Castle (2009–2016): Season 4, Episode 12 - Dial M for Mayor - full transcript
When a woman is found murdered in her car, Beckett and her team's investigation leads them directly to City Hall... specifically to the Mayor, Robert Weldon, who happens to be a friend of ...
Blow, winds!
And crack your cheeks!
Rage!
Blow... you cataracts
and hurricanes,
spout till you have
drenched our steeples...
Dad.
I know what you're asking,
and the answer is yes.
Yes, you can take
your grandmother
and her entire production of
"King Lear" to college with you.
I'm going crazy.
Ear plugs?
Not that.
I need something to do.
I had planned to be at Stanford,
but now I'm here, just waiting.
What about school?
I finished all my credits.
All I'm taking this semester is...
Theoretical physics.
Well, maybe this is
exactly what you need--
a little time off to
discover yourself--
travel, adventure.
Go for a little life experience.
That's a great idea.
I could get an internship.
Practical experience
in the job market,
you know, test the waters.
Well, not exactly
what I was thinking--
Mwah. Mwah. Mwah.
Thank you. Mwah.
Blow, wind!
Thunder, fire are my daughters!
Daughters...
That's why King Lear went mad.
Yes, hello?
Your timing was perfect.
My mother was teaching three
acting classes today,
in my living room.
Wait a minute.
What about her studio?
Flooded. They were doing the
storm from "King Lear,"
and things got... out of hand.
Remind me to check my insurance.
Hey, Lanie, what do you got?
This is Laura Cambridge, 28.
Traffic found her in the
passenger seat of the car.
Cause of death?
She was strangled
between the hours of 8:00
and 10:00 last night.
This bruising here
indicates a choke hold.
He probably grabbed
her from behind
with enough force to
crush her hyoid bone.
He? So there was a witness?
No, but to kill her in one
swift move like that,
perp had to be taller and
heavier than the victim.
No signs of sexual
assault, though.
Was she strangled in the car?
CSU cidn't find any
signs of any struggle.
Looks like her body was
dumped here postmortem.
Whose car is it?
Not hers.
She had a non-driver ID card.
Ryan's running the plates to
see if we can find the owner.
And what about the purse?
This was tossed in the dumpster.
Still has cash in it.
Cell phone?
Didn't find one.
What girl in her 20s
doesn't have a cell phone?
Maybe she's Amish.
Hey.
So I, um, ran those
plates off the sedan.
And, uh...
What?
It's from the motor
pool at City Hall.
City Hall?
Who used it last?
Mayor Robert Weldon.
Uh, we're all still
a little stunned
to hear that one of our
cars was mixed up in this.
Trust me. We're gonna get
this all sorted out.
Is that the victim?
Yes. Laura Cambridge.
Do you recognize
her, your honor?
Uh, my staff would know better,
but I don't believe she's
connected with this office.
Sir, I'm sorry to
have to ask you this,
but where were you last night
between 8:00 and 10:00 PM?
This is one of New York's
finest, huh, Ricky?
She's the best.
Yeah, so you keep telling me.
I was at a small
fund-raiser last night
with about 50 other people.
I'll--I'll get you their names.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
And what about the car?
It was one of several used
by my office for the event.
Uh, apparently, one
of my staffers
reported it stolen
later that night.
Off the record?
The people I was with last night
were part of my inner circle.
We're forming an
exploratory committee
for a possible run at governor.
But--but I'm not anxious
to make that public yet.
I'll do my best
to keep the nature of
your business private.
Thanks.
I hoped you'd be there, Rick.
Fondue night with Alexis,
but I did send a check.
Thank you for that.
I know that you have a lot
more questions, detective.
My chief of staff, Brian Shay,
will answer anything else
you want to know.
- Listen--listen-- listen to me, Jack.
- I'm listening.
You're swinging in
the wind on this,
but you get me three more
votes on the council,
and I'll send you a helicopter.
You're the detective, right?
- Yes.
- Have a seat.
Jordan, we don't
need you in on this.
You know, I'll--I'll leave you
guys to work through this
unless, Rick, you
want to take a look
at our new library initiative.
It wouldn't hurt us to have
your endorsement on that.
For the New York Public Library,
my first love? Anything.
I've already done your
leg work, detective.
The car was checked out
by Elizabeth Watson,
senior director of communication
here at the office.
When she left
last night's event
around midnight,
she discovered that
it was missing.
Here's her statement.
With all due respect, Mr. Shay,
police investigations are usually
conducted by the police.
Yeah, well, unfortunately,
the 24-hour news cycle moves
a hell of a lot
faster than you do.
And I have to get all
my ducks in a row
before this thing breaks.
It's my job.
And my job is to find
Laura's murderer,
so if you don't mind,
and even if you do,
I'm gonna get my own statement from
Ms. Watson about that car.
And I'm also gonna
need statements
from all of your staff
as to whether they
recognize our victim.
Knock yourself out.
But trust me,
you're wasting your time.
It's my time to waste.
Now I got a job to do.
So do I. Let me be clear.
Mayor Weldon is my priority.
And I'm not about to let this
thing embolden his opponents
and ruin everything
that we've built.
He's right, you know?
This thing gets out, and they're
not ready with a response,
that's front-page
material for weeks.
It's front-page news either way.
If his staff wants
to minimize damage,
they'll step back and
let me do my job.
Step back?
These are politicians.
They can't order at a restaurant
without two compromises
and an ultimatum.
Beckett, my office.
What did you find
out at City Hall?
The staffer that
reported the car stolen
is accounted for all last night,
and no one in the mayor's office
seems to recognize our victim.
So her ties to that vehicle
could be purely coincidental?
That's entirely possible.
Castle and the
mayor are friends,
right?
Sir?
These investigations are
like juggling wet dynamite.
One misstep, and it'll all
blow up in your face.
I can handle myself.
Well, that's good, detective,
because I won't be the
only one watching.
What was that about?
Politics...
And your connection
to the mayor.
Oh, what does it matter?
We know he's not involved.
What?
She's right. You are biased.
I'm biased?
Do you know who Gates voted
for in the last election?
Because I'm betting
it wasn't Weldon.
Espo,
where are we on that motor pool?
Verification.
Vehicle was checked out at 5:00,
reported missing shortly
after midnight.
So it was stolen off the street.
Looks like.
Which means, any connection
to the City Hall
is entirely coincidental.
Hey, Ryan. What do our
victim's phone records show?
Any phone calls to City Hall?
No phone calls at all,
because Laura Cambridge
didn't own a cell phone.
And her credit cards haven't
been used in six months.
No cell phone and
no credit cards?
It's like she's from
another century.
Amish theory's looking
pretty good, bro.
Be nice if it were that easy.
But I think something else
was going on with her.
What do you mean?
Laura was a professor of
literature at Hudson University.
She was a rising star
in her department
until six months ago.
What happened six months ago?
She quit for no apparent reason.
According to her colleagues,
she also completely
cut ties with them,
canceled her cell phone,
cut off her credit cards.
Why?
No one knows.
It's like something happened to her.
After that, all I could
find were paystubs
for fast-food restaurants,
a laundry service, and an
office cleaning company.
It's like she
couldn't keep a job.
She went from professor
to janitor?
That's "Good Will Hunting"
but in reverse.
Maybe her family can
shed some light.
Well, I tracked down
her next of kin.
She has a sister.
She's on her way in now.
All right, you guys
dig in to her life,
see if we can find out where
she was the night she died.
Castle and I will go
over to her apartment
to see if we can find
out who she was with.
Well, honestly, she pretty
much kept to herself.
She paid on time.
That's what matters.
That's my stuff!
You took my stuff!
Unlike those two chuckleheads.
Uh, excuse me, please, officer,
and, uh, gentleman.
Hey, pipe down, for
crying out loud!
"Officer And A Gentleman."
That could be the name
of our crime blog.
Crime blog?
The way that you help me
write police reports?
Got a feeling I'll be
writing that one on my own.
Doesn't really seem to be
any signs of struggle.
Yeah, no sign of a TV
or computer either.
That's weird, right?
Bunch of deadbeat
tenants in here.
You ever get bored, I'm
sure I could fill up
a couple of holding
cells for you.
Mr. Harvey, when was the
last time you saw Laura?
- Did you see her yesterday?
- During the day.
She worked nights.
I saw her head to work around 5:00.
Do you know where she worked?
Someplace that paid.
That's all I know.
Did you ever see Laura with
any friends, boyfriends?
No. Unh-unh.
Uh, but I did see a guy
leaving here last night.
When was that?
