Épisode Aveuglement S03E15

In the street, two men walk up the street in gym clothes, one dribbling a basketball.

Charles Utley: I can't believe you elbowed me in the face, D.

Damian Westlake: It was an accident, Charles. Come inside, I'll get you an ice pack.

At Westlake's house.

Damian Westlake: Vicky! I've got Charles with me! Vicky!

The dog barks and trots over to the front door. There are bloody paw prints all over the carpet.

Charles Utley: Damian!

Damian Westlake: Vicky?

They follow the bloody prints to Vicky's body, several nails jammed into her head.

At Westlake's house.

Ryan: I'm just saying, first Valentine's Day you spend with somebody is important.

Esposito: Yeah, but Lanie doesn't care about that stuff, you know?

Ryan: All women care. Beckett, you and Josh, you've got big plans for Valentine's Day, right?

Beckett: Josh is a surgeon. I'm a cop. In the unlikely event that we have a couple of hours free on Monday night, we might go to dinner.

Ryan: See?

Beckett: Hey, Castle, it's Beckett. Call me when you get this.

Esposito: Ooh, Castle's gonna be sorry that he missed this one.

Beckett: Why?

Esposito: Rich people, man. Society murders are always the freakiest.

In the living room.

Officer Greta Bailey: Call came in about an hour ago. The owner of the house, Damian Westlake, says all was well when he left at 5 p.m. to meet his neighbour, Charles Utley for a game of pick up. When the men returned at 6 p.m., Victoria Westlake was dead.

Beckett: Murder weapon?

Beckett sees the body.

Beckett: Nail gun.

Officer Greta Bailey: It's over there.

Esposito: See? Told you. Freaky.

Officer Greta Bailey: The back door was ajar. Officers found what appears to be a gang tag on the rear wall of the building. The paint's fresh.

Esposito: I'll reach out to the gang unit, see if they can ID it for us.

Ryan: And I'll talk with Mr. Utley.

Beckett: Westlakes have a dog, so if neighbours heard barking, we might be able to pinpoint a timeline.

Officer Greta Bailey: We canvassed and nobody heard the dog. The M.E. tentatively puts time of death between 4:30 and 6 o'clock.

Beckett: 4:30. Which means she might have been dead before the husband left the house. Where is Mr. Westlake? Thank you.

Beckett sees Damian in another room and enters.

Officer Greta Bailey: Mr. Westlake, I'm Detective Kate…

As Beckett rounds the corner she spots...

Beckett: Castle.

Beckett pulls Castle aside.

Beckett: Castle, what are you doing here?

Castle: Damian Westlake is an old friend of mine from boarding school. He knows about my relationship with the NYPD. He just called me to give him some support.

Beckett: Which is when you should have called me to let me know.

Castle: I just got here, and I had no idea this would be your case.

Beckett: Well, now that you do, is there anything you want to tell me that might be pertinent?

Castle: Uh, nothing. I'd never even met Vicky. But now at least I can tell Damian the finest detective in New York City is working his wife's case.

At Westlake's house.

Damian Westlake: Everything was fine when she left. The last thing she said to me was "Have a good game."

Beckett: Mr. Westlake, do you know of anyone that might have wanted to harm Vicky?

Damian Westlake: No. Everyone loved her.

Beckett: Someone spray painted your back wall. Did you notice anyone suspicious hanging out when you left?

Damian Westlake: No. Vicky shouldn't have even been here. She came home early from work with a headache.

Castle: Hey. We're gonna catch the guy who did this, okay? I promise.

Beckett: What did she do for a living?

Damian Westlake: Interior design.

Beckett: And you?

Castle: Damian's a writer.

Beckett: Anything I might have read?

Damian Westlake: No, I've never been published.

Beckett: How long were the two of you married?

Damian Westlake: Five years.

Beckett: And would you characterize your relationship as happy?

Castle: Whoa. Why would you need to ask that?

Damian Westlake: It's alright, Ricky. I love my wife very much. She was my whole world.

Beckett: Mr. Westlake, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you a few questions about the murder weapon.

Castle: Okay, um...

Castle makes a "time out" signal.

Castle: Why would you need to ask him about the murder weapon?

Beckett: Castle. The nail gun, was that yours?

Damian Westlake: No. We've been doing some remodelling. Any tools in the house belong to the workmen.

Beckett: Did you ever have any p…

Castle: Were there ever any issues with these workmen?

Damian Westlake: Yeah. Uh, I overheard Vicky on the phone with someone last Friday evening. She told him he was fired and he shouldn't come back.

Castle: You know his name?

Damian Westlake: No. I asked her about, she told me it was nothing. Talk to Amber Patinelli. Amber works for Vicky. Look, if you don't mind, I really need to call Vicky's ex-husband, Simon, and her kids. I'm sure the press is gonna be all over this and I don't want them to hear about it on television.

Castle: 'Course.

Damian Westlake: Excuse me.

Beckett looks angrily at Castle and shakes her head as she leaves. Castle follows Beckett out.

At Westlake's House.

Castle: Hey. Why are you mad at me? I'm just looking out for my friend.

Beckett: You challenged my authority in front of a suspect, Castle.

Castle: Since when is Damian a suspect?

