to take someone's head off?

I'm actually kind of a homebody.

(GRUNTING)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

You know, the night before I met you,
I went home to read a book.

No kidding?

- (GRUNTS)
- Whoa!

(EX CLAIMS)

What about you?

What about me what?
What do I do for fun?

Or what was I doing
the night before we met?

Seriously. (PANTING)

Why don't you just ask me
if I have an alibi for Finch's murder?

(CHUCKLING)

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Okay. So where were you?

(GRUNTS)

RYAN: I ran all his numbers
through the reverse directory.

They're all coming clean.

That's because it wasn't Demming.

- Your alibi checked out.
- Thank you.

He really was coaching

an underprivileged
youth basketball league.

For what it's worth,
my kids won that night.

Oh, geez.

RYAN: Sorry, man. Had to rule you out.

Let's just move on.

Look, there's a wrong cop out there.
We need to figure out who it is.

You know how many cops
have gone through the 54th

in the last 10 years?

Hundreds, maybe thousands.

BECKETT: Whoever it was,
was very good.

You don't work the other side
without arousing IA suspicion

unless you know what you're doing.

Yeah, we're never gonna find him,
not in time anyway.

In time for what?

I gotta take a walk.

Hey, I thought
you were going for a walk.

What do you want?

Thornton's going after
the ledger tonight, isn't he?

The man's been on the run for
three years, separated from his family.

I gotta help the guy,
so don't try to stop me.

I'm not.

- I'm going with you.
- No, you're not.

I'm your partner.

That means I'm with you
till the wheels fall off.

I know, bro.

But I'm gonna need you to get my back
if things go wrong, all right?

Okay.

Thanks.

Tell me you got something, people.

Unfortunately, sir,
we are dead in the water.

No, we're not.

If Thornton never worked for Racine,

then someone lied to IA
three years ago.

To throw suspicion
from the real dirty cop.

So whoever IA was talking to,

they must know
who the real dirty cop is.

All we need to do
is get the name of the informant

from Holliwell and run him down.

(SCOFFING) Easier said than done.

There's no way an IA officer
is gonna give up the name

of a confidential informant.

We'll see about that.

You sure you're ready
to bet your badge on this?

Pretty long odds.

You're my partner.

You sure you can get us
in Racine's office?

Trust me. I've been casing the joint
for three years.

Let's roll.

BECKETT: Sir, how did you do it?

Pulling strings and trading favors.

This can't be right.

The investigation against
Ike Thornton three years ago,

Lieutenant Holliwell lists
his chief informant

as Detective Javier Esposito.

MONTGOMERY: Son of a bitch.

- What does that mean?
- It means there was no informant.

Sir, is there any way to find out
if Holliwell served at the 54th?

Come on, bro.
What the hell's taking so long?

I could have chewed
through that by now.

Here.

There we go.

Nice thing about Internal Affairs,

it's our job to monitor other cops.

You should've turned your
cell phone off completely, Esposito.

You know, with GPS and all.

All this time, it was you.

I figured you'd come for that
sooner or later.

Big mistake.

Toss the ledger over here.

Throw it!

See, if I were you, Thornton,

(CHUCKLING)

I would've just stayed dead.

You're not me. I'm a cop.

I beg to differ, buddy.
You're a wanted criminal.

Just ask Esposito over here.

He died trying to apprehend you.

My only regret is that I...

I showed up too late to save him.

You son of a bitch.

Look, there's something I want
to say before we're done here.

Thanks for backing me up.

Lot of good that did us.

I am going to get the Medal of Valor
for killing you, Thornton.

No, I'm serious, man.

Thanks for having my back.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

Thank God you're here.

They tried to kill me. Esposito
and Thornton, they're both in on it.

Drop it or I will drop you.

RYAN: You know the drill, Holliwell.
Keep them up.

Lieutenant Holliwell, you're under arrest
for the murder of Paul Finch.

Where's Esposito?

Where's Esposito?

Esposito?

Yeah.

We got an officer down.

William 16, William 16,
need an ambulance at 3471 Houston.

I'm cool. It was a clean exit.

Holliwell?

Yeah, we got him and the ledger.

Good.

- Ike.
- Yeah.

- This is my partner, Ryan.
- Hey.

And this is my other partner, Castle.

Hey, man.

And with Holliwell's testimony
and the ledger,

we now have enough evidence
to arrest Racine.

Okay, but what I don't understand
is how the hell you ended up

in Racine's office with Thornton.

- Sir, I...
- Oh, I... I'm sorry, sir.

I thought we made that clear.

Esposito was with us

when we responded to a robbery
in progress call at Racine's office.

Uh-huh. And who made the call?

The call was made by a private citizen
who wishes to remain anonymous.

I may need a private citizen
to help me write up this damn mess.

I'd be happy to lend my expertise.

So...

I know you're not turning me loose.

Just a furlough.

We got something we want you to see.

You did it, bro.

And the best news is

you're free to go.

As far as I'm concerned,
Finch acted alone.

It's my case. I'm closing it.

CASTLE: And I don't see Racine
pressing charges anytime soon.

Right now, he's trying to deny
that the ledger is his.

It's time for you to go home, Ike.

So is it always this much fun up here?

We have our moments.

So now that you know
I'm not a dirty cop,

anytime you need a sparring partner...

Thanks.

(CHUCKLING)

- BECKETT: I'm sorry. What?
- I find...

BECKETT: What?