Castle (2009–2016): Season 3, Episode 11 - Nikki Heat - full transcript

Game over, and you lose, Tom.

Drop it. Put down the gun, or I
swear, I'll blow his head off.

You know I can't do that, Tom.

You think I'm kidding around here,
detective Heat?

No, I don't.

I think you feel trapped,
and you're serious as hell.

But right now

I need you to think about
the people who love you.

And they need you to
put down that gun.

I can't take it anymore.

The character of Nikki Heat

is a smart, complicated detective

with... with enormous depth,

and then... the
studio goes and casts

the braless coed in
blood-soaked t-shirt

from "Knife II"?

Oh, "Knife II"
made a lot of money, honey,

thanks in no small
part to Natalie Rhodes.

And your books are not exactly
Shakespeare. Thank you.

I was just hoping to
elevate their stature

by not casting

the chainsaw wielding hooker

from "Hallowscream."
Hey, I like that movie.

If I'd seen it, which I haven't.

Look, this is an audition tape.
Give the girl a chance.

According to "US Weekly," for
her movie "Hell's Crawl Space,"

she actually lived in her
house's crawl space for a week

to prepare for the role.
Well, you gotta admit,

that's, uh,
dedication to the craft.

How about that dialogue?
I mean, how hacky is that?

"Right now you need to think
about the people who love you."

Like that's gonna stop a murderer?

That screenwriter needs to
spend a week in a crawl space.

Okay, darling,
enough with the complaining.

It's Beckett.

She is gonna hate the
idea of Natalie Rhodes.

Pick it up, dad. A murder
will make you feel better.

Morning, boys.

Excuse me. Hey, Castle.
How's it going?

Good. What's up?

Ryan.

Oh, come on.
It's nice, right? Right?

Jenny is a lucky girl.

So how are you gonna
pop the question...

Hot air balloon,
skywriter, jumbotron?

Uh, I thought I'd just ask.

No, no. You can't "just ask."

You gotta make a statement.
It's gotta be big.

A helicopter ride...
Actually, most girls

prefer something a
little more intimate.

What, so he's just supposed
to be boring and ask,

will you marry me?

And helicopter rides are intimate.

Yeah, sure, if you want to
share the most romantic moment

of your life with Reggie
the chopper pilot.

Our victim is Stacey Collins.
She's 45.

According to her business card,

she's a high-end matchmaker.
Like "Millionaire Matchmaker."

Without the reality show.
Or pulse.

That, too. Defensive wounds
indicate that she was attacked.

We found her purse with wallet,
credit card and cash inside.

But the thing that was
missing were her keys.

Uniforms are on their way
to her apartment and office

to see if our killer
decided to use them.

Yo. So apparently our victim
was at a surprise party

thrown in her honor last night

by all the happy couples

that she'd matched up.
Where was the party?

Oscar's Grill, 85th and Third.

That's only seven
blocks from here.

Collins left the party
just before 10:00.

M.E. estimates the time of
death between 10:00 and 11:00.

Killer could've been at the
party and followed her.

Gosh. You don't think
a married person

killed the woman who gave
them such happiness, do you?

Yeah, I'll start on
bringing them in.

Surprise visit from the mayor?

Better.

Holy smoke.

That's Natalie Rhodes.

It sure is.

Apparently she is
playing Nikki Heat.

What? That's awesome.

Yeah, it's awesome. What is she
doing here? She called and asked

if she could shadow
me for a little while.

She wanted to get an authentic
feel for what it's like

to be Nikki by following the

person who inspired Nikki.
And you said yes?

Yeah.

Detective Beckett.
My God. You are exactly

what I imagined Nikki
Heat would look like.

Natalie, this is Richard Castle.

And this is detective
Javier Esposito.

Hey.

Just so you know, detective,

I'm very method.

So it's all about
getting inside of you,

which starts with
observing and noting.

Okay. Well, observe and note away.

I'm already used to it.

I'm sorry. I don't think you heard.
I'm Richard Castle.

Great.

I-I wrote "Heat Wave."

Oh. I thought your
name sounded familiar.

Hey, I just got off the phone
with the guys at the, uh...

Hi.

Natalie, this is
detective Kevin Ryan.

Uh... hi.

Ryan, the call?

Yeah. Looks like our killer

took our victim's
keys for a reason.