Around 9... 30.
Well, that's inside our 8:00 to
10:00 PM murder window.
Do you remember what
he looked like?
Uh, 6 feet tall,
Caucasian, dark hair.
She never mentioned
anyone like that.
She wasn't dating anyone.
Thank you.
I tried to set her
up with a few guys,
but she wasn't interested.
Did your sister have
any connection to City
Hall or local politics?
No, I don't think so.
Were you and your sister close?
We used to be.
She used to tell me everything.
And then... six months ago,
she stopped calling.
She just...
dropped out of her life.
She gave up her
teaching position,
she moved out of her apartment
on the Upper West Side
into that flophouse.
Do you have any idea why?
When was the last time
you spoke to her?
Three days ago.
She called for my birthday.
From where?
She didn't have a phone.
I don't know, but she was upset.
She said she was in trouble
because of something
that happened at work.
Did she tell you why?
No. She said it was too
dangerous for me to know.
So Laura Cambridge left
a tenure-track position
at a respected university
for some flophouse
and a mysterious night job that
got her into so much trouble,
she ended up murdered.
What the hell was
she mixed up in?
The man who left her apartment--
if he's our killer, he
was looking for her.
He probably went to
her work to find her.
Which means, wherever that is,
it's probably the last
place she was seen alive.
I got it.
I found where she works.
Her bank statement
says she received
recent direct deposits from
a DAG Corp.
Now I had to dig deep within the
city's business registries,
but I found one listing for
a DAG Corp
between 2nd and 3rd
in the Bowery.
Let's go.
There it is. Suite 250.
What kind of business
do you think this is--
shadowy import/export,
money laundering,
sweatshop?
Shh.
No, please.
Do you hear that?
Stop it. You're hurting me.
Bobby?
Stop!
Stop!
Aah!
- Aah!
- NYPD, no...
I'm a bad little schoolgirl.
It's just an office.
Where only women work?
Oh, yeah, baby. I'm still here.
What is this place?
I'd say it's about
$4.99 a minute.
It's not a sweatshop.
It's a sex shop.
Oh, Murray. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, like that.
You hear the clicking
of stilettos
coming towards you, James?
Farm, no men for miles.
- Could you stay and...
- Vampire
with sharp teeth for
to hold you down
while I suck your...
Laura was one of my favorites.
Just a sweet, intelligent,
funny girl.
She'd only been
here a few months,
and already, she was one of
our most popular goddesses.
I can't believe that she's dead.
Was she taking calls last night?
No. No, she took last night off.
Said she had something
to take care of.
Laura told her sister that
she was in trouble at work,
that something had happened.
Nothing happened that I know of.
I mean, she did seem
distracted the past few days,
but that's about all.
Well, being the chief...
"sexecutive officer,"
did you notice any conflicts
with her and her colleagues?
Well, she kept to herself.
But she got along well
with the other girls.
There were no
complaints about Laura.
Did she ever tell you why
she was working here?
What do you mean?
I-I just find it odd.
She's a professor with a
promising career ahead of her,
and then all of the sudden,
she decides to become
a phone sex operator.
Maybe she liked it.
We get all types
here, detective--
students, actresses, moms.
I knew an accountant who did it
because she liked the challenge
and it turned her on.
It's a powerful thing
to make a client lust for you.
Hmm.
Any chance that one
of her clients
became obsessed with her?
Oh, honey, obsession
pays our bills.
Could they have found
out her real identity,
maybe contacted her?
Absolutely not.
No, we keep all of
our girls anonymous.
Clients can't be
contacted directly.
They call one central
line, and all our calls
are routed to each girl
by our dispatcher.
Uh, yeah, it's my job to take
the client's name and
credit card information
and then route the
calls to the girls.
It's 3:00 in the afternoon.
Is it always this busy?
Sure.
Some guys need a morning jolt,
some guys need an
afternoon pick-me-up.
Someone shoulda told
them, coffee's cheaper.
It's not just about the sex.
That's the part of this business
most people don't understand.
Guys call, girls call,
they're looking for release.
Sometimes that release is
sexual, but sometimes--
It's therapy.
Or... so I've been told.
It's true.
Laura was a successful goddess
not just because
of her sexy talk,
but because she was a
really good listener.
Well, that might have
gotten her killed.
Sarah, were there any clients
that she asked to have blocked?
No.
What about problems
here at work?
Was there anything she
couldn't tell her boss about?
No. She, um...
She what?
- Sarah?
- I'm sorry.
Oh, God. I'm so sorry.
It's my fault she's dead.
How?
Did a client find
out who she was?
No. It was the other way around.
Laura came to me
about a week ago.
She, um, she wanted a-a client's
contact information.
I told her it was
completely against policy.
But she was desperate.
She said it was a matter
of life and death.
Okay, we're gonna need
that client's name.
Edgar Navarro?
Hey, I didn't do nothing.
You had no right to drag me
out in front of my moms.
No? Where were you last night
between 8:00 and 10:00?
What's this about?
- Do you recognize this woman?
- Hey, look, I--
I don't know what she told you,
but all we did was talk.
I didn't do nothin' illegal.
Then how come she's dead?
W-what?
We know that she
called you, Edgar,
and that the two of you met up.
It's not what you think.
She just needed my help.
What kind of help could
you have given her?
I learned how to fix
computers in prison.
That's why Laura called me.
She needed me to copy some
digital recordings for her
from their hard drive,
but she didn't know
how to rip them.
I told her I needed
the file extensions.
She said she'd get them and
then call me from her cell
- to walk her through it--
- Only she didn't even own a cell, Edgar.
Yes, she did.
That's her number right there.
Did she tell you why she
needed those files copied?
She said she'd heard
something on a call,
something she wasn't
supposed to hear.
Something bad.
She said she needed a
copy of it for evidence.
So Laura never mentioned
a call that upset
or concerned her?
She never said a word.
And she never asked for
copies of recordings?
No, and I'm the one to ask.
This computer room
is locked up tight,
and I'm the only one with a key.
The lock's broken.
Okay.
The hard drive's gone.
All of our calls for the last
two months were on that drive.
When was the last time
you were in here?
This morning.
Everything was fine.
This must've just happened.
Has anyone visited
the office today?
Yes, a...
A man from the gas company.
He said there was a
leak in the building
because of the construction.
Can you describe him?
Um, about 6 feet tall,
white, dark hair.
Same guy who was at Laura's
apartment the night she died?
What the hell was
on that recording?
Whatever it is...
it's worth killing for.
So how is the case
of the phone sex gal who
knew too much going?
It's more of a
conspiracy thriller,
like, uh, "The Conversation"
or "Blow Out."
Everyone wants this recording
and the secrets on it.
Oh, very mysterious.
Yeah, and that's not
the only mystery.
Why would a woman
like Laura Cambridge,
a highly educated professor,
suddenly quit everything and
just drop out of her life
for a series of menial jobs
culminating in the wonderful
world of phone sex?
None of the pieces fit.
Hmm. Who called her?
I mean, you must be
able to trace the call
even though you don't have
the recording, right?
Well, we have subpoenaed a
list of all the incoming calls
on Laura's shifts,
but that's gonna be like looking
for a needle in a needle stack.
Hello.
Mr. Castle...
Do you remember me?
I called you before.
About detective
Beckett's safety.
I remember.
Once again, Mr. Castle,
it seems that we need to talk.
Are you sure it's the same man
who called you about Beckett?
It's definitely him.
Then the death of
this young woman
is somehow connected
to Beckett's mother?
It has to be, otherwise
why would he call?
What did he say?
He said that there were
greater forces at play,
that more was at stake
than we realize.
Clearly this is not
just about phone sex.
Whatever Laura Cambridge
overheard that night,
it got someone's
attention, someone big.
What I don't get is, what are
you supposed to do about it?
I don't know.
He gave me a number
to contact him
- if I needed help.
- Hmm.
He said I would know
when it was time.
You plan to tell Beckett?
Tell her what? "Hey, Kate.
I've been taking calls
from a shadowy figure
who wants to keep you off
your mother's murder case
so they don't kill you, too"?
Yeah. Okay.
Hold on. Wait.
What did you say?
No, I'm not eating.
Thanks.
Hey. You're just in time.
Thank you.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
So what have we got?
Lanie just called.
She said that she found
fibers in Laura's mouth
and esophagus.
The lab IDed it as
light brown cashmere,
which was most likely from
our killer's coat sleeve.
Brown cashmere.
So we can narrow
our suspects down
to rich men with
impeccable taste.