Beckett: Right now, everyone is. You know that. That's how I do my job. I will not have you get in the way of an investigation.

Castle: I won't. I won't. I promise. But now, can we get onto real suspects like workmen, like, uh, mystery gang members? Question away. Look, I promised Damian we would get the guy that did this. Let me help you. Please.

Esposito: Yo! Castle!

Ryan: Hey, you made it.

Castle: Yeah.

Ryan: So, I talked with Damian Westlake's friend Charles Utley, he said Damian was distraught when he found his wife's body, but he also says that during their normally friendly game, Damian was unusually tense and aggressive.

Esposito: So, maybe he shoots his wife, then goes shoots some hoops, injures his friend, brings him inside to establish an alibi.

Castle: You know, Vicky Westlake had an argument with one of her workers on Friday. A worker who, and I'm just speculating here, may have some experience with nail guns. Maybe we should go run checkout that lead before we rush to judgment on an innocent man.

Beckett: I'm sorry, is this you staying out of the way?

Castle: This is me simply making a point about remaining objective.

In the street.

Esposito: Excuse me, Amber Patinelli? I'm Detective Esposito, this is Detective Ryan.

Ryan: We'd like to talk with you about Vicky Westlake.

Amber Patinelli: Of course. Oh, my god. It's just so terrible.

Esposito: Vicky's husband said that she had a fight with one of the workmen at her house?

Amber Patinelli: She fired the carpenter, Morris Hasberg. Oh, my god. You don't think that Morris did this?

Ryan: We're looking at several suspects.

Esposito: What did Morris do to get fired?

Amber Patinelli: He stole her engagement ring. Vicky was afraid of getting mugged, so she didn't wear it much. Vicky looked for it in her jewellery box last week and it was missing.

Ryan: Jewellery box. My fiancé never takes her ring off her finger.

Amber Patinelli: Is your fiancé's ring eleven karats? Morris was hired to make a cabinet for the master bath. He was the only person in the bedroom. Vicky told him, if he didn't return the ring, she'd have to call the police. Then Morris when crazy.

Ryan: Crazy how?

Amber Patinelli: He came to the house on Monday morning and he made a scene. He said that, if she didn't stop telling lies, bad things would happen.

Near the bullpen.

Beckett: Morris Hasberg.

Esposito: It turns out the Westlake's carpenter learned his trade at Sing Sing where he did eight to ten for armed robbery back in the late '90s.

Ryan: Witnesses report seeing his truck in front of the Westlake's townhouse on the day of the murder.

Castle: Do I see two men jumping on a hot workmen related lead? That sounded a lot dirtier than I… Than I wanted it to.

Ryan: We'll bring him in.

Beckett: Okay.

Ryan and Esposito take Castle's coffees.

Castle: Oh, actually those were… Those...

Castle sits down next to Beckett.

Castle: See? I told you it wasn't Damian.

Beckett: I never said it was. In fact, I would be very happy if Morris was our guy.

In the interrogation room.

Morris Hasberg: You have the wrong guy.

Beckett: Morris, forensics came back on the nail gun. Your fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.

Morris Hasberg: I must use nail gun. For carpenter.

Beckett: Well, then what was your truck doing parked on her street on Wednesday?

Morris Hasberg: She say come, uh, see her.

Castle: You expect us to believe that Mrs. Westlake invited you back into her house after you stole her ring and threatened her?

Morris Hasberg: Mrs. Westlake, she find ring. She call to me and say to come there. And then she say, sorry to accuse. She cry.

Beckett: She cry… She cried?

Morris Hasberg: 'S true.

Near the bullpen.

Beckett: Hasberg's alibi is truth.

Castle: Shut the front door.

Beckett: CSU inventoried the jewellery and the engagement ring is there.

Castle: But there were other prints on the weapon.

Beckett: Partials, but none of them are in the system.

Castle: Okay. So, what's our new theory? Who's our new suspect? Aw, come on, not Damian.

Beckett: Castle, bad guys breaking into houses bring their own weapons, dogs bark at strangers, and over one third of domestic female homicide victims are murdered by their husbands.

Castle: I don't care about statistics. I am telling you, Damian is not capable of murder.

Beckett: You know, I could say that about maybe three people that I've met in my entire life. What is it about this guy that… That warrants this unshakable faith that you have in him?

Castle: When I was fourteen, my mom sent me to Edgewick Academy. I… I was homesick and I didn't have any friends, so I wrote about it. One day, I submitted a story to the literary magazine. Damian Westlake was the editor.

Beckett: And he published it.

Castle: More than that. He called me down to his office. He sat me down and he said, "Ricky...you have a great talent." And no one had ever said anything like that to me before. Damian, he encouraged me, he critiqued me, he... he always made me dig a little deeper. Without Damian Westlake, I'm a lawyer. I'm a grifter. I'm a rodeo clown. But I am not a writer. Without him, I'm not me.

Esposito: Yo. We ran a standard background check on Damian Westlake. Turns out Vicky isn't the first family member that he's lost to violence.

Castle: You mean his father. When Damian was nineteen, his father was killed at the Westlake vacation home in Puerto Rico.

Beckett: Not killed, Castle, murdered.