Uniforms just got to her office.
Place has been tossed.

You guys go to the office,
see what the killer was after.

We'll go interview
party guests and see

if we can shed some light on
what this was all about. Right.

Come on.

Hello.

I'm your creator.

So who would want to
kill a matchmaker?

Well, that's what
we have to find out.

And the first 48 hours
are the most critical.

After that,
evidence gets corrupted,

witnesses get less reliable,

and... Oh.

I'm so sorry everyone is staring.

I already talked to them,
but it's just...

It's not every day we get
someone famous in here.

Listen up, everybody.

This is Natalie Rhodes.

She will be shadowing
me for a little while,

so if you want to gawk,
just get it over with

so we can all get back to work.

And if anyone wants a
picture and autograph,

just come on over.

I can't believe you said it
was okay for her to tail us

without asking me first.

Not "us," Castle. Me.

Oh, my God.

You like her, don't you?

Mm. Yeah. So?

So was it her work in
"Mutilation High"

that changed your life,
or perhaps "Demon Patrol"?

Well, the way that she
beheaded those zombies

with the samurai sword
was pretty cool.

Yes, it was cool, but that
does not make her Nikki Heat.

Nikki Heat...

Is classy, she's complicated,
she's a...

A thinking-man's cop.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Yeah. Well, you can't
judge a book by its cover.

Yes. Actually, yes, I can,
when it's my book.

And she's a civilian.

I mean, aren't you afraid
she's gonna get in the way

and mess up the case?
You're kidding, right?

Right this way, please.

Hey, Natalie. Want to join
in on your first interview?

Yep. Be right there.
Okay, ready?

Hey, that looks great!

Our killer was definitely
after something.

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Rhodes."

How hard is that to say?

Now she thinks I'm an idiot.
Yeah, probably.

Great. And she's on my list.
What?

My freebie five. You know,
the celebrities you're allowed

to make an exception with
if you ever got the chance?

Jenny even knows.
I wouldn't worry about it, bro.

Oh, my God. What happened?

And you are?

Julie Taylor, I work here,
for Stacey Collins.

I'm afraid we have some bad
news for you, Ms. Taylor.

Well, I hope we were helpful.

Wow.

Are all the folks you interview
always that unhelpful?

It's a numbers game.

You talk to enough people,
something usually shakes out.

That is going in the movie.

Yeah, being a cop, it's...

Kind of like being a prospector.

You gotta sift
through a lot of rock

before you finally hit gold.
No. Her line was better.

"Usually shakes out."

Besides client files,
was there anything of value here?

Did she keep cash on hand?

No. I mean, especially not lately.

Business is way down.
Did you guys take a hit from the economy?

Mostly it was Stacey.
She kept turning down clients.

Why would she do that?
All I know is,

two months ago, she started
rejecting applications,

and here we are, barely making it.

We think the killer may have
followed her from the event.

Did she have issues
with any of the guests?

Oh, no. Those were
her success stories...

60 happy couples.

They put the party
together in her honor.

They wanted her to see how
many lives she'd touched.

You know what's so sad?

I don't think that Stacey ever
found a soul mate for herself.

It's crazy. Without her,
we wouldn't even be together.

How can she be dead?

Was there anyone acting
strangely at the party?

Not that we noticed.

What about after the party?
Did you see Stacey leave?

Actually, yeah,
someone picked her up.

Any idea who?
I didn't see. The cars windows were tinted.

What kind of ve...
what kind of vehicle was it?

A sports car.

It was a Boxster,
a silver Boxster.

Did she have any enemies,

anybody who might have
wanted to do her harm?

Oh, man.
What?

Brad Williams...

Stacey's boyfriend,
until yesterday.

What happened yesterday?

When I came in in the morning,
they were fighting.

- About what? - I don't know,
but they were both pretty upset.

Brad was screaming, and
Stacey just told him to leave.

I think I heard him say

he wanted her to give
him something back.

Do you have any idea what?
No.

Excuse me.

Did Brad know about
the party? Esposito.

Oh, he was gonna be there,

but then when they split up,
I had to uninvite him.

Ms. Taylor, does
anyone in Stacey's life

drive a silver Boxster?

Yeah. Brad does.

