[Castle's Loft : Castle and Alexis]
[Alexis enters Castle's room with breakfast on a tray.]
Alexis : Breakfast time.
Castle : Oh! What did I do to other than, you know, being me?
Alexis : Isn't that enough?
Castle : (chuckles)Okay, what do you want?
Alexis : Nothing. Why do I have to want something.
Castle : March 1999, you wanted a Hello Kitty backpack. I got French toast with a whipped cream smiley face. October 2004, you wanted a set of mint condition Empire Strikes Back light sabers. I got an omelet shaped like Darth Vader.
Alexis : Okay. I want a Vespa. It's a scooter. All my friends have them, and it would make getting around the city so much easier, and they're totally safe.
Castle : Uh, honey...
Alexis : I'll always wear a helmet, and I'll never drive at night. You know how responsible I am
Castle : It's not you I'm worried about. Driving in New York, it's like a-- a Mad Max movie.
Alexis : Dad, I really want this. Will you at least think about it? Please.
Castle : Yes, I will think about it. If you leave me alone so that I can finish my breakfast.
Alexis : Deal.
Castle : [Castle's cell rings.] Ah, it's Beckett. [Castle lifts his fork to his mouth, but Alexis stops him.]
Alexis : Uh, remember what happened last time you went to a crime scene on a full stomach? Yeah.
Castle : (on cell) Castle.
[Deon Carver’s Office :Beckett, Castle, Lanie and Esposito]
Castle : And who is the unlucky winner today?
Beckett : Deon Carver. Bail bondsman. This is his office. He walked into a B & E last night, and before he had a chance to use his registered firearm, our killer knocked him over the head with that.
Castle : A sharp shooter award. That is ironic on so many levels. No. Just two.
Lanie : Our killer left a partial shoe print in Carver's blood, probably while wiping the trophy clean. Shoe print isn't complete enough to tell the size, but the tread marks should be easy to identify
Beckett : And then before leaving, our killer was nice enough to call 9-1-1 and leave the phone off the hook.
Castle : Someone was feeling a little guilty?
Lanie : Not too guilty. The call came in at eleven. I'm estimating time of death around ten.
Beckett : Which means our perp had about an hour to ransack the place.
Castle : Looking for what?
Beckett : Um. Money? I mean, bail bondsmen often get paid in cash and 10% of a million would be enough to tear up a place. Ryan and Esposito are taking a look around the building for any security cameras
Esposito : (on the radio)That's a negative on the cameras.
[Beckett lifts her walkie to respond, but there's some interference. She probes around the room and finds the hotspot on the desk.]
Castle : Why would a calculator cause feedback?
Beckett : It's not a calculator. It's a bug. [She opens it up and pulls out the bug.]
Castle : A wireless RF transmitter to be precise. Not to be confused with the more advanced infrared signal burst device.
Beckett : Book research?
Castle : Nanny cam. So, do you think that the robbery was just a pretense for the placement of the bug and then the killer was caught in the act?
Beckett : Well, it's not Watergate, Castle. If the point was to bug Carver's office, then why leave it here once he's dead?
Castle : Well, tell me this, Ms. Know-It-All,
Beckett : Mm-hmm.
Castle : Who would want to bug a burly bail bondsman so badly?
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan ]
Beckett : (on cell) Okay. Thank you. (hangs up) So, it's not law enforcement or a three-letter agency. That bug was a commercial device. I contacted the manufacturer in Thailand, they're looking up the serial number to see what store it was shipped to, and hopefully from there we should find out who bought it.
Castle : Mmm. I remember when killers used to buy American.
Esposito : Yo. I ran the shoe print through the new federal database. They matched the tread mark to these loafers here.
Castle : Ah, the no hassle tassel. These were the height of fashion. In 1984.
Beckett : These are photos of all of Carver's clients with a history of violence. Can you show them around his building, see if anyone was there yesterday?
Esposito : Yeah, you got it.
Castle : [Castle's cell vibrates. It's a message from Alexis ] You were a girl once.
Beckett : Still am.
Castle : Can you tell me why my daughter wants one of these so badly? [Castle shows her the photo on his phone of Alexis sitting on a Vespa.]
Beckett : Well, bikes are what girls want when we realize we're never going to get a pony.
Castle : Did you have one?
Beckett : I still do. 94 Harley softail. Worked all of high school to pay for it.
Castle : And how did your parents feel about it?
Beckett : Well, my dad threatened to send me to a nunnery, and my mom just shook her head and said, "Katie, every time you ride that thing, just remember how much you hate hearing me tell you 'I told you so'." You know what this means, though, don't you?
Castle : No. What?
Beckett : Well, Alexis is entering her wild child phase.
Castle : My daughter? I don't think so.
Beckett : Oh, yeah, Castle. All girls go through it. And good girls are the worst. In fact, I remember this one time when... Hey, did you find anything?
Ryan : Yeah, we located Carver's wife, Brooke. She's visiting her sister in Hoboken. Uniforms are on their way to pick her up now. Oh, and Lanie called. She said she found something weird?
[Autopsy Room : Beckett, Castle and Lanie]
Lanie : I found this hidden in Carver's sock while I was stripping the body.
Beckett : What the hell is it?
Lanie : I don't know. You're the detective.
Castle : Maybe it's what our killer was looking for in Carver's office.
Beckett : Seriously? That?
Castle : Yeah. Well, it's probably some complex code or, uh...
