Castle (2009–2016): Season 2, Episode 9 - Love Me Dead - 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.

MAN: I have to laugh at her jokes.
She's my boss.

Do you have to stare at her boobs, too?

I wasn't. She had a stain.

And you were trying
to memorize the shape?

What? No. I swear.
If I'm lying, may God strike me down...

(WOMAN EX CLAIMS)

(WOMAN SCREAMING)

ALEXIS: Yeah, I want to, I just...
I don't know.

Yes, I...

I can't tell him. He'll freak. He will.

I gotta go.

- Who'll freak?
- What?

- Who's gonna freak?
- Oh, um...

Someone from school.
You don't know them.

- Are you sure?
- Mmm-hmm.

But I thought I knew all your friends.

Hey, I'm sorry, Dad,
but I have a ton of schoolwork.

Oh. No, yeah.

Hey, uh, you know
you could tell me anything, right?

Yep.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

Castle.

A body falls out of the sky
and somehow that's my fault?

(WOMAN GROANS)

BECKETT: Hey, Castle.

I hope we didn't take you away from
something important. Or someone.

Did you ever keep secrets
from your dad?

- Sure.
- What kind?

Do you really want to know?

About your secrets? Absolutely.
About my daughter's?

You know what, I'm sure it's nothing.

Alexis would never keep anything
serious from me. I'm the cool dad.

Uh-huh.

- Sir, what are you doing here?
- Victim's Jack Buckley.

Who's Jack Buckley?

An assistant district attorney.
One of the good guys.

Buckley hated making deals,
loved putting bad guys behind bars.

He's the lawyer every cop
wanted prosecuting their case.

Well, looks like he didn't go down
without a fight.

Yeah, his jacket was torn.

Found his briefcase up on the roof
along with his left shoe.

CSU is doing a full sweep.

Well, Jack's a big boy.
Whoever did it must be strong.

Wait, I know what this is.

Lawyer puts criminal in jail,
criminal feels wronged,

criminal kills lawyer. It's Cape Fear.

Any idea what he was doing up there?

No. I talked to his secretary and she
said Buckley left work around 8:00,

heading straight home,
which is on the West Side.

And get this, Buckley was
a subway rider. He didn't own a car.

Then what's he doing
in a parking garage on the East Side?

It's a good question.

- Was Buckley married?
- Divorced. Ex-wife lives in California.

Reach out to his wife.

Let's start looking into his personal life
and see what we can find.

The mayor wants this solved quickly.

Nobody kills a law enforcement officer
and gets away with it.

NICOLE: I just can't
believe that he's dead.

BECKETT: And you have no idea

- why he was in the garage?
- No.

Here are the print-outs
of Mr. Buckley's cases you wanted.

Thanks.

I'm telling you, this Cape Fear list is
going to be a gold mine of suspects.

Check out this guy. Archibald Spinks.

Five counts of attempted murder,
one count of indecent exposure.

You don't suppose
he tried to kill them with his...

Yeah, that wouldn't work.

Had Mr. Buckley ever received
any threats?

Any prosecutions that went ugly?

Well, he didn't think he was doing his
job right if he wasn't being threatened.

But nothing recently, no.

He did seem to be upset
the past few days.

- Any idea why?
- No.

You know, there was that man
the police brought in.

- What man?
- It was right after lunch on Monday.

A cop brought in a tough-Iooking guy
in handcuffs.

Took him right into Mr. Buckley's office,
and then waited outside.

SCARLETT: We heard them yelling
through the door,

and then the officer took him away.

- That kind of thing happen a lot?
- Never.

- Do you remember the officer's name?
- Yeah. Frank... Frank... Frank Curtis.

Curtis doesn't remember why Buckley
asked him to bring the guy in,

but he does remember his name.
John Knox.

Dozens of priors.
Uniforms are bringing him in.

I'm guessing this guy
isn't exactly an altar boy.

You think? Come on, let's go.

- You've got quite a record, Mr. Knox.
- Your parents must be proud.

Yeah, they hang all my mug-shots
on the fridge.

Can we cut to the chase?

Two days ago, you had an argument
with Buckley in his office.

Last night, we found him dead,
so you can understand our interest.

Sure. But you're wasting your time.
I didn't kill the guy.

Really?

