Previously on Castle...
Kate, I'm not going to jail for this. I can't put my family through that.
Who killed her? Who killed my mother?
I give you a name, I know you, you'll run straight at him.
I might as well shoot you where you stand.
I need you to leave.
They're coming to kill you, and I'm not going to let them.
Before Montgomery died,
he sent a package to someone he trusted.
It contained information damaging to the person behind all this.
If they left you alone,
that file would never see the light of day.
Tell me where the file is, Mr. Smith.
Go to hell.
Smith is the key.
He knows who's behind this.
What happened?
They got to Smith.
They're trying to find that file.
Whoever owns that account killed my mom.
Senator William Bracken?
I'll never be safe.
Unless Bracken doesn't know the file's been destroyed.
If anything happens to me
or anyone that I care about, that file goes public.
- Am I clear? - Yes.
I know you.
Vulcan Simmons.
You're a bush-league drug distributor. How did you become this?
The people who sent you, what do they know?
Go to hell.
It would appear as though that drug money
was being funneled into a secret super PAC.
And that is why I am forming an exploratory committee
for a run for the presidency of the United States.
Hiding behind Vulcan Simmons, funding his campaign with dirty money,
killing whoever gets in his way, just like he did with my mom.
And we have no way of proving it.
What are you doing in an alley, Jason?
Hey, how's Chicago?
Great! So, guess what happened?
You were kicked out of the hotel for throwing a crazy party?
Those were the days.
No, they moved the rest of the dates of the Derrick Storm book tour
to after the wedding.
So you know what that means? I'm coming home.
Try to contain your excitement.
I'm sorry. That was lack of sleep, not lack of enthusiasm.
It's just, I was working on our project.
You went out? Alone? You know how dangerous this is.
Yeah. I was careful. And I didn't have a choice.
Jason Marks came back to town.
He got picked up on 12th Street by a black town car for a late-night meet.
- With whom? - I don't know. I backed off.
See? I was being responsible.
No, being responsible means taking backup.
Maybe it's time we brought Ryan and Esposito into the loop on this.
No. I'm not putting their careers at risk, too.
Hey, that's work. I have to go.
Listen, have a safe flight, okay? I love you.
Yeah, well, you better.
It's two weeks till the wedding and it's too late to return the tux.
Beckett.
Street sweeper found the body and called it in around 5:00 a.m.
Did the victim have a wallet?
Yeah. His name is Jason Marks.
According to the business card in his wallet,
he runs a political consulting firm on K Street in D.C.
Hey. You okay?
Yeah. Yeah, fine. So did the firm say what he was doing in town?
No, no, not yet. I left a message. Still haven't heard back yet.
So he was shot?
Double-tap to the chest. At close range, too.
Okay. What time?
I'm guessing between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m.
Well, there's not a lot of blood, so he must've been killed someplace else.
Mmm-hmm. Then they brought his body here and dumped it.
Ryan, were there any witnesses? Anyone that saw a car driving away?
Not yet, but I just started the canvass.
Okay. Let's take a look at the traffic cams,
see if we can figure out who else was in this alleyway.
Actually, I'm already on that.
Been all up and down 17th Street, there's no cameras.
But I'm pulling all traffic video in a two-block radius.
You know what?
Um...
Why don't we extend that to a five-block radius?
Five? We usually only do two.
Yeah. Just call it a hunch.
All right.
I'll see you guys at the precinct. I have to go and take care of something.
Damn it.
This is Richard Castle. Leave me a message.
Hey, Castle. You're probably still in the air.
Listen, when you land, come straight to the precinct. Something's happened.
Hey, Beckett. You good?
Yeah. Hey, uh, did you get anything from Jason Marks' office?
Yeah. They had no idea that he was in town.
Neither did his family.
Whatever he was doing here, he was keeping it on the down-low.
But we did find out that Marks was staying at a hotel in Midtown.
We're checking to see whether he had any guests
or made any phone calls while he was there.
I just found something a whole lot hotter than that.
I pulled footage from a five-block radius, like you asked.
Turned out to be a hell of a hunch.