Beckett : The world's least interesting doodle. It's not something that you kill a guy over.
Castle : Then why did he hide it?
[Interview Room : Beckett, Castle and Brooke Carver]
Brooke Carver : I told my husband the kind of animals he dealt with every day, something bad was gonna happen.
Beckett : Ms. Carver, had your husband had any troubles with any of his clients recently?
Brooke Carver : Deon didn't talk about work a lot with me, but he did say that he had to straighten someone out yesterday. He said it got pretty ugly.
Castle : Any idea who?
Brooke Carver : I'm sorry, no.
Beckett : Did your husband keep cash in his office?
Brooke Carver : No. He insisted on money orders and cashier's checks. He had a good heart, but he wasn't stupid.
Castle : We found this folded up in your husband's sock.
Brooke Carver : I've never seen this before.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle and Esposito]
Castle : Just because she doesn't recognize it doesn't mean it's not important. Brooke even admitted Carver never talked to her about work.
Beckett : Castle.
Castle : I'm just saying, my spidey-sense is tingling about this.
Beckett : Well, I can't base an entire murder investigation on your spidey-senses.
Castle : Why not? Our killer was looking for something. Our victim was hiding something. “Res ipsa loquitur”.
Beckett : The thing speaks for itself. I know. All I'm saying is that even though Carver didn't keep cash in his offices, it doesn't mean that it wasn't an attempted robbery. I mean, these aren't MENSA members we're talking about
Esposito : Hey, Beckett. Waitress at, uh, the diner in Carver's building said that she saw Carver and one of his clients get into a shouting match last night. Some scale named Random Pierce.
Castle : Somebody actually named their kid Random? No wonder he turned to a life of crime.
Beckett : Random just did two years at Five Points Correctional and a week after he got out he was arrested for a B & E. That sounds like a real winner.
Esposito : Waitress said that she heard him tell Carver that, if he didn't give it back, that Random was going to take it.
Castle : Hmm. Well, I wonder what "it" could be.
Beckett : So, Random had a court hearing scheduled for this morning.
Esposito : He didn't show. They issued a bench warrant for his arrest at 9 a.m.
Beckett : Let's go pick him up.
[In a Street : Beckett, Castle, Ryan, Mike Royce and Random Pierce]
Ryan : This is Random's last known address.
Beckett : Alright, you guys take the back.
Castle : So, this Harley of yours, do you have any pictures?
Beckett : Uh, yeah, I do, but I'm not going to be showing any of them to you.
Castle : Why not?
Beckett : Well, because I don't think can handle the sight of me straddling it in tight, black leather.
Castle : I'm so not getting a scooter for my daughter. [They hear metal creaking and look up to see Random climbing down the side of the building.] That's Random !
Beckett : NYPD, stop! [Random jumps down the rest of the way and takes off running.] Hey!
Castle : Stop! [Beckett and Castle chase after Random. Castle vaults over a car in the street.]
I've always wanted to do that!
[A car speeds up to Random and turns sharply to roll Random over the hood. A man gets out and ties Random's hands.]
Beckett : What the hell are you doing? That's my suspect.
Mike Royce : Okay, relax. We're on the same team.
Beckett : Royce?
Mike Royce : Hey, kid. Long time.
Beckett : Yeah.
Beckett : Yeah, too long.
Castle : Nice driving.
Mike Royce : Well, thanks. Mike Royce. Bounty hunter. Boom.
Castle : Richard Castle. Writer. [Castle makes typing motions and noises.]
Beckett : Royce used to be on the job.
Mike Royce : On the job? She says it like I'm any cop. I was her training officer when she left the academy.
Random Pierce : Hey, hey, hey, I... if I'm imposing on your happy reunion, you know, I could just go.
Beckett : The only place you're going is jail.
OPENING
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Ryan and Mike Royce]
Random Pierce : You know, I never got to give ... a call. You let me go, I can give him a call.
Ryan : Just shut up and get in the box.
Mike Royce : No wonder that guy was getting away. Look at your shoes. How many inches are those heals?
Beckett : My shoes are fine, and he wasn't getting away.
Castle : (mouths) A little bit.
Beckett : So, how'd you get the bounty on Random?
Mike Royce : Oh, I got a buddy at the court house. Random missed his hearing, I got a call.
Beckett : Hmm.
Mike Royce : So, you like this guy for murder, huh?
Beckett : Yeah, for his bail bondsman, Deon Carver.
Mike Royce : God, I know Deon. I just did a skip trace for him last year.
Castle : You know, we found a weird piece of paper in his sock. I'm thinking it's some kind of code.
Mike Royce : Only paper I've seen people kill for had dead presidents on it. Look, if Random's not your guy, can I take him over to Central booking, collect my bounty?
Beckett : Yeah, sure, if he alibis out. But I wouldn't hold my breath on that. Castle, you coming?
Castle : Oh, actually, I was gonna hang back with Royce, hear some stories about the good old days.
Beckett : Okay. Fine. But if you tell him about the Karaoke stakeout, I'm gonna tell him what happened with the monkey.
Mike Royce : My lips are sealed.
[Beckett enters Interrogation.]
Mike Royce : But I got a lot of other stories.
[Interrogation Room : Beckett and Random Pierce]
Random Pierce : I wasn't running away. I was jogging.
Beckett : So, what were you doing climbing down the side of a building?
Random Pierce : Cross-training. Better cardiovascular workout.
Beckett : Random, you did a stint at Five Points Correctional and within a week of your release, you were breaking into someone's apartment.