♪ Castle 3x11 ♪
Nikki Heat
Original Air Date on Jenuary 3, 2011

I was in love with Stacey.
What makes you think

I could possibly kill her?
If you were so in love with her,

why did you have a screaming
match in her office yesterday?

We argue. I'm a passionate
person. Obviously.

And then after she dumped you,

you couldn't handle the rejection,

and so you killed her.
That's not true.

When you and Stacey fought, you
said you wanted something back.

What was it?
My dignity.

You trashed her office
looking for your dignity?

I didn't kill her and I
didn't trash her office.

Stacey stepped out on me.
That's why we broke up.

And that gives you even greater
reason to have killed her.

She's amazing. You think
that I'd tell you that...

Look at her eye contact.
The way she won't let go...

I love that.

So what did you think of
"Heat Wave"?

Are you kidding?
I love it.

Spike Rosenberg is one of
my favorite screenwriters.

You know, he did the
uncredited final pass

on "Hell's Crawl Space."
Yeah.

Not the... not the script,
the book...

the... the... the real "Heat Wave."

I haven't read it.

You... you took the
part of Nikki Heat

without even reading the book?

Well, Spike made a lot of
changes in the screenplay.

I didn't want to confuse
the character in my head.

"Changes."

What... what changes?

And then two months ago,
she started to pull away.

Next came some phone calls
at odd hours from some guy.

She wouldn't say who.
I mean, the signs were all there,

I just didn't want to see them.

Well, just because she
was getting phone calls

doesn't mean that she
was having an affair.

I followed her last week,
saw her meet the guy...

a real lowlife.

When I confronted her,
she denied everything.

I called her a liar.

And now she's dead.

And then prior to her death,
she was seen getting into your car.

After the party, I offered her a ride,
thinking we could talk.

Where did you go?

Nowhere. She was barely in
the car when he called again.

I started to get upset.
She just got out.

Then where'd you go after

you dropped her off?
I didn't go anywhere.

I noticed I was in front
of the Nautilus Diner.

I went in and was there
until after midnight.

The hostess at Nautilus
confirms Brad's story.

Has him there from a few minutes
after 10:00 till about midnight,

drowning his sorrows in
five orders of baklava.

Ooh. I love their baklava.

The honey actually oozes
out of the sides...

But the salient point here

is that Brad Williams
just alibied out.

Check into Stacey's phone records.

- Let's see if we can find
that new boyfriend. - Right.

Oh, C.S.U. found a key
hidden under a ceiling tile.

They say there's no
lockbox in Stacey's office

and her assistant
doesn't recognize it,

so C.S.U. is running it down.

Well, maybe that's what the
killer was looking for.

Maybe it's the key

to unlocking the mystery
of Stacey's murder.

So what are you thinking
about right now, detective?

What's our next move?

I'm thinking...
I need a cup of coffee.

Me, too. God, we are so in sync.

Hey, Castle.

So I-I... I booked
that chopper ride.

We're even gonna fly
over K.J. McDoogal's.

It's the bar where
Jenny and I met.

And then tomorrow,
I'm going out to Flushing

to ask her parents for her hand.

I told Jenny I'm playing
darts with Esposito.

All right. Well, you're all set.

Um, I-I still need to
pick a romantic restaurant

that's near the west
side heliport. Any ideas?

Does she like Italian?

You are amazing.
Oh.

In fact, I've already picked up

on a couple of your little secrets.
Oh, really. Like what?

That thing you do, pushing
your hair back behind your ear,

it's a device to distract
whomever you're talking to.

Gives you an extra few seconds
to think about what to say.

Huh. Really? I did not know that.

Yeah, and there's those
crazy 4-inch spiked heels.

God, they must be hell to run in.

You know, you wouldn't admit it,

but it's tough being
an attractive woman

in such a testosterone-fueled
profession.

The heels give you stature.
When guys have to

literally look up to you, it
gives you a psychological edge.

Well, you're right about
the heels and the stature.

But it's not because I need it.
I just like it.

Yo, Beckett.

We got something.

Brad was right.

Stacey did get a call just
before she was killed,

from one Duke Jones.

Guy's got a sheet that
reads like a primer

on small-time crookery.

We got B&Es, racketeering,
and assault.

What's a high-class matchmaker
doing with a guy like that?

Whatever it is, I'm guessing
that it's complicated.

According to Stacey's
bank records,

she was making weekly
payments of $5,000 to the guy

for the last two months.

