Castle (2009–2016): Season 6, Episode 14 - Dressed to Kill - full transcript

Did you see that tunic
Professor Jablonski was wearing

yesterday in Advanced Draping?

I know. It was very
sad-cat-lady-meets-David-Bowie.

This is what it's come to.

Dumpster diving to find fabric
for our mid-term haute couture project.

You know what they say.

"One man's trash is another man's..."

- (GASPS) I think I found something.
- Oh! Me too.

- (STRAINING)
- It's stuck.

That's because we're both tugging on it.

- Let go!
- I had it first!

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Oh! This fabric is just to die for.

The lace, the decolletage.

This would look stunning on you,
just stunning.

Uh, you know, I...

Mother, what are you trying to force
on my lovely fiancee?

No, no, no, no, no.
I am just trying to

expose Katherine to the glorious world
of wedding magazines.

They are all very girly,

with a lot of gauzy photos of love-struck
brides looking off into the distance.

Perhaps they're contemplating
the 50% divorce rate.

MARTHA: You know what,
you need to get beyond

the fairy tale
treacle aspect of these magazines

and see them for what they are,

a source of ideas
as you plan your wedding.

Yeah, like this place.

The Cordova House?

"A landmark Spanish Revival mansion

"with an elegant
carriage house exterior."

"It was built at the turn of the century,

"and remains an enduring legacy
of architectural beauty

- "in the heart of Manhattan."
- A-ha!

I remember The Cordova House.

It was like a cultural venue for the arts
in the '70s.

I think I went to a party there.

Of course it was the '70s,
so I can't be sure.

This says it's been refurbished,
and they've started to book weddings.

- I love it.
- It's gorgeous.

Could it be that we've stumbled upon
a venue we actually agree on?

Yeah. I mean, I'm good with it. Are you?

- Mmm!
- (MARTHA CHUCKLES)

- (LAUGHS)
- Ah.

You're welcome.

- Thank you.
- Yeah, sorry.

I'm gonna make some inquiries
right now.

(PHONE BEEPS)

Ah, you're gonna
have to do it while we're working a case.

Okay. Thank you.
I appreciate it. All right.

Apparently we aren't
the only ones who read that article.

The event planner
at The Cordova House

said they've been swamped with calls.

Okay. When's their next available date?

She said she's gonna call me back.

Hey, Espo. What do we got?

A body, found by two fashion students
dumpster diving for fabric.

Victim's name is Ella Hayes. She's 26.

According to her driver's license,
she has an apartment in Brooklyn.

What's she doing
down here in the Garment District?

Could be something work-related.

Her business card says that
she works for Modern Fashion.

She's an assistant to the editor-in-chief.

That would be Matilda King.

- Okay.
- Seriously?

You've never heard of Matilda King?

I'm betting that most real men haven't.

Mmm, yes, if by "real"
you mean "uninformed."

Whatever.

Matilda King is a legend
in the fashion industry.

Or infamous,
depends on your point of view.

Yes. Former assistants of hers have
written books about how tough she is,

a dragon lady who chews people up
and spits them out.

Does she also strangle them?

Because that's how
Lanie said our Vic died.

- Hey, Lanie.
- Hey.

So, the murder weapon was
a scarf, a sash, or something.

Okay, when did this happen?

Based on lividity,
between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m.

I also recovered some blue hairs
on her neck, left by the attacker.

Blue hairs?
So, she was killed by a little old lady.

Or Katy Perry.

Animal hairs
that were dyed blue, Castle.

Or a Dr. Seuss character.

I don't recall any of them
being homicidal.

That's true. I need a new theory.

I've got one. Our killer was strong,

and he or she was able to
lift the body into the dumpster.

Espo, can you get uniforms
to canvass the area for any witnesses?

Castle and I will go to her work.

You and Ryan head off to her place,

see if there's anything there
that'll indicate

- why she was here last night.
- Right on.

Ella and I went to Parsons together,

and then we've been roommates
for the past two years.

I still can't believe this.

When was the last time you saw her?

Umm... Yesterday morning.

She was up at 5:00, like always.

And then out the door to get
Matilda's coffee and cranberry scone

on her way to the office.

What about after work?
Did you see her then?

No. I'm a buyer at Saks,
so I don't get home till late.

Did Ella have a boyfriend?
Or a relationship?

(SCOFFS)
No. She was on call for Matilda, 24l7.

