The front door opens and a woman walks in with luggage.
Elle Daniels: Tessa. I'm home.
The woman crouches down and collects the mail piled up at the door. She continues inside and closes the door.
Elle Daniels: Tess? Tess, you here?
The woman puts her purse down and looks through the mail as she walks into the room. She puts down her keys with the letters and sees a red spot on the rug. She steps forward to look at it in confusion. A drop of blood falls on her cheek. She feels the drop on her face and looks at the blood on her fingers. She looks up and sees her roommate's corpse tied to the ceiling with barbed wire, blood dripping from a grotesque symbol carved into the woman's forehead. She screams.
Castle leaps out of his office with a shout, brandishing a fencing foil. Alexis turns around.
Castle: Oh.
Castle sighs in relief.
Castle: It's you.
Alexis: Who'd you think it was?
Castle: I don't know. I heard rustling.
Alexis: And you were gonna fight them off with that?
Alexis points at the sword.
Castle: This could be very...
Castle sweeps up one of Alexis's empty laundry bags with the sword, but the tip gets caught.
Castle: Ow!
The foil clanks on the floor and Castle holds his hand in pain.
Castle: What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming till next weekend.
Alexis: I had to do laundry. I ran out of clothes.
Castle kisses her cheek.
Castle: Already? It's only been two weeks. Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but don't they have washing machines on campus?
Alexis: They're not as nice.
Castle: And by "nice," you mean "free."
Alexis: Pretty much.
Castle: Right.
Castle opens the fridge.
Alexis: Uh, you're going to need more orange juice, by the way.
Castle shakes the almost empty orange juice carton.
Castle: Thank you.
Alexis: Oh, and, um, I finished the ice cream... Too.
Castle closes the freezer.
Castle: And... How long have you been here?
Alexis: Ten minutes.
Castle: Wow. Well, as long as you are here, how about a guitar hero tournament? I have been writing all weekend. I could use a break.
Alexis: Oh.
Alexis checks her watch.
Alexis: Actually, I gotta go. I'm meeting some friends for a study session and I'm already late.
Castle: Uh, well, what about your laundry?
Alexis: It's okay. I mean, I'll get it later. Bye, Dad.
Castle: Bye.
Alexis exits.
Beckett dons her crime scene gloves as she and Castle approach the apartment.
Beckett: I mean, she came home at least, right?
Castle: Yeah, I just wish it was for more than laundry and supplies.
Beckett: Did you get some writing done?
Castle: With Mother gone, are you kidding? Two chapters, but I gotta rewrite the crime scene. Right now it's boring.
They enter the apartment and Esposito joins them.
Esposito: Maybe this will inspire you, Castle. Pretty damn freaky. Name's Tessa Horton, 29. Roommate came home from a weekend away, found her up there.
They look at the ceiling and see the barbed wire.
Castle: Ooh, jeez. Who puts a body on a ceiling?
Lanie: Beats me, but I probably won't sleep for weeks.
Esposito: Looks like something out of one of your books, right?
Castle's mouth twitches in a grimace.
Beckett: Cause of death?
Lanie: Ligature marks and petechia suggest strangulation.
Castle: What about this wound on her forehead?
Esposito: Well, it's nonlethal. Given the detail, it looks like it was carved by some kind of razor.
Castle: It's a symbol of some kind.
Beckett: Do you recognize it?
Castle: No, but the killer went through a lot of trouble. It must mean something.
Beckett: It's not easy hanging a body, and she's at least a hundred pounds.
Beckett climbs a ladder to get a better look at the ceiling and Ryan enters.
Ryan: I checked in with CSU. They found prints in the hallway, but the apartment is spotless. Looks like it's been wiped down.
Esposito: This guy cleaned up after himself.
Castle: He didn't mind taking his time.
Beckett: So the killer know that the roommate was gonna be out of town. What's the security like in this place?
Esposito: Buzzer on the front door, no doorman or security cameras. But there's no sign of a forced entry, no sign of a struggle.
Beckett: She knew him.
Ryan and Esposito nod.
Beckett: All right, canvass neighbouring apartments for anyone that saw or heard anything, and I want to know what this symbol means.
Beckett points to the victim's bloody forehead. Ryan and Esposito exit.
Beckett: You know, if Tessa knew our killer, it's possible that her roommate could shed some light on all of this.
In the interview room.
Elle Daniels: Every time I close my eyes, I see her hanging there.
Beckett: What did she do for a living?
Elle Daniels: She was an insurance broker for commercial real estate. Kurtzman Insurance.
Castle: Did she have a lot of friends?
Elle Daniels: She was shy... And a workaholic. I practically had to drag her out of the house.
Beckett: So no boyfriend, then?
The roommate begins to shake her head, but then she looks at Beckett.
Elle Daniels: Actually, she did start seeing someone, maybe six weeks ago.
Castle: Do you know who?
Elle Daniels: That's the thing, she never did say. She...she acted like it was some big secret, like maybe he was married or something. But he bought her jewellery, and took her to these fancy dinners. She said no one's ever treated her that way before.
Beckett: Did she tell you anything else about him, the way he looked, where they met?
Elle Daniels: No. All she said was he was every woman's fairytale - rich, handsome, and generous.
Castle looks at the photo of the victim strung up on the ceiling.
Castle: Well, some fairytale. I'll tell you this much, there's a lot more to this story than an affair with a married man.
Beckett: Maybe, but we won't know what until we find him… Get on her phone records. See if you can ID this guy.
Ryan: Yeah. I'll have 'em pull her e-mails, too.
Castle: Anything on that symbol yet?
Ryan: Put a call into the Feds. They're running it through their database right now.
Beckett nods and Ryan leaves. Beckett sees Castle staring at the murder board.
Beckett: What?
Castle: The way he left the body, the time it took - whoever did this, he liked it.
At the autopsy room.
Lanie: If she had a boyfriend, nothing happened that night. There are no signs of sexual assault or activity. Death was by strangulation. Looks like a rope or a scarf.
Beckett: Were you able to narrow down a time?
Lanie: Somewhere between 2:00 and 3:00 AM Saturday morning. Lividity and pooling indicate the body was hung from the ceiling postmortem.