Random Pierce :
That was a misunderstanding. I wrote down my friend's address wrong.
Beckett : Really? So, what do you call killing Deon Carver? Mistaken identity?
Random Pierce : Deon's dead?
Beckett : Nice try. You have a history of breaking and entering, and I have a victim who's offices were ransacked. And you were seen arguing with Carver three hours before he was killed.
Random Pierce : He invited me to dinner 'cause he wanted to stress the importance of my attendance at court this morning. And, seeing as he had 100k on the hook if I skipped--
Beckett : Which you did.
Random Pierce : My alarm clock didn't go off.
Beckett : Or you were so exhausted after killing Carver that you slept right through it.
Random Pierce : Come on! Three hours after we had dinner, I was shoplifting at Bookmart uptown!
Beckett : You threaten someone's life, and then decide to shoplift a book?
Random Pierce : Yes, well, I forgot to pay. I was so used to being in a prison library. I tried to tell the security dude that, but he had me in some ninja choke hold. Luckily for me, I was able to slip away before the cops came. Sucker. But that guard would totally remember me.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Esposito, Ryan and Mike Royce]
Mike Royce : So, no, she's got the cat in one hand, the gun in the other. I'm trying to get the hell out of the way so she can shoot the guy with the spear gun.
Beckett : Except Royce has such a giant head that every time I go to pull the trigger, all I could think about is how much paperwork I'll have to do if I accidentally shoot him.
Mike Royce : Yeah, okay. So, you know what she does? She offers to show the guy her boobs if he drops the spear gun.
Esposito : Did he?
Castle : Did you?
Beckett : No. 'Cause he had the same slack jawed look that the two of you have.
Mike Royce : Allowing me to take the guy down. But I'll tell you what I realized in that moment. With Beckett, you got to be ready for anything.
Castle : Wow. I am seeing a whole new side of you today. And-- and feel free to show me more.
Beckett : Do you see what happens when you feed the animals?
Ryan : Hey. So, it looks like your shoplifter isn't our killer after all. Guard at Bookmart confirms that he caught him trying to steal a copy of The DaVinci Code.
Castle : The DaVinci Code. Maybe he thought it could help him decipher the document, thinking it's some kind of a ancient religious cryptogram prophesying the coming zombie apocalypse.
Mike Royce : He always like this?
Beckett : It's usually about CIA conspiracies.
Castle : I was really close on one of those.
Ryan : So, do you want us to lock Random up? Store wants us to hold on to him.
Beckett : Why don't we let Royce take him down to Central. Bookmart can press charges over there.
Ryan : Alright.
Mike Royce : Thanks, kid. I owe you one.
Beckett : You don't owe me anything and you know it.
Mike Royce : Hey, do me a favor. Take a picture.
Castle : Yeah, yeah, of course.
Mike Royce : Thanks. Come on, old times' sake.
[Beckett and Royce stand next to the murder board and Castle snaps a photo.]
Castle : Okay. Nice.
Beckett : So good to see you.
Mike Royce : Stay sharp, kid.
Beckett : Mmm.
Mike Royce : Rick. Don't let her boss you around too much. [Royce takes Random down the hall.]
Mike Royce : Hey, come on, kitten. We got a date at Central booking.
Castle : He tells a terrific story.
Beckett : Got a little bromance there, Castle?
Castle : What, no. What?
Beckett : It's alright. He is pretty hard to resist.[Beckett walks off with a smirk.]
Castle : Hey.
Esposito : Yeah.
Castle : Why didn't, uh, Royce and Beckett stay partners?
Esposito : She moved up and he moved out. He did his twenty and put in his papers. I think he realized that he wasn't going to do any better than her. [Esposito takes the sock doodle photo from the murder board.] You know, I think Beckett's right about this. This doesn't look like anything worth killing for.
Castle : Unless it's the lost secret to the aluminates. Or Morse code.
Esposito : Negative. All dashes, no dots.
Beckett : Hey, guys, do you want to hear something weird? We got a finger print hit from Carver's office on a long time felon named Clifford Stuckey.
Castle : Stuckey. Why do I know that name?
Beckett : That's because it was Stuckey's apartment that Random broke into when he got out of prison.
Esposito : That can't be a coincidence.
[Clifford Stuckey’s apartment : Esposito, Ryan and Clifford Stuckey]
[Esposito knocks on the door.]
Esposito : Clifford Stuckey! NYPD, open up.
[An old man with a walker answers the door.]
Clifford Stuckey : Who are you?
Esposito : Uh...
Ryan : NYPD. Are you Clifford Stuckey?
Esposito : Clifford Stuckey!
Clifford Stuckey : (nods) Yeah.
Esposito : We'd like you to come downtown and answer some questions about your break in.
Clifford Stuckey : You have to speak up, son. I dropped my hearing aid down the toilette.
Ryan : Oh, Beckett's gonna love him.
Clifford Stuckey : What?
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle and Clifford Stuckey]
Beckett : Mr. Stuckey, I'm Kate Detective Beckett.
Clifford Stuckey : Oh, I wish they had cops like you when I was getting in trouble.
Beckett : Uh, sir, could you tell us what you were doing in Mr. Carver's office?
Clifford Stuckey : Who?
Castle : Deon Carver. He was a bail bondsman
Beckett : He was murdered last night. We found your finger prints in his office.
Clifford Stuckey : Oh, him. Huh. What was the question?