So she didn't have time
for relationships.

Or for the one thing that
she really wanted to do.

Which was what?

Design.

She hoped working at Modern Fashion
would open doors for her.

Was Ella having any problems
that you know of?

Umm, she had been stressed lately,
a little more than usual.

I asked her, she said it was work.

But she didn't go into details.

RYAN: Lilian, if you don't mind,

I'd like to have an officer come by
and take your statement.

Of course. Anything I can do to help.

(BEEPS)

Oh, we don't get cell reception in here.

You can use my landline if you like.

Thanks.

Here's my card.

If you can remember anything else,
please give me a call. Okay?

- Yeah. Thank you.
- (PHONE DIALING TONES)

(STATIC INTERFERENCE)

(ELEVATOR DINGS)

BECKETT: Well, this is it.

The big leagues for
anyone who wants to work in fashion.

Wow! Apparently you have to be
a total hottie just to work here.

And I'm saying that as a completely
detached, soon-to-be-married observer.

- It's okay, Castle. Stare all you want.
- Really?

Actually, no. But it's kind of hard not to.

I mean, Matilda only hires people
that fit the magazine's brand.

You have to look the part.

You seem to know a lot
about Matilda King.

I've picked up a thing or two.

Hi. NYPD.
We need to speak with Matilda King.

Do you have an appointment?

I think you missed
the part about the NYPD.

Please.
I just took over this desk this morning.

She's going to freak out
if I add you to the schedule.

Do you have any idea
what happened to the last assistant?

Yes, she's dead.

Dead? What do you mean?

- MATILDA: No, no, no, no.
- Oh, God, here she comes.

I won't take no for an answer.

You must join us on the yacht.

Giorgio will show his new collection.

Gordon Ramsay is cooking.

Lady Gaga is performing,

pushing the boundaries of style,
no doubt in the wrong direction.

So let me know. Mwah!

- New assistant.
- It's Carrie.

I'll learn your name
when you've earned it. Here.

These are your messages, and
Julian Bruckner is waiting in your office.

And who is this?

BECKETT: Uh...

NYPD. We need to
ask you a few questions, Ms. King.

Kate Beckett.

I never could forget those cheekbones.

Wait, you two know each other?

Yeah, yeah. When I was a model,
for about 15 minutes.

You modeled for Modern Fashion?

I offered her
a spread in the January '99 issue.

Nicole Kidman was on the cover.

And you passed.

To date, you're the only person
to ever tell me "no."

I'm wall-to-wall.
We'll have to reschedule.

Get ready to be told "no" again.

We need to ask you a few questions
about your assistant, Ella Hayes.

It cannot wait.

We'll talk in my office. Hold my calls.

By the way, Ella is my former assistant.

Be right with you, Julian.

Uh, so what do you mean by "former"?

I fired her yesterday afternoon
after she made a scheduling mistake

and I showed up
to a board meeting late.

And that was after
her mistake last week,

when I kept the new owner
of our magazine

waiting for 45 minutes.

Matilda. Have you seen the proofs
from the Fab Five photo shoot?

They are divine.

MATILDA: They better be, Julian.

So far, everything you've submitted
has been rather pedestrian.

(SCOFFS) Matilda, these designers
are barely out of diapers.

Excuse me. Sorry.

We're investigating a murder here.

A murder? Of whom?

Your former assistant, Ella.

Oh, Ella's dead? How?

That's what we're trying to figure out.

Now, do you know
if she had any problems?

You don't think this had anything to do
with that incident with Grace?

What incident?

And who's Grace?

Grace is my other assistant,
whom I fired

because she allowed
the scheduling mistakes to happen.

And what was the incident?

Well, apparently, yesterday,
when Ella and Grace

were escorted out of the building
by security,

they literally got into a brawl
right in the middle of a photo shoot.

The photographer, Serge,
had to break it up.

SERGE: Yeah,
the two of them really went at it.

I mean, it was a full-on cat fight.

It was actually kind of sexy.

What exactly was the fight about?

It was about the job. Okay?

I overheard Grace blame Ella
for getting her fired.

Serge, how long will this take?

I'm up against a deadline
to finish my design.

You'll be here as long as it takes
to make Matilda happy.

(SIGHS)

The mantra we all live by.

Do you remember
any other details about the fight?

I can do better than that.
I can show you some of it.

I was shooting at the time,

and got a few frames
with them in the background.

There, check it out.