Are you saying,
you're a suspect?
Alexis is my alibi.
What about our gas
company worker?
Well, surprise--he doesn't
work for the gas company.
And uniforms said that there
was no forensic evidence
at the dial-a-goddess office.
But what we did get from
dial-a-goddess were
their copious call logs--
about 200 pages worth.
These ladies are busy.
I've been going through
them all morning,
trying to sort Laura's calls
from the other girls' lines.
Are there any calls in there
from the mayor's office?
I thought you said
you were confident
that he wasn't involved?
I'm just trying to be
thorough and impartial.
Not yet,
but the private sector
is well-represented.
I got calls from the Met, banks,
several high-profile
brokerage houses.
No wonder the economy
collapsed, huh?
Yo, Beckett.
Excuse me.
What do you got?
Hey.
If anything shows up in here
and it's tied to either
Beckett's shooting
or Johanna Beckett's murder,
would you tell me right away?
Wait. You guys think
this is connected--
No.
Not you guys.
Beckett doesn't know, and
I don't want her to know.
Why do you think it's connected?
I just...
I just want to cover
all my bases.
- Okay?
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- You guys.
So uniforms canvassing
around Laura's apartment
found a cab that
recognized her pic.
He said that two days
ago, he dropped her off
at the Gotham 11 TV
Station downtown.
A television station.
Why would she go to a
television station?
Why would she go into
the phone sex business?
Why would she do any of
these things she did?
Well, hopefully I'll get
some answers, but first,
I ran down that cell number
we got from Edgar Navarro.
It's a pay-as-you-go phone.
Laura just activated
it six days ago.
She's hardly used it.
She made one call to Edgar
and another on the day
she died to an agent.
A federal agent?
No, a book agent. Trevor Hanes.
It's just absurdly tragic.
Laura was an incredibly
talented writer.
You were her agent?
Yeah, we signed her as a
client about six months ago
on the back of an
astonishing book proposal.
What's the book about?
It's a scathing indictment
of societal inequity
as seen through the lens
of the working poor.
A sort of contemporary take
on how the other half lives.
A privileged young woman
gives up every comfort
to experience life below
the poverty line.
That's why she took all those
jobs--firsthand research.
The thing pitches itself really.
So we'll need to see a
copy of that manuscript.
Her investigations might
have led to her death.
Well, there isn't one, at least
not that I've seen anyway.
Bedsides...
I don't think she was killed
because of her
anticapitalist polemic.
What do you mean?
Earlier this week, she
called my office,
said she stumbled upon a
much more explosive story--
a scandal involving
a very prominent,
very powerful New Yorker.
She said it would rock the
city to its very foundations.
W-what--what prominent
New Yorker?
She wouldn't say.
I just assumed it was a
pitch for her next book.
We were gonna discuss
it this week.
Sorry. Excuse me.
Hey, Espo.
- What's up?
- I'm at the Gotham 11 office.
There's something
you need to see.
This is Pat McConnell,
Laura's college buddy.
Tell 'em what you told me.
Well, I hadn't seen
Laura in years.
So a few days ago, she
calls me out of the blue,
says she needs to see
some raw footage we shot
for this research project
she's working on.
So I set her up
at this edit bay.
She was here for
over eight hours.
I mean, at one point,
she even fell asleep.
I came by to check on her,
she had her eyes closed.
- Raw footage of what?
- It's all B-roll
of Mayor Weldon--
City Council meetings,
playground openings,
backstage at a press conference.
A scandal about a prominent,
powerful New Yorker.
And check out this last
tape she was watching.
That's the reading
train foundation.
I went to their gala last year.
Now look at the girl on
the side of the screen.
That's Laura.
That's impossible.
He said he didn't know her.
Castle, look what the
mayor is wearing.
It's a light brown coat, and
it looks like cashmere.
That's just the coat that
our killer was wearing.
Beckett, I know this man.
I've known him 12 years.
He's not a killer.
You don't know that.
Yes, I do.
Castle, he lied about
knowing our victim.
He was standing next to her.
That doesn't mean he knew her.
You know how many people
he meets in a day?
Expecting him to
remember them all--
that's like expecting
me to remember
everyone who comes
to my book signings.
You're biased.
You're damn right, I'm biased.
Robert Weldon is a good man.
Even good men make mistakes.
He had access to that car.
His aide said that he left
the event at 9:00 PM.
That's right inside
of our kill zone.
Fine. What's his motive?
I don't know, at least, not yet.
Then give him a chance,
because the minute
you move on him,
his career is over.
So... what's the latest?
We've got a couple
of promising leads.
I'm hoping to find
something concrete soon.
Well, anything more
on the victim?
Anything connecting her
back to City Hall?
No, not yet.
All right, detective.
Anything pops, you let me know.
Great. Now I'm a liar.
You know what I think?
I think she's hoping it's him,
because if he's gone, I'm gone.
Castle, you can't make
this one about you.
Where are you going?
You're right.
We have to figure out Weldon's motive.
There's no way that
Gates is gonna let me
subpoena that coat without it?
Really, that's your takeaway?
What do you want
me to do, Castle?
I know that he's your friend,
but I'm sorry, if he
killed that girl--
- He didn't.
- Then let me prove it.
Ryan?
All right. Thanks for your help.
Anything else on that video?
Actually, yeah.
When we first saw Laura, she
was wearing a volunteer badge
for the reading
train foundation.
She was on staff at
the mayor's charity.
That doesn't mean he knew her.
Ryan, you're with me.
Castle, I'm sorry, but you can't
be objective on this one,
so I'm gonna have to
pursue it on my own.
No, uh, I don't know
if Mayor Weldon
and Laura Cambridge
were acquainted.
I don't know much
about her at all.
She wasn't here very long.
What do you mean?
Well, we hired Laura as a
volunteer about a week ago.
A few days later,
we had to fire her.
Why?
She was caught copying
confidential files.
What kind of files?
Accounting files.
Any idea why she would be
interested in those files?
- Ms. Park?
- It's sensitive.
I'm not supposed
to talk about it.
Ms. Park, a woman was murdered,
and we are trying
to figure out why.
You can talk to us here,
or we can go downtown.
We've recently discovered some
discrepancies in our accounts.
- We found there was some money missing.
- How much money?
$2.3 million.
There's an internal
investigation going on.
This investigation,
does it have anything to
do with Mayor Weldon?
Thank you.
Attorney General's
office confirms
that Mayor Weldon is the
subject of the investigation.
We were looking for
motive, and here it is--
$2.3 million worth.
Weldon embezzled from
his own charity.
Someone must have
told Laura about it
during one of her sessions,
and she decided to investigate.
When she found enough
evidence to expose the mayor,
he killed her to shut her up.
You gonna tell her?
I have to.
This will destroy
Weldon, you know?
Yeah, I know.
And when he's gone, the
first thing she'll do
is get rid of Castle.
I know.
Are you sure about this?
Yes, sir, but the moment
I file a warrant
request for that coat,
it becomes public record.
So?
So then everyone will know
that Mayor Weldon is a
person of interest.
Isn't he?
Yes, but...
what if I'm wrong?
It could ruin his career.
We... are tasked
by the city of New York
to protect its people.
Sometimes that task
comes with a cost.
I know what they
call me, detective--
"Iron Gates."
I hear the whispers.
"She's from IA.
She must hate cops."
Well, the truth is,
I love cops.
My daddy was a cop.
My uncles were cops.
But the sergeant who
assaulted my patrol partner
under the color or authority...
Who holds him accountable?
We do.
Go to the mayor,
get him to voluntarily
surrender his coat
for fiber testing
without a warrant.
Tell him it's the only way
to keep it out of the media.
But if he refuses,
you get that warrant
and you do your job,
whatever the cost.
You going to see Weldon?
Yes.
I'd like to come with you.
I think I can help.
I don't think you can.
Look, I heard what you said.
I did.
And I think I can be
a valuable asset.
I play poker with the guy.
I can tell when he's bluffing.
And what about if I
have to force his hand,
can you be an asset then?
Look, I don't think he did it.
But if he did, I want to know.
That makes me objective.
Sir, you don't have to talk to them.
It's--it's my job.
It's okay, Brian.
I don't need you to protect me.
- Sir--
- I haven't done anything wrong.
Please.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Your honor, I appreciate
you speaking with us.
Well, it sounded like I
didn't have a choice.
Well, the last time we spoke,
you said you that you didn't
know Laura Cambridge.
That's right.
And yet here you are
standing next to Laura--
a volunteer at reading train.
I-I didn't recognize her,
but in context,
I-I remember her.