Beckett : Mr. Carver posted bail for Random pierce, the man who broke into your apartment. I need to know what you were doing in his office.
Clifford Stuckey : Do you believe an old dog can learn new tricks, Detective?
Beckett : No.
Clifford Stuckey : Neither did I. And then I got old. You see, I-- I've been a bad man most of my life. And now all my friends are dead or in jail, and I got nothing to show for my-- my time here.
Beckett : Mr. Stuckey? Carver's office?
Clifford Stuckey : Huh? Oh, when the police told me that that boy had broken into my place, suddenly I-- I saw myself forty years ago. And I thought, "If somebody had just given me a break, maybe my life would have turned out differently." So-- So, I went to see, what's his name? Carver?
Beckett : Mm-hmm.
Clifford Stuckey : And I told him that I would consider, you know, dropping the charges if that kid could convince me that he was, you know, willing to straighten his life out.
Beckett : Where were you last night?
Clifford Stuckey : At home asleep. Or as close as I ever get. Huh. I went to pee every half hour. Well, you should see the size of my prostate, son. It's like a baby's fist.
Castle : Okay, whoa. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Stuckey. That's… that's good.[Stuckey gets up with his walker. Castle turns to Beckett.] (mouths) Baby fist.
[Beckett nods. Stuckey spots the photo of Random on the murder board.]
Clifford Stuckey : Hey. Hey, that's the kid. Any idea where I can find him? My-- my offer still stands.
Beckett : I'm sorry, Mr. Stuckey, it's too late. He's already on his way back to jail.
Clifford Stuckey : Ah, jeez. [Stuckey spots the sock paper photo and stares at it on his way out.]
Beckett : Call me crazy, but I don't think he was looking at Random's picture. It's like he was checking out that document.
Castle : Oh, you mean the world's least interesting doodle?
Beckett : [Beckett's phone rings.] Beckett.
[Autopsy Room : Beckett, Castle and Lanie]
Lanie : I was just getting ready to cut open Carver's skull when I saw it on his forehead.
Beckett : Saw what?
Lanie : The light has to be at the right angle to catch the shine.
Castle : Sign of the cross?
Lanie : I ran a test on the substance the cross was drawn with.
Beckett : Don't tell me.
Lanie : Yep. Holy oil.
Castle : Holy oil?
Lanie : Looks like our killer gave Carver Last Rites.
[Castle’s Loft : Castle, Alexis and Martha]
Alexis : Dad, go back to bed. Breakfast is almost ready
Castle : Honey, stop cooking for a second. I want to talk to you.
Alexis : You've made a decision about the scooter?
Castle : Have you ever heard of affluenza?
Alexis : You mean influenza?
Castle : No, affluenza. It's a condition that affects children who come from wealthy homes.
Alexis : You're making that up.
Castle : I'm not. It's on Wikipedia.
Alexis : You can't believe everything you read online.
Castle : I don't, but the point is, you're a great kid. I'm just afraid that, if I just give you everything you want, it's gonna warp your relationship with money.
Alexis : So, you're saying no?
Castle : I… No, I'm not saying that. I'm-- I'm saying that if you-- if this is really important to you, then you need to earn the money yourself. And by earn, I don't mean raid your college fund.
Alexis : Thank you.
Castle : Why are you thanking me?
Alexis : Because you said yes.
Castle : I did?
Martha : What are you thinking?
Castle : That she would fold.
Martha : This is Alexis we're talking about. She has never met a challenge that she hasn't attacked like Attila the Hun.
Castle : Yeah, but it would take her so long to s…
Martha : She'll have the money by next week. And then you know what you're in for? You're in for tattoos. You're in for nose rings. You're in for, oh, who knows what.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle and Ryan]
Castle : Just how wild was your wild child phase?
Beckett : You don't want to know. So, I might have a lead on our Last Rites killer. Our victim's financials show he made several donations to a church in the South Bronx run by a Father Aaron Loe. Ryan's on his way to bring him in.
Ryan : Hey, Beckett. Yeah, he's here.
Castle : No hassle tassels.
[Beckett looks down and sees the priest's loafers.]
[Interrogation Room: Beckett, Castle and Father Aaron Loe]
Beckett : What was the nature of your relationship with Deon Carver?
Father Aaron Loe : He was a member of my congregation, and a friend.
Beckett : Where were you two nights ago between nine and eleven?
Father Aaron Loe : I was at the church. We had a late service. Then I went home to bed. I'm sorry, I have an appointment, so if you'll excuse me.
Castle : Whoa. Father, those are killer shoes.
Beckett : Unfortunately, those are the same shoes that were worn by the man who killed Carver and I'm certain that if we send those to the lab, they'll have Carver's blood all over them.
Father Aaron Loe : Look, Deon was dead when I got there.
Beckett : Try again.
Father Aaron Loe : Look, I swear. I found him lying in his office. I administered Last Rites and then I dialed 9-1-1.
Beckett : Anonymously, and then you ran.
Father Aaron Loe : There was nothing more I could do.
Castle : Why were you there in the first place?
Father Aaron Loe : Well, Deon was having marital troubles, I was helping him find his way.
Beckett : Marital troubles? Are you sure that you didn't go there looking for this?
Father Aaron Loe : I don't know what that is.
Castle : Lying is not his strong suit. A quality I like in a priest.
Father Aaron Loe : I'm telling the truth.
Beckett : Father, you left the scene of a crime, and a man that you describe as a friend was murdered. If you didn't have anything to hide, you would've stayed.
