At Gemstar Studios.
Mandy Bronson: Joseph, this is the last time we can do this.
Lance Hastings: What are you talking about?
Mandy Bronson: I'm going back to my husband.
Lance Hastings: Alfonso?
Mandy Bronson: I'm sorry.
Lance Hastings: Angie, baby, what about us?
A door closes.
Mandy Bronson: Oh, my god. Oh, my god, that's him .He's home early.
Alfonso: Angela, are you upstairs?
Mandy Bronson: Hide in the closet. Mi bello!
The Lance opens the closet and a body drops out with an axe in the back. The Mandy screams. Lance relaxes and we see the TV crew on the set.
Lance Hastings: Alright, what's going on, fellas? The gag real getting a little thin?
Crewman: No.
Lance Hastings: Oh, my god. It's Sarah! They killed Sarah!
Castle skirts cautiously into the room, watching his mother sing and dance around the kitchen wearing rubber gloves. She tosses him a lemon.
Castle: I know you aren't cooking breakfast. So, what is all this?
Martha: Spring cleaning.
Castle: Oh! Well, Mother, I am… I am shocked that you even know how to operate a sponge.
Martha: Oh! I have cleaned before. Well, I-- supervised cleaning before.
Castle: And what has, uh, prompted this sudden burst of domestic devotion?
Martha: The space for my acting school won't be ready for another month, Alexis is all busy with her AP tests, my lunch date cancelled.
Castle: Oh.
Martha: And if I don't do something productive, I'm going to tear my hair out. So, out of my way.
Castle: Pardon.
Castle's cell rings.
Castle: Oh, speaking of hair. Hello, Beckett. Yes. 1777 21st Street. Alright, I'll meet you there.
Martha: Did you say 1777 21st Street?
Castle: Yeah, there was a murder there. Why?
Martha: Oh, I know that address. That's Gemstar Studios. That's where they film Temptation Lane.
Castle: The soap opera you used to be on.
Martha: Oh, I… I hope it's nobody that I know. Maybe I should go with you.
Castle: It's a crime scene, Mother, for trained professionals.
Martha: Richard Castle. You are neither trained, nor a professional.
Castle: I'll text you with updates.
At Gemstar Studios.
Esposito: Victim's name is Sarah Cutler. Looks like she was killed last night and stuffed into a closet on set.
Beckett: Was she a part of the production?
Esposito: Yeah.
Castle: Let me guess. The diva actress that everyone hated.
Esposito: Actually, Castle, she was a writer.
Castle: A writer?
Esposito: Mm.
Castle: Why would anyone want to kill a writer?
Beckett: Oh, so many reasons.
Castle: Or maybe Sarah discovered that Greek billionaire Mikos had invented a machine that could cause blizzards that would plunge the entire world into an ice age.
Beckett: Really? You're gonna go with a evil weather machine.
Castle: It already happened. On General Hospital. Look, bear in mind, we're entering into a world of epic drama with larger than life characters, each one teaming with twisted secrets and personal intrigue. It stands to reason that the motive for this murder will be worthy of a soap opera.
Beckett: Castle, even in a world of epic drama, the motives are usually quite ordinary.
They turn a corner and see the victim with the bright red fire axe in her back.
Castle: Now, does that look ordinary to you? The victim with an axe in her back on the set of her own show. Odds are, the killer walks amongst us on this very soundstage.
Beckett: So, what've we got?
Lanie: Her spinal cord was severed with the axe. Upon contact, her lungs filled with blood, causing her to drown. I can put the time of death in the four hour window somewhere between 7 and 11 p.m. last night.
Beckett: And where did this axe come from?
Esposito: It's the fire axe from the stage. Crew members think it might be symbolic.
Castle: Symbolic?
Esposito: Well, when Miss Cutler took over writing the show, first thing she did was kill off one of the main characters with an axe. Helped save the show, but some of the fans were unhappy.
Lanie: You damn right, we were unhappy. Ashley Conrad was the matriarch of Temptation Lane for thirty years. And then, all of a sudden, whap!
Beckett: Lanie.
Lanie: Right. Based on the CSU sweep, she was killed right here. The killer wiped up the blood spatter and shoved her in the closet.
Castle: Which means they knew there was a closet to shove her into, suggesting someone familiar with the layout. An insider, perhaps.
Ryan: So, I just checked with Security. They're on high alert now, but, as you can tell, things aren't exactly buttoned up around here.
Beckett: And what about the cameras?
Ryan: Only one at the main entrance, but no one was manning the entrance to this soundstage.
Beckett: Oh, so, it is possible that someone from the outside got in. Have you talked to next of kin?
Esposito: Husband was on set when the body was discovered. Turns out, he's one of the directors.
Beckett: Okay. So, why don't you guys get statements from the actors that found her. Castle and I'll talk to the husband.
Esposito: Right.
At Gemstar Studios.
Lance Hastings: It's tragic, really. Sarah was a gem. Supremely talented, too.
Mandy Bronson: It all begins with the words.
Esposito: But it's also how you say them.
Mandy Bronson: So true. My performance brings Angela Canon to life. Without Sarah's words, I'd just be an incredibly gorgeous woman named Mandy Bronson.
Lance Hastings: She really understood Joseph Fox. My character. He's very complicated.
Mandy Bronson: Complicated? A five year old could write him.
Lance Hastings: Yeah, I'd be insulted if you actually knew anything about acting.
Esposito steps forward to interrupt. And flirt with Mandy.
Esposito: Miss Bronson, what time did you leave the studio last night?
Mandy Bronson: We wrapped at six and then went straight home. I, um...
Mandy sits up to expose her cleavage more.
