Castle (2009–2016): Season 5, Episode 2 - Cloudy with a Chance of Murder - full transcript

Castle, what do you
think of this one?

Mm. Sexy.

Sexy? What do you mean by sexy?

I mean...

Well, I-I mean sexy.

Yeah, sexy.
What's wrong with sexy?

Oh, God, Castle.
This is my first day back at work.

I'm supposed to look normal.

No one is going to be able
to tell that we're together

by how you are dressed.

Oh, no? I only work with
a roomful of detectives.

It's their job.

What about this one?

No.

You just want me to take my
shirt off again, don't you?

- What?
- Stop it.

I told you, the NYPD
has a strict policy

about coworkers... dating.

Yes, but since I'm
not getting paid,

- technically, we're not coworkers.
- Oh, really?

And you think that Captain Gates
is gonna see it that way?

If anyone finds out, and
she gets wind of it--

No one is going to find out.

I haven't even told
my mother or Alexis.

Yeah, that's because
they're in Europe

celebrating her graduation.

Yes, true. But I haven't
told them long distance.

Look, no one is
going to find out.

But just to be safe,

you might want to change
out of those pants.

Oh, there's a murder uptown.

And looks like the
pants stay on.

Castle, remember, act normal.

And when we're in public,
you're single and I'm single.

- Got it?
- Got it.

Thanks.

So that's a no to
carpooling then?

I'll take a cab.

Good morning, Detective Beckett.

Castle, where is my coffee?

You already had one.

Don't worry. Relax.

You're overthinking
this, really.

What, no coffee?

I forgot hers.

You forgot?

On her first day back
from suspension?

It's all right.
I've already forgiven him.

So who's our vic?

Local celeb.

Groundskeeper found her
tucked behind this fountain

early this morning.

She's actually the weather
girl for WHNY--Mandy Michaels.

- Mandy Michaels?
- Yeah.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Oh, man.
I watched her every night.

She had the best...

forecasts.

What? L-listen, as a single man,

I appreciated her assets.

You can't tell me people
watched her for the weather.

Welcome back.

Thank you.

You--what, are you doing
something different?

No. Why?

I don't know.
Something's changed.

So how'd she die?

Single GSW.

Shot was called in by neighbors
last night at 10:28 PM.

Which fits lividity.

There's also signs
of a struggle.

Vic has bruises on her upper arm

and her blouse was ripped.

There's no sign of a
wallet, purse, or phone.

Sounds like a
mugging gone wrong.

I got tech pinging her
phone as we speak.

Speaking of which, I'm
gonna go check on that.

You guys still haven't
buried the hatchet?

It is what it is.

So according to Mandy's
producer at WHNY,

she was last seen

by her camera crew
doing a weather spot

at City Of Trust
Children's Hospital

last night at 9:30 PM.

That's 20 blocks from here.

Yeah, and Mandy's apartment's
the other direction.

So what was she doing here
in the park an hour later?

Yo.

Mandy's phone is active.

Tech tracked her GPS signal

to a building on the
Lower East Side.

Sounds like our mugger.

All right, you guys
check in to it.

Castle and I will
talk to next of kin.

Yeah, I'd pr-- you
know, I'd be much--

Just--just go. Okay?

The signal's coming from one
of the rooms on this floor.

The question is, which one?

What the hell are you doing?

Being a good cop, narrowing
down my options.

What are you doing?

Right here.

NYPD!

Hands, now! Don't move!

I didn't do anything.

I didn't do anything.

I swear.

That's her phone.

No.

It's my phone.

I suppose that's
your purse, too?

Jonathan Goodheart.

You have been a very,
very bad boy, Jonathan.

It's Johnny.

It says here, Jonathan, that you

have priors for stalking,

indecent exposure.

That stalking was a
misunderstanding, and...

That other thing happened
on a really hot day.

Well, you just have
an explanation

for everything, don't
you, Jonathan?

So why don't you explain to me

what you were doing with
Mandy Michaels' purse.

I found it.

You found it?

In a dumpster on
Lexington and 9th.

It was soft.

I like things that are soft.

Yeah, take care, Ms. Michaels.

Hey.

You okay?

Well, I-I just got off the
phone with Mandy's parents.

They said that she spent
most of her time at work.

There was no boyfriend,

and they have no idea why
she was in the park.

Hey, guys. Check this out.

I was going through
Mandy's purse,

and I found this folded
up in her wallet.

"If any of this gets
out, I'll kill you"?

I'm gonna go ahead and say
she was being threatened.

That doesn't mean this
is why she was killed.

