Castle: Episode 4x12 Dial M for Mayor
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ACT ONE
[00:00, EXT. RENTAL CAR - NIGHT]
[A man in a tan overcoat sits in a car with a woman’s head resting on his shoulder. The driver stops and the man takes her purse and leaves the woman in the car. She slumps down on the seat, dead.]
--
[00:43, INT. CASTLE LOFT - DAY]
[Martha gesticulates wildly in the midst of a black, thundering storm.]
MARTHA
Blow, winds! And crack your cheeks!
[It is revealed that Martha is putting on her hurricane production in the middle of the living room as Castle tries to write in his office.]
MARTHA
Rage! Blow, you cataracts and hurricanes! Spout till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks!
[Alexis enters Castle’s office and the thunderstorm and Martha’s shouts are muffled as she closes the door.]
ALEXIS
Dad.
CASTLE
I know what you’re asking, and the answer is “yes”. Yes, you can take your grandmother and her entire production of King Lear to college with you.
ALEXIS
I’m going crazy!
CASTLE
Ear plugs?
[He offers his own.]
ALEXIS
Not that. I need something to do. I had planned to be at Stanford, but now I’m here, just waiting.
CASTLE
What about school?
ALEXIS
I finished all my credits. All I’m taking this semester is Theoretical Physics.
CASTLE
Well, maybe this is exactly what you need. A little time off to discover yourself. Travel, adventure, go for a little life experience.
ALEXIS
That’s a great idea. I could get an internship! Practical experience in the job market! You know, test the waters?
CASTLE
Well, not exactly what I was thinking.
[Alexis rushes over to Castle and kisses his cheek furiously.]
ALEXIS
Thank you!
[Alexis rushes off and opens the door, leaving it open to Martha’s theatrics.]
MARTHA
Blow, wind! Thunder, fire, are my daughters!
CASTLE
Daughters. That’s why King Lear went mad.
[Castle puts his earplugs back in. Castle’s cell rings and he has to yell over the storm.]
CASTLE
Yes, hello?
--
[01:53, EXT. STREET - DAY]
CASTLE
Your timing was perfect. My mother was teaching three acting classes today, in my living room.
BECKETT
Wait a minute, what about her studio?
CASTLE
Flooded. They were doing the storm from King Lear and things got...out of hand. (speaks into phone) Remind me to check my insurance.
BECKETT
Hey, Lanie. What do you got?
LANIE
This is Laura Cambridge, 28. Traffic found her in the passenger seat of the car.
BECKETT
Cause of death?
LANIE
She was strangled between the hours of eight and ten last night. This bruising here indicates a chokehold. He probably grabbed her from behind with enough force to crush her hyoid bone.
CASTLE
He? So, there was a witness?
LANIE
No, but to kill her in one swift move like that, perp had to be taller and heavier than the victim. No signs of sexual assault, though.
CASTLE
Was she strangled in the car?
LANIE
CSU didn’t find any signs of any struggle. Looks like her body was dumped here post-mortem.
BECKETT
Whose car is it?
ESPOSITO
Not hers. She had a non-driver ID card. Ryan’s running the plates to see if we can find the owner.
BECKETT
And what about the purse?
ESPOSITO
This was tossed in the dumpster. Still has cash in it.
BECKETT
Cell phone?
ESPOSITO
Didn’t find one.
BECKETT
What girl in her 20s doesn’t have a cell phone?
CASTLE
Maybe she’s Amish.
RYAN
Hey. So, I, um, ran those plates off the sedan, and, uh...
BECKETT
What?
RYAN
It’s from the motor pool at City Hall.
CASTLE
City Hall? Who used it last?
RYAN
Mayor Robert Weldon.
--
[03:14, INT. CITY HALL, MAYOR’S OFFICE - DAY]
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
We’re all still a little stunned to hear that one of our cars was mixed up in this.
CASTLE
Trust me, we’re gonna get this all sorted out.
[Beckett shows the Mayor the victim’s photo.]
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
Is that the victim?
BECKETT
Yes. Laura Cambridge. Do you recognize her, your honor?
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
Uh, my staff would know better, but I don’t believe she’s connected with this office.
BECKETT
Sir, I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but where were you last night between 8:00 and 10:00 PM?
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
This is one of New York’s finest, huh, Ricky?
CASTLE
She’s the best.
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON (chuckles)
Yeah, so you keep telling me. I was at a small fundraiser last night with about 50 other people. I’ll-I’ll get you their names.
BECKETT
Yeah, I appreciate that. And what about the car?
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
That was one of several used by my office for the event. Uh, apparently one of my staffers reported it stolen later that night. Off the record? The people I was with last night were part of my inner circle. We’re forming an exploratory committee for a possible run at governor. But-but I’m not anxious to make that public yet.
BECKETT
I’ll do my best to keep the nature of your business private.
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
Thanks. I hoped you’d be there, Rick.
CASTLE
Fondue night with Alexis, but I did send a check.
MAYOR ROBERT WELDON
Thank you for that. Um, I know that you have a lot more questions, Detective. My chief of staff, Brian Shay, will answer anything else you want to know.
BRIAN SHAY (on cell)
L--listen-- listen-- listen to me, Jack. You’re swinging in the wind on this, but you get me three more --votes in the council and I’ll send you a helicopter. (hangs up) You’re the detective, right?
BECKETT
Yes.
BRIAN SHAY
Have a seat. Jordan, we don’t need you in on this.
[The assistant leaves.]
MAYOR WELDON
You know, I’ll-I’ll leave you guys to work through this unless, Rick, you want to take a look at our new library initiative. It wouldn’t hurt us to have your endorsement on that.