Father Aaron Loe : No, I was in shock, okay? There was so much blood, all I could think to do was escape.
Beckett : Because you murdered him.
Father Aaron Loe : No, because... because of how it looked. Look, the convicts I've worked with tell me horror stories about the police, about how they're framed. You know, when I found Deon like that I-- I panicked. Am I ashamed? Yes. But you have to believe, I didn't murder anybody.
Beckett : Father, you'll have to forgive me, but this is a murder investigation and I can't base this on faith.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Ryan and Mike Royce]
Beckett : Hey.
Mike Royce : It looks like you caught your killer.
Beckett : Yeah, maybe.
Mike Royce : So, was he trying to start the zombie apocalypse?
Castle : Mock all you want, our good Father knows what that paper is.
Mike Royce : Oh, man, hey. I found this picture in my closet. I thought you'd get a kick out of it.
Beckett : Oh, look at you! All shiny and bright.
Beckett : What did I tell you about feeding the animals?
Mike Royce : I just stopped by to say thanks again for the bounty assist and um, thought maybe I could buy you lunch.
Beckett : Yeah, sure.
Ryan : So, it looks like the bug from Carver's office was shipped from Thailand to a, uh, spy shop on 5th Avenue, and guess who bought it.
Castle and Beckett : Father Aaron.
Ryan : *wrong answer buzzer* Brooke Carver, our victim's wife.
Beckett : Funny. She failed to mention that she was bugging her husband's office.
Castle : And perhaps the good Father was telling the truth about Carver's marital problems. Nothing says marriage on the rocks like electronic eavesdropping.
Beckett : But does it say murder?
Castle : Let's ask her.
Beckett : Oh, um, why don't you stop by after my shift. I'll buy you a beer.
Mike Royce : It's a date.
[Deon Carver’s Office : Beckett, Castle and Brooke Carver]
Brooke Carver : We've been fighting all the time. Some nights he wouldn't come home. He said he was sleeping at the office, but I didn't believe him. So, I bought the bug.
Castle : You thought he was cheating on you.
Beckett : And when you heard him in action, you decided to make yourself a widow.
Brooke Carver : At first I couldn't even bear to listen. I couldn't bear to hear him with another woman. But finally I made my sister listen with me, but what we heard, it wasn't sex. It was Deon talking about how much he loved me, and how he prayed that he could save our marriage. I cried all night. And in the morning, I threw the receiver away.
Beckett : And when was that?
Brooke Carver : A few weeks ago. We had just started to find our way back to each other, and now he's dead. So, now all I'll have to remember him by is a box of ashes.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan]
Esposito : Brooke's sister confirms her story.
Ryan : We got about a dozen witnesses that put Father Aaron in church at 10 p.m. when Carver was killed.
Castle : So, we're back to square one.
Beckett : No. The answer is right here in front of us, I can feel it. It's just that there's something that we're not seeing. There's a connection that we haven't made yet.
Esposito : Do you want me to start processing the good Father out?
Beckett : No. He might have an alibi, but he's definitely involved somehow. It says here that Father Aaron volunteers at Five Points Correctional
Ryan : That's where Random did his time.
Castle : They knew each other.
Beckett : And they both knew our victim. So, maybe Five Points is our connection. Did Stuckey do time there?
Esposito : Nope.
Beckett : Damn.
Ryan : Doesn't mean they're not connected in a different way. Prison's a networking goldmine for criminals.
Beckett : Out of curiosity, who was Random's cell mate?
Ryan : Uh, Malcolm Lloyd. A recidivist thief doing twenty for a jewel heist.
Castle : We should go talk to him.
Ryan : Can't. Looks like he died of a heart attack in prison three weeks ago
Castle : Wouldn't it be funny if Father Aaron administered Last Rites for Lloyd as well?
Beckett : Ryan?
Ryan : Yeah.
Beckett : Check Lloyd's known associates.
Ryan : Doesn't mention the priest. Wait a minute. It says Lloyd knew Clifford Stuckey. Looks like he and Lloyd were both arrested for the same jewel heist.
Castle : They were partners.
Ryan : D.A. didn't have enough evidence to prosecute Stuckey, so he walked while Lloyd did twenty years.
Beckett : That still doesn't explain why Random broke into Stuckey's apartment
Ryan : Maybe this'll help. The heist that Lloyd and Stuckey pulled, $10 million in rare sapphires and rubies, and guess what? They were never found.
Castle : You guys. It think I know what this is. It's a treasure map.
[Interrogation Room : Beckett, Castle and father Aaron Loe]
Beckett : Father, we checked with the prison. We know that you gave Malcolm Lloyd his Last Rites. That's when you found out about the map.
Father Aaron Loe : I administered to Malcolm at the end. He told me he was scared, that he wanted to do one good thing before he died. He made me promise that I would use it for the church. But when I went to the cell, the map wasn't there.
Beckett : Because Random had already taken it.
Castle : But when Random got out of jail, he couldn't figure it out. So, he breaks into Stuckey's apartment, figuring he's going to strong arm Lloyd's old partner into helping him.
Beckett : Only Stuckey wasn't home and someone called the cops.
Father Aaron Loe : I called them. I had been following random. I knew that his arrest would give me the leverage I needed to force him to share me the map.
Beckett : Because you were friends with the bail bondsman.
Father Aaron Loe : Random had no money for bail. Deon agreed to cover it for a third of the treasure, but he insisted on holding onto the map for safekeeping.