All the evidence points to the
fact that she was mugged.

It wasn't a mugging.

How can you tell?

Blood spatter on her
blouse indicates

the shirt was ripped
after the gunshot.

What about the bruising?

Postmortem.

To make it look like a mugging.

Someone's trying to
cover their tracks.

Speaking of which,

I figured out what's different.

You're having sex.

Excuse me?

Oh, don't try to deny it.

There's a glow.
I know that glow.

So who's the guy?

Yeah, Beckett, who's the guy?

Nobody that you
would know, okay?

Are you sure?
I know a lot of guys.

I'm sure. Anything else?

As a matter of fact,

I found makeup on Mandy's blouse

that's much lighter than
the shade that she wears.

The position indicates
close contact,

like she fought with someone.

Rounding up all the
women in the city

who wear lighter makeup
is a pretty wide net.

It isn't just any makeup.

It's formulated for
high-definition cameras.

Like the ones they
use at TV stations.

In the meantime, authorities
are still on the hunt

for suspects in the
Mandy Michaels slaying.

Though few details
have been released,

we can confirm that she was
shot to death late last night

in Paley Park.

Speaking on behalf of the
entire broadcast community,

the 5-day forecast just
won't be the same.

Chuck?

Thank you, Miles.

We'll bring you more on
this difficult story

as events unfold.

But coming up next,

your morning coffee
could be killing you.

We'll have that story
when we come back.

And we're out to commercial.

Everyone here is devastated.

We're like a family.

What kind of family,
happy or dysfunctional?

What do you mean?

Meaning, as the station manager,

you would know your personnel.

Did she have any
conflicts with anyone?

Sure, but I-I can't imagine

that has anything to
do with what happened.

Well, who was it?

The other weather
girl, Rebecca Fog.

Is Fog her real name?

And what was the conflict?

Rebecca was the new
meteorologist.

She was ambitious and
nipping at Mandy's heels.

Had anything happened recently?

As a matter of fact, they did

just get into a
bit of a scuffle.

Really, when was this?

Last night. I'll show you.

Sorry, Chip. We need the bay.

Yeah, sure, Harvey.

What's up?

Bob, I need the unaired footage
from Mandy's segment last night

at City Of Trust.

The police need to see
some tape on Mandy.

Yeah, that was a terrible thing.

Whoa.
Talk about New York's finest.

She really a cop?

Yes, she's really a cop.

Chip Chambers. I do sports.
And you can arrest me anytime.

Yeah, well, maybe I will.

That's it.

Well, that's your
weather, folks,

straight from my lips
to your living room.

This is Mandy Michaels reporting
live from the toy drive

at the City Of Trust
Children's Hospital.

And we're clear.

Rebecca?

What the hell are
you doing here?

You know exactly
what I'm doing here,

- you conniving bitch!
- Hey, knock it off.

You have no idea who
you're dealing with.

What happened?

The cameraman turned
off his camera

and broke up the fight.

Did he see Rebecca leave?

No. Once they settled down,
he left them there talking.

Well, it must have
been a hell of a talk.

An hour later, Mandy was dead.

5x02
Cloudy With A Chance Of Murder

Look, Mandy Michaels was a lazy,
entitled, big-boobed bimbo.

I've been picking up her slack
since the minute I got here.

"Harvey, "I can't go in the
helicopter for 'traffic live!'

"because of my asthma.

Make Rebecca do it."

I mean, did I hate her? Yes.

But I would never kill her.

Except now that she's
dead, you get to trade in

4:00 AM shift for the coveted

and lucrative evening
news spot, right?

Oh, please.

I didn't need to
kill her for that.

I just needed to wait.

She was already past
her sell-by date.

Well, according to Harvey,

she still had a very
loyal audience.

Sure. Yeah, people who cared

about how many buttons
on her blouse were open.

But at her age in high def,

she was running out
of buttons fast.

Then what was the
fight about, Ms. Fog?

Look, I'm a certified meteorologist.
Okay?

I have a brain.

Mandy was just set
dressing with cleavage.

My forecasts were way
more accurate than hers,

and people were
starting to notice.

So last week, to get back at
me, she breaks into my office,

she steals a bunch
of my equipment.

I mean, that's why I
went to confront her.

But that's it. That's all.

Where were you at
10:28 last night?

Home sleeping.

I mean, I have the 4:00 AM
shift, remember?

And besides, she left the
children's hospital before I did.

You want to find out
who killed Mandy,

ask the person in the silver
G-Wagon who picked her up.

What person?

I don't know. Beats me.