CASTLE
For the New York Public Library, my first love? Anything.
BRIAN SHAY
I’ve already done your legwork, Detective. The car was checked out by Elizabeth Watson, Senior Director of Communication here at the office. When she left last night’s event around midnight, she discovered that it was missing.
[Shay pulls out a piece of paper.]
BRIAN SHAY
Here’s her statement.
BECKETT
With all due respect, Mr. Shay, police investigations are usually conducted by the police.
BRIAN SHAY
Yeah, well, unfortunately the 24-hour news cycle moves a hell of a lot faster than you do and I have to get all my ducks in a row before this thing breaks. It’s my job.
BECKETT
And my job is to find Laura’s murderer. So, if you don’t mind, and even if you do, I’m gonna get my own statement from Ms. Watson about that car, and I’m also gonna need statements from all of your staff as to whether they recognize our victim.
BRIAN SHAY
Knock yourself out. But trust me, you’re wasting your time.
BECKETT
It’s my time to waste. Now, I got a job to do.
BRIAN SHAY
So do I. Let me be clear. Mayor Weldon is my priority, and I’m not about to let this thing embolden his opponents and ruin everything that we’ve built.
--
[05:43, INT. PRECINT, HALLWAY - DAY]
CASTLE
He’s right, you know. This thing gets out and they aren’t ready with a response, that’s front-page material for weeks.
BECKETT
It’s front-page news either way. If his staff wants to minimize damage, they’ll step back and let me do my job.
CASTLE (chuckles)
Step back? These are politicians. They can’t order at a restaurant without two compromises and an ultimatum.
GATES
Beckett, my office.
--
[06:05, INT. PRECINCT, GATES’S OFFICE - DAY]
GATES
What did you find out at City Hall?
BECKETT
The staffer that reported the car stolen is accounted for all last night, and no one in the mayor’s office seems to recognize our victim.
GATES
So, her ties to that vehicle could be purely coincidental?
BECKETT
That’s entirely possible.
GATES
Castle and the mayor are friends, right?
BECKETT
Sir?
GATES
These investigations are like juggling wet dynamite. One misstep and it’ll all blow up in your face.
BECKETT
I can handle myself.
GATES
Well, that’s good, Detective, because I won’t be the only one watching.
--
[06:36, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
CASTLE
What was that about?
BECKETT
Politics...and your connection to the mayor.
CASTLE
Oh, what does it matter? We know he’s not involved. What?
BECKETT
She’s right, you are biased.
CASTLE
I’m biased? Do you know who Gates voted for in the last election? Because I’m betting it wasn’t Weldon.
BECKETT
Espo, where are we on that motor pool?
ESPOSITO
Verification. Vehicle was checked out at five, reported missing shortly after midnight.
CASTLE
So, it was stolen off the street.
ESPOSITO
Looks like.
CASTLE
Which means any connection to the city hall is entirely coincidental.
BECKETT
Hey, Ryan, what do our victim’s phone records show? Any phone calls to city hall?
RYAN
No phone calls at all, because Laura Cambridge didn’t own a cell phone. Her credit cards haven’t been used in six months.
CASTLE
No cell phone and no credit cards? It’s like she’s from another century.
ESPOSITO
Amish theory’s looking pretty good, bro.
RYAN
Be nice if it were that easy, but I think something else was going on with her.
BECKETT
What do you mean?
RYAN
Laura was a professor of literature at Hudson University. She was a rising star in her department until six months ago.
CASTLE
What happened six months ago?
RYAN
She quit for no apparent reason. According to her colleagues, she also completely cut ties with them, cancelled her cell phone, cut off her credit cards.
BECKETT
Why?
RYAN
No one knows. It’s like something happened to her. After that, all I could find were paystubs for fast food restaurants, a laundry service, and an office cleaning company. It’s like she couldn’t keep a job.
CASTLE
She went from professor to janitor? That’s Good Will Hunting, but in reverse.
BECKETT
Maybe her family can shed some light.
ESPOSITO
Well, I tracked down her next of kin, she has a sister. She’s on her way in now.
BECKETT
All right, you guys dig into her life, see if we can find out where she was the night she died. Castle and I will go over to her apartment to see if we can find out who she was with.
--
[08:14, INT. LAURA CAMBRIDGE’S APARTMENT - DAY]
MR. HARVEY
Well, honestly, she pretty much kept to herself. She paid on time. That’s what matters.
NEIGHBOR (muffled)
That’s my stuff! You took my stuff!
MR. HARVEY
Unlike those two chuckleheads. Uh, excuse me, please, officer. And, uh, gentleman.
CASTLE
Hmm.
MR. HARVEY
Pipe down for crying out loud!
CASTLE
“Officer and a gentleman.” That could be the name of our crime blog.
BECKETT
Crime blog? The way that you help me write police reports? Got a feeling I’ll be writing that one on my own. Doesn’t really seem to be any signs of struggle.
CASTLE
Yeah, no sign of a TV or computer either. That’s weird, right?
MR. HARVEY
Bunch of deadbeat tenants in here. You ever get bored? I’m sure I could fill up a couple of holding cells for you.
BECKETT
Mr. Harvey, when was the last time you saw Laura? Did you see her yesterday?
MR. HARVEY
During the day. She worked nights. I saw her head to work around five.
BECKETT
Do you know where she worked?
MR. HARVEY
Someplace that paid, that’s all I know.
BECKETT
Did you ever see Laura with any friends, boyfriends?
MR. HARVEY
No. Uh, but I did see a guy leaving here last night.
CASTLE
When was that?