Can you zoom in on that?

Sure.

CASTLE: Check out Grace's scarf.

Lanie said she found blue hairs
on Ella's neck, from being strangled.

Looks like Grace was dressed to kill.

GRACE: Look.

I grew up reading Modern Fashion.

Working for Matilda King?
That was my dream.

But when Matilda fires someone,
people remember,

which means my career in fashion
is pretty much done.

Thanks to Ella.

Because you believed
it was her fault that you got fired.

It was her fault.

She started making mistakes
because she was so busy

sucking up to designers like Yumi,
and showing off her sketches.

And I paid the price.

Which is why you killed her.

What are you even talking about?

We got in a fight. That was it.

Okay, okay. Then explain this.

This blue alpaca scarf
was found at your apartment.

It's an exact match
to the hairs found on Ella's neck

after she was strangled.

Come on. Other people have that scarf.

Yeah.
But you're the only one with motive.

It was the Christmas gift
from Modern Fashion.

We all got the scarf.

Maybe Ella was wearing hers
and someone choked her with it.

Where were you
between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m., Grace?

I'd just gotten fired.

Some friends took me out
and got me drunk.

- You can ask them.
- I will.

In the meantime, let's talk about Ella.

Her roommate thought that
she was having trouble at the office.

You worked with her.
Do you know what it was?

Actually there was something else.

A few days ago, at lunch time,

I saw her arguing with this guy
outside the building.

Did you recognize him?

I'd never seen him before.

But I overheard them
and he was threatening her.

He said she had something he wanted

and he wouldn't
take "no" for an answer.

And what was her reaction?

She said she was gonna call the police
if he didn't leave her the hell alone.

And then he stormed off.

I tried to ask her what it was all about,
but she wouldn't tell me.

Do you remember him well enough
to help us with a sketch?

I think so.

Okay.
This is the guy who threatened Ella.

So you believe Grace's story?

Her alibi checks out

and unis found two witnesses
that saw him arguing with Ella.

Ella was basically a glorified assistant.

What could she possibly have had
that this man wanted?

Think about it, Castle. Matilda King
is the most influential person in fashion.

And Ella had direct access to her world.

So, you're saying
this man leveraged Ella

to find out what direction
hemlines are going next season?

Oh! I just came up
with a new title.

Murder is the New Black.

Does that even make sense?

RYAN: No, it doesn't. And here's
something else that doesn't make sense.

Did you guys find something
at Ella's apartment?

RYAN: You could say that.

I went to use the landline and I noticed
some static when I got near a lamp.

When we popped the lamp open,
look what we found inside.

A bug?

Why would
someone bug Ella's apartment?

CASTLE: Because

she's La Femme Nikita

and her job at Modern Fashion
is just a cover.

She's not La Femme Nikita.

Still, wire-taps?
Threats from mysterious men?

Murder? Whatever's going on here,
it's bigger than fashion.

Okay.
See if you can get a serial number.

Let's figure out who bought that bug.

Yep.

All right. Thank you very much.

Hey.

That was the event planner
at The Cordova House,

they said they still have
a few spots open in the fall.

She can give us a tour tonight.

Woo-hoo! Let's do it.

So, where are we on Watergate?

So the plot thickens.

The building manager
at Ella's apartment

remembers letting an exterminator
into her place about a month ago.

Usually exterminators get rid of bugs.

Only, this one didn't.

The company that he worked for
doesn't exist.

What is this about, Castle?

Why would someone target Ella?

Well, you already heard
and rejected my theory.

Yeah, but your theory doesn't explain the
little detail that Lanie just found out.

There's black coral
on the sole of Ella's shoe.

And it wasn't from the dumpster.

That doesn't make any sense.
Black coral is found in the tropics.

Exactly.
So how did this end up on her shoe?

- Yo, Beckett.
- And Castle.

Sure.

So no luck on the serial number,

but we got a hit
off the canvass of the crime scene.

A seamstress coming off the late shift
saw a guy waiting on the corner

right near the alley
where Ella was killed.

We get a description?

Yeah. And he matches our sketch.

Yes, that's him.

He was standing by the alley
outside the Broadway coffee shop

when I walked by.

And what time was this?

Just after midnight.

Do you recall how tall he was?
What he wore?

Fabric is my business.
He wore a dark suit.

Nice quality, wool-blend.

Oh, and he had
a distinctive striped tie.

Crimson and navy,
with gold triangles across the stripes.