Anyone else notice

that two months has
been a recurring theme?

What was the money for?

I don't know. Neither does her
boyfriend or her assistant.

Well, it looks like we'll
have to ask him ourselves.

Ready to hit the bricks, Natalie?
Yeah.

Just have to put on your
basic famous person disguise

so I'm less distracting.

Does that really fool people?

Yeah. It works in L.A.

What about you? Do you do
anything to hide your fame?

It doesn't really
come up that much.

Hi.

Can I help you?

Yeah, we're looking
for Duke Jones.

♪ Who's looking for the Duke? ♪

Detective Beckett. NYPD.

Oh. Chloe...

Why don't you get some air?

We're investigating the
death of Stacey Collins.

Stacey's dead?

She was murdered. Ooh.

What was the nature of your relationship?
I work as a P.I.

She hired me to run background
checks on potential clients.

At 5 grand a week?

Seems pretty steep, especially
considering business was down.

Hey. You get what you pay for.

And what was that exactly?

Let's just say,
I'm not afraid to go deep

to find out who someone really is.

And why would Stacey need
your services all of a sudden?

So she could vet her clients.
She made a bad call

on one of 'em, and it came

back to bite her in the ass.
Did she tell you who?

No.
Nature of the, uh, ass biting?

Not that either.
You called

Stacey 20 minutes
before she was killed.

What was it about?

I'd finished a background check.

I was just giving
her the download.

And where were you last night
between 10:00 and 11:00?

Ooh. I was banging my neighbor.

She can vouch for me.

Great. We'll be
sure to talk to her.

Mm.

So you think this
ass-biting client

might actually have something
to do with Stacey's death?

Well, recent conflict
in a victim's life

is definitely a red flag,
so we gotta look in to it.

Excuse me, guys.

Esposito.

Yeah, I need you to look in to
a couple of Stacey's clients.

She is crazy smart.

You know, sexy... commanding.

On a good day,
maybe I'm... one out of three.

Well, that's why you're here,
isn't it,

to learn the ways of Beckett?
I'm trying.

You know, Nikki is such a complex,
juicy character.

I just really want to
get her right, you know?

Is it true you lived in
your house's crawl space

for a week to prepare for
"Hell's Crawl Space"?

No.

A month. I told the
tabloids a week

'cause I didn't want them
to think I was obsessive.

Really?
Okay. Thanks.

So C.S.U. had a hit on
Stacey's hidden key.

The one they found in her office.

What's it for?

All right.

Stop there.

Odd place to store luggage.

Whoa. That's a lot of cash.

That's gotta be at least a
couple of hundred grand.

Now we know what our
killer was looking for.

So according to
Stacey's assistant,

the business barely had any money,
let alone 250 grand.

And as for this Berglin-Eklof bag,

it's definitely not Stacey's.
Our vic was a Tumi girl.

Well, maybe the money belongs
to the person who owns the bag.

Yeah, well, good luck
finding that person.

You can't pull prints off
of this kind of material.

You can just check the registry.

Registry?

That's a $6,000,
handcrafted German bag.

All Berglin-Eklofs are
signed and numbered.

When you buy it,
you register with the company

in case you lose it
or it gets stolen.

What kind of an idiot would
pay 6 grand for this bag?

I have a full set.

There should be a number
sewn in there somewhere.

A guy from Munich with
a colonel Klink accent

just e-mailed over
the bag registration.

The owner of this bag
is Tonya Wellington.

You know, you might have just
cracked this case wide open.

Seriously?
Yeah.

It's addictive, right...

that rush you get
from solving a crime?

Yeah. I didn't get
that from the script.

Yeah. You should really read the book.
I definitely will.

Yo. I knew that name was familiar.

Tonya Wellington and
her husband Bill

were invited to
Stacey's surprise party.

But we talked to all the guests.
I don't remember that name.

They were invited,
but they declined.

Let's see if they'll
accept an invitation

to my interrogation party.

That's a little uncanny. Spooky.

Sexy.

Are you doing... me?

I'm just working on your posture.

You know, it changes

depending whether you have a suspect or not.
Really?

Like I said,
getting inside your head.

When I'm done,
I'll do you better than you.

Tonya Wellington. Now.

Right.

You were a client
of Stacey Collins,

is that correct, Ms. Wellington?