Esposito: And you didn't tell us.

Castle: Tell you what? H… How is the tragic death of Damian's father over two decades ago in any way relevant to this case?

Beckett: I'll tell you how. The cops that were investigating that case named Damian as the prime suspect.

Esposito watching Castle and Beckett fight from the bullpen.

Beckett: Castle, it's one thing for you to look out for your friend. It's a completely different story when you hide vital information from me.

Castle: I wasn't hiding it! I just didn't think it mattered!

Beckett: You didn't think it mattered?! That Damian was a suspect in a previous homicide?

Castle: I didn't know he was a suspect. And since he was never arrested, and that case is still unsolved, I'm guessing those cops have a lot of theories and no evidence. Like another detective I could name right about now.

Beckett: You know, if this was anybody else, you'd be asking me why I hadn't already slapped the cuffs on him.

Castle: But it isn't anyone else! And I'm telling you, you are way off base on this one!

Ryan joins Esposito in watching Castle and Beckett.

Ryan: What's going on?

Esposito: Mom and Dad are fighting.

Ryan: Who's winning?

Beckett: We agreed that you would stay out of my way on this.

Castle: Yes. But I did not agree I would stand by and let you railroad my friend.

Beckett: Castle! You are too close to this one! You need to go home! Now!

Castle walks out and Beckett heads to her desk. Ryan and Esposito scramble to pretend they're on the phone.

Ryan: Yeah, thanks, Bill. I really appreciate it.

Esposito:... In about five minutes.

Ryan: Yeah, as soon as possible.

Esposito: Okay.

Beckett: Let's get a hold of Phillip Westlake's case file. I want to find out why no arrests were made. And Vicky Westlake's ex-husband, Simon Campbell, let's bring him in.

Damian Westlake: Sorry, I...had to get out of there. Keep thinking I'm going to hear Vicky's voice. That I'm gonna come around a corner and see her curled up on the sofa.

Castle: Listen, Damian, I'm sorry. Something's come up in the investigation. Your father's murder. You were a suspect.

Damian Westlake: Some creep broke into our house, robbed the place, and shot my father. The cops decided on day one that it must have been me.

Castle: Were you there?

Damian Westlake: I was at college 2,000 miles away.

Castle: I know you and your father didn't have the, uh, the best relationship.

Damian Westlake: It only got worse after my mother passed away.

Castle: And when he died, you inherited...

Damian Westlake: Everything. Detective Beckett thinks I got away with murder once and now I've done it again, doesn't she?

Castle: Damian, you should've told me. I'm not a cop, I'm your friend.

Damian Westlake: That's right, you are. Remember when you first came to Edgewick?

Beckett: I remember.

Damian Westlake: I was the one that told them to give you a chance. I'm looking for the same chance now.

In the interview lounge.

Beckett: Mr. Campbell, how did you get along with your ex-wife?

Simon Campbell: Well, it was hard for a while, I was bitter. Vicky left me for him, you know?

Beckett: Mm-hmm.

Simon Campbell: We had a home, we had two kids going into their teens and she fell madly in love with Damian Westlake and left me.

Beckett: And what did you know about him? About his past?

Simon Campbell: I know he doesn't work. He comes from money, I guess.

Beckett: Mm-hmm.

Simon Campbell: A typical spoiled child that grew into a spoiled man. I know Vicky regretted marrying him.

Beckett: And why would you say that?

Simon Campbell: Vicky's business is on the ground floor of our Brownstone. I still live in the top two floors with the kids. I would see her every day. You know, singing a little tune or gazing fondly at some new bobble he had gotten her. Then, lately, there was less singing and more crying. Monday she told me she thought she had made a mistake. We even talked about getting back together. What, you think it's a coincidence that two days later she was dead?

At Castle’s loft.

Martha: Richard! I thought you went to bed hours ago.

Castle: Couldn't sleep.

Martha: Couldn't sleep because of your fight with Beckett? Or because there's a possibility your old friend Damian may be a double murderer?

Castle: Both, and thank you for putting it so bluntly.

Martha: Richard, you know…

Castle: Don't… Don't say it. I know what you're thinking, 'cause I'm thinking it, too. What are the chances Damian's father and wife are both murdered in home invasions, but he had nothing to do with them?

Martha: So, what do you think?

Castle: I know, if he is guilty, I'll need to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. I will need solid evidence, not just coincidence and speculation.

Martha: Have you ever known Beckett to settle for less than that?

Castle: No.

Martha: I think you should face it, kiddo. You may owe that woman an apology. Especially I you want to stay on the case.

Beckett loses control of the espresso machine.

Beckett: Oh, no. Ugh.

Castle: Can I give you a hand with that?

Beckett: I got it.

Castle: You just… You…

Beckett: Castle, I said I got it. Okay?

Beckett struggles with the machine again. And fails.

Beckett: What are you doing here?

Castle: When I told Damian the best detective in New York was working his wife's case, I meant it. And I'm… I'm sorry to have doubted you. If you let me back, I promise I will do my best to remain objective.

Beckett: Well, that might be harder than you think.

Beckett gestures towards stacks of papers covering the conference table.