That sounds like a club tie.

Crimson and navy.
Yes, I know that one.

Gold triangles...

That's the Carlton Club tie.

If we can match that sketch
to one of its members, we got our ID.

Yeah, except clubs like that

are notoriously protective
of keeping their members' privacy.

They're not just gonna
hand over that information.

The club won't, no,
but one of its members might.

After a tough negotiation
that involved my Knicks tickets

and naming a character in my next book
after his Nana,

my friend came up with a name.
Marcus Conway.

Okay. So what do we know about him?

He is a lawyer at Kellerman Goodfriend.

That's one of the city's
biggest law firms.

Why is a high-powered lawyer
going after Ella?

Maybe it has to do with her work.

Turns out that Marcus Conway

is general counsel
for Couture Chick magazine.

That's "chic."
And not that you would know,

but they are Modern Fashion's
biggest competitor.

Call Conway's firm.
I want to know where he is.

Detective, I would think very carefully

before making
these kinds of accusations.

Mr. Conway,
I am not making any accusations.

I'm simply stating fact.

We have a witness
that heard you threatening Ella Hayes.

And another one that saw you
near where she was killed.

Right about the same time
she ended up that way.

- You need to explain yourself.
- (DOOR OPENS)

Marcus, I heard the police are here.

What's going on?

- Who are you?
- Gloria Robbins.

I'm editor-in-chief of Couture Chic.

They think I murdered Ella Hayes.

What? That's ridiculous.

So you know who she is?

This is obviously
one huge misunderstanding.

Then clear it up, tell me
what you know about Ella Hayes.

We approached Ella and attempted to
engage her services.

So basically, you tried to hire her

to get inside information
on Modern Fashion.

- I wouldn't put it that way.
- Well, I'm pretty sure she would,

which is why she turned you down.

And you wouldn't take "no"
for an answer.

This is a competitive business
with everyone looking to get an edge.

Yes, I was aggressive
in trying to make a deal,

but when she refused, I accepted that
and I never contacted her again.

Then why were you less than
a block away from where she was killed

at about the time she died?

Because she called me.

She asked me to meet her last night.

Why would she do that?

Probably because Matilda just fired her.

The bottom line is,

she said she had bombshell information
on Modern Fashion.

Information that, if it got out,
it would destroy the magazine.

Mr. Conway, I took a look
at Ella's cell phone records.

She never called you last night.

She did call, and I can prove it.
She left me a message.

(BEEPS) Hey, it's Ella.

I changed my mind about your offer.

I found out something,
something that'll ruin Modern Fashion,

take down the whole operation.

Meet me at the Broadway coffee shop

in an hour.
I'll see you there.

I waited around for two hours
but she never showed.

What information
did she want to share?

Believe me, I would love to know.

But I don't have the faintest idea.

What were you trying
to hire her to find out?

As you may have heard, a tech
venture capitalist named Glen Carter

bought Modern Fashion last month.

Glen has big plans

to drag Matilda's precious
little magazine into the digital age.

- Which are?
- That's what we wanted to know,

since our website has failed
to generate new subscription business.

If we could get
Modern Fashion's new playbook,

it could help us strategize
and stay one step ahead.

So you wanted to hire Ella
so that she could tell you

about the new direction
the magazine was taking,

and when she turned you down,
that was the extent of your contact?

Until she called last night.

And what about the eavesdropping?

What are you talking about?

We found a listening device
in Ella's apartment.

That wasn't us.
We had nothing to do with that.

BECKETT: So, these records explained

why we missed
Ella's phone calls to Marcus Conway.

She phoned him
using her roommate's landline.

So she told Conway to meet her
in the coffee shop in an hour.

It would take her about 20 minutes
to get there from her apartment.

So she must have been killed
on the way there.

It's a real shame.

Looking at her designs,
Ella actually had talent.

Yeah, well, the question is,
what did she know?

And did someone kill her
to keep her quiet?

Can't help you out there,
but I can tell you that

Marcus Conway was telling the truth
about not planting that bug.

Yeah, the serial number
led us to a distributer

named Alternate Intelligence,
in Queens.

Do they know who bought it?

James Kavanaugh
paid for that listening device

with a credit card a month ago.

And when does it get interesting?

When we found out he was
former Special Forces.

And, not to mention,
the head of security at Modern Fashion.

Wait a minute. Ella was being spied on
by her own magazine?