Yes.

She introduced me
to my husband Bill.

But you didn't go to
her party last night.

Why is that? But you didn't

go to her party last night.
Why is that?

That was a great Beckett.
Yeah.

Almost creepy great.
Not that you're... creepy.

Just... great.

Ms. Wellington, we found

a Berglin-Eklof bag
registered to you,

containing $250,000,

hidden in Stacey Collins' office.

Can you explain where
that came from?

I'm afraid Ms. Wellington chooses

not to answer that question.

Did you give Stacey that cash?

What was it for?

Ms. Wellington,
who else knew that she had it?

Again, my client's asserting her

right to not answer.
And I will remind your client

that this is a
murder investigation,

and I believe that
that bag and money

are at the heart of this case.
Tread lightly,

detective. My client's
here as a courtesy.

And her husband, Bill Wellington,

is a powerful man.

Ms. Wellington...

What happened two months ago?

This meeting's over.

Drop it. Put down the gun, or I
swear, I'll blow his head off.

You know I can't do that, Tom.

You think I'm kidding around here,
detective Heat?

No, I don't.
Torturing yourself?

I think you feel trapped,
and you're serious as hell.

Reconsidering actually.

I think there's more
to her than I thought.

I think she might surprise you.

She had this great emotional
scene in "Knife 3D."

It was actually pretty moving.

If I'd seen it, which I haven't.

Thanks, Castle.

That... that's... I was...

Uh, you're welcome.

So... where are we?

Ryan and Esposito are digging
in to Tonya Wellington.

Mm. What about Duke Jones?

His neighbor confirm his romantic evening?
He...

So did a couple of other neighbors

who complained about the noise.

So it looks like Duke
Jones alibis out.

What she said.

Can we talk for a second?

Sure.

She took my coffee, Castle.

It's just coffee.

Then what's next, my soul?

Everything I do, she does.

Even when I'm thinking,
I can feel her in my head,

like some kind of a
brain-eating parasite

from one of her movies.
She's a dedicated actress.

She just wants to do a good job.

Hey. No update on what
that 250k was for,

but I think we found
that bad client

that Duke Jones mentioned.

It's Tonya's husband...
Bill Wellington.

Turns out, Tonya's
wife number three.

Bill divorced the
other two just before

their prenups expired,
leaving them without a dime,

and get this, he was about
to do the same to Tonya.

He filed for a divorce
two months ago.

So that's why Stacey became
more selective with her clients.

She knew Tonya would
be left with nothing.

Not exactly nothing.

The Wellingtons' prenup
has an infidelity clause,

which Bill violated.

He owes Tonya 100 million bucks

for cheating on her.

She even has the boudoir
shots to prove it.

You have the photographs?
From where?

Her divorce file.
Pretty salacious, too.

Can I see?

Castle, we're looking into a murder,
not dirty photos.

Or maybe we can do both.
Look familiar?

That's Chloe...
Duke Jones' assistant.

That 250 grand,
that was a payment to Stacey

to break up Tonya's prenup.

So Stacey hired Duke in order
to get photographic evidence.

Mm-hmm, and Duke's assistant
Chloe here was the bait.

And then they honey
trapped Bill Wellington

to break up the prenup,
costing him $100 million.

Man, if I were him,
I'd be out for blood.

Let's bring him in.

You have copies of that file?

Oh, I copy everything.

Guy looks like a pit bull.

I could see him sticking

someone through a wrought iron fence.
Yeah.

Stacey must have felt
incredibly guilty,

putting Tonya in a
relationship with him.

So she decided to level
the playing field.

Legally, does it
matter to the case

why Stacey did what she did?
No.

Good afternoon, Mr. Wellington.

But that's what makes Beckett
such a great detective.

She invests in the victim.

I'm investigating the murder of Stacey
Collins. When was the last time you saw her?

You think I did this
to Stacey Collins?

What's my motive?

Because of what she
did to your marriage.

It's not like she put a
gun to my head and said,

"marry the beast."
Well, that's very big of you, Mr. Wellington.

We also know

that you were having an
affair with this woman.

What does my personal
business got to do

with the murder of Stacey Collins?

I will be asking the questions,
Mr. Wellington.

How did you meet Chloe?
At the bar at Il Mulino.