Because it says here that you have
quite a history of trying to kill people.

Three in the last two years.
Or am I missing any?

- I was never convicted of anything.
- That's not exactly a denial.

Do you work out?
You know, bench press? Dead lift?

Must take a lot of upper-body strength
to throw a guy off a roof.

(LAUGHS)

- Who is this guy?
- What did you and Buckley fight about?

Look, he had it out for me

because he put me on trial for
an assault I didn't commit and he lost.

And rather than being a man about it,
he decided to rattle my cage,

to show me who was the alpha male.

So, yeah, it was annoying and childish,
but not something you kill a guy over.

Especially a DA.

Now, I may be a criminal,
but I'm not stupid.

Do you have an alibi
for Buckley's murder?

- I don't know. What time was he killed?
- 9:30 p.m.

- I was at an AA meeting.
- Anonymous. That's cute.

You don't believe me?

Mmm.

Well, then maybe
you'll believe my sponsor.

Reverend Daniel Miller.

Did you say "Reverend"?

MONTGOMERY: So,
where are we with Knox?

Alibi looks solid.

Castle and Beckett are interviewing
the good Reverend right now.

- What about forensics?
- Looks like a bust.

But I did find something interesting

when I checked into Buckley's
MetroCard history.

His card only made two swipes
a day for the whole month.

6:00 a.m. At the subway by
his apartment, 8:00 p.m. By his office.

Buckley lived for the job,
especially after the divorce.

Probably trying to lose himself
in the work.

On the day he was killed,
Buckley did something unusual.

He made an extra trip up to West
77th Street before he went to work.

- His secretary has no idea why.
- See if you can find out.

Yo, Cap, looks like somebody
was following our boy Buckley.

The doorman in his apartment said
that a guy came in there two days ago

demanding to talk to Buckley.
Wouldn't take no for an answer.

Doorman practically
had to throw the guy out.

Then, on the morning
of Buckley's murder,

the doorman swears
that he saw the same guy

hanging around outside the building.

I snagged a photo
off the video surveillance.

Start looking through
some mug-shot books.

- Thank you, Reverend.
- Pleasure meeting you. Thanks.

Is this for our case?

Yeah, the guy who tried to hassle
Buckley at his building.

Wait a second. I know this guy.

Yes, my Cape Fear file. Ow!

Right here.

Right here.
His name is Norman Jessup.

Buckley got him four years ago on
a bank robbery where a guard got shot.

See, I told you this file
would solve this case.

Says here, he got out two weeks ago
when his conviction was overturned,

by the appellate court on a technicality.

That sounds like a reason for Jessup
to celebrate, not to kill Buckley.

Yeah, except Buckley already filed
an Intent to Retry.

Jessup was looking at
another two years in jail if Buckley won.

Well, that might have made
Jessup a little mad.

Right, and then it's all,

(IMITATING DE NIRO) "Come out, come
out, wherever you are."

Really? That's your De Niro?

Get a current address
and a list of known associates.

I'd like to hear what Jessup has to say.

Wait, wait! You got it all wrong.

Hey, come on. Police! Break it up!

WOMAN: Watch it!
MAN: Take it outside.

Aren't you going to do something?

Breaking up a bar fight
is a sure way to get hit.

Don't worry, it'll be over in a minute.

- You know, I was in a bar fight once.
- Really? Who won?

Let me guess. Not you.

(GROANS)

You want to fight, Mr. Jessup?
You can fight a murder charge.

JESSUP: Hey, I'm sorry, man.
I didn't mean to embarrass you

in front of your girlfriend there.

I'm not his girlfriend.
I am a homicide detective.

And you should be taking this
a little bit more seriously.

Hey, that guy in that bar,
he started this whole thing, okay?

He thought I was hitting
on his girlfriend,

and I was not hitting on his girlfriend.
It was just a big misunderstanding.

- Right. Just like the bank robbery.
- Exactly.

I had no idea my buddies
were gonna rob that bank.

No idea at all.
They said their car broke down

and they needed a ride,
and I gave them a ride.

And that argument
didn't sway Buckley?

Can you believe it?

He told my lawyer
that the guard got shot,

and therefore, in the eyes of the law,
I was just as responsible

as the guy who shot him.

That must've made you angry.