Beckett: Why would he hang her body after he killed her?
Castle: A ritual?
Lanie: That's not all that's weird. Strangulation is a violent act, but there were no signs that she fought back - no skin under the fingernails, no bruising - so I did some checking. She was drugged.
Lanie picks up a slide sample.
Lanie: Lung tissue suggests exposure to chloroform. Also...your killer was careful. He was wearing gloves.
Castle: How can you tell?
Lanie: Traces of talcum powder on the body - the same talc used in surgical gloves or the evidence gloves that you use at the crime scenes. Whoever this person is, they knew exactly what they were doing.
Castle: He's done this before.
Beckett looks over some files as she and Castle exit the break room.
Beckett: Ritualistic killing, takes pleasure in it, significant care exhibited at the crime scene...
Castle: All the hallmarks of a serial killer.
Beckett: Yeah, but I've never seen this M.O.
Ryan enters.
Ryan: Hey, bad news. The Feds struck out on the symbol. It bears some similarities to some ancient alchemy signs, but they've never seen this one before.
Beckett: Any luck on the phone records?
Ryan: No, but she spent a lot of time on the phone to a blocked number.
Ryan hands Beckett the record.
Ryan: Phone company traced it to an unlisted burner phone with a stolen sim.
Castle: So he planned ahead.
Ryan: Yeah.
Beckett: What about her e-mails?
Ryan: Nothing from her mystery lover, so I had them take a look at her hard drive. Turns out portions of it have been surgically wiped, like someone covering their tracks.
Castle: So we're back to square one.
Beckett: Not necessarily. Uh, Tessa's roommate said that he gave her some jewellery. Maybe he left a fingerprint on one of those pieces.
Ryan: I'll head to her place, see what I can find out.
Ryan exits.
Castle: Jewellery. I never would've thought of that.
Beckett: I guess I'll have to remind you when my birthday's coming up.
Castle: Why, Detective Beckett, was that a hint you just dropped?
Beckett: Why, Mr. Castle, I do believe it was.
Castle: Shameless.
Esposito enters.
Esposito: Yo, Beckett, you got a second? I need a word.
They enter in the conference room and Esposito closes the door.
Beckett: Okay. So...
Beckett puts her coffee cup down and perches on the desk.
Esposito: We got the CSU report back.
Beckett: Mm-hmm.
Esposito: The inside of Tessa's apartment was wiped clean.
Beckett: Yeah, well, we expected that.
Esposito: Yeah, but we didn't expect this.
Esposito holds up the report file.
Esposito: CSU were able to pull prints off the outside doorknob and from around the door frame. And they found a set that didn't match Tessa's or her roommate's. When they ran it, they found a match to someone else in the system.
Beckett: Okay. Who?
Esposito opens the file and shows it to her.
Esposito: Richard Castle.
Beckett looks down at the fingerprint file in confusion. "outside the crime scene which... Match to one Richard Castle."
Beckett: Uh... Y… Uh, that can't be right. You know what? It w… It was probably just an accident. He... Probably touched them on his way in before putting his gloves on.
Beckett shakes her head and hands the file back to Esposito.
Esposito: Yeah, I mean, that would explain it, except that CSU collected them before either of you arrived.
Beckett stops, stunned, then looks over at Castle through the glass.
Esposito closes the door of the conference room.
Castle: Are you sure about this?
Esposito: Look for yourself, bro.
Esposito hands Castle the fingerprint match file.
Beckett: Castle, think. Is it possible that you touched the doorknob or the frame on your way in?
Castle: It was open when I came in, but I guess I must have.
Esposito: Had you been in that building before?
Castle: Not before today.
Esposito: What about the victim? Are you sure you didn't know her?
Castle does a double take.
Beckett: Javi.
Castle and Esposito look at her.
Esposito: What? You know I have to ask.
Beckett: No, it's simple, okay? He touched the door when he walked in. CSU got the time frame wrong. That's the only explanation.
Castle: Unless I've got an evil twin.
Esposito: Twins don't have the same fingerprints. It's a common misconception. This was you.
Castle: Yeah, I know. I was joking.
Esposito: Contaminated crime scene is not a joke. I'll square this away with CSU. You watch your hands next time, okay?
Castle: Sorry.
Esposito exits and Castle gives Beckett a funny grimace.
Beckett: Just be careful.
Beckett's cell rings.
Castle: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Beckett sighs.
Beckett: Beckett.
In Tessa's apartment/conference room.
Ryan: So, I've been through all of Tessa's belongings. No sign of any high-end jewellery, but from the empty spaces in her jewel box, there might be some pieces missing.
Beckett: He took back the ones he gave her. It's like he knew what we were looking for.
Castle: This guy really knows how to cover his tracks.
Ryan: Oh, no, not all of them. Canvass of the building turned up a neighbour who claims he saw someone heading to her apartment at 7:45 on Friday night.
Beckett: Did the neighbour get a good look at him?
Ryan: Well, he got a clear shot right through his front door peephole. Bringing in a sketch artist right now.
Beckett: All right. Get it over as soon as it's done. The roommate might be able to ID him.
Ryan: You got it.
Ryan hangs up. A uniform in the apartment crouches down by the couch.
Uniform: Detective.
The uniform stands up and hands an earring to Ryan.
Esposito posts the sketch of the male visitor on the murder board.
Esposito: The roommate identified him as Tessa's boss, Lloyd Kurtzman, CEO of Kurtzman Insurance Brokerage.
Beckett: Any priors?
Esposito: Nothing major. He's got a couple of harassment suits, but he does have a sealed juvie file.
Castle's head snaps up in excitement.
Castle: A juvie file.
Beckett: Call Judge Markaway. If Kurtzman was torturing puppies as a kid, I want to know.
Esposito nods. Beckett looks up at the sketch of the boss.
Beckett: Good-looking and rich, huh? Just like Tessa's mystery man.
Castle: And like Tessa's mystery man, he's married.
In the interview room.
Lloyd Kurtzman: She was such a glowing presence. You couldn't help but notice her. You know, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to kill her.