Beckett: The Westlake's financial records. This is their prenuptial agreement, and it's pretty clear that, if they got divorced, Damian would get nothing. But with her dead, he inherits 10 million.

Castle: Yes, but you're forgetting that Damian is already rich. The money he got when his father died.

Ryan: When his father was murdered. And also, that money is gone. Last of his cash, Damian spent wooing Vicky. He showered her with expensive presents, the engagement ring, a tennis bracelet, diamond earrings.

Beckett: And by the time they got married, Damian was tapped out of money. Vicky was paying for all the bills.

Ryan: According to Damian's credit card receipts, he spent her money on good Scotch, box seats, and Cuban cigars. Meanwhile, most of her charges were for her design business. Appraisers, a rug place, a finisher...

Castle: So?

Beckett: So, maybe Vicky got tired of being his ATM. Maybe she threatened to cut him off just like his father did. Castle, I read the Phillip Westlake case files. The cops were sure it was him.

Castle: Yes, but they were wrong. Just like you're wrong now.

Beckett: I'm sorry, is this you being objective? Or is this you staying out of my way?

Castle: This is me saying, maybe we could broaden our suspect pool a little bit. Certainly there's someone else we could be looking at?

Esposito: I think I might be able to help with that. The gang unit ID-ed the tag on the back wall of the Westlakes'. It's a personal signature. The guy's name is Omar Lincoln.

Castle: Please, please tell me he's a very bad man.

Esposito: Well, he did two years for assault with a deadly weapon and a B&E in 2007.

Beckett: Huh?

Esposito: Called the Graffiti Squad. They've been tracking this guy. Got a pop on his location.

Castle: Alright! Let's go get this guy, Huh?!

Beckett: Okay, go. I got it.

Ryan: Thank you.

Ryan, Esposito, and Castle pull up behind a truck that Omar Lincoln is vandalizing.

Esposito: Yo! Omar! Come here.

Ryan: NYPD, come on down.

Omar Lincoln: So long, detectives. Oh!

Omar grabs onto the cloth truck handle as the truck drives off.

Ryan: Hey!

Esposito: Hey!

Ryan: Hey, wait a minute!

Omar Lincoln: Oh, god, oh!

Esposito: NYPD! Stop the truck!

Ryan: Stop!
Esposito: Stop the truck!
Ryan: Stop the truck! Alright, get down.

Ryan pulls Omar off the truck and cuffs him.

Omar Lincoln: Yo, if this is about that damn rich lady, I don't know nothing.

In the interrogation room.

Omar Lincoln: Okay, I was at the house, yeah. But I didn't kill her.

Esposito: Here's what I think happened, Omar. You were back there tagging the wall. Mrs. Westlake opens the door and sees you. You shove her inside and you grab the first weapon you find so that she doesn't call the cops and you don't get busted on your parole.

Omar Lincoln: No, no. Look, I tagged the wall. Right after that, I hit the flower shop on 63rd. Owner sees me, pulls a .38, I get outta there hella fast. You can ask him.

Esposito: What time was this?

Omar Lincoln: Quarter to five about. You make this vandalism charge go away, I'll tell you fine detectives who did it.

Esposito: Okay.

Omar Lincoln: Her husband.

Castle: Ah, come on.

Esposito: Castle. Alright, Omar. Talk to me.

Omar Lincoln: I heard them two fighting. I mean breezy had a Park Avenue on. "You're a liar! You're a thief! I'm sorry I ever met you! I want a divorce!" If I was him, I would've killed her to just to shut her up. I… I mean... Don't even write that.

Near the bullpen.

Castle: I can't believe we're taking Omar Lincoln at his word.

Esposito: I'm taking the word of Dan Samuels, who confirms at 4:50 p.m. he was at his flower shop, pointing a .38 at Omar Lincoln, and that Omar ran north, which is in the opposite direction of the Westlakes' townhome.

Castle: Yes, but maybe he doubled back…

Esposito holds up a hand.

Esposito: Omar says that he overheard the Westlakes having a knockdown dragout. That she used the "D" word.

Beckett: Damian told us that things were fine between them, and that the last thing that Vicky said to him was, "Have a good game."

Castle: They had a fight. Married people fight.

Beckett: Well, then why did Damian lie to us about it?

Castle: Maybe he was you'd, I don't know, suspect him of murder?

Beckett: Or maybe he was afraid that we'd figure out what the fight was about. These are Damian's credit card charges.

Castle: Yeah, we went over those. Uh, cigars, Scotch, box seats.

Ryan: This is a different card. Took us a while to find it because Damian paid the bill from a pocket account and he kept it a secret from Vicky.

Beckett: And, given the charges, I'm sure he was keeping other secrets. There's a florist, some jewellery store at the mall, and he rented a playroom at the Verit Club at least once a week.

Ryan: What's in a playroom?

Castle: Not much more than a bed.

The three of them look at Castle.

Castle: Yes, I'm a member.

Ryan: So, why would Damian rent a bed when he had a nice, big townhouse?

Castle: There's got to be a reasonable explanation.

Beckett: Well, let's go see if we can find it.

In the playroom.

Callie Langston: Mr. Castle, welcome back. It's been a long time.

Castle: Yes, well, I've been, uh, working a lot. No time for play.