She liked my watch,
and I liked her eyes.

She had a suite at
the Beaumont Hotel.

It used to be, a guy could
get a little on the side

without worrying about
some moron with a camera

ruining his life.
Expensive affair.

I understand that it
cost you $100 million.

You must have been pretty
angry when you discovered

Stacey Collins engineered
the whole thing

in order to break your prenup.

That bitch did what?
Mr. Wellington...

Are you telling me that this
piece of tail worked for Stacey,

and that Stacey and my
wife arranged all this?

Cost you 100 million bucks.

I've seen people
kill for far less.

Now you listen to me, detective.

I had nothing to do
with that murder,

because had I known, I would've
killed Stacey and Tonya,

both!

Where were you last Sunday night,
Mr. Wellington?

Hong Kong?
He was there for a week.

His jet touched down at
Westchester county airport

yesterday afternoon.
Maybe he hired someone.

We should recheck his financials.

Beckett, just got
back from Duke's.

The entire place is cleaned out.
There's no files,

no computers,
not even a paperclip.

Checked his home address, too.
No sign of him.

He's gone.
What about our honey trap Chloe?

No Chloe Graves
matching her description

in the Tristate area.

And Stacey's assistant
Julie never heard of her

or Duke or honey trapping.

With her and Duke gone,
there's no way to track 'em down.

So either Stacey's
murder spooked them both

and they got out of dodge or...

Or they killed Stacey and
now they're on the run.

Wellington said Chloe had a
suite at the Beaumont Hotel.

You guys see what you can dig up.

- We'll run background and see
what we can find on Duke. - Right.

Natalie Rhodes?
Yes.

What did you get?

Oh, just a little something
to help with my research.

Where's the ladies room?

Yeah, over... just by the elevator.

Great. Thanks.

Yeah, I know her. That's Greta.

Greta?
Greta Morgan.

And she stayed here about three
weekends ago. Is that right?

Yes, and checked out last Monday.

2-week stay, huh?

Did you notice anybody with her?
This guy perhaps?

Yeah. Yeah, he met her in
the lobby a couple of times.

She must really be
in big trouble, huh?

Why is that?
There was a cop here the other day

asking all the same questions.

Duke's assistant Chloe...

Greta Morgan.

Former exotic dancer,

picked up a couple of
times for solicitation...

probation and time served.

Well, it looks like she decided
to go a little more upscale. Hmm.

You know, given how
much Tonya paid Stacey

and how little Stacey paid Duke,
looks like money is our motive.

Maybe.
A.P.B.s are out on Greta,

and I contacted other
precincts to find out

who else is investigating
her and for what.

Talk to enough people,
something usually shakes out.

Just like I dreamed it.

Wh... Did I say that out loud?

Here you go, Beckett.
Thanks, Johnson. It's Johnson, isn't it?

It's Velazquez.
And you are not me.

No.

But I'm getting warmer.

You certainly are.

Okay. So the word's out on Greta,

and we're already tracking
Duke's credit cards.

Why don't we just call it a night?
What? But it's still early.

Yeah. Yeah, well,
it's a high-stress job.

And I wouldn't want
anyone to get burnt out.

All right. I'll go
pack up my things.

You cannot tell me
that that is normal.

She's just committed to the role.

You should be flattered.

Yeah. Sure.

Until she steals my boyfriend
and kills me in my sleep.

Let me carry that for you.

Thank you.

Oh, look at me. All dressed up
and no crime to solve. Yeah.

And I had my heart set on
doing research tonight.

Oh.

So what do you think?

Am I everything you
imagined Nikki would be?

Uh-huh.

You know, I read
"Heat Wave" last night.

Really?

You're right. It was so much
better than the screenplay.

I went right out and read
"Naked Heat."

You know, I realized the
character of Jameson Rook

is based on you.
Well, yeah, I guess I drew

on my relationship with detective Beckett.
Even the sex scenes?

No, that was just...

fantasy...

Like me, now?

Well, you... you know,
you want to give the audience

what they want.

Oh, yeah.

You know, the script is
so much about the passion

between Nikki and Rook.

And if I want to
play Nikki right...

I gotta feel that heat.

Natalie, I'm...

Not Natalie.

Nikki.

Good morning, Castle.

Ah, good morning, detective.

Is that for me or for the
fictional version of me?