Castle: I'm sure it is.
Beckett: Were the two of you close?
Lloyd Kurtzman: As close as I am to any of my employees.
Beckett: And when was the last time that you saw her?
Lloyd Kurtzman: Friday morning at our staff meeting.
Beckett: Friday morning? Are you sure?
Lloyd Kurtzman: Yes.
Castle: Not Friday evening?
Lloyd Kurtzman: No, uh…
Beckett: So you didn't go to Tessa's apartment at 7:45?
Kurtzman chuckles nervously.
Lloyd Kurtzman: Her… Her apartment? No, no.
Beckett: That's funny. We, um...
Beckett pulls out the sketch and shows it to Kurtzman.
Beckett: We have a witness that saw you there that night.
Kurtzman looks at the sketch, which is clearly him. He shifts uncomfortably.
Beckett: Mr. Kurtzman, where were you Friday night?
Lloyd Kurtzman: Uh, um...
Beckett and Castle lean their heads in, waiting for the obvious answer. Kurtzman shifts some more, thinking.
Lloyd Kurtzman: I… I'd like to speak to my lawyer now.
Beckett enters. Kurtzman talks to his lawyer in the interrogation room.
Beckett: He's not talking.
Castle: I guess a confession was too much to hope for. Some story that might explain it all.
Beckett: Yeah, we've got teams at his home and his office. We'll know more after the search, but Esposito talked to his wife, and she said he didn't come home that night. He was working late.
Castle: I'm guessing he wasn't at work.
Beckett: No.
Castle: I wonder if there were others or if she was the first, if her "glowing presence" awakened something inside him.
Beckett stares into the interrogation room.
Castle: What's wrong?
Beckett: It's...
Beckett exhales, trying to figure something out.
Beckett: It's just that crime scene.
Castle: What about it?
Beckett: The person that killed Tessa was meticulous, but when we questioned Kurtzman, he got all flustered.
Castle: So?
Beckett: So, if he put that much thought into killing her, then why didn't he have an alibi prepared?
Castle: Perhaps because he was so meticulous, he didn't expect to get caught.
Beckett stares at the murder board and the symbol carving. Esposito enters.
Esposito: Hey.
Beckett: Hey. What'd you find?
Esposito: Well, they're still processing, but so far there's nothing at his house or office that connects Kurtzman to the murder.
Beckett: Did you check his e-mails?
Esposito: Yeah. There's no mysterious deletions from his hard drive, no unusual activity, nothing in his phone records, either.
Beckett: Okay, well, that's not a surprise. I mean, if he's done this before, he knows how to cover his tracks. What about his juvie record?
Esposito: A couple of fights, stole a neighbour’s car. Nothing that explains this.
Beckett: So then all we have is the neighbour’s ID? That's not enough to make a case.
Ryan enters.
Ryan: I think I might have found something that can help, something Kurtzman may have missed.
Ryan shows them the evidence bag with the missing earring.
Beckett: A diamond earring?
Ryan: We found it in the couch. CSU couldn't pull a print off it, but you see the design? That's custom - Erica Courtney.
Esposito: And you know this how?
Ryan: I recognized it from when Jenny and I went ring shopping.
Esposito gives Ryan a teasingly dubious look.
Ryan: Anyway, I called up the showroom. They confirmed it's one of theirs.
Beckett: And do they have a record of who they sold it to?
Ryan: Yeah, I ran the name and the address. They're both fake.
Esposito: What about the credit card info?
Ryan: Well, buyer paid with a cashier's check. Twelve grand.
Beckett: So we have no way of tracing him or the payment.
Ryan: No, but the store uses digital surveillance, and they just sent over the tapes.
The detectives watch the jewellery store surveillance.
Ryan: Here's the time code for our point of sale. That's our guy.
Esposito: Look at his height, build, hair colour.
Beckett nods.
Ryan: That's not Kurtzman.
Esposito: That's... Castle.
Esposito pauses the video, showing part of the man's profile. Beckett's jaw drops.
The detectives enter and close the door of the interview room.
Beckett: There's another explanation.
Esposito: Like what?
Beckett: I don't know, okay? It's somebody else. Someone that looks like Castle.
Esposito: We found his fingerprints at the crime scene. We got him on video buying jewellery for our victim. It can't be a coincidence.
Beckett: Javi, what are you saying, that Castle's a killer?
Ryan: Whoa, whoa, whoa. No, no, no. None of us are saying that. All he's saying is that if it were anyone else, we'd look into it.
Esposito: We can start by looking at his financials, see if there's any unusual activity around the time of the purchase.
Beckett hesitates, and Ryan watches her reaction. She finally has no choice.
Beckett: Fine. But we do it quietly, and he never finds out about it.
Beckett exits. Ryan closes the door behind her, keeping Esposito in.
Esposito: What are you doing?
Ryan: Uh, Javi, there's something you need to know.
In the interview room.
Esposito: Beckett and Castle? W… Uh… W… When did they start?
Esposito looks through the window at Beckett watching the surveillance video.
Ryan: I'm not sure. But I know they were together that weekend in the Hamptons.
Esposito: Why wouldn't she tell us?
Ryan: I guess she was afraid Gates would find out, use NYPD regs to give Castle the boot.
Esposito shakes his head, still stunned.
Ryan: I was gonna keep it a secret myself, but, ah, under the circumstances...
Esposito: Normally, I'd be happy for them.
Ryan: Yeah. Hey. You don't really think that Castle had anything to do with this, do you?
Esposito: No. Come on, man. He's my friend, too. The best think we can do is try to prove this evidence wrong.
The computer finishes scanning Castle's financials.
Ryan: Yeah.
Ryan looks through the financials. He's expression changes.
Ryan: Hey, Javi.
Ryan nods at the screen and Esposito looks over. His jaw drops.
Someone knocks on Castle's door. He opens it to find the detectives and back up police standing at his door looking somber.
Castle: Whoa.
Castle laughs.
Castle: Wait a minute. Did I throw a party and forget again?
Castle looks at his loft.
Esposito: It's not a party.
Esposito hands Castle a piece of paper.