MR. HARVEY
Around nine...thirty?
CASTLE
Well, that’s inside our 8:00 to 10:00 PM murder window.
BECKETT
Do you remember what he looked like?
MR. HARVEY
Uh, six feet tall, Caucasian, dark hair.
--
[09:19, INT. PRECINCT, INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY]
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
She never mentioned anyone like that. She wasn’t dating anyone. Thank you. I tried to set her up with a few guys, but she wasn’t interested.
RYAN
Did your sister have any connection to city hall or local politics?
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
No, I don’t think so.
ESPOSITO
Were you and your sister close?
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
We used to be. She used to tell me everything, and then...six months ago she stopped calling. She just...dropped out of her life. She gave up her teaching position, she moved out of her apartment on the Upper West Side into that flophouse.
RYAN
Do you have any idea why?
ESPOSITO
When was the last time you spoke to her?
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
Three days ago. She called for my birthday.
ESPOSITO
From where? She didn’t have a phone.
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
I don’t know. But she was upset. She said she was in trouble because of something that happened at work.
RYAN
Did she tell you what?
ROBERTA CAMBRIDGE
No. She said it was too dangerous for me to know.
--
[10:12, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
CASTLE
So, Laura Cambridge left a tenure track position at a respected university for some flophouse and a mysterious night job that got her into so much trouble she ended up murdered? What the hell was she mixed up in?
BECKETT
The man who left her apartment, if he’s our killer, he was looking for her. He probably went to her work to find her.
CASTLE
Which means, wherever that is, it’s probably the last place she was seen alive.
RYAN
I got it. I found where she works. Her bank statement says she received recent direct deposits from a D.A.G. Corp. Now, I had to dig deep within the city’s business registries, but I found one listing for a D.A.G. Corp between 2nd and 3rd in the Bowery.
BECKETT
Let’s go.
--
[10:44, INT. D.A.G. CORP - DAY]
BECKETT
There it is, Suite 250.
CASTLE
What kind of business do you think this is? Shadowy import/export? Money laundering? Sweatshop?
BECKETT
Shh.
WOMAN (muffled)
No, please!
Do you hear that?
WOMAN (muffled)
Stop it! You’re hurting me! Bobby, no! Stop! Stop!
[The woman screams. Beckett kicks in the door, gun ready.]
BECKETT
NYPD, no--!
[It’s an office filled with cubicles on women on the phone.]
WOMAN 2 (on phone)
I promise I’ll be good.
BECKETT
It’s just an office.
CASTLE
Where only women work?
WOMAN 3 (on phone)
Oh, yeah, baby, I’m still here.
BECKETT
What is this place?
CASTLE
I’d say it’s about $4.99 a minute. It’s not a sweatshop.
[Castle steps back to show Beckett the D.A.G. Corp sign “Dial A Goddess”.]
CASTLE
It’s a sex shop.
OLD WOMAN (on phone)
Oh, Murray, yeah, yeah. Yeah, like that.
[OPENING TITLES]
--
ACT TWO
[11:55, INT. D.A.G. CORP, MARILYN KANE'S OFFICE - DAY]
GODDESS 4
You hear the clicking of stilettos coming toward you, James?
GODDESS 5
...farm, no men for miles. Could you stay?
"RUSSIAN" GODDESS
...vampire with sharp teeth for to hold you down while I suck your...
MARILYN KANE
Laura was one of my favorites. Just a sweet, intelligent, funny girl. She’d only been here a few months and already she was one of our most popular goddesses. I can't believe that she's dead.
BECKETT
Was she taking calls last night?
MARILYN KANE
No. No, she took last night off, said she had something to take care of.
BECKETT
Laura told her sister that she was in trouble at work, that something had happened.
MARILYN KANE
Nothing happened that I know of. I mean, she did seem distracted the past few days, but that's about all.
CASTLE
Well, being the Chief...
[Castle reads the manager's nameplate.]
CASTLE
...Sexecutive Officer did you notice any conflicts with her and her colleagues?
MARILYN KANE
Well, she kept to herself, but she got along well with the other girls. There were no complaints about Laura.
BECKETT
Did she ever tell you why she was working here?
MARILYN KANE
What do you mean?
BECKETT
I--I just find it odd. She's a professor with a promising career ahead of her and then all of the sudden she decides to become a phone sex operator.
MARILYN KANE (scoffs)
Maybe she liked it. We get all types here, Detective: students, actresses, moms. I know an accountant who did it because she liked the challenge...and it turned her on. It's a powerful thing to make a client lust for you.
CASTLE
Hmm. Any chance that one of her clients became obsessed with her?
MARILYN KANE
Oh, honey, obsession pays our bills.
BECKETT
Could they have found out her real identity? Maybe contacted her?
MARILYN KANE
Absolutely not. No, we keep all of our girls anonymous. Clients can't be contacted directly. They call one central line and all our calls are routed to each girl by our dispatcher.
--
[13:29, INT. D.A.G. CORP - DAY]
SARAH MARX
Uh, yeah, it's my job to take the client's name and credit card information and then route the calls to the girls.
CASTLE
It's three o'clock in the afternoon, is it always this busy?
SARAH MARX
Sure. Some guys need a morning jolt, some guys need an afternoon pick me up.
BECKETT
Someone should've told them coffee's cheaper.
SARAH MARX
It's not just about the sex. That's the part of this business most people don't understand. Guys call, girls call. They're looking for release. Sometimes that release is sexual, but sometimes--
CASTLE
It's therapy. Or...so I've been told.
SARAH MARX
It's true. Laura was a successful goddess not just because of her sexy talk, but because she was a really good listener.