The car had tinted windows,

but it sure seemed
like she knew them.

So Rebecca was telling the
truth about where she was.

She paid for the cab
with a credit card,

and the cabbie dropped
her off at her apartment

before Mandy was killed.

Okay.
Yeah, so check traffic cams

and surveillance in the area
for the silver G-Wagon.

Yeah, I mean, if we're
lucky, we'll...

We might actually get a plate.

So, uh,

were you able to track
down the phone records

to see if she made any
calls that night?

Mm-hmm. Okay.

Richard. Richard Castle.

Kristina.
Oh, I have not seen you...

since...

Since I interviewed
you on the red carpet

and you promised to do my show.

Oh, that's right. I did.

Fred Willard canceled
on me tonight.

I don't have a guest.
I feel like it's fate.

Okay. I gotta go, Espo. Bye.

- Tonight? Wow.
- 9:00 o'clock.

I'm not taking no for an answer.

Well, then I won't say no.

Good. I'll see you soon, Ricky.

All right.

Oh, that's just their
entertainment reporter.

She's...
My agent has been haranguing me

to promote "Frozen Heat," so...

Isn't she the reporter

that shows up to cover
stories in her bikini?

Yeah, y--I don't--is--
I didn't notice that.

You want to try it again,

make it sound a little
more convincing?

No, I'm good.

Okay. So the boys are running
down our mystery car.

In the meantime, they found
something on Mandy's phone records.

She was getting calls from
an anonymous burner cell.

In fact, the last call she
got before her murder

- was from that number.
- But there's no way to trace it.

Yeah, there might be.
There's a pattern on the calls,

and most of them came in on
weekdays between 2:00 and 4:00.

That's right before
her broadcast.

Which means she was here.

Yeah, Mandy was here
between 2:00 and 4:00.

She needed all the time in
that chair she could get.

When a woman hits mid-30s,

those HD cameras
can turn on you fast.

Faster-than-my-ex-husband
in-the-sack fast.

You know, we were wondering
about a series of phone calls

that she might have gotten
while she was here.

Ah. Her secret man.

Secret man?

Mandy was always open
about her love life,

but when this guy would call,

she'd leave the room.

She was keeping it
on the down low.

Yeah, you always think
you're being so discreet,

but trust me, people know.

So do you guys have
any idea who he is?

Yeah.
A few weeks ago I went outside

to get a nutter butter
from the vending machine,

and I overheard them talking
about his big game.

He's an athlete?

More like an MVP

of a very well-known
local basketball team.

Does the number 17 ring a bell?

Reggie Blake?

She was dating Reggie Blake?

Castle, isn't he married?

Yeah, not only is he married,

but rumor has it, he
has a very strict

no-cheating clause
in their prenup.

Based on his income, it'd be
very costly if he got a divorce.

And guess what he drives.

- A silver G-Wagon?
- Yep.

All right, pick him up.

- Make a hole. Make a hole. Give him room.
- Hey.

Good to see you, Reg!

Ah, thanks. Appreciate it.

Oh, good to see you, man.

Let me take the lead.

Whatever.

What? I got more experience.

Yo, Javi, do you mind
if we call a time-out

while we collar this guy, huh?

- A'ight.
- Take care, Reggie.

Reggie.

Fellas. No autographs today.

We're NYPD.

I don't give a hobo's
crap if you're CIA.

No autographs.

We're not here for autographs.
We're here for Reggie.

And you're obstructing
our investigation.

So move.

That's what I thought.

Oh, hell.

You're not taking
Reggie anywhere.

Get out of the way, man.

Shouldn't they be back by now?

Well, maybe they hit traffic.

Or each other.

Either way, Reggie
is going down.

Unis canvassed Mandy's building,

and neighbors said
that they heard her

in a yelling match with a guy
the day that she was killed.

They said it sounded
like a lover's quarrel.

Relationship goes bad, his
marriage is threatened...

So Reggie threatens
her with the note.

"If this gets out,
I'll kill you."

She refuses to play ball, so
Reggie does what he does best--

starts shooting.

Don't ask.

Look, man, I'm sorry.

My security guys are protective.

We get a lot of nut bars
hanging around the block.

Apology not accepted.

Now sit down.

Look, I told you,

I didn't have anything
to do with her murder.

And yet, we have
witnesses that saw Mandy

get in to your car shortly
before she was killed.

We know about the
affair, Reggie.

Can't imagine your wife would
be too happy if she found out,

so you made sure she didn't.

What are you talking
about, affair?

Yeah, I knew Mandy.
So did my wife.