Castle: Search warrant, gloves...
Castle sees their gloved hands. Beckett can't look at Castle.
Castle: Okay, guys, I get it - the fingerprint thing. I'm sorry. Lesson learned. You can all go home.
Esposito: It's not a joke, bro.
Esposito enters and the rest follow.
Ryan: Take him to the kitchen.
Castle: The kitchen? I just...
The uniforms escort him while the others search the apartment. Castle looks at the warrant.
Castle: Beckett. Beckett, what is this?
Beckett: We found a piece of jewellery in Tessa's apartment and we traced it back to the man that bought it for her.
Castle nods and waits.
Beckett: Castle, it was you.
Castle: What are you talking about?
Beckett: It was purchased with a cashier's check for $12,780.
Beckett hands him the surveillance photo. Castle's brow furrows as he looks at it.
Beckett: Earlier that day, you withdrew the same amount of money from your pocket account as a cashier's check.
Castle: You looked into my financials? You're investigating me?
Beckett: Castle…
Castle: Kate, this is not me.
Castle points to the photo.
Castle: And I didn't buy any jewellery. I certainly didn't use a cashier's check.
Beckett: Then you need to explain it.
Beckett glares at him.
Beckett: This, the withdrawal, the fingerprint - you need to tell me what the hell's going on.
Castle stares at the photo, then looks up at her at a loss for words.
Castle: Um...
Ryan: Beckett.
They turn around to see Ryan standing by the office.
Ryan: In here.
Beckett walks forward. Castle puts the photo down and makes to follow her, but a uniform stops him. He sees through the bookshelves as Ryan and Esposito point to the floor and talk to Beckett. Beckett looks up at Castle.
Castle: What is it?
They look down unhappily and don't respond.
Castle: Guys, what is it?
Beckett just stares into space, thinking.
Castle: Kate.
Esposito walks up to Castle.
Esposito: Richard Castle, you're under arrest for the murder of Tessa Horton. Turn around.
Castle hesitates in his shock, then turns around and lets Esposito cuff him. He looks across the room at Beckett.
Esposito: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Gates meets with the detectives. Esposito puts a bag on the table, wearing evidence gloves.
Esposito: The bag is part of a set that he owns.
The bag is filled with barbed wire, hooks, and evidence gloves.
Ryan: The wire and hooks are identical to the ones used to bind the victim. There was also a shirt inside that had some blood spatter on it.
Ryan hands Gates the file with a photo of the bloody shirt.
Esposito: The lab says it's a match to Tessa's.
Gates: What's he saying?
Ryan: That he's never seen any of it before in his life.
Beckett: Sir, he's not a killer.
Gates: Then how do you explain all of this?
Beckett: The evidence isn't the whole story. Castle's taught me that.
Gates: You know, I'm not always a fan of Mr. Castle's, Detective, but even I'm having trouble believing he'd do something so heinous.
Beckett: So then what will we do?
Gates: Our jobs. Check his e-mails, computer files, and phone records. If he was involved with this girl, there's bound to be a record. Beckett, you talk to the family, see if anyone else has access to his place.
Beckett: Mm-hmm.
Gates starts to leave, but Beckett turns to her.
Beckett: Sir.
Gates stops.
Beckett: Thank you.
Gates: Don't thank me yet, Detective. We're gonna follow the evidence no matter where it leads us.
Gates leaves. Beckett thinks for a moment before turning to the guys.
Beckett: You guys, when you look through Castle's phone records…
Esposito: It's okay.
Beckett looks at him.
Esposito: We know.
Ryan: We won't tell Gates unless we have to.
Beckett: You know? How?
Esposito: Well, I mean, it… It's us, so...
Ryan: We didn't say anything because we figured it was nobody's business, but we gotta ask, were you with him that night?
Beckett: No, uh... He, uh....
Beckett tries to remember.
Beckett: I… I was supposed to be. His, um, mom was out of town, and then he said that he needed time to write.
The detectives know things just got worse.
Beckett watches in Observation as Gates enters Interrogation where Castle is waiting.
Castle: Where's Beckett?
Gates: Under the circumstances, I think it's best if I handle the interrogation.
Castle: Come on, Captain. This is insane. I didn't do anything.
Gates: Well, we still need to investigate, and you know that. So, let's start with your relationship to the victim.
Castle: Okay. I didn't have one.
Gates: Then any idea how your fingerprints ended up at the crime scene?
Castle: Well, we went over that. CSU made a mistake.
Gates: They say they didn't. Castle, if you knew her…
Castle: I didn't know her.
Gates: She was seeing someone, someone her roommate described as handsome and rich.
Castle: I'm flattered, but it wasn't me.
A man pokes his head in the observation room.
Detective: Detective.
Beckett's attention is pulled away from the interrogation and her own dark thoughts.
Detective: His family's here.
Beckett enters in the interview room, where Martha and Alexis are waiting with a uniform chaperone.
Martha: Oh. Where's Richard?
Alexis: What's going on?
Beckett nods for the uniform to leave, and she closes the door.
The black bag evidence sits on the table.
Castle: Of course it's has my fingerprints on it. It's my bag. But I didn't put that stuff in there.
A uniform takes the bag away. Castle paces in frustration.
Gates: Then who did?
Castle: What about Kurtzman? We know he was at her apartment that night, and he lied about it.
Gates: Kurtzman alibied out.
Castle: What? When?
Gates: An hour ago. His lawyer got him to cooperate. Turns out he was lured there.
Castle: Lured?
Gates: By a text message Tessa sent, only it wasn't from Tessa. It was from a burner phone. When Kurtzman showed up at Tessa's, she told him that she didn't send it, so she sent him on his way.
Castle: Well, then why did he lie about it?
Gates: Because he spent the rest of the evening with a paid companion and didn't want his wife to know.
Castle sits down.
Gates: So... What about you, Mr. Castle?
Castle: Where were you the night of the murder?
Castle thinks.
Castle: I was at home writing
Castle knows he's in it.
Gates: And did anyone see you there?
Castle: No, I was... Alone.
Castle closes his eyes.
Gates: So for the record, you're saying you have no alibi.