Mandy Bronson: Drew a bath, poured a glass of wine, put on a little John Legend. Then I slipped out of my silk robe and let the bubbles soak every inch of my body.
Esposito: Wow. Dude. Dude.
Ryan steps up in front of Esposito.
Ryan: Dude.
Esposito: I'm just…
Ryan: Mr. Hastings, how about you?
Lance Hastings: Diddo.
Ryan: You also drew a bubble bath and listened to some John Legend?
Lance Hastings: No, I left right after we wrapped.
Esposito: And when did you last see Sarah?
Lance Hastings: She came down to the set right before we shot a love scene.
Mandy Bronson: Ha! More like a torture scene with me getting smothered by his bulk. Why don't you get your ass to the gym?
Lance Hastings: I'll go to the gym if you pop a tic-tac the next time we have to kiss.
Ryan: Can we get back to Sarah for just one more moment? Did she have any enemies in the production?
Lance Hastings: No, no! Sarah was wonderful. Everybody loved her.
Mandy Bronson: Yeah, she treated everyone with respect. I can't imagine who would do this.
At Gemstar Studios.
Beckett: Mr. Powers, when was the last time you spoke with your wife?
Vince Powers: I, um, spoke with Sarah last night. Right… Right here. Right where we're standing right now.
Beckett: And what did the two of you talk about?
Vince Powers: End of the day, just touching base.
Beckett: What time was that?
Vince Powers: Maybe a little after six.
Beckett: Didn't you find it strange that Sarah didn't come home last night?
Vince Powers: I'm used to it. Sarah's the head writer. Long hours writing scripts kind of comes with the territory.
Castle: She have any trouble with cast or crew?
Vince Powers: Well, everybody here has an agenda, and Sarah had to make a lot of tough decisions, but nobody here would actually hurt her. We're like a family.
Beckett: And what about anyone outside the show?
Vince Powers: No, not that I… Wait.
Beckett: What?
Vince Powers: FoxCanLover.
Beckett: FoxCanLover?
Vince Powers: About a week ago, Sarah had this… This crazy, obsessed fan kicked off the set. Sh… She writes an unofficial blog about the show. She's a shipper who goes by the screen name FoxCanLover.
Castle: A shipper?
Beckett: Uh, yeah. It's a person who invests in the relationships of a show. In this case, it would be Joseph Fox and Angela Canon. Hence, FoxCan.
Castle nods. Then does a double take that Becket would know a tidbit like that.
Vince Powers: Exactly. But once she gets here, she loses it, goes crazy, threatens Sarah. Security has to escort her off.
Beckett: Do you know the lady's name?
Vince Powers: No, I… I don't, but Sarah's assistant would. Reese Harmon.
Gloria Chambers runs up to Vince.
Gloria Chambers: Is it true?
Gloria hugs him.
Vince Powers: I'm so… I'm so sorry.
Gloria Chambers: My baby's gone!
Vince Powers: I'm sorry.
Vince pulls out of the hug.
Vince Powers: This is, um, this is Sarah's mom, Gloria Chambers. Detective Beckett is investigating Sarah's murder.
Gloria Chambers: It's so unfair. I just got her back and now she's gone.
Beckett: Mrs. Chambers, were the two of you estranged?
Gloria Chambers: We had been for years. I gave her up for adoption when I was young. What kind of monster would do this?
Beckett: We don't know just yet, but we are gonna do everything we can to bring them to justice.
Gloria Chambers: You'd better. Or I will sue the entire city for every nickel it's worth!
At Gemstar Studios.
Castle: Well, I understand being upset, but threatening to sue?
Beckett: Yeah, well, everybody processes their grief differently.
Castle: Yes. Unless she's a gold digging opportunist who's insinuated herself back into her daughter's life because she's in need of a heart transplant and Sarah is the only compatible donor.
Beckett: Mm, sure, maybe on Temptation Lane. Not in the real world.
Castle: Oh, speaking of which, FoxCan?
Beckett: Mm-hmm.
Castle: Joseph Fox and Angela Canon, how did you know their names?
Beckett: Uh, one of the Uniforms briefed me.
Castle: Oh. And shippers. Relationship fans?
Beckett: Castle, I do read, you know.
Castle: Cool.
Castle and Beckett turn a corner to find Sarah's assistant, Reese Harmon, sitting on the soundstage bed at the crime scene. She's crying.
Beckett: Excuse me, are you Reese Harmon?
Reese nods.
At Sarah's office.
Reese Harmon: FoxCanLover's real name is Carrie Edwards. She won the set visit from a literacy charity that Sarah supported. She paid a thousand dollars for it. Everything was fine at first, but when she saw Sarah, she got in her face and started yelling, "You ruined everything!"
Beckett: Did she ever send Sarah any threatening letters? Anything that you might have on file?
Reese Harmon: No. But she did write some pretty awful things on her blog. I'll show you that.
Castle: If Sarah was working late, why weren't you here? You… You are her assistant.
Reese Harmon: I usually stay, but Sarah wouldn't let me.
Beckett: Why not?
Reese Harmon: One of her passions was helping young writers. She got me a position at the network fellowship program. We had a mixer last night. She was supposed to come, but she never showed.
Beckett: When was the last time you saw her?
Reese Harmon: Around 6:30. Brought her… her coffee and scone. Here it is. Last week, the day of the set visit, look at what she wrote.
Beckett: "Made it onto the set, but didn't complete the mission."
Castle: Look at the most recent post. "Last time, I failed. This time I will succeed. She's been stabbing us loyal fans in the back. Now it's our turn to take her down..."
Beckett: "It's time to give her the axe."