How'd you feel about the fact that
Buckley was gonna retry your case

and try to make you serve
the final two years of your sentence?

- Honestly, lady, I cried like a baby.
- Huh.

Prison is not fun, okay.
I did not want to go back.

I figured if I could
just talk to Mr. Buckley,

I could let him know
where I'm coming from.

Which is what you were doing
at Buckley's building.

Whoa, whoa. I followed the man around
for a few days, okay.

Just so I could get my courage up
to talk to him.

You were stalking Buckley?

"Stalking" is a pretty damn ugly word.
Let's not use "stalking," okay?

I was just trying to feel the guy out,
you know what I mean?

Trying to convince him, you know.

In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm
somewhat of a wordsmith, you know.

(CHUCKLES)
A real master of, uh, you know, of...

Words?

Where were you between
9:00 and 10:00 last night?

I was sitting in the bar
you guys just dragged me out of.

Okay. Well, we're going to
check into your alibi.

In the meantime,
you're going back into holding

until we can process you for assault.

(EX CLAIMS)
Come on! I said I was sorry.

CASTLE: Wait, Buckley's mystery trip.

Were you following Buckley uptown
yesterday morning?

- Yeah, yeah, I was.
- Where did he go?

He met some Asian dude outside
this real fancy apartment building.

Then they started to argue
with each other.

You think maybe that's the guy
who killed him?

Would you recognize the building
if you saw it again?

Oh, yeah. I get around.

Road trip.

Hey, you guys mind
if I take these things off?

I'm starting to feel like a stereotype,

riding around in the back
of a police car wearing them.

- Sure. Do you want my key?
- No, I got it. Thanks.

(JANGLING)

(JESSUP SIGHS)

How did you do that?

(LAUGHS)
I've always been good with locks.

When I was in the joint, I was thinking,

"How can I take this and make it
more productive?" you know.

So I've been applying
to locksmith schools.

But, you know, they won't let me in
on account that I'm a felon.

Can you believe that? Huh.

Felon who wants to be a locksmith.
What could possibly go wrong there?

- You don't have to be mean about it.
- Yeah, wow!

JESSUP: To train to be a locksmith
you got to listen,

- left over right, right over left...
- I think I made it tighter.

Jessup, do you see the building?

That's a negative.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

- Now bring it around...
- Beckett.

Oh, hey, Alexis.
Are you looking for your dad?

To me? Okay, what's up?

Yeah, yeah, we can meet at Sutton's
around 7:30. Is that okay?

All right, I'll see you then.

Was that Alexis calling you? Why?

- She needed my advice.
- About what?

I don't know. It's probably no big deal.

When you kept secrets from
your father, was it not a big deal?

You know, I'm not even going to ask.

That's the building on
the right hand side. Right there.

- Okay.
- Let's go get 'em.

Not you. Us.

Apartment 801? Okay. Thanks.

So it turns out that the building's
only Asian tenant is Paul Cho,

who just happens to be
Buckley's ex-brother-in-law.

Oh. Well, maybe it's not
Cape Fear then.

Maybe it's Family Feud.

Maybe Buckley's bitter divorce
caused enough hard feelings

that things turned violent.

I don't understand.
I haven't seen Jack in months.

Not since he divorced my sister.

Really? Because I have an eyewitness

who saw the two of you arguing
yesterday morning.

- So, that means you're lying to me.
- She hates being lied to.

- I don't know what you're talking about.
- Great. Let's go down to the precinct.

I'll arrange a perp walk and you
can put on a show for the cameras.

- Love a good perp walk.
- Wait, wait, wait, wait.

The night before last,
I was attacked by a man in a ski mask.

He warned me to tell Buckley
to back off Danton

- or he would ruin me.
- Who's Danton?

I don't know,
but Jack definitely knew him.

He said he wasn't going to
let him get away with this.

That's why we were fighting.
I told Jack to listen for once in his life.

- He had to protect me.
- From what?

- That's none of your business.
- Perp walk it is.

All right, all right.

I have a slight fondness for girls.

Young girls?

Fat girls?

School girls?

Call girls.

Who else knows about this fondness?

- Just the girls.
- Actually, the girls and their pimp.

Whose name is probably Danton.

Oh, okay, fine. But I wasn't really lying.
I... I've actually never met Danton.