A camera off 12th caught Marks in a town car. Look who's driving.
Vulcan Simmons.
If this picture was taken five blocks from the crime scene, at 1:16 a.m.,
it means that Marks was probably killed just a few minutes later.
Maybe there's some other video of Vulcan pulling the trigger.
There isn't. I was able to track them to 15th Street,
but there's no coverage after that.
What's a drug lord like Vulcan Simmons doing mixed up
with a D.C. Political consultant anyway?
Six weeks, Castle.
Six weeks following Vulcan Simmons, hoping for a lead,
and when we finally find someone that connects him to Bracken,
the guy ends up dead in an alley?
If Jason Marks is the conduit between Vulcan's drug money
and Senator Bracken's presidential campaign,
why would they kill him?
Something's changed.
Maybe Bracken's firewalling himself again.
Erasing all of the dots before they connect back to him.
We have to move fast before those dots disappear.
No. We talked about this. No unnecessary risks.
I'm not gonna stand by while my mother's murderer becomes
President of the United States.
Maybe you won't have to.
We've been looking at Marks' death like it's a setback.
What if it's the breakthrough we need?
What do you mean?
Vulcan Simmons just became the prime suspect
in a murder investigation.
You've been given an all-access pass to his life.
We play our cards right, you nail him with this...
He might roll on Bracken.
Detective? My office, please.
No, sir, you can't do this.
You can't take me off this case.
Nobody knows Vulcan Simmons like I do.
And no one has a history with him like you do.
His lawyers will spin it as a personal vendetta.
Now, Mr. Simmons is being brought in for questioning,
and it's best that you're not here when he shows up.
Sir, I need to be a part of this case.
I know. But you can't be.
Take the rest of the day off, Detective. That's an order.
This car is the key.
If that's where Vulcan killed Marks,
then we'll find the forensic evidence in it.
He'll have no choice but to cut a deal and give up Bracken.
It's just that we're so close, Castle. I can feel it.
But we need to find that car.
Ryan and Esposito are all over this. You know that, right?
It's the precinct.
Hey. How'd it go?
We had to cut Vulcan loose.
What?
What happened?
His lawyers are claiming that it's not him in that photo.
And since Vulcan doesn't have any vehicles registered to his name,
we can't prove that it is.
Ryan, listen to me. You have to seize that town car
before he gets rid of all of the evidence of the murder.
Well, we would if we could, but the man has no paper trail.
We can't even figure out where he lives, let alone where he keeps that car.
You get a girl's hair wet, and they never let it go.
You are not going to shoot me, Detective.
No? Then take another step!
Me laying dead? You here trespassing?
With that big ol' grudge you carry?
What are your bosses gonna say to that?
You killed Jason Marks, and the blood in the car is gonna prove it.
Well, then it's a good thing you have a warrant.
You do have a warrant, don't you, Detective?
Aw, now, see, that's a shame.
Because now all that evidence has become fruit of the poisoned tree.
My lawyers and I thank you.
Who do you work for?
You lost this round, Detective.
Now run along.
Not until I get some answers.
Yeah, hello?
Yo, it's Espo. Is Beckett with you?
Um...
Why? What's going on?
Well, Gates is putting her back on the Vulcan Simmons investigation.
She is?
I thought she didn't want Beckett going toe-to-toe with him.
That's not gonna be an issue anymore.
Vulcan Simmons has been murdered.
Hey, where were you this morning?
Not now.
What do we think happened?
Someone tortured the man.
Based on blood patterns,
he was shot five times over a span of a half an hour or so.
The killer started at the knees, then shoulders,
and, finally, a fatal round through the heart.
It seems like the shooter may have interrogated him,
inflicting pain to get information, perhaps.
What about forensic evidence?
Not much to go on. Our killer was careful.
Picked up the spent shell casings.
How about ballistics?
It doesn't look like I'll be able to recover the bullets.
- Because they're too damaged? - Because they're gone.
Whoever did this dug them out of the body.
In other words, the killer knew what we'd look for and covered their tracks.
You know Vulcan's world. Any idea who might've done this?
