Beckett pummels a punching bag.
Demming: You need someone to steady your bag.
Beckett: Are you offering?
Demming: Yeah. Sure.
Beckett: Alright.
Demming: Alright.
Beckett: Thanks.
Demming: Nice.
Beckett's cell rings.
Beckett: Thank you.
Demming: Anytime.
Beckett (on cell): Beckett.
Castle and Alexis play poker in full dealer uniforms.
Alexis: Alright, here comes the turn.
Castle: Mmm. Actually, sweetie, it's called the river.
Alexis: Right. Right. The, uh, fifth community card is called "the river" or fifth street."
Castle: Now you're on the trolley, kid.
Alexis: So, who won?
Castle: Oh. Well, actually, you had me until the river.
Alexis: Mm-hmm. And you got a third jack, and trip jacks beat trip nines. You win.
Castle: Well, don't sweat it, sweetheart. Just your first lesson. What do you say we call it a night?
Alexis: What? No. Let's keep playing. Shuffle up and deal.
Martha: Ah. Hello, darlings. Oh. What's all this?
Alexis: Dad's teaching me the basics of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em.
Martha: I'm shocked. Shocked there's gambling in here. Deal me in.
Castle's cell rings.
Castle (on cell): Good evening, Detective Beckett.
In the parking.
Esposito: Victim's name is Paul Finch. According to the registration, it's his car.
Beckett: What do we know about him?
Esposito: We ran him for next of kin, found his wife.
Ryan: She's on her way in.
Esposito: And his rap sheet. He's a thief. Couple of bank jobs, some corporate B and E's. But he hasn't been arrested in a few years. So he's either really lucky...
Castle: Or he's out of the game.
Beckett: What happened?
Lanie: I'd say he was electrocuted.
Beckett: That had to be pretty high voltage for him to get burns like that.
Castle: Well, sure. You connect these leads directly into the ignition system, you rev the engine high enough...
Beckett: Looks like they were trying to torture him, but ended up killing him instead.
Lanie: Either way, it wasn't pleasant.
Beckett: You know, whoever did this either wanted to send a message or needed something from him.
Castle: What would somebody need from a retired...
Beckett: What?
Castle: His eyes are closed.
Beckett: Did anyone touch the body before you came here?
Lanie: Nope. It was like that when I got here. The killer must have closed them postmortem.
Castle/Beckett: That means he knew our (the) victim.
Castle: I would say, he probably felt guilty about what he had done, wanted to erase it.
Beckett: Have CSU sweep the cars, and let's fume the body. Maybe we'll get some prints off of his eyelids.
Lanie: You got it.
Beckett finds a piece of designed metal in the car.
Castle: What is it?
Beckett: You tell me.
Castle: Maybe he was murdered by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.
In the interview lounge.
Beckett: Mrs. Finch, we're very sorry for your loss. Does this look familiar to you at all?
Beckett shows her a photo of the piece of metal.
Monica Finch: No, sorry. Look, I know what my husband was, but Paul had been out of the game since he left prison. When we got married, he swore off taking scores. Then a few weeks ago, he said he had to go do something for a friend.
Beckett: Did he tell you what or who?
Monica Finch: No. I begged him not to do it, but he... he said he owed the guy from way back. Paul was a thief, Detective, but he had this sense of honor. He was old-fashioned like that. He was a good man, Detective. I mean, God knows he had his faults, but...This? He didn't deserve this.
Near the bullpen.
Castle: So the guy comes out of retirement for one job and ends up dead. That cannot be a coincidence.
Esposito: Yeah, what lures a guy who's been retired for years back into the game?
Ryan: Must've been something big.
Beckett: That was Robbery on the phone. They logged in a break-in at a branch of Manhattan Mutual the day before yesterday.
Esposito: Bank heist. That fits with Finch's profile.
Castle: Did they have any details?
Beckett: Nope. They're sending the new guy up now.
Demming: And that would be me.
Esposito: Oh! What's up, bro?
Demming: How you doing?
Esposito: Why didn't you tell me you transferred?
Demming: Ah, you know, I've been settling in.
Esposito: Hey, uh, this is my boy, Tom Demming. He was one of the best cops back at the 54th. This is my partner, Ryan.
Demming: How you doing?
Ryan: Hey, nice to meet you, man .
Demming: You, too.
Castle: Richard Castle.
Demming: Yeah, the author, right?
Castle: That's right.
Esposito: And this is Detective Beckett.
Demming: Yeah, we met.
Beckett: Yes. Hi.
Demming: Hi. So, Paul Finch, huh? He's one of the few guys on the island who could've taken a score like that.
Beckett: Like what?
Demming: A couple of pros tunnel into the vault, drill open a safe deposit box, leave nothing behind but the great smell of Brut.
Beckett: And you think that Finch couldn't have pulled this off on his own?