Or have you already taken
care of her this morning?

What is... what is that
supposed to mean? I...

Jenny! Jenny! Wait. Could...

Excuse me.
Jenny! Could you please...

Sweetie, could we
just talk about this?

I hate you, Kevin Ryan.

Ooh.

That was dramatic.

What happened?

I accidentally left
my phone at home,

and she brought it to me,
and while she was here,

she asked Javier how
darts was last night.

Uh... Oh, your cover story
for going to see her parents.

Oh. You shoulda told me, bro.

She thought you lied to her.

Yeah, and then she found
out I was working with you,

which I hadn't told her.
What's the big deal about that?

You're on my list.

What list?

My list. My... my freebie five.
The... the five celebrities

you could sleep with if
you had the chance to...

And, uh, now she thinks
that last night, that we...

And I-I should probably
stop talking right now.

I should call her
is what I should do.

Excuse me.

Freebie five, huh?

Wonder what number I am?

Why does that not surprise me?

So any update on
our honey trapper?

Uh, yeah. I heard from all
of the other precincts,

and none of the other
cops were looking for

a Chloe Graves/Greta
Morgan at the Beaumont.

Well, someone was.

What about Duke? Any sign of him?

Well, we are looking into his
credit cards and his phone,

but so far, no hits.
Well, maybe not on Duke's cards,

but I just found
something on Greta's.

She put holds on rooms at
two other pricey hotels

within the last week.
The charges were reversed,

and the rooms were ultimately
paid for on another credit card,

a corporate card belonging
to a Stacey Collins,

our victim.
The last week?

That was long after they'd gotten

the evidence they needed
on Bill Wellington.

They were honey
trapping other men.

So one of the other men
finds out he's being set up.

He follows Greta

from the Beaumont
Hotel back to Stacey.

He confronts her.
They get into an argument.

In a rage, he kills her...
taking her keys to get rid

of any incriminating evidence
of the affair at her office.

Check the other hotels.

Let's see what we can find on Greta.
Right.

Thanks. I'm gonna check on Ryan.

Great.

Can I ask you a question?
Sure.

Is Castle gay?

I'm sorry. What?
No, no.

Then you two are an item,

but you're sworn
to secrecy, right?

No, we are not an item.
Why?

Last night, I invited
him back to my place.

And he said something
to me I have never heard

from a man before.

What?

No.

No?

I don't get it.

He's into you.

But you're determined not
to give in to these feelings

that you clearly have for him.

So he fantasizes about
you through his writing.

It's literally...
Verbal masturbation.

Wh... Okay, so what does this
all have to do with me?

I am not wearing this
getup for my health.

You're Nikki Heat.
He is Jameson Rook.

I need to sleep with him in the
name of character research.

Can you talk to him?
And say what?

I don't know. Give him
permission or something.

I need to go...

Over there.

Everything okay?

Do I really do that?

Yes. And it's adorable.

If it's so adorable,
why didn't you sleep with me?

Her me, not "me" me.

Oh.

Well, a fictional
character that I wrote,

based on you,
played by Natalie Rhodes?

That's just...

Way too meta.

We really should have a
code word so we all know

which Beckett to kill when
her clone army attacks.

Unless we make a
preemptive strike.

Mm-hmm.
Get through to Jenny yet?

Still not picking up.
Not to worry.

You'll be laughing
about it soon enough.

We are. Thanks.

So I've been running through
all Stacey's client files.

Three couples have filed for
divorce within the last month.

Can you believe that?
You marry the love of your life.

Next thing you know, they're
cheating on you with someone... Ryan.

Sorry. Anyways, two of the
guys have rock-solid alibis

for the time of Stacey's murder.

The third divorce had
nothing to do with cheating.

What are you guys doing?

Hiding from creepy Beckett.

Oh. We're not hi...
Did you find anything on Greta Morgan?

Yeah. I found something
pretty interesting

at the Meritage Hotel.
What?

Greta Morgan.

I didn't kill her. I told
you where I was that night.

People saw me.
Doesn't matter.

We already have you on
prostitution and extortion,

so you're looking at ten years.

But if you decide to
help us find the truth,

I might be inspired to
recommend that the D.A.

give you a suspended sentence.

What do you want to know?

Were there any other marks
besides Bill Wellington?

Stacey hated that, because of her,

these women were in
relationships with bad men.