I got the phone number
for the agency from a friend.

I call it and they send over a girl.

So, Buckley is investigating
Danton's call-girl ring.

When Danton discovers
that Buckley's brother-in-law is a client,

he sends a message,
"Back off, or your family gets hurt."

And then, when Buckley
doesn't back down, Danton kills him.

- So, how do we find Danton?
- We talk to one of the call girls.

Call that number and tell him
to bring one of his girls over.

And tell her to wear something sexy.
No reason we can't enjoy this interview.

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

SCARLETT: Hey, Paul.
Couldn't wait to see me, huh?

Actually, I'm the one
who asked for the date.

Isn't that the girl from Buckley's office?
Did she look like that before?

So, how exactly does a call girl end up
working for Jack Buckley, Super DA?

Am I under arrest?

You will be
if you don't answer the question.

Jack was a client.

I... I'm sorry, Scarlett,
I don't believe that.

I started seeing him about a year ago.

He hadn't been with anyone
since his divorce.

He was just Ionely, you know?

We'd spend most of his dates talking.

He'd take me to fancy restaurants,

even though I told him
he didn't have to.

But I think he wanted to make it feel
as normal as possible.

Then one night
he saw a law book in my bag.

I told him
I was only working as an escort

to pay my way through law school.

A few months later, he said he had
an internship opening up in his office.

Would I be interested?

He wanted to help you escape the life?

- Who's Danton?
- I don't know.

- Don't lie to us, Scarlett.
- I'm not.

I know he runs the business,
but I've never met him.

It's not like I'm a street walker and he's
in a fedora and a long fur coat.

He's organized the entire operation
to protect his identity.

The girls are independent contractors.

The clients are all given numbers
so we don't know their last names.

They pay the business by credit card,

and our fees get deposited
directly into our bank accounts.

Creating the perfect firewall
between the girls and the management.

So, then when we arrest you,
you can't give up Danton.

Because I don't know who he is.

I can't believe Jack Buckley
was seeing prostitutes.

Yeah, well, he worked 14 hours a day.
Didn't have a social life.

Maybe he just wanted
a little easy company.

Well, the math
just doesn't add up, though.

Buckley was warned to back off Danton.

Why would Buckley be investigating
a call girl service he was using?

Maybe Danton tried to blackmail
Buckley and it backfired.

So, then Danton tried to scare Buckley
by threatening his brother-in-law.

And then when that didn't work,
Danton killed Buckley.

All right. Let's find out everything
we can about this Danton character.

Have Ryan and Esposito
reach out to Vice in the morning.

Yes, sir.

Castle, I need you to sign
these charges against Jessup,

so I can send him downtown.

What?

No. Don't tell me
you've got a soft spot for this guy.

He's a wordsmith.

Okay, fine.

Hi, it's Beckett.

Charges are being dropped
against Jessup. Process him out.

All right, thank you.

I hope the two of you
are very happy together.

- Are you okay?
- No. I broke a heel.

Let me guess.
They were your favorite pair.

Passed through your family
for generations.

My great-great-grandmother
wore them over on the Mayflower.

I knew it.

So what's a nice girl like you...

- Really? That's your line?
- I'm old-fashioned.

I came to New York
in this ancient blue Beetle.

The floor was so rusted,
it literally sagged in the middle.

But I can still remember
coming over the bridge,

and seeing the city
right there in front of me.

I thought everything
was going to be perfect.

Something tells me this story
takes a turn for the worse.

The first night,
somebody broke into my car

and stole all my stuff.

Then, the college friend
I was going to stay with

told me her boyfriend was moving in.
I had to find another place.

Oh!

But somehow I survived.

Spent a year barely eating,
living in a closet.

When a friend mentioned doing this,
I thought, "It couldn't be worse."

- And is it?
- Mostly, no.

Thanks for listening.

Night, Castle.

- Going to meet Alexis?
- Yeah.

- Can I come?
- No.

But I want to.

Why are you so worried, Castle?
I thought you were the cool dad.

I am.

- What's the secret?
- All in the breathing, dear.

No. What's Alexis' secret that
she'll tell Beckett about, but not me?

I don't know.

There are some things a woman
wants to talk to another woman about.

The New York Times praised
the depth of my female characters.

I know. And I couldn't be prouder,
but this is real life.