Demming: No, it's a two-man job at the minimum. There's definitely another player floating around out there.
Beckett: Well, we've run a search for his phone records and financials, so hopefully we'll find something that ties him to a partner.
Castle: Or maybe the partner turned on Finch after the robbery, decided he didn't need him anymore.
Beckett: Either way, we know that the robbery and the homicide are connected.
Castle: That seems like an awful lot of trouble for one safe deposit box.
Demming: Yeah. And they left stacks of cash untouched. The guys downstairs thought I was nuts when I hopped on this case, but I like the weird ones.
Esposito: Hmm. How about that? Beckett likes the weird ones, too.
Ryan: Yeah.
Castle: What could be in that box that's be worth digging a tunnel to and killing for? Diamonds? German bearer bonds? Nazi gold?
Demming: Yeah, we still don't know yet. The bank had some trouble locating the owner, but he's supposed to be coming in this afternoon. Would you like to join me for the interrogation?
Beckett: Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to.
Demming: Good.
Beckett: Meanwhile, I'm gonna need you guys to hit the street and see if you can scare up any of Finch's associates. Maybe anyone that he's taken scores with in the past or people that he owes. Thank you.
Ryan: You got it.
Castle: What can I do?
Beckett: You could watch.
Castle: Two weeks ago, I saved your life twice.
In the interview lounge.
Beckett: Thank you for coming in, Mr. Cana.
Fred Cana: Call me Fred.
Demming: And obviously we're going to do everything we can to help you recover your stolen property. What exactly was in the box?
Fred Cana: Stamps.
Demming: Stamps?
Fred Cana: Yeah, I collect them.
Demming: It kind of surprises me it took you so long to reach out to us. The folks at the bank said they left you a half a dozen messages over the last couple of days.
Fred Cana: Well, I been busy, you know? I been working a lot.
Beckett: And what is it that you do?
Fred Cana: I'm in, uh, private security.
Beckett: This stamp collection, how much was it worth exactly?
Fred Cana: Well, it's hard to put a price tag on an item like that because of, you know, the sentimental value.
Beckett: And who else knew that you were keeping it at the bank?
Fred Cana: Just a select group of other stamp enthusiasts with whom I formed relationships over the years.
Demming: So how long you been a philatelist, Fred?
Fred Cana: Hey, watch your mouth, pal. Fred Cana don't go that route.
Demming: Philately is the study of stamps, Mr. Cana, which you would know if you were, in fact, a collector. Come on, Fred. What's really in the box, huh? What'd they steal from you?
Fred Cana: I don't have to take this crap. I'm the victim here.
Near the bullpen, Castle is killing time by linking paperclips together.
Ryan: Hey.
Castle: Hey, you guts rounding up the usual suspects?
Ryan: Yeah, and every hood this side of Harlem says Finch has been out of action for years.
Esposito: Where's Beckett?
Castle: Oh, she and Captain America are in there with Fred Cana.
Esposito: Fred Cana?
Castle: Yeah, he's the guy who rented the safety...
Esposito storms across to the interview lounge, Ryan and Castle follow.
Fred Cana: Officer Esposito!
Esposito: Actually, it's Detective Esposito now, Fred.
Fred Cana: Congratulations.
Esposito: Fred here is a bagman for Victor Racine.
Castle: Who's Victor Racine?
Demming: He's a syndicate man. Made the leap from organized crime to legitimate businessman while no one was looking.
Esposito: Racine is connected and untouchable.
Fred Cana: You ought to know. Esposito and his old partner tried to touch him a few years back.
Esposito: How about I touch you instead?
Esposito launches at Cana, but Ryan and Castle pull him back.
Fred Cana: Come on! Come on, tough guy!
Esposito: Let's go!
Ryan: Come on. Take a walk, alright? He's not worth it. Man.
Esposito broods in the hallway with Ryan and Castle as Cana leaves. Esposito makes a move towards him, but Ryan stops him with a hand on his shoulder. Beckett enters.
Beckett: What the hell was that all about?
Esposito: He works for Victor Racine.
Beckett: So?
Esposito: Victor Racine killed my partner.
In the break room.
Esposito: His name was Ike. Ike Thornton. We partnered up back when I was at the 54th. We worked the Organized Crime Task Force. Victor Racine was our target. Until, one day, Ike didn't come into work. It's like he just disappeared. To make matters worse, Internal Affairs came around here asking all these questions, talking like Ike had gone over, that he was working for Racine. It was an absolute load of crap. Couple days later, some kids found Ike's car out by the docks. Shot to hell, blood all over the seats.
Ryan: All the hallmarks of a professional hit.
Esposito: Yeah, only we couldn't tie it back to Racine. His guys had dumped Ike's body so that we could never find him. The department shut down the whole operation after that. I transferred here. But I know one thing, if Fred Cana has a safe deposit box, it's because he's holding something for Racine. And it ain't no stamps.