We were friends. That's all.

You really expect us to
believe that, Reggie?

It's the truth.
If you don't believe me, ask my wife.

Oh, we will.

So I imagine it was
just a coincidence

that you happened to be
driving by the hospital

right after Mandy's
segment ended.

No. We're both on the
hospital charity board.

I was stopping by the toy drive.

I'm telling you, we
were just friends.

Well, there sure are a lot
of phone calls to Mandy,

considering y'all
are just friends.

Mandy and I...

we both had a ticking
clock on our careers--

her looks, my knees.

It was nice to chat with
somebody who understood.

Okay, say you were just friends.

Why didn't she
want her coworkers

to find out about you?

Because that's how
rumors get started.

I know what you're thinking.

I'm a professional athlete,

she's a blonde weather girl,

but it wasn't like that.

She wasn't like that.

Those kids at City Of Trust,

to other celebs, they
was just a photo op.

Not to her. She cared.

You shoulda seen her last week,

asking them questions,

listening to their stories.

People think she's
some kind of bimbo,

but she wasn't.

Anyway, I-I saw her
hailing a cab.

I offered her a ride.

She asked to be dropped
off at the park.

That happened around 10:00.

Where were you at 10:28?

I was across town at X Bar,

promoting my new shoe line.

Check it.

Mandy mention why she wanted

to get dropped off at the park?

No. She seemed nervous.

Maybe it had something to do

with what happened a
couple of days ago.

What happened a
couple of days ago?

She called me for a ride
from the emergency room.

I asked her what happened,
but she wouldn't say.

Wait.
She was there as a patient?

Yeah.

She didn't look hurt, but
she seemed pretty upset.

Do you actually buy this
whole "Just friends" thing?

It's possible.

Yeah, it's possible,
but it's not probable.

I don't know. You and I were
just friends for four years.

Yeah, except you were trying to
sleep with me that whole time.

- What?
- Mm-hmm.

Excuse me.

It was you that was
trying to sleep with me.

Wh--

Don't tell me you dress
like that for Esposito.

What's for me?

- Nothing.
- Don't worry about it.

Reggie's alibi is solid.

He was already at the X Bar
buying shots for everyone

when Mandy was killed.

His wife confirms that they
were all just friends.

In fact, she's the one

who bought him that
prepaid cell phone

because his was
hacked or something.

Okay, then touch base
with the ER doctor

that treated Mandy a
couple of days ago.

Whatever landed her in emergency

might have caught up
with her last night.

- Hey, guys. I found out who Mandy--
- Yo.

Are you wearing makeup?

No.

Really?

Because an hour ago, you
and I both had black eyes,

and now you don't.

No, this is not makeup.

This is tinted moisturizer.

Jenny just stopped by,

she happened to have
some in her purse,

and I figured since
the, you know--

Fine.
Just judge all you want.

So I found out who Mandy was
fighting with at her apartment

the day she died.

The store across the
street from her building

uses surveillance.

There was no sign of Reggie,

but I did see another
familiar face--

WHNY reporter Miles Haxton.

Yeah, that's me.

So what were you
doing at her place?

Mandy's neighbors

overheard the two
of you fighting.

What was it about?

Our relationship.

- You were dating?
- Mm-hmm.

Why didn't you tell
us this before?

'Cause I couldn't
take the chance

that it would get out.

The--the reporter and
the weather girl? No.

This--this station has
a very strict policy

about interoffice dating.

And even--even with
what happened to Mandy,

Harvey still would've
suspended me.

How long had the two of you
been seeing each other?

Couple months.

What went wrong?

Well, here's the thing about a
secret workplace romance, okay?

In the beginning,
you're on a high.

Every stolen moment feels
like a-a shot of adrenaline

straight to the heart.

You--you get butterflies
on your way into work.

It's exciting and dangerous,

and the sex is amazing.

And then what?

And then it imploded.

We were never gonna
keep up the secret.

We were already drowning in
all the lies we had to tell.

Did--did your coworkers
ever find out?

Uh, not yet.

But I-I had to stay
out in front of it

to keep it from destroying
both of our careers.

I mean, I still have a-a
shot at a national desk.

And Mandy didn't want it to end.

She could've threatened
to tell Harvey.

What? No, no.
Are you kidding?

No, Mandy didn't
want this to get out

any more than I did.

You're not gonna tell, are you?

Where were you last
night at 10:28?

Uh, at a press party
at the Ritz-Carlton

for the launch of the
Vega smartphone.

Did Mandy say anything to you

about going to the ER
a couple days ago?