No, sir. Do we have any witnesses?
Not that we found so far.
But we did find the car Mr. Simmons was driving.
And there's blood inside, most likely from Jason Marks.
I'll show you.
Hey, Castle. Got a sec?
What's up?
We were just canvassing, and we spoke to a witness
who said they saw someone here last night.
A woman sneaking out of the property.
The witness described her as a tall brunette.
"Too good-looking to be in this neighborhood."
Yes, I was there.
But I didn't kill him.
I thought about it, though.
What the hell, Kate? We had a deal. Why didn't you tell me?
I knew you wouldn't let me go.
You're damn right I wouldn't. It was reckless.
It was a calculated risk. I couldn't let Vulcan slip away.
Only I didn't move fast enough.
So, what happened last night?
He was in the shadows. He was waiting.
It's like he knew I was coming. And we had words. That's it.
He was alive when I left.
And you didn't see anyone else?
No. Just him.
Kate, you absolutely cannot tell anyone you were at that garage.
I know.
Who are they?
The guy in the front is Captain Donovan. He's Internal Affairs.
He took over
after Gates transferred here.
What's he doing here?
Lanie? Hey.
Kate, we have a problem.
What's wrong?
I found a bullet in Vulcan's body, lodged in his spine.
A.40 caliber. Killer must have missed it.
How is that a problem? If Ballistics gets a match, then...
Ballistics did get a match.
The bullet came from a pistol that was registered to you.
Kate, Vulcan Simmons was killed with your gun.
How could it be from your gun? You have your gun.
That's my backup piece.
I have a.40 cal in my safe at home.
You're being set up.
I see what the ballistics report says, Marcus, but it's wrong.
Detective Beckett would never do anything like this.
This isn't a debate, Victoria.
I'm just giving you a heads-up because we have history.
Now, where is she?
Cover the other doors.
You're making a mistake, Marcus.
Something else is going on here.
Doesn't matter. I have my orders.
Where's Detective Beckett?
I have no idea.
Lock down the precinct. Make sure she does not leave this building.
I'm telling you, I don't know where she went.
You were just in the break room with Detective Beckett.
What did she say to you before she fled?
That she didn't kill Vulcan Simmons.
Do you understand this woman is now the target of a manhunt?
That she's most likely a murderer?
I can't help you.
I want him gone.
He has no business in this precinct.
Not when we're conducting this investigation.
I'm afraid he's right, Mr. Castle. You're gonna have to leave.
Gladly.
L.T., follow us a minute.
Make it fast.
What's this all about, Castle?
Guys, she wouldn't want you involved.
We're already involved. We're family, bro.
And we know this is bigger than Vulcan Simmons.
How?
We canvassed around the hotel where Jason Marks was staying.
The bell captain there said he had a meeting with this man. Look familiar?
Yeah. That's Smith.
Captain Montgomery's friend, right?
The one who kept Beckett safe by holding those files on Bracken?
Until they got blown to high heaven.
Yes, but Smith is dead. He died in hospital.
Maybe that's just how he wanted it to look.
Smith did have the resources to fake his own death.
And that is the only way Bracken would stop hunting him.
Bracken? Is that what this is all about?
We believe Vulcan's drug money was funding his campaign.
We were trying to find a link, but maybe we got too close.
Well, how does Smith fit in?
I don't know.
But if he took the risk of showing himself,
something big must be going on.
Between the cops and Bracken's guys, Beckett's right in the crosshairs.
What can we do?
Guys, we gotta go.
I'll let you know.
Hey! You okay?
Yeah. Were you followed?
No. No, no. I switched cabs three times, just to be sure.
Donovan's got half the force looking for you.
For the couple who has everything. Two matching burner phones.
GPS turned off, of course.
Listen, Castle, I can't ask you to stick around anymore.
You don't have to ask. I'm volunteering.
No. It's too dangerous.
Bracken knows that I was bluffing now.
That I don't have this huge file of evidence against him.
Because if I did, I wouldn't have to go after Vulcan to bring him down.
I've overplayed my hand.
There's nothing to stop him from killing me anymore,
so he's making his move.