In the hallway.
Beckett: He wants blood.
Demming: I don't blame him. From the look of it, I'm guessing Racine had Finch killed for stealing from him.
Beckett: That explains why he was tortured. So he'd give up his partner. You know, whatever they stole from that safe deposit box, Racine wants it back bad.
Demming: Yeah, but how did he get onto Finch in the first place?
Castle: Maybe he recognized the great smell of Brut.
Beckett: I'm sure that Racine is the kind of guy who has his sources.
Demming: So you like our stamp collector for doing the deed on Racine's behalf?
Beckett: Sure, except we called. He has witnesses willing to corroborate his whereabouts.
Castle: Of course he does.
Beckett: And we have no proof otherwise.
Demming: Oh, speaking of which, they brought up the CSU report on the crime scene. The car was wiped down. Other than Finch and his wife, we got no usable prints.
Beckett: And we still don't have an ID on that metal symbol we found.
Castle: Meanwhile, our stamp collector has an alibi and we currently have no evidence. So what is our next step?
Beckett: We talk to the real victim of our robbery. Mr. Victor Racine.
Demming: Bold. I like your style.
Castle: What, you think he's the kind of guy who's just gonna tell us what's in that box? Or maybe admit to killing the thief?
Beckett: Watch and learn, Castle. Watch and learn.
Racine plays virtual golf while Beckett, Demming, and Castle question him.
Victor Racine: To what do I owe this pleasure, huh?
Beckett: A safe deposit box at Manhattan Mutual was broken into the other night, Mr. Racine. It was registered to an associate of yours, Fred Cana.
Victor Racine: You don't say. What's this world coming to, huh?
Demming: Mr. Cana claims that the box contained his stamp collection?
Victor Racine: I've never known Mr. Cana to lie... To me.
Beckett: Well, we believe that it held something a little bit more valuable. Maybe something of yours.
Victor Racine: Oh, really? And why is that?
Beckett: Because one of the guys involved in the robbery was found murdered in a parking garage last night.
Castle: Actually, Mr. Finch was tortured before he was killed. Now, why would someone do that if all he stole were stamps?
Victor Racine: Hmm.
Beckett: Where were you last night?
Victor Racine: Home. And I have around-the-clock bodyguards who can attest to my whereabouts, but you don't think I killed Finch. You assume I had somebody do it for me, so you're here just to count coup, aren't you?
Racine taps Castle on the head with the golf club handle.
Demming: Sorry. What was that?
Castle: The Plains Indians considered it an act of bravery to get close enough to one of their enemies to touch him with a coup stick. Is my hair...?
Demming: Looks good.
Castle: Thanks.
Victor Racine: This item or items that were in the safety deposit box, if they're so valuable, why aren't you out chasing down Mr. Finch's associate in this endeavour? After all, you know what the old saying is, "no honour among thieves."
At Victor Racine's office.
Castle: See, what'd I say? Waste of time.
Demming: Well played, Detective.
Beckett: Thank you, Detective.
Castle: "Well played"? All he did was deny it.
Beckett: Well, you can learn a lot from a denial.
Castle: Like what?
Demming: Like Racine hasn't found Finch's partner yet.
Castle: Because Racine would never point us in that direction if he already knew who or where the partner was.
Demming: He must want this guy pretty bad if he's willing to have the cops do his legwork for him.
Castle: How does it help Racine if we find Finch's partner first?
Demming: Racine's connected. He'd have no trouble having Finch's partner killed in jail.
Beckett (answers her cell): Beckett. Hmm. Okay. We'll be right there. (hangs up) Lanie's ready to fume the body.
Demming: Alright, you guys head back to the morgue. I'm gonna go see if Finch's financials have come in yet.
Beckett: Okay.
Beckett smiles thoughtfully as Demming leaves. Castle watches her.
Beckett: What?
Castle: Nothing.
At the autopsy room, Castle watches the fingerprint fuming of the body.
Castle: That is so cool. Do you mind if I take pictures?
Lanie: Knock yourself out. But if any of them end up on the internet, I will hunt you down and hurt you.
Castle leaves.
Lanie: So, what's with the handsome robbery detective?
Beckett: Demming? Oh, we're just working the case together. That's all.
Lanie: Mmm-hmm. But then again, you have been working with Castle for a year and not a damn thing has happened, so... We had a pool going. I lost a lot of money on you two.
Castle taps on the observation glass.
Castle: You guys.
Beckett: Yahtzee. The killer left a print when he closed our victim's eye. Let's run it.
Lanie runs the fingerprint through the database. It finds a match.
Lanie: Huh.
Beckett: What?
Lanie: We got a match on the print, but the guy it belongs to is dead.
Beckett: But that's impossible.
Castle: Unless he's a zombie.
Lanie: Not a zombie. A cop.
Beckett: Isaac "Ike" Thornton.
Castle: Esposito's old partner?