BECKETT
Well, that might have gotten her killed. Sarah, were there any clients that she asked to have blocked?
SARAH MARX
No.
BECKETT
What about problems here at work? Was there anything she couldn't tell her boss about?
[Sarah starts breaking down into tears.]
SARAH MARX
No. She, um...
BECKETT
She what? Sarah?
SARAH MARX
I'm sorry. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. It's my fault she's dead.
BECKETT
How?
CASTLE
Did a client find out who she was?
SARAH MARX
No. It was the other way around. Laura came to me about a week ago. She, um...she wanted a client's contact information. I told her it was completely against policy, but she was desperate. She said it was a matter of life and death.
BECKETT
Okay, we're gonna need that client's name.
--
[14:57, INT. PRECINCT, INTERROGATION - DAY]
BECKETT
Edgar Navarro?
EDGAR NAVARRO
I didn't do nothing. You had no right to drag me out in front of my moms.
BECKETT
No? Where were you last night between eight and ten? What's this about?
BECKETT
Do you recognize this woman?
EDGAR NAVARRO
Hey, look, I don't know what she told you, but all we did was talk. I didn't do nothing illegal.
BECKETT
Then how come she's dead?
EDGAR NAVARRO
Wh--what?
BECKETT
We know that she called you, Edgar. And that the two of you met up.
EDGAR NAVARRO
It's not what you think. She just needed my help.
BECKETT
What kind of help could you have given her?
EDGAR NAVARRO
I learned how to fix computers in prison and that's why Laura called me. She needed me to copy some digital recordings for her from their hardrive, but she didn't know how to rip them. I told her I needed the file extensions. She said she'd get them and then call me from her cell to walk her through it--
BECKETT
Only she didn't own a cell, Edgar.
EDGAR NAVARRO
Yes, she did.
[Edgar pulls out his cell phone.]
EDGAR NAVARRO
That's her number right there.
BECKETT
Did she tell you why she needed those files copied?
EDGAR NAVARRO
She said she'd heard something on a call, something she wasn't supposed to hear…something bad. She said she needed a copy of it for evidence.
--
[16:04, INT. D.A.G. CORP - DAY]
BECKETT
So, Laura never mentioned a call that upset or concerned her?
MARILYN KANE
She never said a word.
CASTLE
And she never asked for copies of recordings?
MARILYN KANE
No, and I'm the one to ask. This computer room is locked up tight and I'm the only one with a key.
[The manager goes to unlock the door.]
MARILYN KANE
The lock's broken.
[Beckett draws her gun and opens the door. No one's there. Beckett turns on the light.]
BECKETT
Okay.
MARILYN KANE
The hardrive's gone. All of our calls for the last few months were on that drive.
BECKETT
When was the last time you were in here?
MARILYN KANE
This morning. Everything was fine. This must have just happened.
BECKETT
Has anyone visited the office today?
MARILYN KANE
Yes, a...a man from the gas company. He said there was a leak in the building because of the construction.
CASTLE
Can you describe him?
MARILYN KANE
Um, about six feet tall, white, dark hair.
CASTLE
Same guy who was at Laura's apartment the night she died?
BECKETT
What the hell was on that recording?
CASTLE
Whatever it is, it's worth killing for.
--
[17:06, INT. CASTLE LOFT - NIGHT]
MARTHA
So, how's the case of the phone sex gal who knew too much going?
CASTLE
It's more of a conspiracy thriller like, uh, The Conversation or Blow Out.
MARTHA
Huh.
CASTLE
Everyone wants this recording and the secrets on it.
MARTHA
Oh, very mysterious.
CASTLE
Yeah, that's not the only mystery. Why would a woman like Laura Cambridge, a highly educated professor, suddenly quit everything and just drop out of her life for a series of menial jobs culminating in the wonderful world of phone sex? None of the pieces fit.
MARTHA
Huh. Who called her? I mean, you must be able to trace the call even though you don't have the recording, right?
CASTLE
Well, we have subpoenaed a list of all the incoming calls on Laura's shifts, but that's gonna be like looking for a needle in a needle stack.
[Castle's cell rings.]
CASTLE (on cell)
Hello?
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH) (on cell)
Mr. Castle, do you remember me? I called you before about Detective Beckett's safety.
CASTLE
I remember.
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH) (on cell)
Once again, Mr. Castle, it seems that we need to talk.
--
ACT THREE
[18:14, INT. CASTLE LOFT - NIGHT]
MARTHA
Are you sure it's the same man who called you about Beckett?
CASTLE
It's definitely him.
MARTHA
Then the death of this young woman is somehow connected to Beckett's mother?
CASTLE
It has to be. Otherwise, why would he call?
MARTHA
What did he say?
CASTLE
He said that there were greater forces at play, that more was at stake than we realized. Clearly this is not just about phone sex. Whatever Laura Cambridge overheard that night, it got someone's attention, someone big.
MARTHA
What I don't get is, what are you supposed to do about it?
CASTLE
I don't know. He gave me a number to contact him if I needed help. He said I would know when it was time.
MARTHA
Mm-hmm. You plan to tell Beckett?
CASTLE
Tell her what? "Hey, Kate, I've been taking calls from a shadowy figure who wants to keep you off your mother's murder case so they don't kill you, too"?
--
[18:57, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
BECKETT (on phone)
Yeah. Okay. Hold on, wait.
[Beckett gets a pen to write something down while she chews something.]
BECKETT (muffled)
What did you say? (listens) No, I'm not eating. (listens) Mm-hmm. Thanks.
[Castle approaches with the usual two cups of coffee as Beckett hangs up.]