In the interrogation room.
Carrie Edwards: She's dead? Sarah Cutler's dead? This is the best news ever. Can I send a quick Tweet? Not cool? I'll wait.
Beckett: Must've been difficult not to blog about it last night.
Carrie Edwards: Yeah, how would I know. Wait. You guys think I had something to do this?
Beckett: Well, I mean, your blog clearly spells out your determination to take out Sarah.
Carrie Edwards: But everybody talks tough on the internet.
Castle: You wrote, "It's time to give her the axe," the day she was killed with an axe.
Carrie Edwards: Okay. Now, I can explain this!
Beckett: We already figured it out. You bought the set visit to get closer to Sarah. The visit was cut short. You came back last night, when no one was around, and then you remembered there's an axe on the soundstage.
Carrie Edwards: No, no, no! I bought the set visit because she was being swayed by the CanFonsos!
Castle: Who?
Carrie Edwards: The CanFonsos. The opposition… They believe that Angela Canon should be together with Alfonso Dominguez. I was trying to convince her that Angela belongs with Joseph!
Castle: With an axe.
Carrie Edwards: Yes! Wait. No. I was organizing a protest, okay? We were gonna send a whole bunch of axes to the head of the network, demanding that Sarah be fired. I've got everybody on my website doing it. We want them to know that we think Sarah's ruining the show!
Beckett: Where were you last night between seven and eleven?
Carrie Edwards: I was chatting with the other FoxCans.
Castle: Wild guess. Alone?
Carrie Edwards: No. No, and I can prove it. Mary and Dennis were home.
Beckett: And those are your roommates?
Carrie Edwards: No, my parents.
In the break room.
Castle: Just don't see that girl swinging an axe, let alone leaving her house.
Beckett: What's the matter? Homicidal fan not soapy enough for you?
Castle: You know, when you say soapy, I conjure up images…
Beckett: Castle, focus.
Castle: I am.
Beckett: On our suspect.
Castle: Oh.
Beckett: I mean, you saw how obsessive she was. She invests in these fictional relationships. She cares if Angela's gonna get back together with Alfonso, if Marguerite's gonna survive her cancer scare…
Castle: Oh, my god.
Beckett: What?
Castle: You watch Temptation Lane.
Beckett: What? No.
Castle: No one said anything…
Beckett tries to escape from the break room, but Castle puts his arm across the doorway.
Castle: … About Marguerite's cancer scare. You know a lot about shippers. You know about FoxCans. You are a fan. A big, fat, Temptation Lane fan.
Beckett: Okay, maybe I watched, it, like, once or twice.
Beckett ducks under Castle's arm, but he follows her into the bullpen.
Castle: It's just so delightfully not you!
Beckett: So says the guy who rattles off plot points from General Hospital.
Castle: Oh, that is completely different! That is for research.
Esposito: What was for research?
Beckett/Castle: Nothing.
Beckett shoots Castle a "Tell him and I will kill you" look.
Esposito: Mary and Dennis confirm that blogger chick was in her room all night.
Castle: What about the cast and crew?
Esposito: So far, all their alibis checked out. But I was looking over Sarah's schedule. Last week, there were a couple of appointments that just say "M". And there was another one the day before the murder, and then one scheduled for tomorrow.
Beckett: So...
Esposito: So, her assistant didn't schedule these, which means it was personal. And her husband didn't know about them, either.
Castle: With Sarah's work load, it must've been important for her to make time.
Esposito: Exactly. And her husband and assistant both say, when she came back from this appointment, she was upset.
Beckett: Alright, let's see what we can dig up from that.
Ryan: Hey, Beckett.
Beckett: Hey. What'd you find at the apartment?
Ryan: Her husband's stuff. His clothes are gone, and only her stuff is in the bathroom. So, I talked to the doorman, and he said that Vince hasn't lived there in almost two months. They've been separated.
Beckett: Funny he didn't mention that earlier. Looks like someone's hiding something on Temptation Lane.
In the living room soundstage.
Vincent Powers: Look, I knew if I told you that my marriage was in trouble that I would be suspect number one.
Beckett: Maybe. But, now that we know that you lied, it makes you look even worse.
Castle: Why did you separate?
Vincent Powers: Everything changed after Sarah got the big promotion. If I wanted to spend time with my own wife, I had to schedule an appointment. It wasn't working. So, I moved out.
Beckett: You know, there's another version of this story where your wife kicked you out, and then she demanded a divorce.
Castle: Mmm. Only, this way, you don't have to worry about splitting your assets.
Vincent Powers: I didn't kill my wife.
Beckett: Well, then where were you the night that she was killed?
Vincent Powers: I was at the hotel. I went there immediately after we wrapped here.
Beckett: And can anyone vouch for that?
Castle: Come on, Vince. Tell us you were alone. It'll make arresting you that much easier.
Vincent Powers: I, um... I wasn't alone.
Beckett: I'm gonna need a name.
Vincent Powers: Mandy Bronson.
Castle: Mandy Bronson? As in Angela Canon? As in star of Temptation Lane?
Vincent Powers: Yes, that Mandy Bronson.
Castle: Just checking.
Beckett: Did she stay the night?
Vincent Powers: No. We ordered room service and, um, about seven o'clock, she got an e-mail from Sarah and she went running off.
Beckett: So, the night that your wife was killed, she e-mailed your mistress? And you didn't think that that was important to mention?
Vincent Powers: It wasn't a big deal. I asked Mandy about it. Well, she got some new script pages that Sarah wanted her to look over. So, she went home to memorize them.
Beckett: Were you alone the rest of the night?