This event was a few nights ago.
She was trying to
talk to me, but--
Did she talk to you?
No, I got pulled away.
I had donors I had
to speak with.
I remember her saying that
she wanted to talk to me,
but circumstances prevented it.
So you and Laura never
actually spoke?
- No.
- Not even on the phone?
No, honestly, after that night,
I never gave her a
second thought.
You know, in this photo,
you're wearing a light
brown cashmere coat.
We'd like you to turn it over
to CSU for testing.
Respectfully, I'm going
to have to decline.
- Why?
- Robert...
Give her the coat.
It can only be good for you.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
Why?
I had nothing to do with
Laura Cambridge's murder,
or the theft of money
from my charity,
or anything else
I've been accused of
in the last 48 hours.
Do you think that any of
this is a coincidence?
- Robert--
- No, me here, talking to you,
this is exactly what they
wanted to have happen,
so, no, I will not
give you my coat.
Look, there's a
conspiracy against me,
and I will not
voluntarily feed it.
What conspiracy?
Don't you think it's funny
that all this is happening
the moment I consider
running for governor?
Rick, I'm used to
having enemies.
But this is an organized
effort to destroy me.
So right now, I
don't trust anyone.
Well, he has good reason
to not turn over his coat.
Yes, guilt.
A conspiracy.
Is it so far-fetched?
Maybe Laura found out about
it and tried to warn him.
Or maybe she and
Weldon did talk.
She confronted him
with what she knew,
and he killed her.
Mm. I believe the conspiracy.
I mean, I know Weldon.
And Weldon knows you.
Conspiracies, intrigue--
that's your bread and butter.
That's exactly the kind of story
that you would respond to.
I'm sorry. Are--are you
suggesting he's playing me?
I am suggesting that you
consider the possibility.
I have a procedure to follow.
He didn't provide
his coat willingly,
so I'm gonna have to
get a court order.
Look, once word gets
out that the NYPD
subpoenaed his clothing
in connection with
embezzlement and murder,
that man's career will be over.
Not if he's innocent.
Are you kidding me?
Kate, this is politics.
Perception is reality.
The truth won't matter.
What am I supposed to do, Rick?
I can't just stop being a cop
just because it's inconvenient.
No. No, no, no, just...
you can wait.
All right? For something
else, for another lead.
For the coat to disappear?
You don't think I don't
know what's at stake here?
Do you think I actually
want to do this?
Then don't do it.
I don't have a choice.
My office is cooperating
fully with both investigations.
And I stand here
with 100% confidence
that a full and
thorough investigation
will reveal that I am
completely innocent
of any wrongdoing.
You still believe him?
I do.
You've been down
this road before
with a friend.
You believed Damian Westlake.
He's rotting in
prison for murder.
Damian and I were kids together.
Believing in him was sentiment.
My experience tells me,
Weldon is innocent.
My experience tells me,
there's something very wrong
with this whole situation.
In that case,
maybe it's time to
phone a friend.
Right there, Mr. Castle.
That'll be fine.
You know Weldon's
not behind this.
That's why you
offered your help.
He's right about the
conspiracy, isn't he?
He isn't wrong.
So what do I do?
How do I help him?
Listen to the evidence.
That's what Laura did.
No, I-I watched the video
of Laura and the mayor
a hundred times.
There's nothing there.
I met Weldon a few
times before this.
I liked him.
You didn't set his
house on fire.
No.
I just threw gasoline on it.
Beckett.
You need a ride?
But we gotta stop and
pick up my kids.
Thanks for coming.
I wasn't sure that you would,
given the way we left things.
I can't apologize for
doing my job, Castle.
And I would never ask you to.
So why did you call me here?
Because I had an epiphany.
All this time, we've been
looking for evidence...
when we should've been
listening instead.
This all started when
Laura told Edgar Navarro
she heard something on a call,
something she wasn't
supposed to hear.
We writers call this
"The Inciting Incident."
Whoever she spoke to,
whatever she heard,
is what led to her murder.
Well, what does it matter?
I mean, the hard
drive is stolen,
the recording is gone.
We'll never know what
she heard on that call.
No, but we might know
who she heard it from.
You remember...
how Laura fell asleep
- watching those B-roll tapes at Gotham 11?
- Mm-hmm.
She was closing her eyes.
She wasn't watching the tape,
she was listening to them.
So you're saying she was trying
to ID our caller's voice?
I had Sarah, our
goddess dispatcher,
listen to those B-roll tapes.
It's him. I'm sure of it.
He was one of Laura's regulars.
Show her who.
How much more time
can I spend here?
The mayor?
Another 20 minutes,
sir, then we have to
get back to your office
for your meeting with...
That guy.
Jordan Norris--
Deputy Assistant to the
mayor's Chief of Staff.
Mr. Norris, you told us
that you didn't know
Laura Cambridge.
That's right.
And yet your 89-year-old
grandmother,
Greta Markenson did.
According to the
phone sex records,
Laura received numerous
phone calls from her.
Which made poor Greta
look pretty frisky
until we realized, you'd been
house-sitting at her apartment.
I-I may have called
that service from time to time,
but I-I never knew who
I was talking to.
I mean, how would I?
We'll get to that in a minute.
In the meantime, we checked
your phone records,
and you sent this
text to a burner cell
about a month ago.
Now to most people,
that would look like a
series of random numbers.
So we looked into it.
Those are actually numbers
to a bank account
for Mayor Weldon
and his charity.
Numbers that someone
could've used
to make it look like the
mayor was embezzling money.
The man who trusted you,
and you sold him out.
So what did they
give you, Jordan?
What'd they promise you?
I-I thought this was
just about the money.
I-I didn't know.
I didn't know they'd try to destroy him.
And when you found out you'd
betrayed the man you work for,
it ate you up, didn't it?
So much so that one night after
too many shots of Tequila,
you called Laura and you
let it all spill out.
Oh, you didn't mean to,
but she was such
a good listener.
It was anonymous.
I-I was supposed to be safe.
But you weren't, because
she was a writer
and you gave her the
story of her life.
So she tracked you down.
She confronted you.
She was gonna blow the whistle
on you, on your friends.
She had to be stopped.
We talked to your
doorman, Jordan.
We know that she visited
you that night.
Okay. She was there.
But... sh-she left
after 20 minutes.
I... I didn't kill her.
You didn't have to.
All you had to do was call
that same burner phone,
and whoever answered sent a man,
a man without a face,
who choked the life out
of Laura Cambridge.
And then he broke into
her home and her work
and he destroyed all
of the evidence
of everything she knew.
Whose phone was it, Jordan?
You don't understand.
These people...
they're more dangerous
than you know.
You are looking at
20 years in prison.
I am offering you a way out.
Now who did you call?
I want a name.
Who did you call?
I, uh...
A name, Jordan.
O--
Say it.
Okay.
The person that I called w--
If it's all the same to you,
I prefer my client not be
asked any more questions.
Your client?
Mr. Norris, I'm Bill Moss.
From now on, please
don't speak to anybody
outside of my presence.
I've been retained
to represent you.
By who?
We're done here.
It seems our mayor will
live to fight another day.
Justice has prevailed.
Not for Laura Cambridge.
We charged Mr. Norris
with criminal facilitation.
That's something.
Jordan Norris is a pawn.
I want the people
controlling him.
Oh, it's a long game, Kate.
Play it piece by piece.
Then why would you
abandon all your plans?
You've been cleared
of all charges.
You know, for someone who
kills off all his characters,
you have a strange
stubborn streak of
optimism in you, but, no.
I can't run for
governor in two years,
I can't run for
president in six.
That dream...
is done.
There's gotta be something we can do.
You're innocent.
A little too innocent.
There are people out
there-- I realize it now--
people who control what goes
on in this city and beyond.
I wouldn't play ball, so
they took me out the game.
It's been decided.
This is as far as I get.
So what are you gonna do now?
I...
am going to continue being
an outstanding mayor
for the greatest city on earth.
Why did you contact me,
Mr. Castle?
The case is resolved.
Resolved?
How is it resolved?
Someone tried to destroy
this city's mayor,
and I want to know who.
Trust me when I say,
it's not your concern.
It is if it involves Beckett
or her mother's murder.
You're a writer,
finish this sentence.
If Weldon had been
run out of office...
I'd be gone from
the 12th precinct.
And then who'd keep Beckett
from looking into things
she shouldn't?
Who'd keep her out
of harm's way?
So you did this to protect her?
Why?
You play chess, Mr. Castle?