No, she didn't mention
it, but then again,

she was acting pretty
strange last week.

What do you mean?

Well, she wouldn't tell
me, but I had the feeling

it was more than just
us she was upset about.

There's something else
that was bothering her.

Well, it looks like
those makeup ladies

were right about Mandy's affair,

they just had the wrong guy.

Castle, what about the
other stuff that they said

about how secret romances are
impossible to keep hidden?

I mean, you heard Miles.

I don't want to drown
in a sea of lies.

Well, if it's any comfort to
you, I do know mouth-to-mouth.

Hey, Espo.

Found something weird.

The ER doc that treated Mandy?

It turns out it was for
a severe asthma attack.

That's not weird.
We know that Mandy had asthma.

That's why she couldn't go up

in the station helicopter.

Which brings me to
the w-weird part.

She arrived at the ER
in the WHNY news chopper.

She landed on the helipad,

and the pilot walked her inside.

Okay. Thank you.

With her asthma,

what was she doing up there

and why did no one
know about it?

There is one person
that knew about it,

the helicopter pilot.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where you going, pretty boy?

It's 8:30. It's time for your
segment with Kristina.

Gotta get you into makeup.

- Um...
- It's okay. I'll take care of it.

Okay. D-don't solve
the case without me.

Look, I wasn't
supposed to, okay?

But a few days ago, she
showed up with an envelope

stuffed with 1,000 bucks,

said she needed the chopper
only for 20 minutes,

and nobody could know.

Did she tell you
why she needed it?

No, but it must have
been important.

Look, I liked Mandy.

Bubbly, easy on the eyes.

I wanted to help her out.

But then we get up there,
she's got all this equipment,

and she wants to
fly over Jersey.

Why New Jersey?

Beats me.

All I know is, it's more fuel,
and my boss might notice.

Okay, so did you do it?

Yeah. We were over Jersey
for a few minutes,

but then she started
breathing heavy.

She didn't have her inhaler,

so I flew straight
to the hospital.

D-do you have any idea
what she was up to?

No.

When I told her I didn't
want to leave New York,

she said, "It's a matter
of life or death."

I guess maybe she was right.

That was-- that
was the last time

I took my laptop
into a coffee shop.

So...

as a handsome,
best-selling author,

I'm sure you must have women

throwing themselves
at you all the time.

Well, we all have our
crosses to bear.

Yes, you are such a martyr.

So no one special in
your life right now?

I, uh...

No. Uh, actually, no.
No one special.

I'm single right now.

That's good, because
there's a question

I've been wanting to ask you.

Will you have dinner
with me tomorrow night?

Oh, um...

Wow. Wow. I'm flattered.

But I have to decline.

Come on, Castle. There's only
three seconds until commercial.

I, uh, uh...

Exactly. What are you waiting for?
Hello.

We're gonna need an answer.

No.

Uh, actually, I would love to.

- It's a date.
- Great.

"Frozen Heat" -- it's
on bookshelves now.

We'll have more with Richard
Castle after the break.

I'm telling you, it's
the perfect cover.

No one's gonna suspect us

if they know I'm going
out with Kristina.

Yo, Castle, nice work
with Coterra, bro.

See? Perfect.

Yeah, it's perfect.

So how far do you plan on
taking this date with her?

I'm taking her out
to a fancy dinner,

someplace romantic where
everyone will see us,

maybe even end up on "page six."

How great would that be?

Yeah, that'd be so--
that'd be really great.

You are okay with this, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Why?

Just askin'.

So what did we learn about
Mandy's helicopter ride?

Well, we found the equipment

that she used in her apartment.

It turns out, it's all the stuff
she stole from Rebecca Fog.

Rebecca Fog.

But you mean, it wasn't a prank?

I mean, she actually
used this stuff?

Why?

Well, we were hoping
you could tell us.

Uh, well, if she was
up in the chopper,

she must have been using
the direct tox monitor.

The direct tox
monitor, of course.

You have no idea what that is.

No, not a clue.

Uh, it's an instrument
to test air quality.

But she was a glorified
spokesmodel.

What the hell was she up to?

Is there any way to find out?

Yeah, the, uh, monitor
stores measured data.

Whoa. Wait.

- Well, this can't be right.
- What?

It's indicating high
levels of styrene.

And is that unusual?

Yeah, styrene's a
dangerous chemical.

Prolonged exposure could lead
to severe respiratory problems.

Like asthma.

Mandy had an asthma attack
right after she did that test.

And remember Reggie's statement?

He said Mandy was hanging out

at the hospital with
those sick kids.