Vincent Powers: Yes. Yes, I cracked the mini-bar, I ordered Pay Per View. You can check.
Beckett: I will.
At Gemstar Studios.
Castle: It can't be the husband.
Beckett: Why? He's got motive?
Castle: Yeah, but marriage on the rocks, killing for money? That's just so...
Beckett: Ordinary.
Castle: We need to focus on Mandy Bronson. Home wrecking diva engaged in a tour d'affair with the victim's husband. She fled their illicit love nest after a mysterious e-mail from Sarah on the eve of her murder.
Beckett: Yeah, but we don't even know if there was an e-mail. I mean, Vincent could've been lying. But, you are right, Mandy Bronson does have some explaining to do.
Castle: Esplanie.
Beckett: What?
Castle: Lanie and Esposito. Like FoxCan. We can call them Esplanie. Which is perfect, because they're always Esplaning things. Mother.
Martha: Hi.
Beckett: Martha. What a surprise.
Castle: Yes. What an unexpected surprise. What are you doing here?
Martha: Grieving!
Castle: You didn't even know the victim.
Martha: Darling, a loss for a show like this is a loss for anyone who was ever part of its history. And...I think I can be of help here. I think I could be your inside source and get the scoop on what's really going on here. Oh-ho-ho, and what better place to start than Lance Hastings?
Castle: You know him?
Martha: He was my love interest 30 years ago. On screen. And off.
Beckett chuckles. Castle's not pleased.
Martha: After my character married his character, Joseph Fox, she was kidnapped, buried alive, trapped in a cave with bears, uh, kidnapped again, and held hostage in the sewers of Paris.
Beckett: How long were you on the show?
Martha: Three weeks. Got to go. Excuse me.
Martha boosts her chest and fluffs her hair as she walks over to Lance Hastings.
Castle: My mother gives new meaning to the word "transparent".
Beckett grins as she and Castle exit. Martha and Lance hug in the background.
Martha: Yes. Oh, darling, I know.
Reese types in Sarah's user name and password on the computer.
Reese Harmon: There's her account. What are you looking for?
Beckett: An e-mail that Sarah sent before she died.
Castle: There it is.
Beckett: "Meet me at the office ASAP." So, Sarah had Mandy meet her here that night.
Castle: You think she found out about the affair? Planned to confront her?
Beckett: I don't know. Here's an attachment.
Castle: Oh, it's a script for an upcoming episode.
Beckett: The characters are vacationing in Pamplona. Oh, my god!
Castle: Oh, my god. Mandy Bronson's character is gored to death while running with the bulls.
Beckett: Sarah brought her here to tell Mandy she was writing her off the show.
Castle: Looks like Mandy wrote her off first.
Esposito waves Castle into the room to watch Mandy Bronson through the one-way glass.
Esposito: Castle! C'mere, c'mere! I know she's a murder suspect, but you got to admit, she is smoking hot.
Castle: Agreed. So hot, in fact, that it led to a tour d'affair with Sarah's director husband. Sarah found out about it, decided to kill of Mandy's character. Doesn't get any soapier than that.
Esposito: Well, obviously, you haven't seen Chiquitas.
Castle: As in… ?
Esposito: No. As in the Telenovas. I used to watch it growing up with my grandmother. Bro, there was this one episode where Gabriella discovered that her husband was sleeping with her evil twin sister Teresita. Only to later find out that she had multiple personality disorder.
Castle: Wait, does that even qualify as cheating?
Esposito: Dude.
Beckett: What?
Esposito: Don't even think it.
Beckett enters Interrogation.
Beckett: Miss Bronson, I'm curious how you felt when you found out that Sarah was gonna kill of your character.
Mandy Bronson: Kill off my character? That's ridiculous. I'm the reason the ratings were up.
Beckett: Well, then why did she write this scene where Angela Canon has an unfortunate encounter with a bull?
Mandy Bronson: Sarah probably writes a death scene for every character on the show. To keep the actors in line.
Beckett: She wrote those particular pages the night that she was murdered. While you were with her husband. He told us that you left right after you got an e-mail from Sarah. But you didn't go home, did you? You went to go and confront her.
Mandy Bronson: Sarah wanted to save her marriage. She thought the way she could do that was to get me out of the picture.
Beckett: And you wanted to urge her to reconsider and, when she didn't, you killed her.
Mandy Bronson: I admit, I went to see the bitch. I told her Angela Canon is the heart and soul of the show. But when I saw she wouldn't back down, I left. I didn't need to kill her.
Beckett: And why is that?
Mandy Bronson: Because I still had a hand to play. Everybody thinks Sarah calls the shots at Temptation Lane, but the second in command, Peter Connelly? He's the one the network really trusts.
Beckett: What is this other hand that you had to play?
Mandy Bronson: I did what any industrious actress would do. I went to his apartment straight from the studio and used my powers of persuasion to get him on my side.
Beckett: When did you leave?
Mandy Bronson: The sun was up, and my character's still alive.
At Gemstar Studios.
Peter Connelly: Yeah, she showed up at my apartment last night. She was wearing a fur coat.
Beckett: So?
Peter Connelly: Just a fur coat. And I nearly had a heart attack when she let it slip open. Years of fantasizing and there she was, standing right in front of me.
Beckett: And what did she want?
Peter Connelly: She was all fired up about Sarah wanting to write her off the show. So, then I had to listen to Mandy summarize every soap digest article praising her performance. Just to make her stop, I agreed that I would talk to Sarah.
Castle: Only now you don't have to.
Reese walks past them.
Peter Connelly: Reese! Grab your laptop and join the group. We're all hands on deck.
Reese Harmon: You mean it?