Castle hesitates in his anxiety.
Castle: I think I'd like my lawyer now.
In the interview room.
Martha: Well this is madness. This is just madness.
Beckett: It's temporary. We just need to find out the truth. Now, can anyone else access your apartment? Does anyone have keys?
Martha: Well, Alicia, the housekeeper.
Alexis: Yeah, but she's been with us for fifteen years. And there's a security system. Even if someone had a key, the alarm would go off.
Beckett: Have you noticed anyone out of the ordinary in the building lately - a maintenance worker, delivery man, anyone that could've been casing the place?
Martha: No, no, no, no. Nothing.
Beckett sighs.
Castle's lawyer exits the cell.
Castle: Thanks. I'll be here.
A uniform locks Castle in. Beckett enters and stands outside the cell.
Beckett: Hey.
Castle: Hey.
They give each other a small smile. Beckett looks down for a moment, then looks up and speaks in a whisper.
Beckett: Castle, whoever is behind this, whatever is going on, I will figure this out. I promise.
Castle: I know.
Beckett nods.
Beckett: In the meantime, you have some visitors.
Alexis and Martha enter.
Alexis: Dad?
Martha: Oh. Oh, Richard. Oh, darling.
Castle gives them a tight smile. Beckett turns to Esposito at the end of the hallway, a uniform stands behind him. Beckett sees something in Esposito's expression.
Beckett: What?
Esposito nods for Beckett to follow him.
In the precinct;
Ryan: Tech just finished with Castle's computer. Parts of it had been wiped, just like Tessa's.
Beckett swallows hard.
Beckett: Were they able to re--recover anything?
Esposito: They found a file that he had deleted. It was a story concept about how to commit the perfect murder.
Ryan: Beckett, the character gets away with it by staging a crime scene so bizarre, the cops can't see he's hiding right under their noses.
Esposito: It was like a… A dry run on paper, all the way down to the weird symbol that we found on the victim's forehead.
Beckett's horror is increasing.
Ryan: We found something else on his drive.
Ryan hold out a file.
Ryan: E-mails... Dozens of 'em, between Castle and the victim.
Beckett tries to hold it together and stares at the file Ryan is holding out to her.
Esposito: Beckett...
Beckett looks up at Esposito.
Esposito: They've been having an affair.
Beckett takes the file.
Lanie looks at the e-mails, sitting across from Beckett on the couch. Beckett speaks in a low voice, tears running down her face, her eyes and nose swollen with prolonged crying.
Beckett: They started up about eight weeks ago according to those e-mails. He met her after one of his... Book signings, and he asked her out for coffee, and that was...that was just a couple of weeks after we started seeing each other.
Lanie: Oh, sweetie.
Beckett: He told her that he needed to keep it a secret because he was with someone else. And then when he tried to break it off about a week ago, she threatened to go and tell his girlfriend. He offered to come over to her apartment to talk things through, and that was the night of the murder.
Lanie: He had motive?
Beckett looks away, disliking the question, and Lanie breaks off that thought.
Lanie: What did Castle say when you talked to him?
Beckett: He said that the e-mails were faked. He said he never wrote that story, and that he was being framed.
Beckett's face puckers with tears.
Beckett: You should've seen him, Lanie. He looked like a little boy, he was so scared.
Beckett exhales and Lanie looks at her with sympathy.
Beckett: I know him, Lanie. He is...an immature, egotistical...self-centered jackass sometimes, but he's not this.
Lanie: Are you sure?
Beckett thinks before responding.
Castle stares at the floor in his cell. A door opens and a uniform approaches.
Tyson: They say dogs can smell fear.
Castle looks up, recognizing the voice. The triple killer, 3XK
Tyson: Did you know that some humans can as well?
Castle stands up to face 3XK.
Tyson: You reek of it.
Castle: Tyson.
Tyson: I prefer 3XK. How long has it been since I left you and Detective Ryan in that motel room?
Castle: Somebody! Help! Somebody! I need some help in here!
Castle looks at the security camera, but the light is flashing red.
Tyson: They can't hear you. Or see you. I'm afraid I'm much more thorough than that.
Castle: You did this. Y... You killed Tessa.
Tyson: She's not my type. I prefer blondes. Remember? Here's a much more believable story - you killed Tessa. It practically writes itself. After all, you commit murder every day in your mind for your books. It's not hard to imagine that you'd eventually... Cross the line.
Castle: Why are you doing this, Tyson?
Tyson: Four years, Castle. I gave up four years of my life planning the perfect vanishing act so that the cops would stop looking for me, so that I could begin again, could begin killing again, so that I could taste that fear... Again. Four years. You ruined it.
Castle: Well, if it's revenge you wanted, why not just kill me?
Tyson: Where's the fun in that? Oh, no, no, it's more fun to destroy you. Why do you think I let you live that night in the motel? People think it's killing that I like, but murder's just an act. It's all about the anticipation, the planning. Watching you and your daughter taking a walk...
Castle starts getting creeped out.
Tyson: You and Beckett making love... Standing in your living room...
Castle swallows hard.
Tyson: Being inside your life... Knowing that I'm gonna take it all away from you...that's what I like.
Castle: You won't get away with this.
Tyson: Oh, please. What are you gonna do? You gonna tell 'em that I came here? You think that they're gonna believe the lies of a desperate man?
Castle: Beckett will.
Tyson: Well, even if she does...
Tyson shakes his head.
Tyson: She can't save you. There's no time. When the D.A. files charges tomorrow, they're gonna send you to central booking - the tombs. I have people waiting... For you.
Castle's eyes widen for a moment.
Tyson: You will not last the night. And that'll be her punishment...
Tyson starts to walk away.
Tyson: Believing that you were innocent, and not being able to stop it. It'll haunt her for the rest of her life.
Castle thinks over his dilemma.
Tyson: Lucky for you... You'll be dead.
Tyson backs out the way he came, staring Castle down as he disappears.
Beckett talks with Castle.
Beckett: We went through the surveillance footage from last night. There's no evidence that Jerry Tyson was in the station, and there is no evidence that the system had been tampered with.