There are times when
a well-placed pawn
is more powerful than a king.
I have your number if
I need to reach you.
You don't reach me, Mr. Castle.
I reach you.
And crack your cheeks!
Rage!
Blow... you cataracts
and hurricanes,
spout till you have
drenched our steeples...
Dad.
I know what you're asking,
and the answer is yes.
Yes, you can take
your grandmother
and her entire production of
"King Lear" to college with you.
I'm going crazy.
Ear plugs?
Not that.
I need something to do.
I had planned to be at Stanford,
but now I'm here, just waiting.
What about school?
I finished all my credits.
All I'm taking this semester is...
Theoretical physics.
Well, maybe this is
exactly what you need--
a little time off to
discover yourself--
travel, adventure.
Go for a little life experience.
That's a great idea.
I could get an internship.
Practical experience
in the job market,
you know, test the waters.
Well, not exactly
what I was thinking--
Mwah. Mwah. Mwah.
Thank you. Mwah.
Blow, wind!
Thunder, fire are my daughters!
Daughters...
That's why King Lear went mad.
Yes, hello?
Your timing was perfect.
My mother was teaching three
acting classes today,
in my living room.
Wait a minute.
What about her studio?
Flooded. They were doing the
storm from "King Lear,"
and things got... out of hand.
Remind me to check my insurance.
Hey, Lanie, what do you got?
This is Laura Cambridge, 28.
Traffic found her in the
passenger seat of the car.
Cause of death?
She was strangled
between the hours of 8:00
and 10:00 last night.
This bruising here
indicates a choke hold.
He probably grabbed
her from behind
with enough force to
crush her hyoid bone.
He? So there was a witness?
No, but to kill her in one
swift move like that,
perp had to be taller and
heavier than the victim.
No signs of sexual
assault, though.
Was she strangled in the car?
CSU cidn't find any
signs of any struggle.
Looks like her body was
dumped here postmortem.
Whose car is it?
Not hers.
She had a non-driver ID card.
Ryan's running the plates to
see if we can find the owner.
And what about the purse?
This was tossed in the dumpster.
Still has cash in it.
Cell phone?
Didn't find one.
What girl in her 20s
doesn't have a cell phone?
Maybe she's Amish.
Hey.
So I, um, ran those
plates off the sedan.
And, uh...
What?
It's from the motor
pool at City Hall.
City Hall?
Who used it last?
Mayor Robert Weldon.
Uh, we're all still
a little stunned
to hear that one of our
cars was mixed up in this.
Trust me. We're gonna get
this all sorted out.
Is that the victim?
Yes. Laura Cambridge.
Do you recognize
her, your honor?
Uh, my staff would know better,
but I don't believe she's
connected with this office.
Sir, I'm sorry to
have to ask you this,
but where were you last night
between 8:00 and 10:00 PM?
This is one of New York's
finest, huh, Ricky?
She's the best.
Yeah, so you keep telling me.
I was at a small
fund-raiser last night
with about 50 other people.
I'll--I'll get you their names.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
And what about the car?
It was one of several used
by my office for the event.
Uh, apparently, one
of my staffers
reported it stolen
later that night.
Off the record?
The people I was with last night
were part of my inner circle.
We're forming an
exploratory committee
for a possible run at governor.
But--but I'm not anxious
to make that public yet.
I'll do my best
to keep the nature of
your business private.
Thanks.
I hoped you'd be there, Rick.
Fondue night with Alexis,
but I did send a check.
Thank you for that.
I know that you have a lot
more questions, detective.
My chief of staff, Brian Shay,
will answer anything else
you want to know.
- Listen--listen-- listen to me, Jack.
- I'm listening.
You're swinging in
the wind on this,
but you get me three more
votes on the council,
and I'll send you a helicopter.
You're the detective, right?
- Yes.
- Have a seat.
Jordan, we don't
need you in on this.
You know, I'll--I'll leave you
guys to work through this
unless, Rick, you
want to take a look
at our new library initiative.
It wouldn't hurt us to have
your endorsement on that.
For the New York Public Library,
my first love? Anything.
I've already done your
leg work, detective.
The car was checked out
by Elizabeth Watson,
senior director of communication
here at the office.
When she left
last night's event
around midnight,
she discovered that
it was missing.
Here's her statement.
With all due respect, Mr. Shay,
police investigations are usually
conducted by the police.
Yeah, well, unfortunately,
the 24-hour news cycle moves
a hell of a lot
faster than you do.
And I have to get all
my ducks in a row
before this thing breaks.
It's my job.
And my job is to find
Laura's murderer,
so if you don't mind,
and even if you do,
I'm gonna get my own statement from
Ms. Watson about that car.
And I'm also gonna
need statements
from all of your staff
as to whether they
recognize our victim.
Knock yourself out.
But trust me,
you're wasting your time.
It's my time to waste.
Now I got a job to do.
So do I. Let me be clear.
Mayor Weldon is my priority.
And I'm not about to let this
thing embolden his opponents
and ruin everything
that we've built.
He's right, you know?
This thing gets out, and they're
not ready with a response,
that's front-page
material for weeks.
It's front-page news either way.
If his staff wants
to minimize damage,
they'll step back and
let me do my job.
Step back?
These are politicians.
They can't order at a restaurant
without two compromises
and an ultimatum.
Beckett, my office.
What did you find
out at City Hall?
The staffer that
reported the car stolen
is accounted for all last night,
and no one in the mayor's office
seems to recognize our victim.
So her ties to that vehicle
could be purely coincidental?
That's entirely possible.
Castle and the
mayor are friends,
right?
Sir?
These investigations are
like juggling wet dynamite.
One misstep, and it'll all
blow up in your face.
I can handle myself.
Well, that's good, detective,
because I won't be the
only one watching.
What was that about?
Politics...
And your connection
to the mayor.
Oh, what does it matter?
We know he's not involved.
What?
She's right. You are biased.
I'm biased?
Do you know who Gates voted
for in the last election?
Because I'm betting
it wasn't Weldon.
Espo,
where are we on that motor pool?
Verification.
Vehicle was checked out at 5:00,
reported missing shortly
after midnight.
So it was stolen off the street.
Looks like.
Which means, any connection
to the City Hall
is entirely coincidental.
Hey, Ryan. What do our
victim's phone records show?
Any phone calls to City Hall?
No phone calls at all,
because Laura Cambridge
didn't own a cell phone.
And her credit cards haven't
been used in six months.
No cell phone and
no credit cards?
It's like she's from
another century.
Amish theory's looking
pretty good, bro.
Be nice if it were that easy.
But I think something else
was going on with her.
What do you mean?
Laura was a professor of
literature at Hudson University.
She was a rising star
in her department
until six months ago.
What happened six months ago?
She quit for no apparent reason.
According to her colleagues,
she also completely
cut ties with them,
canceled her cell phone,
cut off her credit cards.
Why?
No one knows.
It's like something happened to her.
After that, all I could
find were paystubs
for fast-food restaurants,
a laundry service, and an
office cleaning company.
It's like she
couldn't keep a job.
She went from professor
to janitor?
That's "Good Will Hunting"
but in reverse.
Maybe her family can
shed some light.
Well, I tracked down
her next of kin.
She has a sister.
She's on her way in now.
All right, you guys
dig in to her life,
see if we can find out where
she was the night she died.
Castle and I will go
over to her apartment
to see if we can find
out who she was with.
Well, honestly, she pretty
much kept to herself.
She paid on time.
That's what matters.
That's my stuff!
You took my stuff!
Unlike those two chuckleheads.
Uh, excuse me, please, officer,
and, uh, gentleman.
Hey, pipe down, for
crying out loud!
"Officer And A Gentleman."
That could be the name
of our crime blog.
Crime blog?
The way that you help me
write police reports?
Got a feeling I'll be
writing that one on my own.
Doesn't really seem to be
any signs of struggle.
Yeah, no sign of a TV
or computer either.
That's weird, right?
Bunch of deadbeat
tenants in here.
You ever get bored, I'm
sure I could fill up
a couple of holding
cells for you.
Mr. Harvey, when was the
last time you saw Laura?
- Did you see her yesterday?
- During the day.
She worked nights.
I saw her head to work around 5:00.
Do you know where she worked?
Someplace that paid.
That's all I know.
Did you ever see Laura with
any friends, boyfriends?
No. Unh-unh.
Uh, but I did see a guy
leaving here last night.
When was that?
Around 9... 30.
Well, that's inside our 8:00 to
10:00 PM murder window.
Do you remember what
he looked like?