BECKETT
Hey, you're just in time.
[He hands her the coffee.]
BECKETT
Thank you. What's wrong?
CASTLE
Nothing. So, what have we got?
BECKETT
Lanie just called. She said that she found fibers in Laura's mouth and esophagus. The lab IDed it as light brown cashmere, which was most likely from our killer's coat sleeve.
CASTLE
Brown cashmere. So, we narrow our suspects down to rich men with impeccable taste.
BECKETT
Are you saying you're a suspect?
CASTLE
Alexis is my alibi. What about our gas company worker?
BECKETT
Well, surprise! He doesn't work for the gas company, and Uniforms said that there was no forensic evidence at the Dial-A-Goddess office.
RYAN
But what we did get from Dial-A-Goddess were their copious call logs. About two-hundred pages worth. These ladies are busy. I've been going through them all morning trying to sort Laura's calls from the other girls' lines.
CASTLE
Are there any calls in there from the Mayor's office?
BECKETT
I thought you said you were confident that he wasn't involved?
CASTLE
I'm...just trying to be thorough...and impartial.
RYAN
Not yet. But the private sector is well represented. I got calls from The Met, banks, several high profile brokerage houses. No wonder the economy collapsed, huh?
ESPOSITO
Yo, Beckett!
BECKETT
Excuse me.
[Beckett leaves.]
BECKETT
What do you got?
[Castle approaches Ryan and speaks in hushed tones.]
CASTLE
Hey, if anything shows up in here and it’s tied to either Beckett's shooting or Joanna Beckett's murder, would you tell me right away?
RYAN
Wait...you guys think this is connected--?
CASTLE
No...
[Castle looks at Beckett.]
CASTLE
Not "you guys". Beckett doesn't know and I don't want her to know.
RYAN
Why do you think it's connected?
CASTLE
I just...I just want to cover all my bases. Okay?
RYAN
Okay.
CASTLE
Thanks.
BECKETT
You guys? So, uniforms canvassing around Laura's apartment found a cab that recognized her pic. He said that two days ago, he dropped her off at the Gotham Eleven TV station downtown.
CASTLE
A television station. Why would she go to a television station?
RYAN
Why would she go into the phone sex business? Why would she do any of these things she did?
ESPOSITO
Well, hopefully I'll get some answers. But first, I ran down that cell number we got from Edgar Navarro. It's a pay-as-you-go phone. Laura just activated it six days ago. She's hardly used it. She made one call to Edgar and another on the day she died, to an agent.
CASTLE
A federal agent?
ESPOSITO
No, a book agent, Trevor Haynes.
--
[21:20, INT. BOOK AGENT'S OFFICE - DAY]
TREVOR HAYNES
It's just absurdly tragic. Laura was an incredibly talented writer.
CASTLE (realizing)
You were her agent.
TREVOR HAYNES
Yeah, we signed her as a client about six months ago on the back of an astonishing book proposal.
BECKETT
What's the book about?
TREVOR HAYNES
It's a scathing indictment of societal inequity as seen through the lens of the working poor, a sort of contemporary take on How the Other Half Lives. A privileged young woman gives up every comfort to experience life below the poverty line.
CASTLE
That's why she took all those jobs - first hand research.
TREVOR HAYNES
It pitches itself, really.
BECKETT
So, we'll need to see a copy of that manuscript. Her investigations might have led to her death.
TREVOR HAYNES
Well, there isn't one. At least, not that I've seen, anyway. Besides, I don't think she was killed because of her anti-capitalist polemic.
BECKETT
What do you mean?
TREVOR HAYNES
Well, earlier this week she called my office, said she'd stumbled upon a much more explosive story, a scandal involving a very prominent, very powerful New Yorker. She said it would rock the city to its very foundations.
CASTLE
What-- what prominent New Yorker?
TREVOR HAYNES
She wouldn't say. I just assumed it was a pitch for her next book. We were going to discuss it this week.
[Beckett's cell rings.]
BECKETT
Sorry. Excuse me.
[Beckett steps out to answer her cell.]
BECKETT (on cell)
Hey, Espo, what's up?
ESPOSITO (on cell)
We're at the Gotham Eleven office. There's something you need to see.
--
[22:30, INT. GOTHAM ELEVEN OFFICE - DAY]
ESPOSITO
This is Pat McConnell, Laura's college buddy. Tell them what you told me.
PAT MCCONNELL
I hadn't seen Laura in years. Just a few days ago, she calls me out of the blue, says she needs to see some raw footage we shot for this research project she's working on. So, I set her up at this edit bay. She was here for over eight hours. I mean, at one point she even fell asleep. I came by to check on her, she had her eyes closed.
BECKETT
Raw footage of what?
ESPOSITO
It’s all B-roll of Mayor Weldon: city council meetings, playground openings, backstage at a press conference.
BECKETT
A scandal about a prominent, powerful New Yorker.
ESPOSITO
But check out this last tape she was watching.
[Esposito plays the tape.]
CASTLE
That's the Reading Train Foundation. I went to their gala last year.
ESPOSITO
Now look at the girl on the side of the screen.
[Esposito pauses the footage.]
BECKETT
That's Laura.
CASTLE
That's impossible. He said he didn't know her.
BECKETT
Castle, look what the Mayor's wearing. It's a light brown coat, and it looks like cashmere. That's just the coat that our killer was wearing.
--
ACT FOUR
[23:31, INT. PRECINCT, BREAK ROOM - DAY]
CASTLE
Beckett, I know this man. I've known him twelve years. He's not a killer.
BECKETT
You don't know that.
CASTLE
Yes, I do.