- (PHONE CHIMES)
- Uh...

Oh, Beckett, we have that appointment
at The Cordova House.

Castle, I'm sorry. Duty calls.

Can you go without me?

And see if it's as good as the pictures.

You trust me
to make this decision on my own?

Can you go with Martha?

(CHUCKLES)

We have to bring James Kavanaugh in.

Yeah.

I'm in the security business.
I buy lots of equipment.

Yeah, well, this equipment

was a listening device that you installed
in Ella Hayes' apartment.

If you think that, you're mistaken.

Really?

Because we showed your picture
to the super at Ella's building,

and he identified you as the
exterminator he let into her apartment.

I had nothing to do
with what happened to Ella Hayes.

You broke into her place,
you wired it for sound,

and now she's dead.

James. Think about how that looks, bro.

Your best bet
is to tell us exactly what you know.

All I did was bug her place, okay?

I mean,
once Glen Carter bought the magazine,

home monitoring
got to be a common practice.

So Glen Carter
ordered the surveillance?

No. No, he didn't know
anything about it.

It was ordered by Matilda King.

Matilda King?

You sure about that?

Yes, I'm sure.

She got all freaked out
about someone coming after her job.

So she said she didn't know
who she could trust anymore.

Okay, so who monitored
the audio from Ella's apartment?

Matilda had me set it up
so that it fed directly to her computer.

You realize what this means?

Yeah.

Ella called Marcus Conway
on the landline,

told him she could
take down the magazine,

and Matilda heard the whole thing.

Okay, thank you very much.

So, the guard in the lobby
of the Modern Fashion building

saw Matilda leave there
last night at 11:30.

And she was in a big hurry.

11:30?

That's right after
Ella called Marcus Conway.

Matilda knew that Ella was
about to spill the beans

and bring down the magazine.

So Matilda went to stop her.

She's our killer.

Wait, wait, wait! She's on a call.

She can call back.

MATILDA: Glen, this magazine
is not about tweets,

or likes on Facebook,
for God's sake!

For 57 years, women have been
purchasing this magazine

for the fashion!

GLEN: (ON SPEAKERPHONE)
Matilda, please...

Whenever they've had
a bad day at work or at home,

they've come to us, we are their escape.

We are their fantasy!

It's the clothing
that stitches it all together!

That's what matters!

GLEN: We're done here.

Glen!

Glen?

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.

(EXHALES)

You've got a hell of a temper, Ms. King.

It's not temper. It's frustration.

Glen Carter, our new owner,
cares more about money than fashion.

Is that why you were paranoid
he was gonna replace you?

I don't know what you've heard,
but I'm Matilda King.

My name is synonymous
with this magazine.

He wouldn't dare replace me.

So then why did you order
the monitoring

of all of your
employees' conversations

the moment
that he bought the magazine?

(HUFFS)

You are quite the detective.

Take a seat.

Yes, since the purchase,
rumors have been swirling.

I'd like to think that they're just rumors,
but I can't afford to take that chance.

I need to know my people are loyal.

By bugging their homes?

With their permission.

We've had some loyalty issues.

So my lawyers added some fine print
to their employment agreements.

Do you actually believe
that's going to fly in court?

My lawyers seem to think so.

Now what does this have to do
with your investigation?

Look, given the rumors about your job,
it must've been disconcerting to find out

Ella was taking damaging
information on Modern Fashion

to the competition.

To what are you referring?
What information?

We don't know that.

But what we do know is,

moments after she made the
arrangements to sell that information,

you were seen running out of here.

You think that I ran out of here
to kill Ella?

Your head of security says

that you're set up to listen to these
recordings live on your computer.

Something I do on the weekend.

I'm a little busy running a magazine
during the week.

Yeah. A position that
you're desperate to defend.

That's motive and that's opportunity.

I ran out of my office last night

because I was late
for drinks with Oscar DE la Renta.

Feel free to check.

Regarding
Ella's threat to the magazine,

I never heard her say that.

And you have no idea
what Ella was taking to the competition?

None.

But if you find out,
I'd be curious to know.

Anything else, Detective?

I'm going to need those recordings.

(SIGHS)

Hey, Beckett.

Matilda's alibi checks out.

She was having drinks with Oscar
until about 2:00 a.m.

So Matilda's not our killer?

And we still don't know
what explosive information

Ella was taking to the competition.

I think I may have found
something on these audio files

that might shed light on that.