Maybe there's a connection.

She was really nice.

She said she had asthma, too,

and that it didn't
have to hold me back.

When the doctors come in,
they only talk to my mom.

The weather lady, she actually
wanted to talk to me.

And what kinds of things
did she ask you about?

Lots of things, like
school and friends.

Last time, she asked me
where I played baseball.

And what'd you tell her?

Conway Field.

Did she tell you why
she wanted to know?

She thought it had something
to do with my asthma.

Excuse me.

Hey, so I just talked
with the mothers

of all the other patients

that Mandy visited
with at the hospital,

and they all said
the same thing--

Mandy asked them about their
practices at Conway Field.

Let me guess.
Conway Field's in New Jersey.

Uh, Union County to be exact.

So I spoke with admissions
at the hospital,

and they said that numbers
for severe asthma patients

are up for that neighborhood.

Well, as a weather girl
and someone with asthma,

Mandy would've understood
the impact of air quality

on someone with
respiratory illness.

The note said, "If any of this
gets out, I'll kill you."

What if Mandy found out
what or who was responsible

for the styrene in the air?

It's possible they
had her killed.

So based on the direction
that Lenny traveled

while Mandy took air samples,

they flew over eight factories,
all near Conway Field.

And of the eight factories,
only one produces styrene--

Cazuli Carpeting.

It's a chemical byproduct
of their manufacturing.

And check out the bottom
of one of their bills.

Look familiar?

Their logo has the same design

that's on the death
threat Mandy got.

Yeah, and the owner
of Cazuli Carpeting,

George Cazuli, is no stranger
to carrying out threats--

assault and battery,
spousal abuse,

and the attempted arson

of one of his
competitor's factories.

Well, then it all
makes perfect sense.

A hotheaded factory owner

is confronted by an
idealistic weather girl

who accuses him of pumping
poison into the air.

And if her allegations
went public,

he'd face criminal charges,

his factory would be shut down.

Only Cazuli shuts
her down instead.

Mr. Cazuli, have a seat.

I've seen enough episodes

of "Law & Order" to
know how this works.

You think you're gonna trick me

into saying something
that ain't true?

I'll tell you what,

I ain't saying another word
till my lawyer gets here.

Not a problem.

Mr. Castle and I will
just use that time

to go through your file
before your lawyer gets here.

Oh, yeah. That'll be helpful.

- That's a thick file, huh?
- Mm-hmm.

Okay, let's see.

Six months ago, Cazuli
modified their carpet backing

to create a
longer-lasting product.

Who doesn't want
longer-lasting carpet?

Yes, but unfortunately,
this process

released a harmful
chemical called styrene.

Now that's normal
in small doses,

but in the case of
Cazuli's factory,

they were way over
the legal limit.

Well, that's terrible.

Did Mr. Cazuli know?

You know, it's hard to imagine
that he didn't, right?

Anyway, according to this,

local weather girl
Mandy Michaels

made a connection between
elevated levels of styrene

and an increase in asthma cases.

This is not sounding
good for Cazuli.

You know, I wonder if he was
aware she was looking into this.

As a matter of fact,

a receptionist at
Cazuli Carpeting

went on record saying that

Mandy showed up at the
factory a few days ago.

And I bet you she went
there to confront Cazuli.

Cazuli had to know that the cost
of shutting down production

to address the problem
would've been sky-high.

You know, that explains

the threatening note
that Mandy got.

"If any of this gets
out, I will kill you"?

Hey, this matches exactly

the Cazuli Carpeting stationery.

That's why she was at the park.

The Environmental
Protection Agency's

right around the corner.

You know what?
You might be right about that.

When I called them,
they confirmed

that Mandy was on her way there

to drop something in
the after-hours box.

I think Cazuli killed her to
keep her from turning him in.

All right, enough!

This broad was sticking her nose

into something that was
none of her business.

She shows up, she's all
high, she's all mighty

with her stupid-ass file of
evidence, and I told her,

I told her to "Scram, get
outta here, beat it!

"And if I ever see
your face around here,

you're gonna regret it."

I told her.

She says to me, if I don't
close everything down,

she's gonna expose us.

The friggin' note--

the note was to scare
her away a little bit.

Seemed to work, right?
'Cause I never heard from her again.

Come on. Give me a break.

I thought this mess
was over with.

Thank you, Mr. Cazuli.

Oh, yeah. For what?

For admitting to motive

and to threatening Mandy.

What?

He's all yours, counselor.

Where you been?

Cazuli's lawyer is
looking for a plea

on the styrene violation.

What about the murder rap?