BECKETT
Castle, he lied about knowing our victim.
CASTLE
He was standing next to her, that doesn't mean he knew her. Do you know how many people he meets in a day? Expecting him to remember them all? That's like expecting me to remember everyone who comes to my book signings.
BECKETT
You're biased.
CASTLE
You're damn right I'm biased. Robert Weldon is a good man.
BECKETT
Even good men make mistakes. He had access to that car. His aid said that he left the event at 9:00 PM; that's right inside our kill zone.
CASTLE
Fine. What's his motive?
BECKETT
I don't know. At least not yet.
CASTLE
Then give him a chance, because the minute you move on him, his career is over.
[Gates enters.]
GATES
So, what's the latest?
BECKETT
We've got a couple of promising leads, I'm hoping to find something concrete soon.
GATES
Well, anything more on the victim? Anything connecting her back to city hall?
BECKETT
No, not yet.
GATES
All right, Detective. Anything pops, you let me know.
BECKETT
Great. Now I'm a liar.
CASTLE
You know what I think? I think she's hoping it's him, because if he's gone, I'm gone.
BECKETT
Castle, you can't make this one about you.
CASTLE
Where are you going?
BECKETT
You're right, we have to figure out Weldon's motive. There's no way that Gates is gonna let me subpoena that coat without it.
CASTLE
Really? That's your takeaway?
BECKETT
What do you want me to do, Castle? I know that he's your friend, but I'm sorry. If he killed that girl--
CASTLE
He didn't.
BECKETT
Then let me prove it. Ryan?
RYAN (on phone)
All right, thanks for your help.
[Ryan hangs up.]
BECKETT
Anything else on that video?
RYAN
Actually, yeah. When we first saw Laura, she was wearing a volunteer badge for the Reading Train Foundation. She was on staff at the mayor's charity.
CASTLE
That doesn't mean he knew her.
BECKETT
Ryan, you're with me. Castle, I'm sorry, but you can't be objective on this one, so I'm gonna have to pursue it on my own.
--
[25:38, INT. READING TRAIN FOUNDATION - DAY]
CONNIE PARK
No. Uh, I don't know if Mayor Weldon and Laura Cambridge were acquainted. I don't know much about her at all. She wasn't here very long.
BECKETT
What do you mean?
CONNIE PARK
Well, we hired Laura as a volunteer about a week ago. A few days later, we had to fire her.
BECKETT
Why?
CONNIE PARK
She was caught copying confidential files.
RYAN
What kind of files?
CONNIE PARK
Accounting files.
BECKETT
Any idea why she would be interested in those files?
[Park hesitates.]
BECKETT
Ms. Park--
CONNIE PARK (whisper)
It's sensitive. I'm not supposed to talk about it.
BECKETT
Ms. Park, a woman was murdered and we are trying to figure out why. You can talk to us here, or we can go downtown.
[Park steps further away from the others in the room.]
CONNIE PARK
We recently discovered some discrepancies in our accounts. We found there was some money missing.
RYAN
How much money?
CONNIE PARK
$2.3 million. There's an internal investigation going on.
BECKETT
This investigation, does it have anything to do with Mayor Weldon?
--
[26:34, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
RYAN (on phone)
Thank you. (hangs up) Attorney General's office confirms that Mayor Weldon is the subject of the investigation.
ESPOSITO
We were looking for motive and here it is. $2.3 million worth.
BECKETT
Weldon embezzled from his own charity. Someone must have told Laura about it during one of her sessions and she decided to investigate.
RYAN
When she found enough evidence to expose the mayor, he killed her to shut her up.
[Beckett looks at Gates in her office.]
ESPOSITO
You gonna tell her?
BECKETT
I have to.
ESPOSITO
This will destroy Weldon, you know.
BECKETT
Yeah, I know.
ESPOSITO
And when he's gone, the first thing she'll do...is get rid of Castle.
BECKETT
I know.
--
[27:29, INT. GATES'S OFFICE - DAY]
GATES
Are you sure about this?
BECKETT
Yes, sir. But the moment I file a warrant request for that coat, it becomes public record.
GATES
So?
BECKETT
So, then everyone will know that Mayor Weldon is a person of interest.
GATES
Isn't he?
BECKETT
Yes, but...what if I'm wrong? It could ruin his career.
GATES
We are tasked by the City of New York to protect its people. Sometimes that task comes with a cost. I know what they call me, Detective. "Iron Gates." I hear the whispers. "She's from I.A., she must hate cops." Well, the truth is I love cops. My daddy was a cop, my uncles were cops. But the sergeant who assaulted my patrol partner under color of authority, who holds him accountable? We do. Go to the mayor, get him to voluntarily surrender his coat for fiber testing without a warrant. Tell him it's the only way to keep it out of the media. But if he refuses, you get that warrant and you do your job, whatever the cost.
--
ACT FIVE
[29:00, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - NIGHT]
[Castle exits the elevator as Beckett is walking ]
CASTLE
You going to see Weldon?
BECKETT
Yes.
CASTLE
I'd like to come with you. I think I can help.
BECKETT
I don't think you can.
CASTLE
I heard what you said. I did. And I think I can be a valuable asset. I play poker with the guy. I can tell when he’s bluffing.
BECKETT
And what about if I have to force his hand, can you be an asset then?
CASTLE
Look, I don’t think he did it. But if he did, I want to know. That makes me objective.
--
[29:40, INT. CITY HALL, MAYOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT]
BRIAN SHAY
Sir, you don’t have to talk to them. It’s-it’s my job.
MAYOR WELDON
It’s okay, Brian. I don’t need you to protect me.