Beckett: He's alive.
Near the bullpen.
Esposito: I went to his funeral, held his wife's hand. And now you're telling me he's alive and working for Racine? That he murdered Finch?
Beckett: It was the perfect disappearing act. He knew that everyone would think that Racine had killed him and dumped his body somewhere.
Esposito: No, I don't see how he could do it. To the badge, to me? I would've taken a bullet for him.
Montgomery: Esposito. This is Lieutenant Holliwell from Internal Affairs.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: We've met.
Esposito: You called IA?
Beckett: No.
Montgomery: I called them...for your protection.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I'm sorry, Detective. I don't really enjoy being proved right.
Esposito: No, of course not.
Castle: I take it you were the investigating officer when Ike Thornton disappeared?
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I was.
Beckett: And what put you onto him in the first place?
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Racine was always one step ahead of us, like he always knew what we were thinking. It didn't take too much to figure out that he was being tipped off by a cop. Luckily, we had an informant at the time that confirmed it, but before we were able to arrest Thornton, he disappeared. Most likely found out that we were coming for him. When we found his car, we just assumed Racine killed him. Looks like he brought him into the family instead. Has Thornton contacted you?
Esposito: What do you mean, contacted me?
Ryan: Whoa. What exactly are you accusing my partner of?
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I'm not accusing. I'm asking.
Esposito: Asking what? If I knew all along? If I was part of it? The answer's no.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Well, such an elaborate hoax, it seems like it would take a little bit of planning, a little help.
Esposito: I just told you, I didn't know. What do you want me to do, take a poly?
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Would you? Take a polygraph test?
Montgomery: Wait a minute...
Esposito: If it'll get you off my back.
Montgomery: Esposito, you don't have to do this.
Esposito: I want to.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Good. My office. One hour.
In the conference room.
Ryan: Guy was out of line back there.
Esposito: I'd be asking the same questions if I was in his shoes.
Ryan: You know you can talk to me, right?
Esposito: I put all that stuff behind me, bro. The only thing I have left from back then...
He pulls out a metal key chain 54th.
Esposito: This right here. Back in the day, when I was in the 54th, everybody used to carry one of these with them. It was like a sense of pride, you know?
Ryan: Ike have one of those?
Esposito: Yeah. Why?
Ryan: Let me see it.
Esposito slides the keys to him and Ryan holds them up to the photo of the piece of metal found in the victim's car. Beckett and Castle walk over.
Ryan: The 54th. It must've broken off when he was struggling with Finch.
Esposito: It was him.
Beckett: You know, no one would blame you if you stepped off this case.
Esposito: No. Partner or not, he killed a man.
Castle: This guy's pulled a ghost routine for years. Gave up his old life, his friends. Guy can't pull a disappearing act like that without help from somebody.
Esposito: He had Racine's help.
Castle: Well, Racine or no Racine, he was married, right? Has a kid. They must have known.
Esposito: I saw Carol last month. She doesn't know anything.
Beckett: You sure about that?
Esposito: Hell, I'm not sure about anything anymore.
Ryan: Where you going?
Esposito: Take a poly, clear my name.
Beckett: Go pick up the wife. Let's see what she knows.
In the interview lounge.
Carol Thornton: I'm sorry. I don't believe you.
Beckett: His thumbprint's on our victim's body, Carol. He's alive. There's no other explanation.
Carol Thornton: Well, they never recovered Ike's body, so I don't know. Someone could've cut off his thumb and...
Castle: Yes, they could've done that, but you know they didn't. Come on, Carol. It's been years. An attractive woman like you hasn't found someone new?
Carol Thornton: It's not easy when you're a single mom. Not that that's any of your business. You know what you get when a cop dies with a warrant out on him? Well, I'll tell you what you don't get. You don't get a folded flag and you sure as hell don't get a penny of his pension.
Beckett: And yet, you somehow managed to make mortgage payments...
Carol Thornton: If Ike is alive, that means we're still married. And you can't compel me to testify against my spouse.
In the conference room.
Castle: She knew he was alive, but did she know he was working for Racine?
Beckett: She's a cop wife and she knows her rights. Good luck getting anything out of her.
Esposito: She might talk to me.
Ryan: Oh! Looked who passed his poly.
Esposito: Yeah. Had the feeling that Holliwell was kind of disappointed. She knows me. I might be able to get her to open up.
Beckett: Alright, take a run at her in the morning. And I'll get a unit down to the house in case Ike decides to show up.
Esposito: Alright.
Beckett nods to Ryan to follow Esposito out.
Castle: Betrayal, lies, deceit. Sounds like my first marriage. What?
Beckett: I'm trying to figure out what was so damn important in that safe deposit box that Finch and his partner would risk their lives that way.
Beckett dials a number and there's a ringing nearby.
Castle: Who are you calling?
Demming walks in.
Demming: Demming.