Peter Connelly: I'm not gonna ask you twice.
Castle: Sounds like you're pretty desperate.
Peter Connelly: Mr. Castle, you publish, what? One book a year?
Castle: Give or take.
Peter Connelly: In that same time period, we produce 250 episodes. I'm down a writer. Reese wrote some script about horses that Sarah actually liked. So, yeah, I'm gonna take the extra help where I can get it. Unless, of course, you'd like to jump in.
Castle: You know what's interesting? With Sarah out of the way, Mandy gets to stay on the show and you get promoted.
Peter Connelly: Hey, I'm a professional. Mandy's staying because Angela Canon is the heart and soul of this show.
Beckett: Well, where have I heard that before? Uh, we'll keep in touch. Beckett.
Esposito: So, the hotel confirmed that the time sensors in Vince's mini-bar were activated until 11:30 p.m.
Beckett: So, I guess our deadly love triangle wasn't so deadly after all.
Esposito: Not on his side, anyway. But the hot news is, Ryan got a hit on those mystery appointments Sarah was going to. He found credit card charges that matched up time and date to the meetings.
Beckett: And where was she going?
Esposito: To a coffee shop on 7th. According to her calendar, her next meeting is in about an hour.
Beckett hangs up.
Beckett: Castle, you up for a coffee break?
Lauren serves a cup of coffee to a customer sitting at the counter.
Lauren Goldberg: Here you go.
Customer: Thanks.
Lauren Goldberg: Can I help you?
Beckett: Yes. I hope so.
Beckett pulls out a photo of Sarah Cutler.
Beckett: Do you recognize this woman?
Lauren Goldberg: Yeah. Why?
Lauren cries as she sits across from Castle and Beckett at a table.
Lauren Goldberg: She can't be dead! She can't be dead! She can't.
Beckett: I'm so sorry, Miss Goldberg.
Lauren Goldberg: It's not fair. It is so not fair. What am I supposed to do?
Beckett: Did the two of you know each other very well?
Lauren Goldberg: Actually, I didn't know her at all.
Castle: Then why would you be so upset?
Lauren Goldberg: Well, because she promised she would read my screenplay and, if she liked it, she would help me find an agent.
Beckett: Who would she meet when she came here?
Lauren Goldberg: What's it matter? She's dead. I lost my chance.
Beckett looks at Castle, shifts her eyes to Lauren back to him. Castle shakes his head. Beckett gives him wide "Tell her!" eyes.
Castle: I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal. If you tell us what happened after that, I'll read your script and if I like it, I'll give it to my agent.
Lauren Goldberg: Really?
Castle glares at Beckett.
Castle: Really.
Lauren Goldberg: She met with a guy and they sat at a table in a corner.
Beckett: Do you remember what he looked like?
Lauren Goldberg: Um. Like him.
Lauren points to a guy who just entered the coffee shop behind them.
Lauren Goldberg: Exactly like him.
Johnny Dimes: A double espresso...
Lauren Goldberg: What about my script?
Castle: I'll come back and get it when we're done.
Beckett and Castle sit down across from the man Lauren pointed out.
Johnny Dimes: Do I know you?
Beckett: I'm a friend of Sarah Cutler.
Johnny Dimes: Yeah? You bring my money?
Beckett: What money?
Johnny Dimes: Look, I did what she asked, and now I want what I'm owed.
Beckett: And, uh, what is it that she asked you to do?
Johnny Dimes: None of your damn business. Who the hell are you?
Beckett: NYPD. Sarah's dead, so it is my business. Now, who the hell are you?
Johnny Dimes: Johnny Dimes, I'm a P.I. Sarah Cutler was a client. What do you mean she's dead?
Castle: She's dead. Only really has the one meaning.
Beckett: Did she hire you to follow her husband?
Johnny Dimes: Husband? No. She hired me to investigate Gloria Chambers.
Castle: The mom. I knew it. Was she involved in organ harvesting?
Johnny Dimes: That didn't really come up. But I can tell you this, Gloria Chambers isn't her real birth mom. She's a fake.
Castle: Oh. The mom isn't really the mom? Does it get any soapier than that?
In the precinct.
Castle: Ooh! Oh, it's that the P.I.'s file on Sarah's faux mother?
Beckett: Yeah. Apparently, Gloria showed up three years ago claiming to be Sarah's birth mom and Sarah got suspicious, so she hired a P.I. in order to look into Gloria's history.
Castle: What nefarious scheme has Gloria set into motion? Perhaps she planned on replacing Sarah with a clone.
Beckett: She wanted Sarah's money.
Castle: Money!
Beckett: Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble, Castle, but Gloria's got a history of insurance scams and husbands with empty bank accounts.
Castle: You bringing her in?
Beckett: Yeah, we're trying. We put out an APB. Her apartment's empty, and the doorman saw her leave with a suitcase this morning.
Castle: Ooh.
Beckett: So, maybe Dimes tells Sarah about Gloria. Sarah confronts her, and then Gloria kills Sarah in order to avoid exposure.
Castle: And, after playing the role of grieving mother on set, Gloria knew enough to get the hell out of Dodge.
The elevator opens and Esposito steps out with Gloria in cuffs.
Esposito: Yo. Look who got caught trying to buy a ticket to the Bahamas at JFK.
Castle: Gloria.
Gloria Chambers: Everything in New York reminded me of Sarah. I needed to distance myself from the agonizing truth that she's dead. And now, if denial is a crime, I plead guilty.
Beckett: Good to know. Now, how do you plead on murder?
In the interrogation room.
Beckett: Gloria Chambers, also known as Charlene Sullers, you have been a very busy woman.