BRIAN SHAY
Sir--
MAYOR WELDON
I haven’t done anything wrong. Please.
[Brian backs off and leaves.]
MAYOR WELDON
Thank you.
BECKETT
Your honor, I appreciate you speaking with us.
MAYOR WELDON
Well, it sounded like I didn’t have a choice.
BECKETT
Well, the last time we spoke, you said that you didn’t know Laura Cambridge.
MAYOR WELDON
That’s right.
BECKETT
And yes, here you are standing next to Laura, a volunteer at Reading Train.
[Beckett hands him a photo.]
MAYOR WELDON
I-I didn’t recognize her, but in context, I-I remember her. This event was a few nights ago. She was trying to talk to me, but--
BECKETT
Did she talk to you?
MAYOR WELDON
No, I got pulled away. I had donors I had to speak with. I remember her saying that she wanted to talk to me, but circumstances prevented it.
CASTLE
So, you and Laura never actually spoke?
MAYOR WELDON
No.
BECKETT
Not even on the phone?
MAYOR WELDON
No, honestly, after that night, I never gave her a second thought.
BECKETT
You know, in this photo, you’re wearing a light brown cashmere coat. We’d like you to turn it over to CSU for testing.
[The mayor looks at Castle and Castle nods for him to acquiesce. The mayor considers and sighs.]
MAYOR WELDON
Respectfully, I’m going to have to decline.
BECKETT
Why?
CASTLE
Robert…give her the coat. If can only be good for you.
MAYOR WELDON
I’m afraid I can’t do that.
BECKETT
Why?
MAYOR WELDON
I had nothing to do with Laura Cambridge’s murder, or the theft of money from my charity, or anything else I’ve been accused of in the last 48 hours. Do you think that any of this is a coincidence?
CASTLE
Robert-
MAYOR WELDON
No, me here talking to you, this is exactly what they wanted to have happen! So, no, I will not give you my coat. Look, there's a conspiracy against me, and I will not voluntarily feed it.
CASTLE
What conspiracy?
MAYOR WELDON
Don't you think it's funny that all this is happening the moment I considered running for governor? Rick, I'm used to having enemies, but this is an organized effort to destroy me. So right now I don't trust anyone.
--
[31:41, INT. CITY HALL - NIGHT]
CASTLE
Well, he has good reason to not turn over his coat.
BECKETT
Yes, guilt.
CASTLE
A conspiracy. Is it so farfetched? Maybe Laura found out about it and tried to warn him.
BECKETT
Or maybe she and Weldon did talk, she confronted him with what she knew, and he killed her.
CASTLE
Hmm. I believe the conspiracy. I mean, I know Weldon.
BECKETT
And Weldon knows you. Conspiracies, intrigue? That's your bread and butter. That's exactly the kind of story that you would respond to.
CASTLE
I'm sorry, are--are you suggesting he's playing me?
BECKETT
I am suggesting that you consider the possibility. I have a procedure to follow. He didn't provide his coat willingly, so I'm gonna have to get a court order.
CASTLE
Whoa. Look, once word gets out that the NYPD subpoenaed his clothing in connection with embezzlement and murder, that man's career will be over.
BECKETT
Not if he's innocent.
CASTLE
Are you kidding me? Kate, this is politics. Perception is reality. The truth won't matter.
BECKETT
What am I supposed to do, Rick? I can't just stop being a cop just because it's inconvenient.
CASTLE
No. No, no, no just...you can wait, all right? For something else, for a lead.
BECKETT
For the coat to disappear? You don't think I don’t know what's at stake here? Do you think I actually want to do this?
CASTLE
Then don't it.
BECKETT
I don't have a choice.
--
[32:57, INT. CASTLE LOFT - NIGHT]
MAYOR WELDON (on television)
My office is cooperating fully with both investigations and I stand here with a hundred percent confidence that a full and thorough investigation will reveal that I am completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
[Martha mutes the TV.]
MARTHA
You still believe him?
CASTLE
I do.
MARTHA
You've been down this road before with a friend. You believed Damien Westlake. He's rotting in prison for murder.
CASTLE
Damien and I were kids together. Believing in him was sentiment. My experience tells me, Weldon is innocent. My experience tells me, there's something very wrong with this whole situation.
MARTHA
In that case, maybe it's time to phone a friend.
--
[33:36, INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT]
[Castle walks through the dark garage.]
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
Right there, Mr. Castle. That'll be fine.
[The mystery man steps around a column and Castle stops walking.]
CASTLE
You know Weldon's not behind this. That's why you offered your help. He's right about the conspiracy, isn't he?
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
He isn't wrong.
CASTLE
So, what do I do? How do I help him?
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
Listen to the evidence. That's what Laura did.
CASTLE
No, I--I watched the video of Laura and the mayor a hundred times. There's nothing there.
[The sound of screeching tires approaches.]
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
That's not what I said, Mr. Castle!
[The speeding car drives past and the man is gone.]
--
ACT SIX
[34:27, INT. PRECINCT, TECH ROOM - DAY]
BECKETT
I met Weldon a few times before this. I liked him.
RYAN
You didn’t set his house on fire.
BECKETT
No. I just threw gasoline on it.
[Beckett’s cell rings.]
BECKETT (on cell)
Beckett.
--
[34:56, INT. D.A.G. CORP - DAY]
CASTLE
Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure that you would, given the way we left things.
BECKETT
I can’t apologize for doing my job, Castle.
CASTLE
And I would never ask you to.
BECKETT
So, why did you call me here?