Callie Langston: Ah.

Beckett: We're actually here about another one of your members. Damian Westlake. Apparently, he would come here often, rent a playroom.

Callie Langston: I should probably get my supervisor.

Castle: Callie, it's okay, you can tell us. Was Damian meeting someone here?

Callie Langston: Um.

In the interrogation room.

Callie Langston: We're not supposed to get involved with members. Especially married members. But Damian... we couldn't help it. We fell in love.

Beckett: Did he tell you that he planned on leaving his wife?

Callie Langston: Yeah.

Beckett: Did he tell you about the problems with the money?

Callie Langston: N… No. Uh, Mrs. Westlake did.

Castle: You spoke to Mrs. Westlake?

Callie Langston: She came to the club Wednesday morning. She said that she had figured it out about Damian and me, and she wanted to warn me.

Castle: About what?

Callie Langston: Mrs. Westlake said that she was going to leave Damian, and then he wouldn't have any money. She said he couldn't live without money, so he would find someone else. A woman who could support him.

Beckett: And did you tell Damian about the conversation you had with his wife?

Callie nods.

Beckett: And what did he say?

Callie Langston: He said he loved me, and that nothing would keep us apart. Then I heard about Mrs. Westlake on the news.

Beckett: Did you talk to Damian after you heard about his wife's murder?

Callie Langston: Just once. He said we couldn't see each other for a while. Until things calmed down. He told me that he didn't do it. But then he said he knew if the cops asked me that I should say that we weren't together and that it could make him look bad. What am I supposed to think?

In the conference room.

Beckett: Callie's alibi checks out. She was at work on Wednesday until 7 p.m. Uniforms are bringing Damian in now.

Castle: Look, maybe Damian is a cheater and a bum, and a bad husband...

Beckett: Maybe?

Castle: That doesn't make him a killer. And you keep looking at me like I'm crazy for believing in him, but that's just because you don't know him.

Beckett: Castle, neither do you. The Damian that you think you know doesn't exist. You made him up just like you made up Derek Storm, just like you made up Nikki Heat. He's a character in a story that you told yourself when you were a homesick fourteen-year-old little boy. And maybe it's time to let him go.

Castle and Beckett get up to watch Damian get escorted to the interrogation room.

Beckett: You can watch from Observation. You don't want to be in there for this.

In the interrogation room.

Damian Westlake: You know, people keep telling me I should hire a lawyer. I say I'm innocent. I… I shouldn't need a lawyer.

Beckett: If you're innocent, Mr. Westlake, why is it every time I turn over a rock in this case, some dirty secret of yours slithers out?

Damian Westlake: I didn't do this.

Beckett: That's what you said to the cops in Puerto Rico, too. Isn't it funny how you keep finding yourself in the same situation, telling the same stories? I've got a story, too. You want to hear it? My story is about a handsome little prince who only ever wanted to live well. So, he killed his dad, the king, and he stole all of his gold, and he spent it and he spent it until it was all gone.

Damian Westlake: I didn't marry Vicky for her money. I loved her.

Beckett: And what about Callie? That's right, Damian. We talked to her. She said that you were in love with her, and that you told her that you wanted the two of you to be together. Vicky was leaving you. Soon, you'd be free to have your happily ever after. But there's just one problem, once again, you were out of gold. Vicky stood between you and a fortune. We know what happens to people when they do that. You were the last one to see her alive. You were the only one with motive.

Damian Westlake: But I didn't kill her!

Beckett opens the door and lets a Uniform in to escort Damian out.

Beckett: Damian Westlake, you're under arrest for the murder…

Damian Westlake: You're making a mistake.

Beckett: … Of Victoria Westlake. You have the right…

Damian Westlake: Look, I didn't do this.

Beckett: … To remain silent. You have the right to an attorney.

At Castle’s loft.

Castle: Alexis up and gone already?

Martha: Oh, yeah. She wanted to window shop before her violin lesson. It's her first Valentine's Day with Ashley and she's feeling the pressure.

Castle: Ah, yes. She wants a gift that says, "I love you," but nothing that says, "I love you more than life itself. Please don't leave me or I may die."

Martha: Well, that's why you guys go for the chocolates and the flowers.

Castle: I wish the choice I had to make today was so simple. I realize I have the choice to believe in two terrible things. Either Damian is a killer, or Beckett's arrested an innocent man. Just thinking about it's making my head hurt.

Martha: Well, then forget your head. Listen to your heart.

In the lockup.

Damian Westlake: Ricky.

Castle: I keep thinking back to when I was a senior. You were off at Harvard. You'd send me pages you were working on for your novel. And they were good, Damian. And you had talent. Why'd you throw it away?

Damian Westlake: Nah, you were the writer, Ricky. Not me. I didn't have anything to say. After I inherited all that money, I just didn't even want to try anymore. But when I look back at my life, I hope you won't mind if I list you as one of my few accomplishments.

Castle: You should've told me about Callie.

Damian Westlake: I swear to you, I didn't kill my wife.

Castle: Alright. Can you think of anything we might've overlooked, anything that might speak to your innocence?

Damian Westlake: I slept in. I went to the gym. I had lunch in a cafe on the West Side. When I got home, Vicky was already there. She had been to see Callie. We fought. God, for hours.