Castle: Beckett, I swear to you, he was here.
Beckett: Castle…
Castle: No, I know. I sound crazy. A desperate story from a desperate man, just... Just like he wanted.
Beckett: You're right, it does sound desperate. But it's the first time that this story has made sense.
Castle turns sharply to look at Beckett. She looks him in the eye.
Castle: You believe me?
Beckett smiles a little.
Beckett: I never stopped.
Castle swallows and reaches his fingers through the cell fence. She puts her fingers over his on the other side. Castle takes a breath.
Castle: He's gonna kill me, Kate. I can't run, I can't hide. What am I supposed to do?
Beckett follows Gates down the hall with Esposito and Ryan right behind.
Beckett: I'm telling you, it's the triple killer. Strangulation, misdirects, planting evidence - it's Tyson's M.O.
Gates: 3XK targeted multiple victims, always women, never men. So why the change?
Beckett: Revenge. That's the only thing that explains everything.
Gates: No, not everything. Not that video of Castle.
Esposito: Yeah, actually, it might.
Ryan: Tyson did something similar in the Russo case. He used a double for the cameras to throw us off.
Beckett: Sir, the D.A. has already filed charges. They're gonna send him to central booking today. We know that we can prove this. We just need more time.
Beckett and Gates meet with the Assistant District Attorney.
Toni Gonzalez: You want the D.A.'s office to do what?
Gates: All we're asking for is a delay until we can sort all this out.
Toni Gonzalez: No, what you're asking for is preferential treatment for a murder suspect. You want to sort this out, you sort it out after he's arraigned.
Beckett: No, I don't think you understand. There's not gonna be an after.
Toni Gonzalez: If it's his safety you're concerned about, we're prepared to put him in protective custody.
Beckett: Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? Do you even know what Jerry Tyson has proven himself capable of?
Toni Gonzalez: Who do you think met with the families of his victims and held their hands when he slipped through your fingers, Detective? I'm very aware of what 3XK is capable of.
Beckett: Then you should know that your protective custody isn't worth a damn. If he wants to kill Castle, he's gonna find a way to do it.
Toni Gonzalez: Captain Gates, aside from your unsubstantiated claim from a murder suspect, can you offer the D.A.'s office one shred of evidence of 3xK's involvement?
Gates: Not at this time.
Toni Gonzalez: Then we're done here.
Near the bullpen.
Esposito: I've spent some time in central. I've seen The Tombs. The way they stack bodies in those cells, if there's a bounty on Castle's head, protective custody ain't gonna do jack.
Ryan: That's assuming Tyson paid off a prisoner. It could be a guard.
Beckett: So we can't protect him, not there.
Esposito shakes his head. Gates walks out with the A.D.A.
Beckett: We have to stop that transfer.
Beckett takes determined strides toward the murder board.
Beckett: We need evidence that 3XK was involved.
Esposito: Yeah, but we got nothing to go on.
Beckett: Okay, to pull this off, he needed access to Castle's loft. So get teams over there and tear that place apart. Find me a fingerprint, a hidden microphone, a broken window jamb, anything that puts him there.
Ryan: Tessa was seeing someone. If it wasn't Castle...
Beckett: Then maybe it was Tyson. Hit her office. Look for files, schedules, client lists. There's gotta be something that ties back to him.
Beckett re-watches the surveillance footage of faux-Castle.
Esposito: Hey.
Esposito enters with a mug of coffee for Beckett.
Esposito: I just heard from the team at Castle's loft. Nothing yet.
Beckett: So it's gonna happen just like Tyson said, huh? I'm not gonna be able to save him in time.
Esposito: Well, we're not done yet.
Beckett looks out the window.
Beckett: Jav...
Beckett thinks for a moment and then turns back to Esposito, lowering her voice.
Beckett: How secure is holding?
Esposito: What? Whoa, you're not even thinking about that.
Beckett: We're talking about his life. We can't let them take him.
Esposito: Are you crazy? It would never work. You'll never even get out of holding.
Beckett: Tyson did it.
Esposito: 'Cause nobody was looking for him. He had weeks to plan it, maybe even longer. Y… I know how you feel about the guy. I love him, too. But there's nothing we can do.
Gates enters.
Gates: Beckett.
Beckett looks at the door. Uniforms flank Gates.
Gates: They're here.
Beckett opens Castle's cell and enters. She pulls out her cuffs. He puts out his hands and she cuffs him.
Castle: This is so much less fun than the other night at your place.
Beckett makes a sad smile and looks down.
Castle: Do you remember the first time you handcuffed me? We were at the New York Public Library. Remember how angry you were that I wouldn't stop investigating that case?
Beckett smiles up at him.
Beckett: Yeah, I remember.
Castle: What I wouldn't give to be there now.
Beckett takes a breath, holding in her emotion.
Beckett: Castle... This isn't over. I promise you, I will get you out.
Castle: It's okay. Whatever happens, it's okay.
Beckett exhales and looks down.
The precinct watches as Beckett escorts Castle to uniforms at the elevator. Gates pushes the button and the doors open. She nods to the uniforms and they take Castle's arms, escorting him inside. Beckett stares at Castle as the doors close. She turns and walks towards the bullpen and Esposito follows her.
Esposito: I'm sorry.
Beckett: Don't be sorry. I don't need sorry. I need to find this son of a bitch and put him in the ground.
A pair of uniforms approach them as they walk.
Hancock: Detective Beckett.
Beckett: What?
Hancock: We're here to transport one of yours to central…
The uniform looks at a file.
Hancock: A, uh, Richard Castle?
Beckett spins around to look at the elevators where the faux-uniforms just took Castle.
In the Captain Gates's office/bullpen.
Gates: Yes. I'm looking at the transfer order right here.
Beckett: No, the paperwork says that the badge number...
Gates: No.
Beckett:... Was 8-7-1-3-2-4.
Gates: Are you sure?
Gates approaches Beckett desk with a frustrated sigh.
Gates: Central Booking says he never arrived. They don't know where in the hell he is.
Beckett hears Gates, but finishes her phone conversation.
Beckett: Right. Okay.
Beckett hangs up.