Claims he's innocent.

Yeah, but unfortunately,
we got nothing

that places Cazuli there
the night of the murder.

Look, if we can't
physically tie him to it,

then all we have is speculation.

Without evidence,
he's gonna walk.

Hey. There's something you're
gonna want to take a look at.

Search warrant came through
on Cazuli's office.

We found the file that
Mandy left with him.

Now in her research

is this picture of
their smokestack.

It looks like it was
taken at street level.

Exactly.
Now take a look at the timestamp.

This picture was
taken last Tuesday

at 5:47 PM.

Based on the
position of the sun,

- tech confirmed that the time was correct.
- Meaning what?

Meaning unless Mandy could
be at two places at once,

she couldn't have
taken that photo.

She was on air at 5:47.

So who took the picture.

She had a partner.

Which is why Mandy told
Cazuli "they'd" expose him.

Well, if she had a partner,

then why haven't
they come forward?

Maybe they're afraid of Cazuli.

If we can find them,

they might have some info
on Cazuli that'll nail him.

You know what? Why don't we
order dinner and work through?

Wait a minute. Castle.

Don't you have a date with
Kristina Coterra tonight?

Yes, I do.

And--oh, crap! I'm late.

Yeah, well, don't
let us keep you.

Uh, are you sure you're okay--
are you okay with this?

Okay? Are you kidding?
It's Kristina Coterra.

Yeah, besides, since when
have you let cop work

get in the way of your
busy social life?

Yeah, I mean, go.
Enjoy your date.

Right.

Okay.

- I'll call you later.
- Mm.

To check on the case.

Okay, guys, let's just get...

back... to work.

Surprise.

What are you--how--I--

I thought we were meeting
at the restaurant?

I know, but this is so
much more romantic--

you, me...

Some oysters.

Oh, wow.
You got oysters in there?

To get us in the mood.

Also some chocolate-covered
strawberries.

I...

Well, I spoke with
everyone at the station,

including her boyfriend.

No one admits to
being the partner

or even knowing what
she was working on.

There's nothing in her
phone records either.

Yeah, well, there's gotta be
something that we're missing.

Speaking of missing something,

Castle should be way more
excited about his date tonight.

Why?

According to
"Celebrity Examiner,"

Kristina is notorious
for seducing famous men

with her extensive
bikini collection.

What? Jenny buys it,
and it just happened

to be open to that page
on the coffee table.

What's your point?

Isn't it obvious?

She's totally gonna
put the moves on him.

No way. Not gonna happen.

Thank you for actually
showing some maturity.

He's totally gonna put
the moves on her.

Don't you guys think
that he's actually

evolved beyond that by now?

He's a man, he has a pulse, so...

No.

You know,

ever since I saw you
on that red carpet--

mm, that face of yours--

I have been waiting to do this.

Well, if you've been waiting

that long, why not wait
a few minutes more?

Where you going?

To the fridge to put
away these strawberries.

Wouldn't want the
chocolate to melt.

I can think of a better
use for that chocolate.

Ha!

Okay.

Kristina, let's talk
about this for a second.

Oh, you want to talk?

Well, I just-- what are we--

what are we-- what
are we doing here?

Hey, Castle. How's your date?

What are you--

Oh!

Get back. Get back. Aah!

Castle?

Ooh.

Don't worry.

I got it.

Ah! Okay, I'll help. I'll help.

Hi, you've reached Richard Castle.
Lucky you.

Now that that's out of the way,

where were we?

Um, um...

oysters.

Ooh, let's skip the oysters.

Really? 'Cause I happen to be--

Why are you playing
so hard to get?

I'm really not. I just--

- You are.
- Whoa.

You know, no man has
ever said no to me.

Well... there was one.

Really? That sounds like
an interesting story.

Tell me about him.
How did he get away?

I assure you...

it had nothing to do with me.

Oh, wow.

Oh!

Castle?

I, uh...

uh, I know who the killer is.

Look, I tried
everything to get away.

I-I hid under the counter.

I was hiding in the bathroom.

At one point, I tried to pull

a "Cape Fear" up
under the piano.

Yet when I walked in, she was
straddling you on the couch.

Right? She's like the
Terminator of sexpots.

What is that even
supposed to mean,

she just keeps on coming?

No, I--that's...

The only reason

I went on the date
in the first place

was because you made a big deal
about being single in public.

Castle, I have 12
missed phone calls

from Chip the sportscaster

because he thinks
that I'm single,

but that doesn't mean

that I'm gonna let him
mount me in his speedos

just to prove it.