Castle: She said she wanted a divorce.

Damian Westlake: Yeah, she… She showed me an envelope, said there were papers inside that our lawyer had drawn up for her to sign. She was gonna end the marriage. I begged her to reconsider. And she asked me to leave. She needed to think.

Castle: You said Vicky gave you and envelope? What'd it look like?

The elevator opens and Castle walks in with a mailwoman.

Blanca: I gotta get back to my route.

Castle: Just five minutes, I promise. Ah, hello, hello.

Beckett: Castle?

Castle: Everyone, this is Blanca.

Esposito: Hola. Que estás haciendo aquí?

Blanca: Está loco…

Esposito: Ah, lo siento. Bueno suerte.

Castle: Yeah. I don't-- I don't know what… So, first of all, you were right. Damian and Vicky did have a fight the night she died, and she did tell him she wanted a divorce. As a matter of fact, she showed him a large manila envelope full of papers from her lawyer that she was going to sign.

Beckett: An envelope with legal papers? There wasn't anything about this in the CSU report.

Castle: Exactly. Blanca, please tell them what happened to it.

Blanca: Then I can go back to my route?

Castle: Yes, of course.

Blanca: I was delivering the mail Wednesday afternoon. As I made my way up 69 towards Park, I passed my Westlake and Mr. Utley. I said hello, they said hello back. A couple of minutes later, I get to the Westlakes' residence, the door opens, and Mrs. Westlake comes running out and hands me a large manila envelope. She said she wanted to make sure it went out in that day's mail.

Beckett: Wait a minute. So, you're positive that you saw Mrs. Westlake after you saw Damian?

Blanca: Lady, I couldn't be more sure. Anything else?

Castle: No, that's it. Thank you.

Blanca: Then I'm leaving now.

Castle: Of course. Thank you, Blanca.

Ryan: So, Vicky was alive after Damian left the house.

Esposito: And he was with Charles Utley until they came back and found her dead.

Castle: Which means...

Beckett: Damian couldn't have killed her.

At Montgomery's office.

Montgomery: Got it. D.A.'s office just kicked Damian Westlake loose, and they weren't too happy about it either.

Beckett: Sir, if Westlake didn't kill his wife, then he hired someone else to do it for him, just like he did the last time.

Castle: Wasn't it you that said that bad guys always bring their own weapons?

Beckett: Not when they're trying to make it look like a push-in robbery gone wrong?

Castle: What about the dog that didn't bark?

Beckett: He got the dog used to the guy.

Castle: Come on. You just can't get over the fact that Damian was a person of interest in his father's murder.

Beckett: I won't ignore the fact that there is a pattern here. People close to this guy seem to die violently.

Castle: Or maybe somebody is using Damian's tragic past to frame him for Vicky's murder. Now, there's another suspect right in front of you that you're not even looking at. Someone who had motive, means, and opportunity.

Beckett: And that would be whom, exactly?

Castle: Simon Campbell, Vicky's ex-husband. Think about it. Abandoned, cuckolded Simon. Do we really know this guy? Do we have any idea what he's capable of?

Montgomery: Well, do we?

Beckett: All the evidence points to Damian.

Castle: Yes, but wouldn't that evidence be less conclusive if Damian didn't have this old murder hanging over his head? Or, better yet, if there was proof that Phillip Westlake was killed by a random intruder?

Beckett: Castle, there isn't any proof.

Castle: Not yet, there isn't. Since you can't see through the cloud of suspicion surrounding Damian, I'm gonna clear the air. I'm gonna solve Phillip Westlake's murder, prove my friend didn't do it. Meanwhile, you can check out Simon Campbell.

Castle takes the Phillip Westlake evidence box and exits.

Montgomery: I need to go to the D.A. with something solid. Can you prove Westlake hired somebody to off his wife?

Beckett: I just need a couple of days.

Ryan: So, what's our next move? If Damian hired someone to kill Vicky, then there's a money trail. I'll find it. Meanwhile, you guys look into Simon Campbell.

Castle enters with the Phillip Westlake case file at home.

Martha: I'm sure he'll love it. Darling! You're daughter's a genius.

Castle: I knew that already.

Martha: For Valentine's Day, she bought Ashley a frame, had it engraved "True Love," and put in a picture of his pet rat, Theodore.

Castle: Heartfelt, yet humorous. Genius.

Alexis: What's in the box?

Castle: This is Phillip Westlake's murder file. I told Beckett I'm gonna solve the case.
Martha: Oh, Richard.

Castle: What? You're the one who told me to follow my heart.

Martha: Yes, but you know what I…

Alexis: Dad, that case is older than me.

Castle: This doesn't sound like encouragement.

Alexis: Then... Would you like some help?

Castle: Yes, I would.

In the conference room.

Beckett: To hire a gunman, you need cash. And according to every that we've been through here, Damian didn't have any.

Esposito: Yeah, well, it's somewhere. We just haven't found it yet.

Ryan: All the expensive knickknacks in the house, maybe he pawned a figurine.

Beckett: Vicky was a designer. She was meticulous. She would've noticed if something went missing, like the engagement ring.