Beckett: The badge numbers on the paperwork don't exist. They were imposters.
Gates shakes her head.
Esposito: It's gotta be Tyson. He set this up.
Beckett: He isn't gonna have Castle killed. He's gonna kill him himself.
Gates: Well, the D.A.'s calling it a prisoner escape.
Beckett's mouth opens in surprise.
Gates: They've issued an A.P.B. and instructed me to begin a manhunt.
Beckett shakes her head in shock.
Esposito: What? They think Castle did this?
Gates: Well, as far as they're concerned, he's well-connected, knows our procedure, and has substantial resources.
Beckett's eyes narrow as she thinks.
Esposito: That's ridiculous.
Gates sees the Assistant District Attorney walks in behind Beckett.
Gates: You two keep working the Tyson angle. I've got this.
Beckett mutters to herself.
Beckett: Resources.
Her eyes light up. Esposito watches Gates greet the A.D.A. and turns to Beckett.
Esposito: Can you believe that?
Esposito looks back at the A.D.A., but Beckett is lost in thought.
Esposito: Branding Castle a fugitive when he's probably being held captive by a serial killer? So, what's our next...
Esposito turns around and Beckett is gone.
Esposito:... Move?
Beckett walks down the stairs and looks around as she enters an area with tables. Castle sits at a table wearing a dark baseball cap. Beckett smiles. Castle does a double take when he sees her. He smiles and gets up to meet her. She rushes into his arms.
Beckett: Oh, thank god you're okay.
Castle: Thank god you understood my message.
She pulls back and touches his face with a smile.
Beckett: "The first time that I cuffed you. What you wouldn't give to be back there now."
Castle: Come on.
Beckett: Yeah.
They sit back down in his spot and continue whispering.
Castle: I knew I couldn't call once I left.
Beckett: Castle, how did you do it? How did you escape?
Castle: I've got a great lawyer.
Beckett: Come on.
Castle: Someone owed me a favour. The less you know, the better. But the good news is, I'm still alive.
Beckett: The D.A. has branded you a fugitive. Every cop in New York is looking for you.
Castle: Yes, well, they won't be the only ones after the five o'clock news. And by now they've tagged my phone, my house, my accounts. I'm not gonna last long out here. We have to act quickly.
Beckett: I've got teams at your place looking for any trace of Tyson. Ryan is wading through paperwork at Tessa's office to see if there's a connection.
Some people pass by, and Castle puts his hand up to his cap to hide is face.
Castle: Well, that could take weeks. I think I got something better. Sitting in holding, I kept thinking, "How could he possibly pull this off? How could he get video of me buying those earrings?" And then it hit me...
Castle picks up a magazine and shows it to Beckett.
Beckett: "Broadway Casting"?
Castle: You want someone to play a role, you cast it.
Castle opens the magazine.
Castle: Look at this notice from four months ago by a celebrity lookalike firm.
Beckett: "A private book club party."
Castle: Look who they're looking for.
Beckett: "James Patterson, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling"...
Beckett runs her finger down the list and her jaw drops when she sees Richard Castle's name at the bottom of the list.
Castle: And... Me.
Beckett looks up excitedly and Castle tears out the page.
Beckett and Castle talk to the receptionist. A faux-Jack Nicholson stands at the front desk.
Receptionist: Yeah, we placed that ad. Sent a couple of headshots over to the client's P.O. Box, but never heard back… Shoo.
The faux-Jack Nicholson leaves.
Beckett: Uh, could I get the address?
Receptionist: Sure.
Castle: And did you send over any Richard Castles?
Receptionist: Let me check.
Castle looks over at the faux-Jack Nicholson, faux-Bono, and faux Lady Gaga sitting in the waiting room.
Receptionist: Just one.
Castle: Great. We'll need his information as well.
In the street.
Beckett: Okay, thanks.
Beckett hangs up and closes her car door.
Beckett: So the P.O. Box the agency sent the headshots to was paid for in cash and rented for a month. The owners gave no forwarding address. It's a dead end.
They enter a coffee shop.
Castle: Well, Tyson might be a dead end, but Richard Castle isn't.
They see a waiter's profile.
Castle: Look, it's me.
Beckett and Castle look at each other.
Beckett and Castle sit at a table with the waiter/actor. Castle inspects the man's face.
Impersonator: Yeah, people come up sometimes, asking me to sign your books. So I figured I'd submit. I never heard back.
Castle: You know, uh, now that I'm up close, I really don't see it.
Beckett: Uh... So, uh...
Beckett pulls out a photo of the jewellery store surveillance footage.
Beckett: I… Is this you?
Impersonator: Yeah. That was for a reality show on store security.
Beckett smirks at Castle.
Impersonator: It was an odd gig. They sent me in to buy earrings.
Castle: And was this man involved somehow?
Beckett shows him a photo of Tyson.
Impersonator: He looks a little like the show's producer.
Beckett: You wouldn't happen to have his contact information, would you?
Beckett and Castle call Esposito on her cell. She holds it on speaker.
Esposito: What do you mean, "He's with you"? How did he escape?
Beckett: Espo, not now. I need an address.
Esposito: All right, well, the address for the show's producer is another dead P.O. Box, and the phone number's defunct.
Beckett: Okay, what about his paycheck?
Esposito: Well, I talked to the bank, and the corporate account that cut the check is closed. And the corporate contact, Joseph Vacher, well, doesn't seem to exist.
Beckett and Castle sigh in frustration.
Castle: Yeah, he exists, all right. Or at least he used to. Joseph Vacher is a famous French serial killer from the late 1800s.
Esposito: So he's got a sense of humour.
Beckett: Have any other checks been written from that corporate account?
Esposito does a TrakFund search on his computer.
Esposito: Yeah, cut to a...Kurtzman Insurance.
Beckett: Tessa worked for them.
Castle nods.
Beckett and Castle talk on the phone with Ryan as he looks through some files.
Ryan: So there's no mention of Vacher in her policy files...
Ryan puts them on speaker so he can sort through the files.
Ryan: But there was an entry in her calendar. Yeah, here it is. Six weeks ago. "Site visit with a J.V."