So I've been going through
about a week

of inane conversations
between Ella and her roommate.

But she did place a call on the day

of the murder that
was pretty strange.

- Check it out.
- (TAPS KEY)

(PHONE DIALING TONES)

(LINE RINGING)

Hey, it's me, Ella.

Something weird is going on
inside Modern Fashion.

I think someone's targeting me.

I need your help. Call me back.

(LINE DISCONNECTS)

Do we know
who was on the other end of that call?

Based on the landline phone records,

the call was placed
to someone at Modern Fashion.

But it was routed
through a switchboard,

so it doesn't show
who she was connected to.

This directory lists over
100 people that work there.

Yeah.

Lucky I have crazy good hearing.

- Listen to the beginning again.
- (TAPS KEY)

(PHONE DIALING TONES)

I had Tech analyze those beeps

and connect them
to the corresponding digits.

The call was placed to this extension.

Armando Montoya.

He's an IT tech at Modern Fashion?

Mmm-hmm.

What was Ella doing
calling him for help?

We were friends, you know.

To most of the people here,
I'm invisible.

But Ella saw me. She was nice.

Why did she need your help
the day she died?

She wanted me
to look at Matilda's calendar.

What for?

Because Matilda missed
some important meetings.

But Ella was sure she entered them
into the calendar correctly.

She wanted to know
if the calendar had been tampered with.

And was it?

Yeah.

Several entries had been changed
over the past couple of weeks.

All in the middle of the night.

When I showed it to her,

she was convinced
that someone was trying to set her up.

Were you able to tell
who made those changes?

No.

I tracked them all to an IP address
outside Modern Fashion.

That was the best I could do.

I gave her the info,

and she said she was gonna figure out
who set her up,

and make them pay.

Next I hear, she's dead.

Do you still have that IP address?

Yeah, okay. I'll have Tech run it down.

But why would anyone want to
sabotage a fashion assistant?

I don't know, Espo.

But if Ella went after whoever is
behind this, maybe she found them.

All right.
I'll give you a call when I get a location.

Okay. Thanks.

More questions, Detective?

Actually, we found evidence

that suggests Ella wasn't responsible
for screwing up your appointments.

Someone else changed your calendar.
Someone outside of this office.

Are you saying that
I fired Ella for no reason?

Do you know why someone
would have done this to her?

No.

But I do know why
someone would want to do this to me.

What do you mean?

Ever since Glen Carter
bought Modern Fashion,

the sharks have been circling.

They smell blood.

So the calendar mistakes
made you look bad at a critical time.

- (PHONE CHIMES)
- Excuse me.

Oh, this is just what I need.

What's wrong?

I have to make a decision
in the next half hour

about a dress this issue,
and the model didn't show up.

Detective Beckett,

you said "no" to me years ago
when I offered you a job.

Might you do a little favor for me now?

MARTHA: Oh! Richard, look at these
beautiful antique chandeliers.

So if you're interested,

I have a couple of slots
for fall 2015 still open.

Excuse me, did you say fall 2015?

That's correct.

When we spoke on the phone,
I thought we were speaking of this fall.

No way.
That's been booked for months.

(PHONE RINGING)

Excuse me, but I
have to take this call.

Look around and
I'll be right back.

Ugh! Well, it is
a beautiful venue.

And it's a long time to wait.

Mmm. And a long time to plan.

I just feel like
I've waited long enough, Mother.

I don't want to waste any more time
before we take the next step.

Then don't.

I'm sure there's another venue out there

that the two of you
will just fall in love with.

Mmm.

Thank you.

Okay, this never happens,

but the Friedmans
just called off their wedding,

and we now have an opening for spring.

Spring 2016?

No, this spring!

I have a long list of couples
that would snatch this up immediately.

But since you're here...

Do you need any help in there?

BECKETT: No.
But you know what, when you asked me

to try on a dress
and I said "yes,"

I had no idea
it was gonna be this kind of a dress.

What do you think?

It's amazing.

Yeah.

The embroidery.

And the Austrian crystal.

It's just heavenly.

Yeah. It is, isn't it?

Come.

Yeah.

This probably would have looked
better on the model that didn't show up.

No, don't be silly, it's perfect on you.

Trust me, I'm an expert.

(CHUCKLES)

In fact, if I had a daughter,

this is exactly the kind of dress
I would want for her.

You are going to
make a beautiful bride someday.