Beckett: I was just calling you.
Demming: What a coincidence. I was just coming to see you.
Castle: Wow. It's like we're all on the same case.
Demming: Esposito told me about Ike. You have a lead on him yet?
Beckett: No. We're working on it. What about Finch's partner?
Demming: Ah, there's nothing in his phone or his financials that points to one. But the bank surveillance tapes finally came in. I was gonna scrub them in the morning. If Finch cased the joint in the last couple of weeks...
Beckett: Then maybe the mystery partner went with him.
Demming: Exactly. You want to join me?
Beckett: Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to.
Demming: Great. I'll see you in the morning.
Beckett: Okay, great. I'll see you. Good night.
Demming: Good night.
Beckett leaves and Castle makes to get up.
Demming: Castle, can I ask you something? You and Beckett, is there, uh, something going on?
Castle: Me and Beckett?
Demming: Yeah.
Castle: No.
Demming: Look, man, if I'm offsides...
Castle: No flag on the play.
Demming: Great. Okay. Great.
Castle playing more poker with Alexis.
Castle: Don't smile when you have a good card. You need to develop poker face. Trust me. It comes in handy. Except when it doesn't.
Alexis: What do you mean?
Castle: Never mind.
Castle lays down his cards.
Castle: Pair of ladies. What have you got?
Alexis: Boom! Two cowboys! I win. Who's the daddy now?
Castle: You win like your grandmother.
Alexis: So, it looks like I owe you one night of solo dish duty. And you owe me four days of bed-making duty, three spa treatments, two pairs of sunglasses, and a Bulgari purse for Gram. What's wrong?
Castle: I'm not used to losing.
Esposito knocks on the door with Ryan and Carol answers.
Esposito: Hey, Carol. Got a few minutes?
Tim Thornton: Uncle Javi!
Esposito: Hey, what's up, buddy?
Tim Thornton: What's up?
Esposito: How you doing?
Tim Thornton: Good.
Esposito: Good. Oh, man, you looking tall. Hey, this is my boy, Kevin.
Tim Thornton: Hi. I'm Tim.
Ryan: Nice to meet you, Tim.
Esposito: Hey, he loves baseball cards. Why don't you, uh, take him upstairs and show him yours?
Tim Thornton: Come on.
Ryan: Yeah, let's go.
Carol's hands shake as she pours coffee for Esposito in the kitchen.
Esposito: How long have you known? Carol, it'll be a lot easier for him if you just tell me where he is.
Carol Thornton: So you can arrest him?
Esposito: Carol, he killed a man.
Carol Thornton: No.
Esposito: His prints were on the body.
Carol Thornton: Please. Please. Do not try to find him. Not now, not when we are so close.
Esposito: So close to what?
Carol Thornton: I'm sorry. I can't.
At the police station.
Demming: You know, if your mouse finger gets tired, we can switch.
Beckett: That's okay. I think I can handle it.
Demming: Oh, I get it. You don't want to give up the driver's seat.
Castle: Hey, I brought coffee.
Beckett: Ah, you know what? It's okay. Demming already brought some.
Castle: Did he now? Hey, Paul Finch.
Demming: Oh, yeah. He's casing the place.
Beckett: And look who his partner is.
Castle: That's his wife Monica. She said she had no idea what he was doing.
Demming: There's someone else with them.
Castle: That's...
Beckett: Ike Thornton. If he's working for Racine, what's he doing with Finch?
Esposito: So Ike was working with Finch?
Demming: Yeah, it looks that way. I'm guessing he discovered Racine was keeping something valuable in the box. He needed Finch's skills to help him get it.
Esposito: But if they were working together, why would he kill him?
Castle: Maybe Racine was right. Maybe there is no honour amongst thieves.
Esposito: And maybe he didn't do it.
Beckett: We have him at the scene.
Esposito: Him working with Finch, what his wife said, doesn't add. Something else is going on.
Castle sees Ryan leading Monica Finch down the hall.
Castle: Looks like we're about to find out what.
In the interview room.
Beckett: Here's the thing, Monica, we're not interested in whether you helped your husband case the bank. All we care about is finding the guy who killed him. Ike Thornton.
Monica Finch: You think Ike Thornton killed Paul? Let me tell you the kind of man Ike is. About twelve years back, he collared Paul and his kid brother Barry on a heist. Ike saw that Barry was a first-timer, so he cut him a break. Paul went to jail for five years, but he never forgot what Ike did for his brother. That's why he did this last job with him, as payback.
Beckett: Well, payback's a bitch, because we found Ike's fingerprints on your husband's body.
Monica Finch: I don't believe it.
Beckett: It doesn't matter if you don't believe it. The fact is, Ike was there. He tortured and killed your husband.
Demming: What was in the box, Monica? What did they steal from Racine? It must have been pretty valuable if Ike decided to kill your husband so he wouldn't have to split it.