And obviously,
Alexis looks up to Beckett,

and Beckett's smart
and strong and independent.

- So are you.
- That's sweet.

I'm on the wrong side of 40 for what
Alexis is going through right now.

- Forty?
- Deflect all you want, kiddo,

but I recognize the fear in your eyes.

You're afraid Alexis has more
Rick Castle in her than you thought.

(DOOR OPENING)

Hey, sweetie!
How did your talk with Beckett go?

- Fine. She's really nice.
- Yeah, she is.

You know, sweetheart,
if you don't want to tell me

what you talked about with Beckett,
you don't have to.

Okay. Thanks, Dad.

What is the matter with you?
Why didn't you just ask her?

Because that would be prying.
And cool dads don't do that.

They go behind their daughter's back
and they beg Beckett to tell them.

Did you ever have any cases
with Buckley?

A few. Guy was wound a little tight
if you ask me.

Saw himself as a crusader for justice.

MAZZARA: Yo, Esposito.

- Gil Mazzara. What's up man?
- How're you doing?

So, you're still looking
at dirty pictures up in Vice?

Yeah, tell your mom
to send over some new ones.

- The ones I got are getting old.
- (RYAN LAUGHS)

- You know my partner, Ryan.
- Hey.

Yeah. Honey-milk. Nice to see you.

So, I hear you're looking
to talk about Danton?

- Yeah. You know him?
- Yeah. I arrested him five years ago.

Real name's Dan Tonelli.

- Dan-ton.
- Yeah.

He's currently serving a seven-year
stretch in Green Haven Correctional.

- Wait a minute. He's still in prison?
- And your boy Buckley put him there.

- Buckley prosecuted Danton?
- Yeah.

And he was all over us
to make a rock-solid case.

We gave Buckley enough
to put the guy away for 20 years.

Could Tonelli still be running
the operation out of prison?

Nah. These call girl rings
are like franchises.

The business changes hands,
but the name stays the same.

- So, who's the new Danton?
- I wish I knew. Guy's like a ghost.

Every time we think we're getting close,
he disappears.

Five warrants in the last year
and every time we show up,

the place has been cleared out
like he knew we were coming.

You call the prison,
get them to bring Tonelli over here.

Hey, you guys seen Beckett?

She went with the captain
to update City Hall on the case.

She'll be here in a minute.

- Something wrong?
- No. Yes.

I think my daughter
might be keeping something from me.

- Maybe she got kicked out of school.
- What?

- Or she's doing drugs.
- RYAN: Mmm-hmm.

- Teen pregnancy is on the rise.
- Whoa.

All right, you've met my daughter.

You know that she is the closest thing
to perfect as humanly possible.

(SNICKERS)

Castle, come on. You've been with us
long enough to know

that people are never
who you think they are.

Isn't it possible your perfect daughter
isn't as perfect as you think?

- BECKETT: Is Danton here yet?
- Yeah. Interrogation Room one.

- Wait? Danton?
- Come on, Castle. Keep up.

We brought you in here
to talk about Danton.

Ancient history.

Says here Buckley made a plea deal
with you. Seven years instead of 20.

But I heard
Buckley doesn't make deals.

What could I say, I got lucky.

The only reason that Buckley
would agree to a deal

is because you brought him
something big in return.

So, what was it?

- Why don't you ask him?
- Because he's dead.

- What? How?
- He was murdered two nights ago.

We believe that the same person who
took over your operations killed him.

(LAUGHING)

What's so funny?

Well, you see,
that would make it a suicide.

Suicide?

Wait a minute. You're saying that
Jack Buckley was the new Danton?

Buckley made me a deal.

I provide him with my client list,
my girls,

he knocks 13 years off my sentence.
It was a no-brainer.

Our DA was a pimp.

Jack Buckley was Danton.
That's why all Vice's warrants failed.

They had to go through the DA's office
and Buckley saw them coming.

He was in the perfect position
to protect his operation.

But why would a respected prosecutor
become a pimp?

- The outfits?
- ESPOSITO: It was the money.

Buckley's ex-wife
took him to the cleaners.

Between alimony and his own bills,
Buckley was beyond broke.

You know, I'm betting
it was more than just the money.

Everybody's talking about
how great Jack Buckley was.