Castle: Yours is a real rags to riches story. Only trouble is, the riches never seem to be yours.
Beckett: Fraud in Florida, embezzlement in North Carolina.
Gloria Chambers: I served my time for those prime misunderstandings.
Beckett: And then you latched onto your next meal ticket, Constantine Pirelli. After him, it was Ernesto Cruz.
Castle: I hear they're very anxious for you to come back. With their money.
Gloria Chambers: I was married to those men. It was our money. I can tell you, I earned every penny.
Beckett: But, as usual, you blew it all, and so, you looked for your next ticket, which you found in Sarah Cutler.
Castle: You heard an interview where she mentioned being adopted, did a little research, and then showed up as the long lost mother.
Gloria Chambers: Sarah might've been under the impression that she was my daughter, but I didn't kill her. And, in my own way, I was… I was fond of Sarah.
Beckett: Fond enough that you were able to masquerade as her mother. You had motive to kill her. That's why you tried to flee the country.
Gloria Chambers: What motive?
Beckett: Her will shows that she planned to leave you $300,000.
Gloria Chambers: Oh, she's a generous girl, my Sarah.
Castle: She's not your Sarah.
Beckett: And that's not your money. You knew she wrote you into her will. In fact, you probably planned it all along. So, when she confronted you, you knew that you had a narrow window within which to kill her before she wrote you out.
Gloria Chambers: Here's your problem. I am not your killer. If I were you, I'd look into the other man in her life.
Castle: What other man?
Gloria Chambers: The one that gave her the two karat Arthur Klein earrings just the other day.
Beckett: Does this other man have a name?
Gloria Chambers: Sarah didn't tell me that, but whoever he was, they must've just split up, because he was trying to win her over.
Beckett: Really? You're going to point us to a mysterious stranger?
Gloria Chambers: It's the truth.
Beckett: Coming from a professional liar.
Gloria Chambers: I was nowhere near this godforsaken soap set when she died. I… I was doing something useful with my time.
Castle: Reading to the blind?
Gloria Chambers: Mm, close. I was donating. To the ponies.
Castle: Oh.
Near the bullpen.
Esposito: OTB receipts in Gloria's purse put her betting on races till 10 p.m.
Beckett: And our time of death is estimated at 11 on the outside, and we don't have anything to tie her to the studio.
Castle: I thought fake mom was a lock.
Ryan: Starting to look less that way by the minute. I found the earrings that Gloria talked about in Sarah's apartment.
Castle: Fancy.
Beckett: Yeah, over ten grand worth of fancy.
Esposito: Those are worth over ten grand? Please.
Beckett: Lanie loves diamonds.
Castle: "Diamonds are forever. Like my devotion to you." Who writes notes this cheesy?
Ryan: Well, not the husband. I checked on his financials; he didn't buy them.
Beckett: Okay, so, maybe Gloria was telling us the truth. Maybe Sarah was having an affair.
Castle: Well, that makes perfect sense. Sarah was separated from her husband, Vince. And after long, grueling days at work, she'd go home to a cold empty apartment. Feeling lonely, betrayed, she seeks comfort the arms of this mystery man...
Beckett: And she decides that she wants her husband back. So, she writes his mistress, Mandy Bronson, off the show in order to save their marriage...
Ryan looks at Esposito and grins as he points at Castle and Beckett finishing each other's sentences.
Castle: And her next step would be to get rid of the other man...
Beckett: So, maybe the other man didn't go off quietly into the night.
Ryan: Do you two practice this when we're not around?
Beckett: These earrings are exclusive to Arthur Klein's boutique in Chelsea. Let's find out who bought them.
Ryan: Okay.
Near the bullpen.
Beckett: Okay. So, Gloria is in the clear. Uniforms showed her the photo at the OTB and a bartender there remembers seeing her at 11:15.
Castle: You know, I can see why she fell for Gloria's con. Sarah was motherless, childless, she was taking young writers under her wing. She's looking for family.
Beckett: Wow, Castle, that's a refreshingly down to earth theory.
Castle: Just trying to keep you on your toes.
Ryan: Hey. So, we ran down purchases at Klein's boutique, and guess who popped?
Castle/Beckett: Lance Hastings?
Esposito: And that's not all. I ran Lance's credit card activity to confirm the purchase, something else caught my eye. Lance charged a cab ride to the studio the night of the murder.
Ryan: But when we interviewed him, he said he went straight home at 6 p.m.
Esposito: Cab company drove him back to the studio around eight.
Beckett: Okay. So, that falls right within the window of our time of death. Go pick him up.
Ryan: Yeah, we already sent a unit for him. He's not home, he's not answering his phone.
Castle: My mother was speaking to him earlier on set… Hi, sweetie. Is Gram there? I need to talk to her.
Beckett: What's wrong?
Castle: I know where the killer is. He's with my mother.
Castle and Beckett rush down a hallway to the dressing rooms.
Beckett: Castle, it's okay. I'm sure your mom's not in any danger.
Castle: Yeah, you're probably right.
They stop in the hallway when they hear Lance's voice coming from the dressing room.
Lance Hastings: I'm sorry, my dear, but after everything I've told you, I can't let you leave this room alive.
Martha: Lance, think about what you're doing.
Lance Hastings: I'm thinking about it...
Martha: Think about us!
Lance Hastings:...I can't!
Castle kicks in the door and Martha shrieks. Lance is standing behind her with a knife to her throat.
Castle: Drop the knife!
Beckett comes in, gun raised.
Beckett: Drop the weapon!
Lance Hastings: Whoa, whoa, wait, wait… Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Lance lets go of Martha. Castle grabs her arm and pulls her behind him.