Monica Finch: Split it? There was nothing to split.
Castle: What was in the box?
Monica Finch: A book. A ledger.
Beckett: A ledger?
Monica Finch: Something that showed all of Racine's pays and owes on all of his businesses, not just his legitimate ones.
Castle: An accounting of all Racine's illegal operations could be worth a bundle in blackmail.
Monica Finch: It could if they'd gotten it, but when they hit the bank, the box was empty.
Demming: Empty?
Monica Finch: The ledger wasn't there.
Near the bullpen.
Castle: So a guy tortures and kills his partner after breaking into a bank to steal something from his boss that wasn't actually there.
Demming: Well, it sounds crazy when you say it like that.
Eposito: Look, I know he was my partner, but no matter how I slice it, it makes no sense that Ike would kill Finch.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Detective Beckett.
Beckett: Lieutenant Holliwell.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Sorry to interrupt, but my team's been up on a wire monitoring the cell phones of several key members of Racine's organization. We've been listening for any mention of Ike Thornton.
Beckett: And?
Lt. Stan Holliwell: And it turns out, we're not the only ones looking for him. Racine just put a price on Thornton's head.
Beckett: Racine must have found out he was going after the ledger.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I guess you're not the only one your old partner betrayed.
Eposito: Carol.
Beckett: Where you going?
Eposito: If Racine's going after Ike, the first place he's gonna go is the same place we went, his wife and kid.
Beckett: Ryan.
Ryan: Yeah.
Ryan rushes out after Esposito.
Beckett: I'm gonna call the surveillance team.
At Carol Thornton's house.
Esposito: Carol! Carol, it's Javi!
Esposito enters, gun at the ready, Ryan right behind him.
Esposito: Carol! Timmy! Upstairs. Go. Carol! Timmy!
Ryan: Nothing.
Esposito: They're gone.
Ryan: Surveillance team said they never left. How the hell did they...
Esposito: Racine. Have the uniforms canvass the neighbours. Maybe somebody saw something.
Ryan: Yeah. On it.
Ryan exits. Esposito walks down the stairs and pauses before he opens the front door. Ike's sitting in a chair aiming a gun at him.
Ike Thornton: Appreciate what you done for my boy, Javi.
Esposito: Carol and Time. Where are they?
Ike Thornton: Somewhere where Racine can't find them.
Esposito: We've had guys on this place 24/7. How the hell did you get in here?
Ike Thornton: Three years as a ghost, you learn a few things.
Esposito: So IA was right. Three years ago. Now. You were working for Racine.
Ike Thornton: Is that what you believe?
Esposito: You let me think you were dead. And now you're holding a burner on me.
Ike lowers his gun.
Ike Thornton: You're a good cop, Javi. But I put this down, you're gonna take me in. And I can't let you do that, not yet. Not when I'm so close.
Esposito: So close to what?
Ike Thornton: There is a dirty cop on Racine's payroll. So in order to throw them off of his guy, Racine dirtied me up. And IA bought it hook, line and sinker.
Esposito: Why didn't you just come to me?
Ike Thornton: Look, cases like mine are contagious, brother. I couldn't let you catch what I had. Racine's guy fed them so much garbage, they could lock me up. And if I had let them, Racine would have had me shanked at Rikers before I could clear my name.
Esposito: Where you been?
Ike Thornton: Watching, learning. That's how I found out about the ledger.
Esposito: Racine's pays and owes.
Ike Thornton: Everyone on his payroll, including the dirty cop that set me up.
Esposito: But the ledger wasn't in the bank like you thought.
Ike Thornton: Somehow, Racine found Finch.
Esposito: You were there, man. We found your prints.
Ike Thornton: He was dead when I found him, Jav. I just closed his eyes. Come on, man.
Esposito: And the ledger? I know where the ledger is. But I need a little more time, Javi. Just until tomorrow night.
Esposito nods, then reaches for his pocket. Ike raises his gun again, but Esposito shows him he's just pulling out his keys. He shows him his 54th key chain.
Esposito: You used to carry yours with you all the time.
Ike shows him his fully intact keychain in his other and.
Ike Thornton: I still do, man.
Esposito: Then that means there's somebody else mixed up in this, somebody from the 54th.
Ike Thornton: Whoever it is, they tipped Racine that I'm still alive, which means they're close. Maybe a part of your investigation.
Esposito: 54th. Demming.
Esposito looks at Demming in the conference room.
Esposito: It's him.
Ryan: Got to be. Remember how he said he requested this case?
Esposito: Said he like the weird ones, but it was just so he could hunt down the thieves for Racine.
Castle: I knew there was something I didn't like about him. Too pretty. Bet he takes yoga classes just so he can pick up girls.
Esposito: All these years, he's been lining his pockets with Racine's cash, leaving Thornton holding the bag.
Castle: Probably subscribes to The New Yorker, but doesn't even read it.