You didn't tell me he called.

Really? You're gonna play
the jealousy card now?

Okay, look, I'll make it
up to you, all right?

Whatever you want.

What I want is not to have

this image of a
bikini-clad woman

stuffing her boobs in your face.

So good luck with that.

Don't I even get credit for
figuring out who the killer is?

No.

Later in the week, we'll
be seeing a warming trend.

Mr. Haxton.

Can we have a word?

Uh, I'm about to go
live with a story.

So are we.

I just had a very
interesting conversation

with Kristina Coterra.

She told me that you
are the one man

who's rejected her
advances in the past.

Yep, the one man.

Well, I don't see how
that's relevant.

Well, her pride was hurt

so she did a little digging.

Turns out, you did have
a secret relationship,

just not with Mandy.

She discovered you
have a boyfriend

that no one here knows about.

Well, my... personal life's
none of your business.

Normally, yes, but it
became our business

when we found out
that you lied to us

about why you were
at Mandy's apartment

and about what you
were fighting over.

Now did you take this photo?

No.

Wow, that's funny.

Because a search of your
apartment turned up a camera

with this and other
photos on it.

She was your partner.

She was helping
you with a story,

so why didn't you come forward?

Well, there's only one
conceivable reason--

because you killed her.

She was a colleague
and a friend.

Why would I kill her?

Because she uncovered the
expose of a lifetime.

A story that big, it has
to be vetted by legal,

that can take weeks,
even months.

But Mandy couldn't
wait that long,

not while kids
were getting sick.

So she decided to turn the
findings over to the EPA.

At which point,

you lose your big exclusive.

Now when was the last time

you had a big exclusive?

This is crazy.

No, this is crazy.

You--you think I killed
someone for a story.

We know it was you, Miles.

We found gunshot residue on
the clothes in your hamper,

on the ski mask,

the shirt.

You have to understand...

It was an accident.

I only meant to scare her.

I thought if I could just
get those files back,

I could stop her.

I'd be able to break the
story like she promised.

But she fought me.

She fought me, and she went
and grabbed for the gun.

Why would she fight me?

I mean, I-I didn't even
know the gun was loaded.

Well, the station
manager confirmed,

Miles was on thin ice.

The only way he could
save his career

was to break a splashy story,

so he made a deal with
Mandy to help her

in exchange for the exclusive.

Right, and then when
she betrayed him,

he snuck out of the press
party to confront her,

and then things just
got bad from there.

I've gotta say,

pretty brave of Mandy
to take up that cause.

Not what you'd expect from
what people said about her.

It's funny how her coworkers
thought they knew her so well,

and she had this
whole secret life

she was hiding from 'em.

Yeah.

It's late.
I'm gonna get outta here.

Yeah, me, too.

Walk you out?

Uh, no, thanks. I'm good.

Good night, guys.

- Good night.
- Night.

Well, good night.

Good night. Night, Castle.

Look.

It's Reggie.

And finally, here is number one

on this week's top ten
sports moments of the week--

this one sent in from
a Reggie Blake fan.

This is what happens
when you try

to barge through
to see the Blake.

Aah!

Yeah, I'm guessing
those eager fans

did not get an autograph.

Yo. You took that punch for me.

You didn't have to do that.

Well, it's what
partners do, right?

Come on. Let's go get a beer.

I'm buying.

Cool.

Uh, anywhere but a sports bar.

Definitely not a sports bar.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.
I should not have gone on that date.

I-I... I should've said no.

Then why didn't you?

Well, I'm no good at this.
Pretending to be single--

Yeah, but, Castle, neither am I.

And the last thing I want to do

is have to worry about
you with other women.

Well, uh, for the record, I-I
wasn't gonna sleep with her.

I know.

Look, that's not even the point.

The point is, is...

I don't even know
how to do this.

Do you remember when
Miles said that

it's inevitable that
this will fall apart,

that it's destined to implode?

Uh, just a reminder,

Miles is a lying killer.

But...

Okay, maybe people find out,

and maybe we won't get
to work together,

and maybe we'll implode.

Or maybe we'll continue
to be amazing.

The point is, we don't
have the answers.

We just have to live with
the questions and...

find our way.

Okay, can...

Well, can we just
start here then?

Can we say that we will talk
about dating other people,

but we won't actually
date other people?

Yeah. I--no, I can do that.

Okay, good, because
I have a gun,

and you don't really
have a choice.

Clearly, I don't have a choice.

No.

Mm.

I'm sorry.

I can't.

It's--it's too soon.

I just--I keep seeing
her boobs in your face.