Uh, 6 feet tall,
Caucasian, dark hair.
She never mentioned
anyone like that.
She wasn't dating anyone.
Thank you.
I tried to set her
up with a few guys,
but she wasn't interested.
Did your sister have
any connection to City
Hall or local politics?
No, I don't think so.
Were you and your sister close?
We used to be.
She used to tell me everything.
And then... six months ago,
she stopped calling.
She just...
dropped out of her life.
She gave up her
teaching position,
she moved out of her apartment
on the Upper West Side
into that flophouse.
Do you have any idea why?
When was the last time
you spoke to her?
Three days ago.
She called for my birthday.
From where?
She didn't have a phone.
I don't know, but she was upset.
She said she was in trouble
because of something
that happened at work.
Did she tell you why?
No. She said it was too
dangerous for me to know.
So Laura Cambridge left
a tenure-track position
at a respected university
for some flophouse
and a mysterious night job that
got her into so much trouble,
she ended up murdered.
What the hell was
she mixed up in?
The man who left her apartment--
if he's our killer, he
was looking for her.
He probably went to
her work to find her.
Which means, wherever that is,
it's probably the last
place she was seen alive.
I got it.
I found where she works.
Her bank statement
says she received
recent direct deposits from
a DAG Corp.
Now I had to dig deep within the
city's business registries,
but I found one listing for
a DAG Corp
between 2nd and 3rd
in the Bowery.
Let's go.
There it is. Suite 250.
What kind of business
do you think this is--
shadowy import/export,
money laundering,
sweatshop?
Shh.
No, please.
Do you hear that?
Stop it. You're hurting me.
Bobby?
Stop!
Stop!
Aah!
- Aah!
- NYPD, no...
I'm a bad little schoolgirl.
It's just an office.
Where only women work?
Oh, yeah, baby. I'm still here.
What is this place?
I'd say it's about
$4.99 a minute.
It's not a sweatshop.
It's a sex shop.
Oh, Murray. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, like that.
You hear the clicking
of stilettos
coming towards you, James?
Farm, no men for miles.
- Could you stay and...
- Vampire
with sharp teeth for
to hold you down
while I suck your...
Laura was one of my favorites.
Just a sweet, intelligent,
funny girl.
She'd only been
here a few months,
and already, she was one of
our most popular goddesses.
I can't believe that she's dead.
Was she taking calls last night?
No. No, she took last night off.
Said she had something
to take care of.
Laura told her sister that
she was in trouble at work,
that something had happened.
Nothing happened that I know of.
I mean, she did seem
distracted the past few days,
but that's about all.
Well, being the chief...
"sexecutive officer,"
did you notice any conflicts
with her and her colleagues?
Well, she kept to herself.
But she got along well
with the other girls.
There were no
complaints about Laura.
Did she ever tell you why
she was working here?
What do you mean?
I-I just find it odd.
She's a professor with a
promising career ahead of her,
and then all of the sudden,
she decides to become
a phone sex operator.
Maybe she liked it.
We get all types
here, detective--
students, actresses, moms.
I knew an accountant who did it
because she liked the challenge
and it turned her on.
It's a powerful thing
to make a client lust for you.
Hmm.
Any chance that one
of her clients
became obsessed with her?
Oh, honey, obsession
pays our bills.
Could they have found
out her real identity,
maybe contacted her?
Absolutely not.
No, we keep all of
our girls anonymous.
Clients can't be
contacted directly.
They call one central
line, and all our calls
are routed to each girl
by our dispatcher.
Uh, yeah, it's my job to take
the client's name and
credit card information
and then route the
calls to the girls.
It's 3:00 in the afternoon.
Is it always this busy?
Sure.
Some guys need a morning jolt,
some guys need an
afternoon pick-me-up.
Someone shoulda told
them, coffee's cheaper.
It's not just about the sex.
That's the part of this business
most people don't understand.
Guys call, girls call,
they're looking for release.
Sometimes that release is
sexual, but sometimes--
It's therapy.
Or... so I've been told.
It's true.
Laura was a successful goddess
not just because
of her sexy talk,
but because she was a
really good listener.
Well, that might have
gotten her killed.
Sarah, were there any clients
that she asked to have blocked?
No.
What about problems
here at work?
Was there anything she
couldn't tell her boss about?
No. She, um...
She what?
- Sarah?
- I'm sorry.
Oh, God. I'm so sorry.
It's my fault she's dead.
How?
Did a client find
out who she was?
No. It was the other way around.
Laura came to me
about a week ago.
She, um, she wanted a-a client's
contact information.
I told her it was
completely against policy.
But she was desperate.
She said it was a matter
of life and death.
Okay, we're gonna need
that client's name.
Edgar Navarro?
Hey, I didn't do nothing.
You had no right to drag me
out in front of my moms.
No? Where were you last night
between 8:00 and 10:00?
What's this about?
- Do you recognize this woman?
- Hey, look, I--
I don't know what she told you,
but all we did was talk.
I didn't do nothin' illegal.
Then how come she's dead?
W-what?
We know that she
called you, Edgar,
and that the two of you met up.
It's not what you think.
She just needed my help.
What kind of help could
you have given her?
I learned how to fix
computers in prison.
That's why Laura called me.
She needed me to copy some
digital recordings for her
from their hard drive,
but she didn't know
how to rip them.
I told her I needed
the file extensions.
She said she'd get them and
then call me from her cell
- to walk her through it--
- Only she didn't even own a cell, Edgar.
Yes, she did.
That's her number right there.
Did she tell you why she
needed those files copied?
She said she'd heard
something on a call,
something she wasn't
supposed to hear.
Something bad.
She said she needed a
copy of it for evidence.
So Laura never mentioned
a call that upset
or concerned her?
She never said a word.
And she never asked for
copies of recordings?
No, and I'm the one to ask.
This computer room
is locked up tight,
and I'm the only one with a key.
The lock's broken.
Okay.
The hard drive's gone.
All of our calls for the last
two months were on that drive.
When was the last time
you were in here?
This morning.
Everything was fine.
This must've just happened.
Has anyone visited
the office today?
Yes, a...
A man from the gas company.
He said there was a
leak in the building
because of the construction.
Can you describe him?
Um, about 6 feet tall,
white, dark hair.
Same guy who was at Laura's
apartment the night she died?
What the hell was
on that recording?
Whatever it is...
it's worth killing for.
So how is the case
of the phone sex gal who
knew too much going?
It's more of a
conspiracy thriller,
like, uh, "The Conversation"
or "Blow Out."
Everyone wants this recording
and the secrets on it.
Oh, very mysterious.
Yeah, and that's not
the only mystery.
Why would a woman
like Laura Cambridge,
a highly educated professor,
suddenly quit everything and
just drop out of her life
for a series of menial jobs
culminating in the wonderful
world of phone sex?
None of the pieces fit.
Hmm. Who called her?
I mean, you must be
able to trace the call
even though you don't have
the recording, right?
Well, we have subpoenaed a
list of all the incoming calls
on Laura's shifts,
but that's gonna be like looking
for a needle in a needle stack.
Hello.
Mr. Castle...
Do you remember me?
I called you before.
About detective
Beckett's safety.
I remember.
Once again, Mr. Castle,
it seems that we need to talk.
Are you sure it's the same man
who called you about Beckett?
It's definitely him.
Then the death of
this young woman
is somehow connected
to Beckett's mother?
It has to be, otherwise
why would he call?
What did he say?
He said that there were
greater forces at play,
that more was at stake
than we realize.
Clearly this is not
just about phone sex.
Whatever Laura Cambridge
overheard that night,
it got someone's
attention, someone big.
What I don't get is, what are
you supposed to do about it?
I don't know.
He gave me a number
to contact him
- if I needed help.
- Hmm.
He said I would know
when it was time.
You plan to tell Beckett?
Tell her what? "Hey, Kate.
I've been taking calls
from a shadowy figure
who wants to keep you off
your mother's murder case
so they don't kill you, too"?
Yeah. Okay.
Hold on. Wait.
What did you say?
No, I'm not eating.
Thanks.
Hey. You're just in time.
Thank you.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
So what have we got?
Lanie just called.
She said that she found
fibers in Laura's mouth
and esophagus.
The lab IDed it as
light brown cashmere,
which was most likely from
our killer's coat sleeve.
Brown cashmere.
So we can narrow
our suspects down
to rich men with
impeccable taste.
Are you saying,
you're a suspect?
Alexis is my alibi.
What about our gas
company worker?
Well, surprise--he doesn't
work for the gas company.