Ryan: The guy's been playing us all along, using us to find Finch's accomplice.
Castle: Just leaves copies laying out where people can see them.
Beckett: Let's nail the bastard.
Esposito: How?
Beckett: If he was tipping off Racine, he wouldn't use the precinct phone. He's use his cell.
Ryan: We could pull the SIM card. If there are any calls to Racine, we'd have all the proof we need.
Castle: How are we gonna get his phone away from him?
Demming turns to look at them bunched together looking at him.
Esposito: What's up, man?
Beckett: I have an idea.
Beckett spars with Demming.
Demming: Wow. It's been awhile for me.
Beckett: You know, I'll try to be gentle.
Demming: You do that.
Beckett lands him on his back.
Beckett: Too much for you?
Demming: No, no. I'm just a little slow to get started.
Demming throws her, and the two face off again.
Demming: But I think I'm starting to find my rhythm now.
At the locker room.
Ryan, Castle, and Esposito enter with a bolt cutters. Ryan cuts the lock off Demming's locker and the three of them cough loudly to cover the sound.
Esposito: Let's go. Hurry up.
Castle hisses that someone's entering. Esposito smacks Ryan who's digging in the locker.
Ryan: Ow! What?
Castle: Hey, man. What's up? Showering?
The guy passes by and Ryan digs out the phone.
Ryan: Got it.
Esposito: Let's go.
Back in the gym.
Demming: Any leads on Thornton?
Beckett: None.
Demming: How's Esposito taking all this?
Beckett: How do you think? I mean, here's a guy who's been carrying his 54th key fob in honor of his partner's sacrifice.
Demming: I had one of those.
Beckett: Oh, yeah?
Demming: Yeah.
Demming flips her and she stays on her back.
Demming: But I lost mine years ago. Come on.
He offers her a hand up. She slaps it away and rolls to a standing position.
Demming: Alright.
The IT guy leaves the tech room. The three musketeers file into the empty room.
Castle: Bet this guy does a lot of sexting, too.
Ryan: It's uploading now.
Back in the gym Beckett and Demming are gasping for breath.
Demming: I gotta tell you, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
Beckett: You know, I hear it helps if you think about baseball.
Demming: So, what do you do for fun, Kate, huh? When you're not trying to take someone's head off?
Beckett: I'm actually kind of a homebody.
She kicks him to the floor.
Beckett: You know, the night before I met you, I went home to read a book.
Demming: No kidding.
He takes her legs out.
Beckett: Whoa! Ugh, what about you?
Demming: What about me what? What do I do for fun? Or what was I doing the night before we met?
Demming wrestles her and pins her to the mat.
Demming: Seriously. Why don't you just ask me if I have an alibi for Finch's murder?
She laughs and wrestles to pin him to the floor.
Beckett: Okay. So where were you?
Back in the tech room.
Ryan: I ran all his numbers through the reverse directory. They're all coming clean.
Beckett and Demming enter.
Beckett: That's because it wasn't Demming.
At the police station.
Ryan: Your alibi checked out.
Demming: Thank you.
Ryan: He really was coaching an underprivileged youth basketball league.
Demming: Well, for what it's worth, my kids won that night.
Castle: Oh, jeez.
Ryan: Sorry, man. Had to rule you out.
Demming: Let's just move on. Look, there's a wrong cop out there. We need to figure out who it is.
Esposito: You know how many cops have gone through the 54th in the last ten years? Hundreds, maybe thousands.
Beckett: Well, whoever it was, was very good. You don't work the other side without arousing IA suspicion unless you know what you're doing.
Esposito: Yeah, we're never gonna find him, not in time anyway.
Beckett: In time for what?
Esposito: I gotta take a walk.
Ryan follows Esposito.
In the parking.
Ryan: Hey, I thought you were going for a walk!
Esposito: What do you want?
Ryan: Thornton's going after the ledger tonight, isn't he?
Esposito: The man's been on the run for three years, separated from his family. I gotta help the guy, so don't try to stop me.
Ryan: I'm not. I'm going with you.
Esposito: No, you're not.
Ryan: I'm your partner. That means I'm with you till the wheels fall off.
Esposito: I know, bro. But I'm gonna need you to get my back if things go wrong, alright?
Ryan: Okay.
Esposito: Thanks.
Near the bullpen.
Montgomery: Tell me you got something, people.
Beckett: Unfortunately, sure, we are dead in the water.
Castle: No, we're not. If Thornton never worked for Racine, then someone lied to IA three years ago.
Beckett: To throw suspicion from the real dirty cop.
Castle: So whoever IA was talking to, they must know who the real dirty cop is. All we need to do is get the name of the informant from Holliwell and run him down.
Demming: Easier said than done. There's no way an IA officer is gonna give up the name of a confidential informant.
Montgomery: We'll see about that.
In the parking.