Castle : So, why were you really at Carver's office the night he died.
Father Aaron Loe : Deon called me and told me he figured out the map. But when I got there, he was already dead. Murdered by that old man.
Castle : Stuckey.
Beckett : How do you know?
Father Aaron Loe : Because Stuckey had caught Deon and Random conspiring together the night before. He told him he had waited twenty years for that money, and they had 24 hours to give it back or bodies were gonna start dropping.
[In a Street : Esposito and Ryan]
Esposito : Mr. Stuckey. We need to talk.[Stuckey looks up and takes off running without his walker. Ryan and Esposito chase Stuckey, but lose him when Stuckey goes over a gate and then topples the garbage can he used to climb it. ] We're never gonna hear the end of this.
Ryan : Oh, crap.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle and Mike Royce]
[Adult diapers, prune juice, false teeth, glasses, and walking canes sit on Ryan and Esposito's desks.]
Castle : When do Esposito and Ryan get back?
Beckett : Soon. They're on their way to central booking to pick up Random to ask him about the map. So, I made a couple of phone calls, and this heist in 1990 was worth $10 million, and now it's worth almost $30 million.
Mike Royce : Hey, you ready?
Beckett : Yeah.
Castle : Whoa, uh, wha-- you can't leave now.
Beckett : Come on, Castle, every uniform in the city's got Stuckey's photo, and if there's one thing that my T.O. taught me, it's that sometimes the best way to crack a case is by taking a break.
Mike Royce : Promise I won't keep her out too late.
[In a Bar : Beckett and Mike Royce]
Mike Royce : So, it's actually a treasure map, huh?
Beckett : Castle's been trying to figure it out all day.
Mike Royce : Hmm.
Beckett : I should've been on to Stuckey earlier, though.
Mike Royce : Nobody's perfect.
Beckett : You were.
Mike Royce : You were easy to impress.
Beckett : No I wasn't. I was drowning, and you were dry land. All they ever taught us in the academy was how to do paperwork. You were the one who taught me how to be a cop.
Mike Royce : You were easy to teach. Keeping you out of trouble, mm, not so much.
Beckett : Oh, trouble? Me?
Mike Royce : What about that biker chick from Yonkers?
Beckett : Yeah, well, I got her to snitch on her crew, didn't I?
Mike Royce : By offering me up as man bait!
Beckett : Oh, you should've seen your face when she told the judge, "He completes me."
Mike Royce : That's mean
[They laugh.]
Beckett : I caught him Royce. The man who killed my mom.
Mike Royce : After all these years? You find out why he did it?
Beckett : Somebody paid him to do it. But I had to shoot him before I could find out who.
Mike Royce : That was stupid. You should've just shown him your boobs.
[Police Department : Castle and Alexis]
Alexis : Dad.
Castle : Hey. What are you doing here?
Alexis : I got the money.
Castle : Already?
Alexis : Mm-hmm.
Castle : How?
Alexis : The light sabers. I found a guy on eBay willing to pay two grand for them.
Castle : But we had so much fun with those. We were saving the universe one galaxy at a time. That's what got you into fencing.
Alexis : I know, Dad, but I've outgrown them.
Castle : No, I guess... I guess you have.
Alexis : Are you mad?
Castle : No. No. I… I'm frustrated over this case.
Alexis : Is that the map?
Castle : Yeah. It's making me doubt my own genius. There's just something I am not seeing.
Alexis : Can I take a look?
Castle : Sure. Found it folded up in our victim's sock.
Alexis : It's got a lot of fold marks on it.
Castle : Yeah.
Alexis : Almost like a puzzle.
Castle : Mm-hmm.
Alexis : Or one of those paper fortune tellers.
Castle : Or Mad Magazine. Uh... [Castle pulls the map out of the plastic and begins folding it.] Mad Magazine used to have this trick picture on the back. If you folded it the right way, it would show you an entirely different image.
Alexis : Hey, there-- there's a word there. "The."
Castle : "Under." Under. Under the..."gun." Under the gun.
Alexis : Under the gun.
Castle : Under the gun!
Alexis : What do-- what does that mean?
Castle : I don't know.
[In a Bar : Beckett, Mike Royce and Ryan (on phone)]
Beckett : I should get going. They're gonna be bringing Random into the precinct.
Mike Royce : I'm just gonna hit the head.
Beckett : [Beckett's cell rings as Royce leaves.] Beckett.
Ryan : (over phone) It's Ryan. We're at Central booking. Random isn't here.
Beckett : What do you mean he's not there? Where is he?
Ryan : (over phone) I don't know. Your buddy Royce never delivered him.
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle, Ryan and Esposito and Mike Royce (on phone)]
Beckett : I can't believe he lied to me.
Castle : Money makes people do crazy things. Look at any reality show contestant who ever ate a cockroach on television. It doesn't mean he killed Carver.
Beckett :
Yeah, well, until I find otherwise, I'm gonna have to assume that he did. Do you think he came here to see the map like Stuckey did?
Castle : No. Oh, no.
Beckett : What?
Castle : When I took the picture of the two of you, you were standing in front of the murder board.
Beckett : He has a copy of the map.
Castle : Yes, but obviously he can't figure it out. That's why he was here, he wanted to see if we did.
Esposito : Yo, Beckett. Pulled the files from the jewelry heist. Your boy Royce was part of the investigation.