Castle: Well, that's him. It has to be.
Beckett: Did she write anything else with it…
Castle notices an old woman stare at him as she passes by.
Beckett: ... A phone number, e-mails, an address?
Ryan: No phone number, but there is an address. Maybe where they went for the site visit. Looks like it's in northern Manhattan near the bridge.
Beckett turns to Castle.
Beckett: Castle, he was posing as a building owner looking for insurance. He probably found an empty property. Could be worth a look.
Beckett holds the phone closer to her mouth and Castle looks over at the old woman pointing him out to the librarian.
Beckett: Kev, hook up with Espo and meet us there.
Ryan: You got it.
Beckett hangs up and Castle turns back to Beckett.
Castle: Someone saw the news. We gotta go.
Beckett and Castle pull up in her unmarked police car. Ryan and Esposito meet them, wearing their police vests.
Ryan: Owner says it's unoccupied. Hasn't been a tenant for nearly a year.
Beckett looks up at the light in the window.
Beckett: Then who's up there?
Esposito: Could be someone or it could be just a light.
They see a shadow move in the window.
Castle: Did you just see that?
Beckett: All right, guys. Let's move. Come on.
The team enters, armed with guns, flashlights, and bulletproof vests. They find the room with the light under the door. They enter and find an empty room with sheets over the windows.
Esposito: It was nothing. Just a sheet.
Beckett sticks her gun behind one of the sheets and finds a police uniform hung up.
Beckett: You guys. Over here.
Beckett rips down a sheet in the middle of the room and finds a table filled with the materials Tyson used to frame Castle, including lots of surveillance photos of Castle.
CSU sweeps the scene. Ryan briefs Gates on the situation.
Ryan: Once he'd obtained Castle's print from his loft, he used a binding agent and some rubber cement to build a latex model of his fingerprint.
Beckett: Surveillance photos, architectural plans for Castle's loft...
Ryan: A precinct map, including the locations of all of our video cameras. He orchestrated everything right down to the last detail.
Beckett: He even implicated Kurtzman to make it look like Castle was covering his tracks.
Gates: I don't get it. Why go through all this just to set you up?
Castle: Because death only takes a moment. The preparation and pageantry, that's what he loves.
Gates's eyes widen and her eyebrows go up.
Gates: Well, Mr. Castle, it looks like you're off the hook. I've spoken to the D.A., and they'll be dropping all charges.
Castle: Thank you, sir.
Gates: For this, at least. There's still the matter of your escape from custody.
Castle is about to speak up.
Gates: However, under the circumstances, I'm pretty sure you can negotiate down to time served.
Castle processes that turn of events.
Gates: Uh, Detective, why don't you take him down to the station, start the paperwork?
Beckett gives Castle a brief smile. Esposito enters.
Esposito: Yo. So the tactical team searched the whole building. No sign of him.
Gates: When CSU finishes, fall back and put the building under surveillance.
Castle: What if he's already seen us and he doesn't come back?
Gates: Every cop in this city is looking for him. He won't get far.
Castle nods, looking slightly anxious.
Beckett and Castle wait in her car for a boat to go under the bridge. Beckett sees Castle staring out the window.
Beckett: You okay?
Castle: Yeah. Just finding that stuff of Tyson's...it seems lucky.
Beckett: Yeah, well, sometimes luck is all you need. He can't hide now. We'll find him.
Castle: Thank you.
Castle smiles a little.
Beckett: For what?
Castle: Believing in me. I mean, given my reputation, my history...when you saw those e-mails, it would've been real easy not to.
Beckett: Yeah, well, things have never been easy between you and me.
Castle: Maybe that's what makes it all worth wh…
Castle and Beckett jerk forward as their car is slammed from behind. A dark van keeps driving behind them, forcing their car through the safety bar and barrelling towards the drop off. Beckett's car turns and they slam into the side of the bridge. Castle and Beckett recover from the jolt and Beckett sees Tyson step out of the van in her side mirror.
Beckett: It's Tyson. Castle, get down!
They duck as Tyson shoots through the back window. Beckett opens her car door and returns fire. Tyson falls backward into his van and Beckett continues walking forward and firing like a robot. She approaches the van, seeing Tyson's limp body, but he bolts up when she reaches the window, knocking her to the ground. He gets out, throws her gun away, and lifts her to her feet.
Tyson: Come here, Kate. Come here. Castle!
Beckett cries out from Tyson's grip.
Tyson: I got your girl!
Beckett groans.
Tyson: Are you watching? I want you to see this!
Tyson points a gun into Beckett's ribcage. Castle tries to see them through the busted out back window.
Tyson: You think that I'd let you live after everything you've done?
Tyson inches forward with Beckett in his grasp, sidling up to Castle's door.
Tyson: Castle! Come on. I want you to watch. I want you to watch as I take her life.
Tyson reaches the door, but Castle isn't in the car.
Castle: Over here.
Castle shoots Tyson multiple times in the chest, making Tyson stagger backwards and fall into the river. Castle and Beckett look over into the water.
A police diver surfaces in the spot where Tyson sank. Beckett stares down at the water.
Police Megaphone: Move that perimeter back on the beach another four or five.
Beckett rejoins the Castle, who's staring off into space.
Police: The water's pretty murky. Haven't seen anything yet.
Beckett: They still haven't found the body.
Castle: They won't. He's not dead.
Beckett: Castle, what are you saying?
Castle: This was never about me. This was about him. Those initials in her date book? He's not that careless. He wanted us to find that place. He wanted us on this bridge. Tessa's murder, the frame up - all of it was to get us here so we could help him do what he couldn't do for himself...disappear so he can start killing again.
Beckett: You think he planned this?
Castle: How does a wanted man stop being wanted?
Castle points a thumb over his shoulder at the police cars and the edge of the lift bridge where Tyson fell.
Castle: It has to be public and it has to be final.
Beckett: Do you know how crazy that sounds?
Castle: No one's gonna be looking for him anymore.
Beckett doesn't buy his theory.
Beckett: You shot him. He's dead. It's over.
Beckett walks away. Castle continues brooding.
Castle: For now.