How he was the law.
You start thinking like that,

sometimes you can start thinking
maybe you are above the law.

That you can get away with anything.

Sir, how did the mayor
handle the news?

(EXHALES) You don't want to know.

Okay, this doesn't make any sense.

If Buckley was the new Danton,

then why would the masked man
tell Buckley to back off of Danton?

Buckley wouldn't threaten himself.

Unless Buckley
wasn't the boss anymore.

- A hostile takeover.
- Of course.

We know Danton
was just a business name.

So, "Back off of Danton"
was the new boss telling the old boss,

"Don't resist the takeover,
or I'll start ruining reputations."

Makes sense in theory,
but how do you prove it?

We talk to the call girl.

There is no way that Scarlett
didn't know that Buckley was in charge.

No, seriously.
What did Alexis tell you last night?

I promised I wouldn't say.

Well, at least...
At least tell me if it was bad.

And put you out of your misery?

We're looking for Scarlett.

She's packing her things.
We can't have call girls working here.

- No, only pimps.
- SCARLETT: Detective.

Could you give us a moment, please?

Scarlett, you lied to us.
Buckley was running the call girl ring,

and there's no way
that you didn't know.

Please. I had to lie.

He'd kill me
if he thought I told you anything.

Who'd kill you? The new Danton?

Someone took over Buckley's business.
Who was it?

Answer me.

He used to work for Buckley.

He made sure no one hurt the girls
and everyone paid.

- What was his name?
- I can't tell you that.

Scarlett, I'm done playing.
You've done nothing but lie to us.

Don't think that
I'm not gonna send you away

for obstruction of justice
and anything else that I can think of.

- He'll kill me.
- We won't let that happen.

Detective Beckett can help you,
but you have to help us first.

And then what happens to me?
You think I'm gonna be a lawyer now?

Jack was going to write me
a letter of recommendation,

pull some strings to get me a job.
Who's going to help me now?

Honestly? No one.

You're gonna have to do it
by yourself, Scarlett,

and I got a feeling that you can.
Tell us who the new boss is,

and Detective Beckett
will make sure no one knows

it was you who talked to us.

You promise?

Yes.

- His name is John Knox.
- Knox? But that's...

The guy that Buckley dragged in here
in handcuffs.

How does a prosecutor
get into business with a criminal?

Well, it's hard out there for a pimp
who's also a DA.

Ooh, that'd be
a good character for a novel.

Hmm.

A star prosecutor who's always
excelled at anything he's ever done.

He couldn't possibly imagine
that being a pimp

would be a bigger job
than he could handle by himself.

But one day he gets a call,

one of his girls
has been knocked around by a client.

He realizes there's nothing
he can do about it,

- he's a very public figure.
- Mmm-hmm.

So, a white collar prosecutor decides
to hire a blue collared enforcer.

Can't exactly take out an ad
on craigslist for that.

But fortunately enough,

he has a big stack of qualified
candidates sitting right on his desk.

Which is where he found John Knox.

A criminal who mostly managed
to stay out of prison.

- Which makes him a smart criminal.
- Yeah.

Buckley offers him a deal.

"Come work for me,
I'll throw your case."

- And Knox does.
- Mmm-hmm.

For a while, everyone's happy.
But then Knox decides

he's not happy
being number two anymore.

He takes Buckley's client list,
tells Buckley to take a hike.

Knowing that Buckley can't do anything
about it without risking exposure.

Mmm-hmm. But Buckley's never
backed down from a fight in his life.

He gets the cops to drag Knox down
to his office to remind him who's boss.

But Knox took it up a notch,

sending a warning shot
across Buckley's bow

by threatening his brother-in-law.

And when Buckley wouldn't back down,

Knox threw him off
the roof of a parking garage.

Jeez, if only we had some proof.

Who needs proof? What a great story.
Of course, Knox has an alibi.

You know, maybe you're right.
Maybe Knox is smart.

Maybe he sent someone else.

Oh, I like the twist.

The enforcer has an enforcer!
But who?

KNO X: I'll talk to you guys later, okay?

- Hi. Remember us?
- I definitely remember you.

- We need to ask you a few questions.
- I already answered your questions.

- Maybe you didn't see the badge.
- Oh, I saw it.

You ladies ready? Excellent.
You two have a nice evening.