Beckett : So, he knew about the treasure from the start.
Ryan : Put a surveillance on his apartment, an APB out on his car.
Beckett : What about "Under the gun," any idea what that means?
Ryan : Not yet. There was a gun club about five blocks from the jewel heist, but it was torn down and turned into condominiums about ten years ago.
Beckett : Alright then. Keep looking. [Beckett's phone rings.] (on phone) Beckett.
Mike Royce : (on phone) It's me.
Beckett : (on phone) Royce, turn yourself in.
Mike Royce : (on phone) I can't do that, kid. Too close to the money to walk away right now. Listen, I just need you to know that I didn't mean for it to go like this.
Beckett : (on phone) Did you kill Carver for the map?
Mike Royce : (on phone) Oh, come on, kid. You know me better than that.
Beckett : (on phone) I don't think I do. Because the man that I knew wouldn't betray me like this.
Mike Royce : (on phone)I got to go.
Beckett : (on phone) Mike. I was in love with you.
Mike Royce : (on phone) Aw, Kate, don't.
Beckett : (on phone) You were the only one who understood the obsession that drove me, who didn't tell me that I would get over my mother's murder and that she wouldn't want me to do this.
Mike Royce : (on phone) Just-- just trying to do right by you, kid.
Beckett : (on phone) I dreamt about you. The night that I shot the guy who killed my mother, I dreamt that I was the one who was on the ground dying, and that you came up to me and told me to stand up, 'cause there was still work to be done. When I woke up that morning, I just wanted to call you, but we hadn't talked in so long.
Mike Royce : (on phone) You should've called. I never forgot.
Beckett : (on phone) I'm going to catch Carver's killer, Royce. And then I'm going to recover Lloyd's score. And when I arrest you, you're gonna realize that what you destroyed today was worth a hell of a lot more than money. [Beckett slams down the phone.] Did I keep him on long enough?
Ryan : Uh...um...
Esposito : Yeah. We got an address.
Beckett : Alright. Let's go.
Castle : What? All-- all that was just an act to get a trace?
Beckett : Of course.
Castle : Oh.
[Beckett walks past Castle and tries to hold back the tears.]
[Apartment : Beckett, Castle, Esposito, Ryan and Random Pierce]
Esposito : NYPD!
Ryan : It's clear.
Random Pierce : Whoo! Thank god! That dude totally kidnapped me! [Random sits cuffed to the radiator, surrounded by snack food.]
Beckett : Knock it off. We already know about the map.
Random Pierce : Really?
Castle : Where's Royce?
Random Pierce : Out looking for my money. Looks like he betrayed all of us.
Beckett : Random, either you start telling us the truth, or Esposito's gonna hang you out that window by your feet.
Random Pierce : Look, I'm a victim in all this. I bunked with a geezer who wouldn't shut up about his $10 million score. How he buried it where nobody could find it. Not without the map. But then I had to partner with Carver and the, uh, creepy priest, and instead of us trying to figure out the map, all they wanted to do was argue about how un-Christian it was to cut Carver's wife out of the score.
Beckett : This argument, did it take place in Carver's office?
Random Pierce : Yeah.
Castle : Which Brooke had bugged.
Random Pierce : Seriously?
Beckett : Call Ryan. Have him find Brooke.
Esposito : Alright.
Castle : She didn't hear him profess his undying love for her. She heard him trying to cut her out of millions.
Beckett : And then she lied to our faces.
Castle : Marriage on the rocks. A fortune in rocks. Two strong motives for murder.
Beckett : We showed her the map.
Castle : No wonder her hands were trembling.
Esposito : Ryan traced Brooke to Carver's office.
Beckett : Alright, let's go.
Random Pierce : Hey, hey, hey! What about me?
Beckett : Have a cheese puff. Uniforms are on their way.
[Deon Carver’s Office : Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan]
Beckett : There's no one here. We just missed her.
Castle : She was trying to recreate the map from memory.
Beckett : Look at this. Notes she took while she was listening in on the bug. Right here, "Under the gun."
Castle : Then she heard them figure it out. But without the map, she can't find the treasure.
Esposito : That's because the score could be buried anywhere.
Castle : No, it can't be. New York is basically an island of concrete. Lloyd would have to make sure he buried it someplace that couldn't be torn down or dug up to make condos.
Ryan : The park, maybe.
Castle : Or a cemetery. Didn't Brooke say Carver was being cremated? So, why does she have cemetery brochures?
Beckett : Those weren't lines on the map, those were gravestones.
Castle : Want to bet it's buried under the Gunn?
[St Jude’s Cemetery : Beckett, Castle, Esposito, Ryan, Brooke Carver, Clifford Stuckey and Mike Royce]
Ryan : You know, if this were a horror movie, we'd be the first ones killed splitting off like this.
Esposito : Yeah, except we're not a couple of top-heavy co-eds out looking for fun. We're highly trained officers of the law with enough firepower to take out a horde of undead.
Ryan : Hispanic and cocky. Yeah, you'd definitely die first.
Castle : You know, if this was a horror movie...
Beckett : Castle, focus.
Castle : (whisper)Ah! There it is! There it is! Look!
Beckett : Okay.
Castle : (whisper) Yes!
[They see a shovel in an newly dug hole.]
Castle : Looks like someone's been here already.
Brooke Carver : Drop the gun.
Beckett : I can't do that.
Brooke Carver : Then we got a problem.