She felt an obligation

to give them a way
out with dignity...

The others. How many were there?
Two.

I'm gonna need their names.

Their names, Greta.

Now.

Rich Weiss and Scott Donner.

Tall with dark hair...
they both match the description

of the guy who was sniffing
around the Beaumont Hotel.

We talked to both of those guys.

You're saying one of
them might be the killer?

Yeah, but which one did it,
and how do we prove it?

By figuring out which cheater
went home with his wife...

And which one stayed
behind to commit murder.

So it comes to this...
two phone calls to two wives,

one of whom has been sleeping
with a cold-hearted killer.

See, this should totally
be in the movie.

No twisty this,
no melodramatic that.

Ah, people love twisty thises
and melodramatic thats.

They love what's real.
You know, less is more.

The hardest thing to
perform as an actor...

doing nothing,

just being still, being quiet.

Yeah, I'd love to see that.

So... Rich's wife confirms
that after the party,

the two of them
went straight home.

Yes, thank you.

Scott's wife confirmed
that the two of them

went straight home as well.

But then Scott went back out

and met his cousin
Benjamin for a drink.

Only Benjamin doesn't
remember having that drink.

Turns out Scott and his
wife left the party

an hour before Stacey left,
giving him plenty of time

to get back there and follow her.
So what do you say, Natalie,

you want to join us on your first arrest?
Hell, yeah.

Let's take that
cheating dirtbag down.

Too much?

I-I just usually say, "let's go."

See? Less is more.

Okay.

Mr. Donner,
detective Beckett, NYPD.

We're here about
Stacey Collins' murder.

I don't understand.

I told you everything I
know down at the station.

Yes, but you didn't tell us

where you were when
she was murdered.

We know you weren't
with your wife.

Or with your cousin having a drink.
You lied about that.

So where were you?
I was...

What did you stand to lose, $30,
$40 million after the divorce?

You confronted Stacey and you
asked her for those photos.

She refused, and then you killed her.
No, no, no, no.

Mr. Donner, you're under arrest for...
No.

Gun! Hey!

You stay back, all of you.

You do not need to do this, Scott.
Give me the gun.

No. I didn't mean to kill her.

I just wanted the pictures.

She tried to break away!

I didn't even see the gate there,

and those spikes.
Okay, fine. It was an accident.

Oh, what does it matter?
It's all over for me.

Scott, give me the gun,

and I promise you,
you will get a fair trial.

You think I'm fooling around here, detective?
No, I don't.

I think you feel trapped,
and you're serious as hell.

But right now you need to think
about the people who love you.

And they need you...

To put down that gun.

I guess that script
wasn't so hacky after all.

You know, it's tragic, really.

All Stacey wanted was
to help save these women

from getting screwed
in their divorces.

Instead, she winds
up getting killed.

Well, thanks to you, we only
have one death on our hands.

I'm just glad it all worked out.

But I could've used another take.

I should've added a
beat in that last line.

Instead of "put down that gun."

I should've said,
"put down... that gun."

Hear the difference?
Totally adds layers.

Sounded good to me.
Sounded just like me.

Thanks for everything, Kate.

I'll try to do you
and Nikki justice...

Even if I didn't get to do

all the character
research I'd hoped.

Visit me on set, Castle.

I wouldn't miss it.

I wouldn't.

Mm. Natalie Rhodes.

And I thought it was cool
working with you, Castle. Nice.

Hi, guys. Hey. Hey.

Jenny, I am so glad to see you.

Mm. I-I just wanted
to tell you all,

I'm sorry about before.
I-I made a scene.

Jenny, it's okay.

No. You're the best thing

that's ever happened to me, Kevin.

And I want you to know that
I trust you and I love you.

I'm sorry.

No, I...

No, I'm the one who's sorry,
because...

I lied to you.

But I'm gonna set the
record straight right now,

because you deserve the truth,
so wait here just one second.

What is he doing?

Shh.

I didn't play darts

with Javier last night.

I went go see your parents

because I had a question for them.

Jennifer Scout

Duffy-O'Malley...

will you make me the
happiest guy in the world

and marry me?

Oh, my God.

Uh, y-yes. Yes! Yes.
Yes?

Oh, my gosh.
That was big.

Oh, and intimate.

♪ In the power of love ♪