And I have to make mine.
I called his office in D.C. Bracken's in New York.
So what's your plan? You're gonna take a run at him with nothing?
What's my other option?
Hide in the shadows and wait for them to arrest me?
Two days later, I'll end up hanging in my jail cell.
"Rogue cop commits suicide."
Maybe there's another way.
I pulled the death certificate for Michael Smith
from Saint Simon's Hospital.
It was signed by a Dr. Oliver Pressing.
He's a legit doctor, in good standing.
Someone above reproach.
An excellent candidate to help you fake your death.
Did you find any other connections between Dr. Pressing and Smith?
As...
As a matter of fact, I did.
Dr. Pressing? NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions.
I don't have much time. I'm about to start my rounds.
We understand you belong to the Magellan Yacht Club.
As a matter of fact, you are a member of the board.
Is there a problem at the club?
Do you know Michael Smith?
It seems that you would, since he was also a board member.
Well, I was acquainted with Mr. Smith, until he passed away.
Excuse me, I'm a little confused. What's the nature of your inquiry?
We're looking for him.
Well, like I told you, he's deceased.
Doctor, you helped him disappear.
That's absurd.
I signed his death certificate because he was dead.
Please. We just need to reach him. We know that he's in town.
You helped him because you knew that he was in danger,
and we're in the same danger now.
I'm sorry, you're wasting your time, and mine.
Doctor, we can make a lot more noise.
Is that what you want? Is that what he wants?
Castle, we got to go.
My picture shouldn't be on the news. Not for this. Not this fast.
- Bracken? - Yeah.
We got to get the hell out of here.
Castle, stairwell.
Wait,
it's my phone. My burner phone.
How did someone...
I have no idea.
Hello?
I understand you're looking for me, Mr. Castle.
Meet me in the usual place. Twenty minutes.
That's Smith.
Let's go.
He's late.
Maybe he changed his mind, got spooked.
This guy doesn't spook.
Do you really think he can help us?
He has before.
That's close enough.
I've gone to great lengths to keep alive. I'd like to stay that way.
And yet you came back.
Well, I can survive in the shadows. I just don't want to live there forever.
You need to take Bracken down. Same as we do.
There has to be a way.
Yes, and I thought I'd found it.
I got to one of Bracken's men.
He told me there was something that the Senator was afraid of.
A recording made by a former associate to protect himself.
A recording in which Bracken admits to murder.
Do you know where it is?
No, and neither does Bracken.
Though he spent considerable resources trying to recover it,
as did I,
for over a year, with no luck.
Hell, it may not even exist.
But in my search, I did make a contact.
A consultant at Bracken's organization.
And he promised
that he could expose Bracken's campaign finances as corrupt.
But it got him killed.
- Jason Marks. - Yes.
I was close to bringing him into the fold,
but they must've found out, which made him a liability.
There's got to be another way to get to Bracken.
There isn't. I just have to start again.
We've been tracking Vulcan's network. Maybe we can help.
Detective, you are radioactive.
You can't even help yourself.
Don't try to contact me again.
Smith, there must be something we can do.
Run. Disappear.
Because if you don't,
he will kill you.
She's all over the news.
You heard anything from them? Calls? Texts?
- Not since this afternoon. - Hmm.
And we can't make a move till we know where they are.
Gentlemen,
is there something going on here that I should know about?
What do you mean?
Beckett's not a killer. I know that.
But she's going to go down for this.
It's open and shut. Unless I can protect her.
And I can't do that if I'm left in the dark.
So if she's being set up, I need to know why.
Sir, how much do you know about Beckett's mother's murder?
It was a random stabbing. Never solved.
There's a lot more to it than that.
Tell me everything.
The fugitive suite. Best room that cash and no ID can buy.
We've got to take the fight to Bracken.
By looking for a mythical tape that no one can find?
No, Smith was right. Once we change your look, we get out of town.
You know, Castle, my mom had a saying.
Vincit omnia veritas.
"Truth conquers all."
We'll never find the truth if we run away.
Kate, we're never gonna find the truth if we're dead.