And uniforms said that there
was no forensic evidence
at the dial-a-goddess office.
But what we did get from
dial-a-goddess were
their copious call logs--
about 200 pages worth.
These ladies are busy.
I've been going through
them all morning,
trying to sort Laura's calls
from the other girls' lines.
Are there any calls in there
from the mayor's office?
I thought you said
you were confident
that he wasn't involved?
I'm just trying to be
thorough and impartial.
Not yet,
but the private sector
is well-represented.
I got calls from the Met, banks,
several high-profile
brokerage houses.
No wonder the economy
collapsed, huh?
Yo, Beckett.
Excuse me.
What do you got?
Hey.
If anything shows up in here
and it's tied to either
Beckett's shooting
or Johanna Beckett's murder,
would you tell me right away?
Wait. You guys think
this is connected--
No.
Not you guys.
Beckett doesn't know, and
I don't want her to know.
Why do you think it's connected?
I just...
I just want to cover
all my bases.
- Okay?
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- You guys.
So uniforms canvassing
around Laura's apartment
found a cab that
recognized her pic.
He said that two days
ago, he dropped her off
at the Gotham 11 TV
Station downtown.
A television station.
Why would she go to a
television station?
Why would she go into
the phone sex business?
Why would she do any of
these things she did?
Well, hopefully I'll get
some answers, but first,
I ran down that cell number
we got from Edgar Navarro.
It's a pay-as-you-go phone.
Laura just activated
it six days ago.
She's hardly used it.
She made one call to Edgar
and another on the day
she died to an agent.
A federal agent?
No, a book agent. Trevor Hanes.
It's just absurdly tragic.
Laura was an incredibly
talented writer.
You were her agent?
Yeah, we signed her as a
client about six months ago
on the back of an
astonishing book proposal.
What's the book about?
It's a scathing indictment
of societal inequity
as seen through the lens
of the working poor.
A sort of contemporary take
on how the other half lives.
A privileged young woman
gives up every comfort
to experience life below
the poverty line.
That's why she took all those
jobs--firsthand research.
The thing pitches itself really.
So we'll need to see a
copy of that manuscript.
Her investigations might
have led to her death.
Well, there isn't one, at least
not that I've seen anyway.
Bedsides...
I don't think she was killed
because of her
anticapitalist polemic.
What do you mean?
Earlier this week, she
called my office,
said she stumbled upon a
much more explosive story--
a scandal involving
a very prominent,
very powerful New Yorker.
She said it would rock the
city to its very foundations.
W-what--what prominent
New Yorker?
She wouldn't say.
I just assumed it was a
pitch for her next book.
We were gonna discuss
it this week.
Sorry. Excuse me.
Hey, Espo.
- What's up?
- I'm at the Gotham 11 office.
There's something
you need to see.
This is Pat McConnell,
Laura's college buddy.
Tell 'em what you told me.
Well, I hadn't seen
Laura in years.
So a few days ago, she
calls me out of the blue,
says she needs to see
some raw footage we shot
for this research project
she's working on.
So I set her up
at this edit bay.
She was here for
over eight hours.
I mean, at one point,
she even fell asleep.
I came by to check on her,
she had her eyes closed.
- Raw footage of what?
- It's all B-roll
of Mayor Weldon--
City Council meetings,
playground openings,
backstage at a press conference.
A scandal about a prominent,
powerful New Yorker.
And check out this last
tape she was watching.
That's the reading
train foundation.
I went to their gala last year.
Now look at the girl on
the side of the screen.
That's Laura.
That's impossible.
He said he didn't know her.
Castle, look what the
mayor is wearing.
It's a light brown coat, and
it looks like cashmere.
That's just the coat that
our killer was wearing.
Beckett, I know this man.
I've known him 12 years.
He's not a killer.
You don't know that.
Yes, I do.
Castle, he lied about
knowing our victim.
He was standing next to her.
That doesn't mean he knew her.
You know how many people
he meets in a day?
Expecting him to
remember them all--
that's like expecting
me to remember
everyone who comes
to my book signings.
You're biased.
You're damn right, I'm biased.
Robert Weldon is a good man.
Even good men make mistakes.
He had access to that car.
His aide said that he left
the event at 9:00 PM.
That's right inside
of our kill zone.
Fine. What's his motive?
I don't know, at least, not yet.
Then give him a chance,
because the minute
you move on him,
his career is over.
So... what's the latest?
We've got a couple
of promising leads.
I'm hoping to find
something concrete soon.
Well, anything more
on the victim?
Anything connecting her
back to City Hall?
No, not yet.
All right, detective.
Anything pops, you let me know.
Great. Now I'm a liar.
You know what I think?
I think she's hoping it's him,
because if he's gone, I'm gone.
Castle, you can't make
this one about you.
Where are you going?
You're right.
We have to figure out Weldon's motive.
There's no way that
Gates is gonna let me
subpoena that coat without it?
Really, that's your takeaway?
What do you want
me to do, Castle?
I know that he's your friend,
but I'm sorry, if he
killed that girl--
- He didn't.
- Then let me prove it.
Ryan?
All right. Thanks for your help.
Anything else on that video?
Actually, yeah.
When we first saw Laura, she
was wearing a volunteer badge
for the reading
train foundation.
She was on staff at
the mayor's charity.
That doesn't mean he knew her.
Ryan, you're with me.
Castle, I'm sorry, but you can't
be objective on this one,
so I'm gonna have to
pursue it on my own.
No, uh, I don't know
if Mayor Weldon
and Laura Cambridge
were acquainted.
I don't know much
about her at all.
She wasn't here very long.
What do you mean?
Well, we hired Laura as a
volunteer about a week ago.
A few days later,
we had to fire her.
Why?
She was caught copying
confidential files.
What kind of files?
Accounting files.
Any idea why she would be
interested in those files?
- Ms. Park?
- It's sensitive.
I'm not supposed
to talk about it.
Ms. Park, a woman was murdered,
and we are trying
to figure out why.
You can talk to us here,
or we can go downtown.
We've recently discovered some
discrepancies in our accounts.
- We found there was some money missing.
- How much money?
$2.3 million.
There's an internal
investigation going on.
This investigation,
does it have anything to
do with Mayor Weldon?
Thank you.
Attorney General's
office confirms
that Mayor Weldon is the
subject of the investigation.
We were looking for
motive, and here it is--
$2.3 million worth.
Weldon embezzled from
his own charity.
Someone must have
told Laura about it
during one of her sessions,
and she decided to investigate.
When she found enough
evidence to expose the mayor,
he killed her to shut her up.
You gonna tell her?
I have to.
This will destroy
Weldon, you know?
Yeah, I know.
And when he's gone, the
first thing she'll do
is get rid of Castle.
I know.
Are you sure about this?
Yes, sir, but the moment
I file a warrant
request for that coat,
it becomes public record.
So?
So then everyone will know
that Mayor Weldon is a
person of interest.
Isn't he?
Yes, but...
what if I'm wrong?
It could ruin his career.
We... are tasked
by the city of New York
to protect its people.
Sometimes that task
comes with a cost.
I know what they
call me, detective--
"Iron Gates."
I hear the whispers.
"She's from IA.
She must hate cops."
Well, the truth is,
I love cops.
My daddy was a cop.
My uncles were cops.
But the sergeant who
assaulted my patrol partner
under the color or authority...
Who holds him accountable?
We do.
Go to the mayor,
get him to voluntarily
surrender his coat
for fiber testing
without a warrant.
Tell him it's the only way
to keep it out of the media.
But if he refuses,
you get that warrant
and you do your job,
whatever the cost.
You going to see Weldon?
Yes.
I'd like to come with you.
I think I can help.
I don't think you can.
Look, I heard what you said.
I did.
And I think I can be
a valuable asset.
I play poker with the guy.
I can tell when he's bluffing.
And what about if I
have to force his hand,
can you be an asset then?
Look, I don't think he did it.
But if he did, I want to know.
That makes me objective.
Sir, you don't have to talk to them.
It's--it's my job.
It's okay, Brian.
I don't need you to protect me.
- Sir--
- I haven't done anything wrong.
Please.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Your honor, I appreciate
you speaking with us.
Well, it sounded like I
didn't have a choice.
Well, the last time we spoke,
you said you that you didn't
know Laura Cambridge.
That's right.
And yet here you are
standing next to Laura--
a volunteer at reading train.
I-I didn't recognize her,
but in context,
I-I remember her.
This event was a few nights ago.
She was trying to
talk to me, but--
Did she talk to you?
No, I got pulled away.