Martha: Oh! Richard! What are you doing?!
Castle: Oh, nothing. Just saving your life, that's all. She said drop the knife!
Martha: The only thing that knife could kill is butter.
Castle: What are you talking about?
Martha sighs and gestures to Lance. Lance holds up the knife by the end and drops it on the floor. It flops limply.
Beckett: It's a prop.
Lance Hastings: We were just working out a scene.
Martha: Guys, it was completely my idea. You know, the actor's version of "Show me your golf swing."
Castle: The knife may be fake, but the axe he put into Sarah's back was real.
In interrogation room.
Beckett: You lied to Detectives Ryan and Esposito regarding your whereabouts the night of the murder.
Lance Hastings: You want the truth?
Beckett: That would be a great place to start.
Lance Hastings: "You can't handle the truth!"
Beckett: Sir, I am not interested in your Jack Nicholson impressions. We know that you went back to the studio the night of the murder. And what I'm asking is, why?
Lance Hastings: It was a friendly conversation between colleagues.
Beckett: A friendly conversation in which she told you she was going to go back to her husband.
Lance Hastings: What the hell are you talking about? Why would she do that?
Castle: Because she was breaking up with you.
Lance Hastings: Is that what you think is going on here? You think that… Sarah and I were lovers?
Beckett: Did you or did you not buy an expensive pair of diamond earrings for her.
Lance Hastings: Yes, but not to woo her. It was to encourage Sarah to let me out of my contract for a movie role.
Castle: A movie role?
Lance Hastings: Yes. The Cohen brothers have asked me to play Matt Damon's halfwit dad in their new movie. It's a role of a lifetime. It has nominations written all over it.
Beckett: That still doesn't explain why you went back to the studio that night.
Lance Hastings: I went to thank Sarah in person, because my agent had called me that evening to tell me that she had agreed to let me out. The reason I didn't mention any of this is, I didn't want to risk missing work on the movie.
Beckett: Why didn't you just call her?
Lance Hastings: I wanted her to know how much I appreciated it.
Beckett: So, you went back to thank her, and that's it?
Lance Hastings: No. Not exactly. Um, when I got there, she was reading a script and she seemed upset. I asked her why, and she said somebody'd betrayed her.
Beckett: Who?
Lance Hastings: At first I thought it was me for taking the movie role, but then she said that someone wasn't who she thought they were.
Castle: And she didn't let on as to who this person was?
Lance Hastings: No. I didn't want to give her the opportunity to change her mind about the movie. So, I exited stage left.
Beckett and Castle search the office.
Beckett: Okay, found the deal memo Sarah signed in order to get Lance out for his movie.
Castle: He wasn't lying. My mother's never going to let me forget this.
Beckett: Oh, come on, Castle. She'll probably think it was sweet that you were concerned about her.
Castle: This is Martha Rogers we are talking about. I intruded on her "moment." No, I will pay dearly.
Beckett: When Lance came here, Sarah told him that someone wasn't who she thought they were. Who do you think that was?
Castle: How about the woman who makes my mother look like a saint?
Beckett: Yeah, but Sarah already cut Gloria out of her life. Maybe... Maybe it was her cheating husband.
Castle: Except Lance met with Sarah after Mandy Bronson. By the time Mandy showed up, Sarah'd already decided what she wanted to do with her marriage.
Beckett: Yeah, but even if Sarah decided that she was gonna get back together with Vince, it doesn't mean that she didn't have doubts.
Castle: No. No, you're right. Except, he has an alibi. Everyone has an alibi.
Beckett: Yeah, well, somebody out there doesn't, and we are gonna find them.
Castle checks his watch.
Castle: Well, maybe we should sleep on it.
Beckett gives him a look.
Castle: Separately. Katherine Beckett, I never.
At Castle’s loft.
Castle: Hello, ladies.
Alexis: Hey, Dad. Gram told me how you went all Jason Borne on her date.
Castle: Come on, I think I deserve some kudos for my selfless courage in the face of perceived danger.
Martha: Think what you will, but I've taken the liberty of selecting an apology gift. Page 47, dog-eared for your convenience.
Martha hands Castle a magazine and he flips to page 47.
Castle: The dress?
Martha: Uh-huh. And the shoes. Oh! And the purse, ha-ha. Where did you get this, darling?
Martha picks up Lauren Goldberg's script.
Castle: Oh, from a woman I met on the case. She's a… Aspiring writer. In a moment of weakness, I told her I'd read it.
Martha: Oh, it's really pretty good. She's got very vivid characters, well plotted, pleasantly salacious.
Castle: Great. That's what I'll tell her.
Martha: No, no, no, no, no. You said you would read it, honey. You.
She hands him the script.
Castle: I will. I just have to do a little more thinking on the case.
Martha laughs.
Alexis: He's procrastinating.
Martha and Alexis exchange grins.
Castle: No, I am not. I am just about to solve a critical piece of our mystery.
Martha: Now that you've determined that Lance is not the axe murderer.
Alexis: So, what's the critical piece of evidence, Dad?
Castle: Shortly before she died, Sarah Cutler said that someone had betrayed her. I think that person is our killer.
Martha: Well, then it could be anybody, darling, because betrayal is a way of life on a soap opera. And, let me tell you, Temptation Lane is like this seething cauldron of sordidness, and treachery, and naked ambition. And do you know which people are the most manipulative and devious?
Castle: I do. I know who betrayed Sarah.
In the bedroom soundstage.
Lance Hastings: Look, there's nothing in my contract that says I have to be a cop. So, I… I gotta rehearse.