Esposito: Got something?
Beckett: Omar Lincoln overheard Vicky call Damian a thief, and when Vicky apologized to Morris Hasberg for accusing him of stealing her engagement ring, she cried. Maybe she wasn't crying because of Morris. Maybe she was crying because she realized that her husband was stealing from her.

Ryan: CSU said the ring was accounted for.

Beckett: Vicky's credit card, wasn't there an appraiser on it?

Esposito: Yeah. Why?

Beckett: I think I know how Damian got his money.

At the jeweller’s shop.

Wallace Benner: It was terrible what happened to Mrs. Westlake.

Beckett: She came to see you Tuesday afternoon.

Ryan: What for?
Wallace Benner: Well, she wanted her jewellery appraised. I'm afraid I had some bad news for her. The stones were imitation, and I see that quite a bit. People need cash in a hurry, but they don't want to give up their jewellery, so they sell the diamonds and they replace them with high quality silicon carbide.

Beckett: Was one of the pieces an eleven karat engagement ring?

Wallace Benner: Yes. The entire basket setting had been replaced. She said that's how she knew something was wrong.

At Castle’s loft.

Castle: This whole case file is just one long loop leading back to Damian.

Alexis: Apparently, neighbours saw someone loitering outside the Westlake home the night of the murder. Here's a sketch. What?

Castle: Alexis, I know this guy.

Beckett rings the doorbell and Damian answers the door.

Damian Westlake: Detective Beckett.

Beckett: Can we talk for a moment?

Damian Westlake: Sure.

At Westlakes' House.

Damian Westlake: Have you come to apologize?

Beckett: No.

Damian Westlake: At least you're honest. What can I do for you, Detective?

Beckett: You could show me the diamonds that you stole from Vicky. I spoke to Wallace Benner, the jeweller on the West Side. He said that he replaced your wife's diamonds with imitation ones. Over a period of several weeks, he exchanged twenty-six diamonds worth over eight million dollars, and gave you the real ones.

Damian Westlake: But doesn't this argue against your theory? That I killed my wife? If I have eight million dollars, why wouldn't I just leave? Be with Callie?

Beckett: Greed. You used the first diamond as a down payment for the contract to kill her. Once Vicky was dead, you'd inherit and double your take.

Damian Westlake: You really think I'm that cold?

Beckett: Personally, I have no doubt. But Richard Castle believes in you, and I believe in him. So, show me those diamonds. Show me that none of them are missing, or I will haul your ass back to jail.

Damian walks to the fireplace. Beckett reaches for her gun just in case. Damian pulls a small box out from its hiding place under the mantel and hands it to Beckett.

Damian Westlake: I only changed the diamonds I had given her. Those pieces cost me millions of dollars, and I knew she'd have no particular attachment to them once we were over. I've led a careless and wasteful life, Detective. But I'm no killer. Twenty-six diamonds, they're all there.

At the Coffee shop.

Castle: Detective Salazar? I'm Richard Castle. Thank you very much for meeting me.

Ray Salazar: I'm retired now, so you can call me Ray.

Castle: Alright. So, Ray, what kind of man leaves beautiful Puerto Rico to retire in freezing cold New York?

Ray Salazar: The kind of man whose beautiful wife is from Long Island.

Castle: Understood.

Ray Salazar: So, you said on the phone this was about the Phillip Westlake case?

Castle: That's right.

Ray Salazar: I really hated leaving the job with that one still unsolved.

Castle: Well, maybe I can help with that. Did you ever manage to identify the man that neighbours saw outside the Westlake home the night of the murder?

Ray Salazar: Thought we did. He looked a lot like a local tough named Enrique Molina, but when we brought Molina in, the neighbours couldn't pick him out of a line-up.

Castle: That's because it wasn't Molina.

Castle shows Salazar his old yearbook, the student Michael Rutherford.

Ray Salazar: I'm listening.

Castle: Michael Rutherford was a scholarship kid at Edgewick Academy where Damian Westlake and I went to school. He was smart, but a sociopath, a thief. The kid barely graduated.

Ray Salazar: Were Rutherford and Westlake friends?

Castle: No. As a matter of fact, it was Damian who turned him into the headmaster for stealing. But they did run in some of the same circles, sometimes went to the same parties. What if Michael Rutherford heard about the Westlake vacation home in Puerto Rico? It was nearly always vacant, full of treasure. He could've made a small fortune and gotten revenge on Damian at the same time.

Near the bullpen.

Ryan: Hey, how'd it go?

Beckett: Damian Westlake is a thief and a cheater, but he might not be our killer. You guys, I hate admitting it, but Castle might be right.
Ryan: We've also been thinking that Castle might be right.

Esposito: Info's back on Simon Campbell. Vicky's ex-husband is what they like to call overextended.

Ryan: Campbell's real estate firm took a big hit two years ago and he borrowed heavily to cover cost. Man needs a cash transfusion stat.

Beckett: Is Simon and Vicky's will?

Ryan: He gets the deed to the Brownstone, which is worth over five million. He's also the executor of their children's estate.

Esposito: Now, he was at home with the kids at the time of the murder. But, he was on the second floor and they were on the third.

Beckett: So, he could've stuck out and been back before anyone noticed.