Ike Thornton: You sure you're ready to bet your badge on this? Pretty long odds.
Esposito: You're my partner. You sure you can get us in Racine's office?
Ike Thornton: Trust me. I've been casing the joint for three years. Let's roll.
A fax comes through.
Beckett: Sir, how did you do it?
Montgomery: Pulling strings and trading favours.
Beckett: This can't be right. The investigation against Ike Thornton three years ago, Lieutenant Holliwell lists his chief informant as Detective Javier Esposito.
Montgomery: Son of a bitch.
Castle: What does that mean?
Montgomery: It means there was no informant.
Beckett: Sir, is there any way to find out if Holliwell served at the 54th?
At Victor Racine's office, Ike takes a blowtorch to Racine's safe.
Esposito: Come on, bro. What the hell's taking so long? I could have chewed through that by now.
Ike finishes and pulls out the ledger.
Ike Thornton: There we go.
They flip through the ledger and Lt. Holliwell sneaks in behind them with a gun with a silencer.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Nice thing about Internal Affairs, it's our job to monitor other cops. You should've turned your cell phone off completely, Esposito. You know, with GPS and all.
Esposito: All this time, it was you.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I figured you'd come for that sooner or later. Big mistake.
At Victor Racine's office.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Toss the ledger over here. Throw it!
Ike throws the ledger.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: If I were you, Thornton, I would've just stayed dead.
Ike Thornton: Well, you're not me. I'm a cop.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I beg to differ, buddy. You're a wanted criminal. Just ask Esposito over here. He died trying to apprehend you. My only regret is that I... I showed up too late to save him.
Esposito: You son of a bitch.
Ike Thornton: Look, there's something I want to say before we're done here. Thanks for backing me up.
Esposito: Lot of good that did us.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: I am going to get the Medal of Valor for killing you, Thornton.
Ike Thornton: No, I'm serious, man. Thanks for having my back.
Esposito pulls the gun tucked into the back of Ike's jeans and Ike hits the deck.
Holliwell walks out of the elevator with the ledger in one hand and his gun behind his back. As he walks towards the exit, Beckett and Demming come around the corner, guns drawn. Holliwell begins bleeding on the floor.
Lt. Stan Holliwell: Thank God you're here. They tried to kill me. Esposito and Thornton, they're both in on it.
Beckett: Drop it or I will drop you.
Holliwell drops the gun and tries to bolt the other way, but Ryan has the back entrance covered. Holliwell drops the ledger and puts his hands up, his side bleeding. Demming pats him down and finds the 54 keychain with the "th" missing.
Ryan: You know the drill, Holliwell. Keep them up.
Beckett: Lieutenant Holliwell, you're under arrest for the murder of Paul Finch.
Ryan: Where's Esposito? Where's Esposito?!
At Victor Racine's office.
Ryan: Esposito?
Esposito: Yeah. We got an officer down.
Ryan: William 16, William 16, need an ambulance at 3471 Houston.
Ike Thornton: I'm cool. It was a clean exit.
Esposito: Holliwell?
Ryan: Yeah, we got him and the ledger.
Esposito: Good. Ike.
Ike Thornton: Yeah.
Esposito: This is my partner, Ryan.
Ike Thornton: Hey.
Esposito: And this is my other partner, Castle.
Ike Thornton: Hey, man.
At Montgomery's office.
Beckett: And with Holliwell's testimony and the ledger, we now have enough evidence to arrest Racine.
Montgomery: Okay, but what I don't understand is how the hell you ended up in Racine's office with Thornton.
Esposito: Sir, I...
Beckett: Oh, I… I'm sorry, sir. I thought we made that clear. Esposito was with us when we responded to a robbery in progress call at Racine's office.
Montgomery: Uh-huh. And who made the call?
Castle: Uh, the call was made by a private citizen who wishes to remain anonymous.
Montgomery: Well, I may need a private citizen to help me write up this damn mess.
Castle: I'd be happy to lend my expertise.
Esposito: So...
Montgomery waves them all out of his office.
At the lockup.
Ike Thornton: I know you're not turning me loose.
Esposito: Just a furlough.
Ryan: We got something we want you to see.
Beckett, Demming, and Castle escort Racine out of the elevator. The entire precinct applauds.
Esposito: You did it, bro. And the best news is you're free to go.
Demming: As far as I'm concerned, Finch acted alone. It's my case. I'm closing it.
Castle: And I don't see Racine pressing charges anytime soon. Right now, he's trying to deny that the ledger is his.
Beckett: It's time for you to go home, Ike.
Ike's wife and son run to him.
In the break room.
Demming: So, is it always this much fun up here?
Beckett: We have our moments.
Demming: So now that you know I'm not a dirty cop, anytime you need a sparring partner...
Beckett: Thanks.
Castle walks down the hall and sees them talking.
Beckett: I'm sorry. What?
Demming: I find...