I'm hungry.
What do you guys feel like...

- Aren't you going to stop him?
- I can't.

Unless we arrest him, the law says
that he doesn't have to talk to us.

- And he knows that.
- So arrest him.

On what grounds?

We promised Scarlett
that we'd keep her out of it.

So, unless we get some evidence,
he's getting away with this.

(ELEVATOR DINGS)

Scarlett? You're hurt.

I didn't know where else to go.

CASTLE: Come, sit down.

- You should go to a hospital.
- It's just a few bruises. I'll be fine.

How did you find me?

A client in the publishing business
gave me your address.

- Dinner for one?
- Yeah. My family is at the theater.

Good.

I wouldn't want anyone else
to see me like this.

Did Knox do this to you?

- It doesn't matter.
- Of course it does.

You think that by protecting him
you're saving yourself somehow?

Because you're not.

And if you don't get out
from under his thumb now,

you never will.

Why are you so nice to me?

How do you know I'm not this nice
to all the beautiful women

I find on my doorstep?

You really think I'm beautiful?

Look, maybe we should...

- I'm sorry.
- No.

- I shouldn't have done that.
- It's okay, it's...

You're hurt and you're scared.

But you don't have to be
that person with me.

You're safe here.

- Knox killed Buckley.
- No. No. He has an alibi.

The Reverend.

Knox made me take it.
Reverend Daniel is a client.

Knox is blackmailing him
into saying they were together

when Buckley was killed.

Thank you.

Now I'm taking you to a hospital.
No arguments.

Okay.

- Hey.
- I'm thinking Knox killed Buckley.

- Knox has an alibi.
- Mmm. Does he?

Reverend Alibi, in the flesh.
Lots of flesh,

too much flesh.

- Where did you get this?
- Scarlett Price.

- You saw her without me?
- Well, yes.

She's a person of interest
in our investigation.

Our murder investigation.

- No, I know.
- Where did you see her?

- Uh, my apartment.
- What?

When I came home last night,

she was in my hall,
and somebody had beaten her up.

And you didn't think to call me?

Well, I took her to the hospital
and the night kind of

got away from me,
and then I came here,

you know, to surprise you.
Like... Like I do.

We're not done talking about this.

- Esposito!
- Yeah.

- Have surveillance pull in Knox.
- On it.

Whoa.
You had Knox under surveillance?

You didn't tell me?

At least I didn't go out
on a date with him.

- It wasn't a date.
- Really?

Trouble. Knox's apartment is empty.

He must've slipped out
during the night.

Scarlett.
I left her at Saint Vincent's Hospital.

Yes, hello, I dropped
a young woman off there last night.

Her name is Scarlett Price.
She'd been beaten up.

I need to speak to her
right away, please.

What? When? Thank you.

A man checked her out, right after I left.

Knox. Get a unit out
to Scarlett's apartment

and get an APB out on both of them.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

- Hello?
- He's got me.

Scarlett? Hang on, hang on.

I think he's going to kill me.

- Where are you?
- I don't know...

KNO X: Hey, what are
you doing in there?

Scarlett.

What do we do?
We have to do something.

Ryan, get the carrier on the phone.

Let him know
that I'm about a minute away

from getting a trace warrant
on the following number,

- 212-555-0179.
- Got it.

This is Detective Kate Beckett.
Badge number, 41319.

I need to talk to Judge Beall right away.

ESPOSITO: Scarlett's phone traced
to the east side of the building.

Hotel manager said
that a guy matching Knox's description

checked in at room 4-F this morning.

- Castle, you're staying here.
- No, I'm not.

Okay, but stay behind me.

SCARLETT: Stop. No!

(GUN FIRING)

BECKETT: Police!

Over there. It's Knox.

Scarlett. Hey. Hey, hey, it's okay.

- I killed him.
- It's okay. You're okay.

I killed Knox.

He heard a noise outside
and when he turned to look

I grabbed his gun.
He told me to give it back.

He came after me.
I told him to stop, but he wouldn't.

Why wouldn't he stop?

Why wouldn't he stop?

You think she'll be okay?

Given the circumstances,
I don't think the DA will press charges.

No. I mean do you think she'll be okay?

I don't know.

Girls in the sex industry usually come
from a history of childhood dysfunction.