Thank you.

Matilda, we're ready for the accessories
spread in the conference room.

Excuse me. I'll be back in five minutes.

Hey.

- How's the venue?
- CASTLE: Oh-ho!

Amazing. Yeah. So amazing.

And they didn't have any spots open
until fall of 2015.

But a couple just broke up,

and their unfortunate misery
can be our lifelong joy.

We can take their spot for this spring!

This spring.

- Wow.
- I know.

And there are a lot of couples
who want it.

But if I put down the deposit tonight,
it's ours.

So what do you say?

Beckett, are you there?

Yeah.

Okay. But I thought we agreed that
the venue was amazing.

Yeah, we did. It's just...

I started thinking about all the details
and the planning that we have to do.

I don't want to rush any of this.

Okay. If you're sure that's it?

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

I mean, we're gonna find
another venue, Castle.

It's gonna be great.

- Look, if...
- ESPOSITO: Hey.

So Tech was able
to track down that IP address.

Whoever changed that calendar
did it from a design studio in Soho.

Is there any connection between
the studio and Modern Fashion?

As a matter of fact, there is.

It belongs to one of the designers

being featured in Modern Fashion's
Fab Five spread.

- Yumi.
- Yumi what?

Just Yumi.

I guess if you don't have a last name
you can charge more.

So why would he, or someone from his
studio, be changing Matilda's calendar?

I don't know, but I can tell you this.

It looks like Ella may have been there
the night she was killed.

- How do you know that?
- Yumi's website.

The current design line
being produced at his studio

features dresses
embellished with coral.

And in addition to the fact
that this model is hot,

she's wearing black coral.

The same kind of coral that Lanie found
stuck to the bottom of Ella's shoe.

Let's go.

I'm probably gonna have to
call her in for an interrogation.

YUMI: No, sweetie.
You tell Little Miss All That

Yumi says
there's only one diva in this room.

If she doesn't want to wear
the pink Louboutins,

she is out of the show!

Models.

The lack of food
makes them so very fraught.

- Uh, Mr. Yumi...
- Please. Just Yumi.

Okay, Yumi.

When was the last time
you saw Ella Hayes?

Ella Hayes?

Matilda's assistant?
The girl who was killed?

Yes, of course.

We have reason to believe
that she was here last night.

Yes. She was.

Why was she here?

(STAMMERING)
She came to ask me for a job.

Really?

I told her I wanted to help,

but there was absolutely
nothing I could do.

When Matilda King fires someone,
they are radioactive.

Do you have any idea
why she was fired?

No.

I think you do.

Someone changed
Matilda King's calendar.

Matilda thought it was Ella,
but it wasn't Ella.

It was someone from your studio.

We traced the IP address.
So did Ella.

That's what she was
doing here last night.

She wasn't asking for a job.

She was looking to find
who made those changes.

Who ruined her career.

And given the fact that you just
lied to us, I am guessing it was you.

Me? (LAUGHS)

Do you have any idea how powerful
Matilda King is in the fashion industry?

My design is a Fab Five winner!

Matilda's about to make me famous.

Messing with her
would be career suicide.

What could possibly be my motive?

CASTLE: It's simple.

You needed to get her fired.
You needed to discredit her.

Why on Earth would I do that?

Because your winning Fab Five design

isn't yours.

CASTLE: From Ella's sketchbook.
They're exactly the same.

Ella was an aspiring designer.
She must've copied me.

No, Ella's roommate saw her
making those sketches months ago.

Okay, then if you found it
in her sketchbook, then how did I get it?

Matilda's other assistant, Grace,

confirmed seeing Ella give you
copies of her sketches.

Apparently, you had them on you

when you went in on
your Fab Five pitch meeting.

CASTLE: And from there
the story writes itself.

You showed your designs,

and they just weren't
good enough to make the cut.

But then the artistic director
sees these in your bag.

The fresh, stunning raw talent.
Perfect for the Fab Five.

Except they weren't your designs.

CASTLE: But only two people knew that.

You and Ella.

And being a Fab Five designer
could literally make your career.

So you made a choice.

BECKETT: Once you were
chosen for the Fab Five,

you realized that Ella would know
you had stolen her designs.

You had to discredit her
so that no one would believe her.

I want a lawyer.

Ella must've confronted
Yumi at his studio.

If she threatened to expose the whole
scandal, his career would be over.

He had to kill her to hide the truth.