We're not running away. We are surviving, okay?
We're living to fight another day. We will take down Bracken.
First, we're gonna find a safe place and come up with a plan.
I've got a friend. He will give us a car, no questions asked.
Okay, go.
I'll be back.
We'll be back.
Castle?
Hello, Detective.
Don't even think about it.
Drop the scissors.
We had an agreement. A truce.
Live and let live.
I held up my end of the bargain. I even saved your life.
And that makes up for what you took from me?
What about what I gave to you?
Everything you are, everything you've accomplished, is because of me.
Is that how you justify murder?
It builds character?
Then why don't you give me a chance to build yours?
You had a future.
Why couldn't you just let this go and move on so I could do the same?
So I guess there's no point in asking for your vote, is there?
You're not gonna be on the ballot.
A presidential campaign financed by drug money with a trail of dead bodies?
There's no hole big enough to bury all of that.
I gotta tell you,
part of me really admires you.
Your moral certitude.
The way you fight for what you believe in,
even knowing it's gonna destroy you.
But the part of me that admires you
is not the part that makes tough decisions.
Fine.
Then kill me.
Do it. Pull the trigger.
I have people for that.
I don't want them.
I want you.
Do it. Now.
Or don't you have the balls?
And create physical evidence linking me to the crime scene?
We both know I'm smarter than that.
Goodbye, Kate.
The truth is gonna come out!
There is no truth.
Not anymore.
No!
Open her mouth.
What was in that pill?
Something to relax you.
Now we're gonna take a little drink.
Is there any proof that Bracken did these things?
Not anymore. Montgomery had a file, but it's gone now.
Sir, we need to help her.
No evidence...
Against one of the most powerful men in the country...
I don't think we can.
Get the gun. She's wasted.
Relax.
It's almost over.
Let's get your finger in there.
Good.
Kate?
He told me there was something out there the Senator was afraid of.
A recording made by a former associate to protect...
A recording in which Bracken admits to murder.
When you walked into the 12th, I felt the hand of God.
I knew he was giving me another chance, and I thought,
if I could protect you the way I should have protected her...
You're Montgomery. I mean, Captain Montgomery.
Do I know you, Officer Beckett?
No, sir, I just...
I've always wanted to do what you do. I wanted to be in Homicide.
Is that right? And what are you doing now?
Patrol.
I can see that, but what are you doing in the archives?
I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to be here.
I know I shouldn't be,
but I was looking into a case. My mom's homicide.
Johanna Beckett.
Did you know her?
I know her case is unsolved.
And you're reviewing the files
to see if they might've missed something.
Yes, sir.
If the case is unsolved,
chances are the answers you're looking for probably aren't in that file.
What did your mother do, Officer Beckett?
She was a lawyer.
And you think her death might've had something
to do with a case she was handling?
Well, the detective that was working her case, Raglan,
said that it was just random, but...
But did you look through her personal belongings?
Old notebooks, journals, diaries? Cassette recordings?
Stuff like that?
Yes, sir. Tons of times. But I haven't found anything that seems relevant.
Well, keep looking. You never know when something might turn up.
Nice meeting you, Officer Beckett.
Sorry about your mom.
Thank you, sir.
How you feeling?
Where are we?
Ripton, Vermont, population 588.
Couple of short hours, we will be crossing into Canada.
Turn around. We have to go back.
- What? - It was Montgomery.
He made that recording of Bracken, the one that Smith has been looking for.
Captain Montgomery? How can you possibly know that?
Castle, when I first met him,
he was saying things about my mother's murder.
Things that I didn't understand at the time.
But he specifically mentioned a cassette recording.
And Smith said that the person who made that recording
was a former associate of Bracken's.
Yeah. It adds up.
Okay, but if Montgomery did have that kind of evidence,
why wouldn't he have just given it to Smith?
I think he gave it to my mom.
He asked if I had been through her belongings,
if I came across a cassette.
Kate, if he gave her the tape, you would've found it.
You've been through her things a million times.
Castle, I didn't know what I was looking for.
The answer is there. I know it.