- It's hard to escape that.
- But it's possible, right?

- Yeah.
- JESSUP: Come on, come on.

- JULIAN: Hold it right there!
- Castle! Little help?

Yeah. Julian, it's fine, he's with me.

You are out of control, man.

Got good news.

I finally found a locksmith school
that's willing to admit me.

- Really?
- Yeah.

All I need is a letter of recommendation
from the police, and I am in.

- Will you write it for me?
- No.

- What?
- Come on, have a heart.

He's a criminal. If I write him a letter,
I'll be responsible for him.

- I cannot watch you 24 hours a day.
- Wait a minute. What did you say?

- I would be responsible for him.
- No, no, no. You can't watch him.

When did you put the surveillance car
on Knox?

- Right after we left the bar.
- And they followed him all night?

Yeah. He got home around 2:00 a.m.

Then how could he
have beaten up Scarlett?

You guys do know that the deadbolt
wasn't set on this lock

when you guys kicked it in, right?

- What?
- See.

If it would've been, this whole frame
would've been destroyed.

Locking the door.
That's hostage-taking 101.

- Unless Scarlett wasn't a hostage.
- She was in on it from the start.

Buckley didn't set her up in his office
out of the goodness of his heart.

He needed somebody working there
to man the call girl business.

Not realizing that
he was giving Scarlett full access

to every facet of his organization.

Knox didn't steal the client list,
Scarlett gave it to him

so that the two of them
could go into business together.

And when Buckley wouldn't walk away,
Knox killed him.

Never thinking we'd find out
about the call girl ring.

And then, when we did,
Scarlett realized that the only way

to save herself was by giving up Knox
by playing the ultimate victim.

Making you believe
that Knox beat her up

so that we'd think she killed him
out of self-defense.

- And I fell for it.
- We all did.

I didn't.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

SCARLETT: Hi, how can
I make you happy today?

MAN: Is Candy working?

Yes, Candy is absolutely available.
How would you like her to look?

GND.

Girl next door sounds perfect.
Can you confirm your client code?

51.

And your card information is the same?

Yes.

Great. Candy will see you at 7:00.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

- Hi, how can I make you happy today?
- CASTLE: Yes, I'm looking for a girl.

Well, you've certainly come
to the right place.

Can you describe her?

She came to New York
in an ancient blue Beetle.

The floor was so rusted it
literally sagged in the middle.

Castle, how did you get this number?

I have a friend
in the publishing business.

I'm sorry if I disappointed you.

I just needed to take a few more jobs
to set myself up.

You never stop manipulating,
do you, Scarlett?

I should be impressed, really.
How easily you played me.

But all I can think about
is how sad it is.

All that brains and beauty
wasted on a heart gone rotten.

You're so busy building up walls
to keep people out,

you don't even realize
that you're the one trapped inside.

All alone.

Would you stand up, please?

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used
against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney.

- Thanks.
- For what?

For not saying "I told you so."

Oh, that starts tomorrow.

(GROANS)

- What was that for?
- For being the best dad ever.

It's true, you know.
I have the novelty mug to prove it.

Mmm.

Thanks for trusting me.

For not pushing when you knew
I was working something out.

Well, I knew when you were ready
you would tell me.

So, here it is.

(CASTLE SIGHS)

My school is starting
a foreign exchange program to France.

- France?
- Yeah.

- You weren't kicked out of school?
- No.

(CASTLE SIGHS)

No, the program lasts three weeks
and so I'd miss your birthday.

And I knew that Beckett
had spent a semester abroad in college

and I wanted to ask her
if the experience was worth it.

And what did she say?

She said that I'd be going off to college
in a couple years

and that everything
was going to change.

And maybe it'd be good
if we got a taste of that change now.

- Well, she is a smart woman.
- Yeah, she is.

But I decided not to go anyway.

Because two years
will be here soon enough.

And I already got you your present
and I wanna watch you open it.

- I say we celebrate with ice cream.
- We'd be fools not to.

- Serve me.
- (LAUGHS) Chocolate or vanilla?

Duh. Chocolate.

Oh, and while we're eating,
we can talk about colleges.

I picked up a couple brochures
at the guidance office,

and you know what looks really cool?

- What?
- Oxford.

Oxford? You know...
You know that's in England, right?

Yeah.