Yeah, that all makes sense.

Now we just have to
connect him to the crime scene.

Only one problem. You can't.

Yumi didn't kill Ella.

How do you know?

Multiple employees
saw Ella confront Yumi.

But after she took off,
he was at the studio until 3:00 a.m.

He never left.

Are you sure?

His alibi is rock-solid.

But we know someone changed
Matilda's calendar from that studio,

he has to be involved somehow.

I think someone else was too.

I went through Yumi's phone records.

And after Ella left,
he made half a dozen phone calls

to Modern Fashion.

Such beautiful designs.

After all this time. I had no idea.

If she knew
these designs had been stolen,

why didn't she come to me?

Maybe she didn't think you'd listen.

At least, not to someone like her.

Maybe she just wanted revenge.

She would've gotten it.

If Couture Chic exposed
that our Fab Five list was corrupt,

it would have cost me my job.

Who else stood to lose?

Everyone involved, I suppose.

Just after Ella left Yumi's studio,

he made a series of phone calls
to someone here at Modern Fashion.

Someone who must have
known Yumi's secret,

who was helping him cover it up,

someone who knew that if the truth
got out, it could destroy them both.

There's only one person it could be.

Who?

We go to print in one week on this issue

and I'm still not happy
with the cover options.

And we're still not there
with the Fab Five spread.

Now go. Please, make it better.

Julian, a word.

(CLOSES DOOR)

What was your first reaction when
you saw Yumi's design submission?

Blown away.
That's why I nominated him.

Now is there a reason
why you didn't come to me

and tell me when he confessed to you
that he stole Ella's design?

What do you mean?

I had a word with Yumi this morning.

He told me you've known for a while.

And he also said it was your idea
to change my calendar.

He's lying.

But then I spoke to Mr. Carter
and he confirmed my suspicion.

You've been gunning for my job.

What does that prove?

It proves that you tried to
kill two birds with one stone.

You changed my calendar in order
to discredit Ella and undermine me.

You don't know
what you're talking about.

Don't even...

You're fired.

I can walk out of here

and get hired at any magazine I want
by the end of the day.

You won't be applying for a new job
anytime soon, Julian.

(HUFFS) This is ridiculous.

Matilda King, she takes pleasure
in torturing people like this.

Fact is, her story is as crazy as she is.

Except we searched the dumpsters
around your apartment

and we found Ella's scarf.

The one that you used to strangle her.

The lab also found
two sets of DNA on that scarf,

Ella's and yours.

I'm not gonna say another word
until my lawyer is present.

So what did the DA say?

That Julian's going to plead "not guilty,"
take his chances at trial.

The good news is,
Yumi cut a deal to avoid charges.

I guess murder
is not his type of accessory.

Yeah. He confessed to telling Julian
that Ella figured it all out,

and Julian told him
that he would "take care" of her.

So I guess the Fab Five is going to be
the Fab Four this year.

I always thought that the fashion
industry seemed glamorous.

Turns out, mobsters are more ethical.

Oh, my gosh. Why do you think I quit?
I'll take murderers over models any day.

If only murderers were this hot.

- I've got a bit of paperwork to do.
- Ugh!

Boring paperwork,
that is my cue to leave.

I'll see you later?

Yeah. Yeah, I'll see you when I'm done.

(LOCK CLICKS)

(CHAIN RATTLING)

Hey. Shall I pour you a glass?

Uh, no, not right now.

Everything all right?

We have to talk. (SIGHS)

Wow. That's something people say
before they deliver bad news.

Um...

You know, when you called last night
about the venue,

I was with Matilda.
She wanted me to model a dress.

And it was a wedding dress.

And when I saw myself in it,
I started to think about my mom.

She would have loved
to have been a part of all of this.

To help pick out the flowers,
and try on the dresses and...

When I looked at myself in the mirror,

I halfway expected to see her
right behind me.

And she wasn't there.

And just for a moment
I thought to myself,

"I don't know
if I can do all this without her."

And that's why I said no
when you asked about the venue.

I'm so sorry. It was so stupid...

No.

No, not stupid.

Human.

Do you know what else
I wish she could experience?

You.

Really?

Yeah. She would've loved you.

You know, Kate,

if you need more time...

No. No, I don't need any more time.

I don't even want us to
wait until the fall.

I think we can
find a new venue in the spring.

You think we can pull it off?

Yeah.

I mean, I already have the dress.