I have a box of her things in my apartment. We've got to go back.
That's crazy. They'll be staking out your place.
Not Bracken's guys. Not now.
And how about Donovan's guys? He'll have cops up there.
There's no way we're getting near that place.
We will. We just need a little help.
Hey, guys! Yeah, it's your, uh, lucky day.
Donovan sent us over so you can grab a bite to eat.
We're not supposed to take lunch for another hour.
Oh, I'm sorry, is this not a good time for you?
So, what, we should just wait here until you guys get hungry?
All right. We'll grab a slice and be back in a few.
Thanks.
- You guys got about two minutes. - Okay.
Okay, if Montgomery gave her the tape,
she would've written something down about it.
I kept some of her notebooks in here.
Damn it!
Her appointment book.
What is this, some kind of shorthand?
Uh, yeah. She developed a code when she was in law school
in case anyone subpoenaed her notes.
That's ingenious.
Except she was the only one that knew what it meant.
I gave it to contacts in the NSA, the FBI, Military Intelligence.
No one was able to decipher it.
This is the day she died.
There's gotta be something in here about that case.
We don't have time to figure it out.
Come on, Castle, we gotta go.
Hey, look at this last entry. "D Me with family"?
"Dinner with family."
She was on her way to the restaurant to meet us the night that she was killed.
But look how close the "D" is to the "M."
"D.M."?
"Detective Montgomery."
"E," "evidence." Detective Montgomery evidence?
- Do you think that... - I do.
"With family."
She was bringing the tape to you.
Maybe to give it to your father for safekeeping.
Which means she would've had it on her when she was killed.
Bracken would've recovered that.
Only, we know he didn't,
otherwise he wouldn't still be looking for it.
So what did she do with the tape?
Hands! Hands! Hands!
Get down! Head down! Get on the ground!
Hey, guys, I'm so sorry.
Please. We're the ones who screwed up.
We led them right to you.
Keep them here till I get back.
I want to personally escort them to Booking.
- Castle... - Shh.
It's not your fault.
I really thought we were going to make it.
Hey. Whatever happens...
Castle.
The elephants.
I don't understand.
They were my mom's.
Before they were on my desk, she used to keep them on hers.
She used to joke about how they were like a family.
Just like us. Me, my mom, my dad.
They were a family.
- Hey, stay right there. - Hey!
Detective Beckett!
Step back, Detective. Do it now.
- Show me your hands! - No! Wait!
Put it down!
Drop it, now!
Raglan, shut the door.
You three got a lot of balls coming here.
Is that...
Senator Bracken. Back when he was still Assistant DA.
Look, we just want to make sure
we're all on the same page.
And that's Montgomery.
You took us for a lot of money, Bracken.
We want assurances.
Hey, be happy I haven't busted
the three of you for your little mafia extortion ring.
Whoa. Relax!
No, no. You want assurances? Here you go.
I assure you that as easily as I pinned Bob Armen's murder on Pulgatti,
I could just as easily put it on the cops who actually did the deed.
Bracken just admitted to blackmailing them.
He sure did.
Pulgatti knows he's been framed.
What if someone gets on to this?
Then I'll handle them.
You? How?
I know people, Roy. Dangerous people.
Anyone gets too close, like that bitch lawyer Johanna Beckett,
who's been poking around, I'll have them killed.
I've had people killed before.
Senator, why do you want to be president?
Well, it's simple, Linda.
I'm tired.
The backroom deals, the corruption, the waste.
I'm exhausted, frankly, and I know the American people are, too.
Look, this country deserves a leader who won't...
Who...
Who won't fight... Who won't back down from a fight.
Who has a proven record of taking on special interests,
and, uh, believes that government can still be a force for good.
These are the...
I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to cut this short.
Senator, is everything okay?
You can't...
You can't be here.
I found the tape.
I found it.
It's over.
Senator Bracken, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud,
and the murder of my mother, Johanna Beckett.
Turn around, please.
We'll take it from here.
It's been a long time coming, Bracken.
She's proud of you.
Wherever she is, she's proud.
I never could've done this without you.