Ryan: Which brings us to the Campbell Brownstone and its very sophisticated security system. It records every door opening, every window.

Esposito: My friend in the ADA got us a warrant and we talked to the alarm company. At 4:37 p.m. on Wednesday, the front door opens. 5:42, it opened again.

Beckett: Which means someone left before the murder, and then returned after. You know, I'd like to talk to our Mr. Simon Campbell.

Esposito: Well, we called his place. He's out all evening on personal business and he's not picking up his cell phone.

Beckett: Mm-kay. Sit on his house. When he gets back home, bring him in.

In Eposito and Ryan's unmarked.

Ryan: So, what did you decide about Lanie and Valentine's Day?

Esposito: Oh. I'm gonna play it safe and show up with a gift.

Ryan: Hm.

Esposito: I found this little jewellery store that sells stuff, you know, that girlfriends like. Necklaces, charm bracelets. What about you? What are you gonna do?

Ryan: Oh, Jenny loves chocolate.

Esposito: Jenny's planning her wedding. Your girl's on a diet and you're gonna give her chocolate?

Ryan: Hey, hey, hey. It's Simon.

Esposito: Oh, he's got a little valentine of his own, doesn't he? Is that Amber Patinelli, Vicky Westlake's employee?

In the precinct.

Beckett: You sure it's her? So much for Simon saying that he wanted to reconcile with Vicky.

In Eposito and Ryan's unmarked.

Esposito: What do you want us to do? Thought so. Let's bring them both in.

In the precinct, Beckett's standing by the elevator when it opens and Castle's about to step out.

Castle: I was hoping you'd still be here.

Beckett: I was just about to call you.

Castle/Beckett: I think I know who the killer is.

In the interview lounge.

Beckett: I appreciate you coming in.

Simon Campbell: Detective, it's very late

Beckett: Oh, this'll be quick. I didn't realize that the two of you were a couple.

Simon Campbell: Well, it's very casual.

Amber Patinelli: Well, for a long time we were just friends. I was a shoulder to cry on after the divorce. It's only been recently that, uh...

Beckett: Any plans for Valentine's Day?

Simon Campbell: Uh, nothing special, no.

Castle: You were hoping to spend it with Vicky, right?

Amber Patinelli: What does that mean? Simon?

Simon Campbell: Uh, Vicky and I have been talking, that's all. How is this relevant to anything, Detective?

Beckett: Did Vicky know about you and Amber?

Simon Campbell: No. I didn't want her to know.

Castle: So, it's possible that Vicky innocently confided in her friend, Amber? Telling her she was leaving Damian, going back to Simon, not knowing that he was your Simon now.

Beckett: Amber, you called for a company car at 415 on Wednesday afternoon, we just talked to the dispatcher. He says you ordered a sedan and kept it for an hour. A round trip to the Westlake's and back. We found a nail gun with fingerprints that we couldn't identify. If we compare them to yours, do you think we'd find a match? You didn't go there intending to kill her, did you?

Amber Patinelli: No. I just wanted to talk. she could have any man she wanted, and I begged her to let me have you. She said no. I love you so much. She could never love you the way that I do.

At Westlakes' House.

Damian Westlake: So, you're saying that Amber didn't even know about my past? Wasn't a frame, just a strange coincidence?

Castle: Or kismet. Where're you off to?

Damian Westlake: Barcelona. I gotta get away. Thank Detective Beckett for me, will you? Congratulate her on solving the case.

Castle: Well, actually, we solved two cases.

Castle pulls a folded piece of paper and puts it on the table.

Damian Westlake: What's this?

Castle: That's a sketch of Michael Rutherford. I found it in your father's murder file.

Damian Westlake: Michael Rutherford. From school? I don't understand.

Castle: He broke into your house. He shot your father.

Damian Westlake: Oh, my god.

Castle: They found him, Damian. He's been arrested.

Damian Westlake: After all this time? Can they even prove that he did it?

Castle: There was a cigarette butt left at the scene. Detective Salazar made sure it was preserved. The DNA is a match.

Damian Westlake: Mm.

Castle: Michael made a deal, Damian. He confessed.

Damian Westlake: Wow, this is, uh... It is pretty overwhelming. I got a plane to catch, so maybe we should just talk about this later.

Castle: Michael told the cops you got in touch with them, asked him if he wanted to make a lot of money for one night's worth. You gave him your Rolex and your car as a down payment. When your inheritance came through, he got half a million dollars, and a one way ticket to Los Angeles. He still has your Rolex. And a map that you drew of your father's house with a path leading straight to his bedroom.

Damian Westlake: Rick, he's ly… He's lying.

Castle: Tell me you didn't do it.

Damian Westlake: Ricky, I...

Castle: Tell me I haven't been believing in you all this time for nothing.

Damian says nothing and the doorbell rings.

Castle: That's them. Detective Salazar and some New York detectives. They're here to take you in.

Castle stands up.

Castle: I told them you'd be a gentleman.

At Westlakes' House.

Beckett: "Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." F. Scott Fitzgerald said that.

Castle: It must've been Ernest Hemmingway who said, "Man, I sure could use a drink right about now."

Beckett: Lead the way. I'm buying.