Beckett : You're not a cop killer, Brooke. I know you didn't mean to kill Deon. He just surprised you when you were looking for that map.
Brooke Carver : To hell with that. Of course I meant to kill him. After ten years of putting up with his foot fetish and snoring, he betrays me like that? I deserve that treasure, and I'm not leaving here without it.
Clifford Stuckey : Only one leaving with that treasure is me. And I got the biggest gun.
Mike Royce : Not anymore, Grandpa.
Esposito : NYPD! NYPD! Drop your weapon!
Ryan : Drop it, stupid! What's wrong with you! Drop it!
Esposito : Drop your weapons right now!
Ryan : Right now!
Beckett : What about you, Royce? You willing to shoot me for that treasure?
Mike Royce : In case you haven't noticed, kid, my gun's not pointed at you.
Clifford Stuckey : Well, my gun is, and at this range, I'm gonna turn her and the haircut into soup.
Ryan : You shoot, you die, Gramps.
Clifford Stuckey : You think I care? The only thing that's keeping me alive is that ten million in stones. Either I leave with it, or I leave in a body bag!
Beckett : Well, then maybe we should make sure that treasure's even there before we start shooting. Castle, do you mind?
Castle : Why me?
Beckett : Because you're the only one without a gun.
Castle : Good point. Okay. Just...[Castle jumps in the grave, removes his jacket, and starts digging.]
Mike Royce : You got a plan here, kid?
Beckett : Not one that I'm gonna share with you.
Mike Royce : Maybe you should show us all something.
Castle : [Castle sticks the shovel sharply into the dirt.]Hey. Hey, guys, I think I found something.
[The criminals look down at the grave and Castle lifts the shovel and whips dirt in their faces, sending them reeling backwards. Beckett takes Brooke and Royce grabs Stuckey.]
Mike Royce : Just like old times, huh, kid?
Esposito : [Esposito aims his gun at Royce.]Drop the gun, now.
Clifford Stuckey : The treasure. Let me see the treasure!
Castle : Yeah, I ju… I just said that to distract you. It's either that or show him my boobs.
Esposito : You got Royce?
Beckett : Yeah.
Esposito : Get up.
Beckett : Ryan.
Ryan : Yeah. Alright, come on over here.
Esposito : On your feet. Let's go. Beckett, gotta move.
Beckett : Yeah. [Ryan and Esposito escort the cuffed Stuckey and Brooke out of the cemetery. Royce pulls out his own handcuffs and hands them to Beckett.]
Mike Royce : Go ahead, kid. Do what you gotta do.
Beckett : Michael Royce, you're under arrest. [Beckett escorts Royce out of the cemetery]
Castle :[ Castle standing alone in the hole with the shovel.]Uh... Hello? Doesn't anyone want to see if there actually is a treasure?
[Police Department : Beckett, Castle and Ryan]
Castle : I can't believe there wasn't actually a treasure.
Ryan : Maybe we read the map wrong. Maybe it was all a wild goose chase. Either way, case is closed. Hey, how's Beckett holding up?
Castle : Hard to see your heroes fall. Hey.
Beckett : Hey.
Castle : Can I just say how unsatisfying it is to go on a treasure hunt with no treasure.
Beckett : Well, it wasn't really a treasure hunt, Castle. It was a murder investigation.
Castle : Oh, come on. You can't tell me you weren't just a little bit excited.
Beckett : Maybe a little.
Castle : Mmm. What's bugging me, though, is if there was no treasure, then why make a map?
Beckett : Well, it's a big cemetery. Maybe he got the spot wrong. Or maybe "under the gun" was just to throw us off.
Castle : You know, if it was me, I would've left something out of the map. Last step.
Beckett : So, you think there was another map?
Castle : No, I would've kept it somewhere close to me. Somewhere where-- where only I knew that-- that it was important. Somewhere like on my body. [Castle sees Malcolm Lloyd's prison photo with a tattoo with roman numerals on his arm.]
Beckett : Do you think this is the final part of the map?
Castle : What else would be important enough for our jewel thief to tattoo it on his arm? Okay, uh, roman numerals. Two over a six. I'm gonna say that that means two rows up, six stones over from where we dug. You care to do some digging, Detective?
[ Castle’s Loft : Castle, Alexis and Martha]
[Castle enters unkempt and dirty.]
Alexis : Well? Did you find it?
Castle : Yes, we did!
Martha : Yay!
Castle : Ha-ha! Yes. Unfortunately, when you go treasure hunting with a cop, she makes you return the treasure to its rightful owner. But, uh, the evening wasn't a total loss. When we found it, she did give me a sweaty hug.
Alexis : Dad.
Castle : So, what are you girls doing? You picking out a color for your shiny new scooter?
Martha : Tell him.
Castle : Tell me what?
Alexis : I decided not to get the scooter. I realized once I left the precinct how wrong it was for me to sell those light sabers, but I was so caught up in wanting the bike that I convinced myself I was just trading one thing for another. But playing pretend with you was one of the best parts of my childhood, and it means more to me than a shiny new scooter ever could.
Castle : I'm so proud of you.
Alexis : Proud enough to buy me a new scooter?
Castle : No. I made a deal and it would be wrong to break it. But there's nothing in that deal that prohibits me from buying myself a scooter and maybe letting you borrow it from time to time.
Alexis : Are you sure?
Castle : Sure. I can send you to the store for batteries for light sabers.
Alexis : Thanks, Dad! Oh, and when you have the scooter, maybe I can borrow the car.