I had donors I had
to speak with.
I remember her saying that
she wanted to talk to me,
but circumstances prevented it.
So you and Laura never
actually spoke?
- No.
- Not even on the phone?
No, honestly, after that night,
I never gave her a
second thought.
You know, in this photo,
you're wearing a light
brown cashmere coat.
We'd like you to turn it over
to CSU for testing.
Respectfully, I'm going
to have to decline.
- Why?
- Robert...
Give her the coat.
It can only be good for you.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
Why?
I had nothing to do with
Laura Cambridge's murder,
or the theft of money
from my charity,
or anything else
I've been accused of
in the last 48 hours.
Do you think that any of
this is a coincidence?
- Robert--
- No, me here, talking to you,
this is exactly what they
wanted to have happen,
so, no, I will not
give you my coat.
Look, there's a
conspiracy against me,
and I will not
voluntarily feed it.
What conspiracy?
Don't you think it's funny
that all this is happening
the moment I consider
running for governor?
Rick, I'm used to
having enemies.
But this is an organized
effort to destroy me.
So right now, I
don't trust anyone.
Well, he has good reason
to not turn over his coat.
Yes, guilt.
A conspiracy.
Is it so far-fetched?
Maybe Laura found out about
it and tried to warn him.
Or maybe she and
Weldon did talk.
She confronted him
with what she knew,
and he killed her.
Mm. I believe the conspiracy.
I mean, I know Weldon.
And Weldon knows you.
Conspiracies, intrigue--
that's your bread and butter.
That's exactly the kind of story
that you would respond to.
I'm sorry. Are--are you
suggesting he's playing me?
I am suggesting that you
consider the possibility.
I have a procedure to follow.
He didn't provide
his coat willingly,
so I'm gonna have to
get a court order.
Look, once word gets
out that the NYPD
subpoenaed his clothing
in connection with
embezzlement and murder,
that man's career will be over.
Not if he's innocent.
Are you kidding me?
Kate, this is politics.
Perception is reality.
The truth won't matter.
What am I supposed to do, Rick?
I can't just stop being a cop
just because it's inconvenient.
No. No, no, no, just...
you can wait.
All right? For something
else, for another lead.
For the coat to disappear?
You don't think I don't
know what's at stake here?
Do you think I actually
want to do this?
Then don't do it.
I don't have a choice.
My office is cooperating
fully with both investigations.
And I stand here
with 100% confidence
that a full and
thorough investigation
will reveal that I am
completely innocent
of any wrongdoing.
You still believe him?
I do.
You've been down
this road before
with a friend.
You believed Damian Westlake.
He's rotting in
prison for murder.
Damian and I were kids together.
Believing in him was sentiment.
My experience tells me,
Weldon is innocent.
My experience tells me,
there's something very wrong
with this whole situation.
In that case,
maybe it's time to
phone a friend.
Right there, Mr. Castle.
That'll be fine.
You know Weldon's
not behind this.
That's why you
offered your help.
He's right about the
conspiracy, isn't he?
He isn't wrong.
So what do I do?
How do I help him?
Listen to the evidence.
That's what Laura did.
No, I-I watched the video
of Laura and the mayor
a hundred times.
There's nothing there.
I met Weldon a few
times before this.
I liked him.
You didn't set his
house on fire.
No.
I just threw gasoline on it.
Beckett.
You need a ride?
But we gotta stop and
pick up my kids.
Thanks for coming.
I wasn't sure that you would,
given the way we left things.
I can't apologize for
doing my job, Castle.
And I would never ask you to.
So why did you call me here?
Because I had an epiphany.
All this time, we've been
looking for evidence...
when we should've been
listening instead.
This all started when
Laura told Edgar Navarro
she heard something on a call,
something she wasn't
supposed to hear.
We writers call this
"The Inciting Incident."
Whoever she spoke to,
whatever she heard,
is what led to her murder.
Well, what does it matter?
I mean, the hard
drive is stolen,
the recording is gone.
We'll never know what
she heard on that call.
No, but we might know
who she heard it from.
You remember...
how Laura fell asleep
- watching those B-roll tapes at Gotham 11?
- Mm-hmm.
She was closing her eyes.
She wasn't watching the tape,
she was listening to them.
So you're saying she was trying
to ID our caller's voice?
I had Sarah, our
goddess dispatcher,
listen to those B-roll tapes.
It's him. I'm sure of it.
He was one of Laura's regulars.
Show her who.
How much more time
can I spend here?
The mayor?
Another 20 minutes,
sir, then we have to
get back to your office
for your meeting with...
That guy.
Jordan Norris--
Deputy Assistant to the
mayor's Chief of Staff.
Mr. Norris, you told us
that you didn't know
Laura Cambridge.
That's right.
And yet your 89-year-old
grandmother,
Greta Markenson did.
According to the
phone sex records,
Laura received numerous
phone calls from her.
Which made poor Greta
look pretty frisky
until we realized, you'd been
house-sitting at her apartment.
I-I may have called
that service from time to time,
but I-I never knew who
I was talking to.
I mean, how would I?
We'll get to that in a minute.
In the meantime, we checked
your phone records,
and you sent this
text to a burner cell
about a month ago.
Now to most people,
that would look like a
series of random numbers.
So we looked into it.
Those are actually numbers
to a bank account
for Mayor Weldon
and his charity.
Numbers that someone
could've used
to make it look like the
mayor was embezzling money.
The man who trusted you,
and you sold him out.
So what did they
give you, Jordan?
What'd they promise you?
I-I thought this was
just about the money.
I-I didn't know.
I didn't know they'd try to destroy him.
And when you found out you'd
betrayed the man you work for,
it ate you up, didn't it?
So much so that one night after
too many shots of Tequila,
you called Laura and you
let it all spill out.
Oh, you didn't mean to,
but she was such
a good listener.
It was anonymous.
I-I was supposed to be safe.
But you weren't, because
she was a writer
and you gave her the
story of her life.
So she tracked you down.
She confronted you.
She was gonna blow the whistle
on you, on your friends.
She had to be stopped.
We talked to your
doorman, Jordan.
We know that she visited
you that night.
Okay. She was there.
But... sh-she left
after 20 minutes.
I... I didn't kill her.
You didn't have to.
All you had to do was call
that same burner phone,
and whoever answered sent a man,
a man without a face,
who choked the life out
of Laura Cambridge.
And then he broke into
her home and her work
and he destroyed all
of the evidence
of everything she knew.
Whose phone was it, Jordan?
You don't understand.
These people...
they're more dangerous
than you know.
You are looking at
20 years in prison.
I am offering you a way out.
Now who did you call?
I want a name.
Who did you call?
I, uh...
A name, Jordan.
O--
Say it.
Okay.
The person that I called w--
If it's all the same to you,
I prefer my client not be
asked any more questions.
Your client?
Mr. Norris, I'm Bill Moss.
From now on, please
don't speak to anybody
outside of my presence.
I've been retained
to represent you.
By who?
We're done here.
It seems our mayor will
live to fight another day.
Justice has prevailed.
Not for Laura Cambridge.
We charged Mr. Norris
with criminal facilitation.
That's something.
Jordan Norris is a pawn.
I want the people
controlling him.
Oh, it's a long game, Kate.
Play it piece by piece.
Then why would you
abandon all your plans?
You've been cleared
of all charges.
You know, for someone who
kills off all his characters,
you have a strange
stubborn streak of
optimism in you, but, no.
I can't run for
governor in two years,
I can't run for
president in six.
That dream...
is done.
There's gotta be something we can do.
You're innocent.
A little too innocent.
There are people out
there-- I realize it now--
people who control what goes
on in this city and beyond.
I wouldn't play ball, so
they took me out the game.
It's been decided.
This is as far as I get.
So what are you gonna do now?
I...
am going to continue being
an outstanding mayor
for the greatest city on earth.
Why did you contact me,
Mr. Castle?
The case is resolved.
Resolved?
How is it resolved?
Someone tried to destroy
this city's mayor,
and I want to know who.
Trust me when I say,
it's not your concern.
It is if it involves Beckett
or her mother's murder.
You're a writer,
finish this sentence.
If Weldon had been
run out of office...
I'd be gone from
the 12th precinct.
And then who'd keep Beckett
from looking into things
she shouldn't?
Who'd keep her out
of harm's way?
So you did this to protect her?
Why?
You play chess, Mr. Castle?
There are times when
a well-placed pawn
is more powerful than a king.
I have your number if
I need to reach you.
You don't reach me, Mr. Castle.
I reach you.