Mandy Bronson: Get off the phone, please.
Lance Hastings: Let's go.
Beckett walks to the set and spots Castle.
Beckett: Okay, Castle, let's go.
Castle: Oh, wait, no. Hang on, I just wrote my first soap scene, which they are about to shoot.
Beckett: Well, I… I'll catch it on TV, we've got to arrest to make.
Castle: No, no, wait. Th… This scene is going to expose the killer. The play is the thing wherein we'll catch the conscience of the king. Hamlet.
Beckett: We already know who the killer is. So, you're wasting my time. Me.
Castle: Not if I get us a confession.
Director: Places please.
Castle: They're starting, let's go.
At Gemstar Studios.
Peter Connelly: No, send it back. Yeah. Alright, thanks… Hey, come on in, guys.
Castle: Thanks.
Beckett: Castle, what are you?
Castle: Ah… Sh-sh-sh. Just watch. Just watch.
Vince Powers: Can we close the downstage door to get better eyes on Mandy, please? And clear the set. Here we go, everybody. In five, four, three, two. Two's on the line.
In the bedroom soundstage.
Mandy Bronson: Can't you at least knock? I'm changing.
Lance Hastings: Nothing I haven't seen before. And enjoyed immensely.
Beckett: Really?
Castle: It's a soap opera. I had to honour the form.
Mandy Bronson: What are you doing here, Joseph? If this is about our relationship…
Lance Hastings: No, it isn't. It's about your research paper. The one I had you submit for the Montenegro Journalism Fellowship.
Mandy Bronson: Is there news about the winner?
Lance Hastings: The thing about the Fellowship is that it can open doors that launches careers.
Beckett looks over at Castle mouthing the words to his own script. She grins.
Lance Hastings: That's why I recommended you.
Vince Powers: Over to one.
Mandy Bronson: So, did I win?
Vince Powers: Three.
Lance Hastings: Went to the coffee shop this morning and a barista there asked me to read an article that she had written for her college paper. Oddly enough, it was identical to yours.
Mandy Bronson: There must be some mistake.
Peter Connelly looks at Reese Harmon. She fidgets nervously.
Lance Hastings: No, just the one you made in assuming that you could pass off somebody else's material as your own. You are a fraud, Angela! And I am going to call the Fellowship and let them know that exactly. Oh, and by the way, you're fired.
Vince Powers: And cut. Nice job, people.
Reese Harmon: Um, I don't understand. This is… This is not the scene that we worked on yesterday.
Peter Connelly: We made some adjustments.
Castle: And yet it has an oddly familiar ring to it.
Beckett: Reading other people's scripts is a part of your job.
Reese Harmon: What are you accusing me of?
Castle: Did you not see the scene? If you're going to be a writer, you have to have a better grasp of subtext.
Reese Harmon: Look, I… I m… I might've mixed up some of the scripts, but I was at the fellowship mixer the night that Sarah died.
Castle: Nobody there remembers seeing you after 8 p.m.
Beckett: Sarah was killed with an axe, Reese. Whoever killed her got blood on their clothes and on their shoes. Some of it invisible to the naked eye. But it doesn't matter how much you try to wash it, it's still there. I have officers at your apartment.
Reese Harmon: You have no idea what I did for her. Picking up her dogs, picking up her dry cleaning, the late nights, the weekends, no vacation. You try writing a script with all of that going on! I worked too hard to let it end that way. I deserve that opportunity, and I could not let her take that away from me.
Castle: It was never yours to begin with.
Near the bullpen.
Esposito: Killing Sarah to keep a lid on her plagiarism? That's cold.
Beckett: And pretty ordinary as far as motives go.
Ryan: She didn't want to put in the work, so she took a short cut.
Castle: There are no shortcuts in writing.
Ryan: No. But there is to our favorite bar. I found a new route that'll get us to The Old Haunt in eight minutes. You up for a beer? Come on, I know the owner.
Ryan points to Castle.
Esposito: Yeah, I'm down, bro. What about you, Castle?
Beckett: I'm right behind you.
They do triple props and Ryan and Esposito take off. Castle looks back at Beckett doing paperwork. He grabs a manila envelope off of Ryan's desk and brings it over to Beckett.
Beckett: What?
Castle: Got you a present.
She takes the envelop and opens it.
Beckett: Signed cast photo from Temptation Lane. How did you even get this?
Castle: I know people who know people.
Beckett looks at him and shakes her head. Castle leans on her desk and cups his chin in his hand, waiting with rapt attention.
Beckett: Okay. I was nine and I had to get my tonsils taken out and I was miserable. And so, my mom took time off of work and stayed with me and cuddled up in front of the TV on the couch and we would watch episodes of Temptation Lane. So, every time I see it now, it just… It makes me feel like home and safe. So, there you go. Judge away.
Castle: My DVR would make yours look like Masterpiece Theater. But I am glad to know this about you.
They smile at each other. Beckett's cell rings. It's Josh. Beckett hesitates to pick it up.
Castle: I'll leave you to it.
Beckett: Hey, Castle, thank you for the photo.
Castle: I'll see you.
Beckett: Hey.
At Castle’s loft.
Lance Hastings: After all these years, all the times I could've been holding you in my arms...
Martha: Then let's not waste more time with words. Let's just let our lips do the talking.
Castle: Are you two running lines again?
They break apart.
Martha: Oh! Well, no. No, we were just, uh, you know. Talking.
Castle: Oh.
Lance kisses Martha's fingers.
Castle: Oh. Um... I'm gonna… I'll j… I'll… Go to the…
Castle turns around awkwardly and Martha rolls her eyes. Castle shudders as he exits.