CASTLE
Because I had an epiphany. All this time we’ve been looking for evidence, when we should have been listening instead. This all started when Laura told Edgar Navarro she’d heard something on a call, something she wasn’t supposed to hear. We writers call this “the inciting incident”. Whoever she spoke to, whatever she heard, is what led to her murder.
BECKETT
Well, what does it matter? I mean, the hardrive is stolen, the recording is gone. We’ll never know what she heard on that call.
CASTLE
No, but we might know who she heard it from. You remember how Laura fell asleep watching those B-roll tapes that Gotham Eleven?
BECKETT
Mm-hmm.
CASTLE
She was closing her eyes. She wasn’t watching the tapes, she was listening to them.
BECKETT
So, you’re saying she was trying to ID our caller’s voice?
CASTLE
I had Sarah, our goddess dispatcher, listen to those B-roll tapes.
[Castle and Beckett enter the media room and Sarah takes off her headphones.]
SARAH MARX
It’s him, I’m sure of it. He was one of Laura’s regulars.
CASTLE
Show her who.
MAYOR WELDON (on video)
How much more time can we stay here?
BECKETT
The mayor?
JORDAN NORRIS (on vido)
Another twenty minutes, sir, then we have to get back to your office for your meeting with-
[Sarah pauses the tape.]
SARAH MARX
That guy.
CASTLE
Jordan Norris, deputy assistant to the mayor’s chief of staff.
--
[36:23, INT. PRECINCT, INTERROGATION - DAY]
BECKETT
Mr. Norris, you told us that you didn’t know Laura Cambridge.
JORDAN NORRIS
That’s right.
BECKETT
And yet, your 89-year-old grandmother, Greta Markenson, did. According to the phone sex records, Laura received numerous phone calls from her.
CASTLE
Which made poor Greta look pretty frisky until we realized you’d been house-sitting at her apartment.
JORDAN NORRIS
I-I may have called that service from time to time, but I-I never knew who I was talking to. I mean, how would I?
BECKETT
We’ll get to that in a minute. In the meantime, we checked your phone records, and you sent this text to a burner cell about a month ago.
[Beckett places a printout of the text on the table.]
BECKETT
Now, to most people, that would look like a series of random numbers, so we looked into it. Those are actually numbers to a bank account for Mayor Weldon and his charity, numbers that someone could have used to make it look like the mayor was embezzling money.
CASTLE
The man who trusted you, and you sold him out. So, what’d they give you, Jordan? What’d they promise you?
JORDAN NORRIS
I-I thought this was just about the money. I…I didn’t know. I didn’t know they’d to destroy him.
CASTLE
And when you found out you betrayed the man you worked for, it ate you up, didn’t it? So much so that one night, after too many shots of tequila, you called Laura and you let it all spill out. Oh, you didn’t mean to, but she was such a good listener.
JORDAN NORRIS
It was anonymous. I-I was supposed to be safe.
CASTLE
But you weren’t, because she was a writer and you gave her the story of her life. So she tracked you down. She confronted you. She was gonna blow the whistle on you, on your friends. She had to be stopped.
BECKETT
We talked to your doorman, Jordan. We know that she visited you that night.
JORDAN NORRIS
Okay. She was there, but...sh-she left after twenty minutes. I…I didn’t kill her.
BECKETT
You didn’t have to. All you had to do was call that same burner phone, and whoever answered sent a man, a man without a face who choked the life out of Laura Cambridge. And then he broke into her home and her work and he destroyed all of the evidence of everything she knew.
CASTLE
Whose phone was it, Jordan?
JORDAN NORRIS
You don’t understand. These people...they’re more dangerous than you know.
BECKETT
You are looking at 20 years in prison. I am offering you a way out. Now, who did you call? I want a name. Who did you call?
JORDAN NORRIS
I, uh...
BECKETT
A name, Jordan.
JORDAN NORRIS
O…
BECKETT
Say it.
JORDAN NORRIS
Okay. The person that I called wa--
MYSTERY ATTORNEY BILL MOSS
If it’s all the same to you, I prefer my client not be asked any more questions.
JORDAN NORRIS
Your client?
MYSTERY ATTORNEY BILL MOSS
Mr. Norris, I’m Bill Moss. From now on, please don’t speak to anybody outside of my presence. I’ve been retained to represent you.
BECKETT
By who?
MYSTERY ATTORNEY BILL MOSS
We’re done here.
[Jordan leaves with the mystery attorney.]
--
[39:41, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - NIGHT]
[Beckett begins taking down the murder board.]
GATES
It seems our mayor will live to fight another day. Justice has prevailed.
BECKETT
Not for Laura Cambridge.
GATES
We charged Mr. Norris with criminal facilitation. That’s something.
BECKETT
Jordan Norris is a pawn. I want the people controlling him.
GATES
Oh, it’s a long game, Kate. Play it piece by piece.
[Gates hands Beckett the eraser. Castle watches Beckett as she erases the board.]
--
[40:26, INT. CASTLE LOFT - NIGHT]
CASTLE
But why would you abandon all your plans? You’ve been cleared of all charges?
MAYOR WELDON
You know, for someone who kills off all his characters, you have a strange, stubborn streak of optimism in you. But no, I can’t run for governor in two years, I can’t run for president in six. That dream is done.
CASTLE
There’s got to be something we can do. You’re innocent.
MAYOR WELDON
A little too innocent. There are people out there. I realize it now, people who control what goes on in this city and beyond. I wouldn’t play ball, so they took me out of the game. It’s been decided: this is as far as I get.
CASTLE
So, what are you going to do now?
MAYOR WELDON
I am going to continue being an outstanding mayor for the greatest city on earth.
[They toast.]
--
[41:23, INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT]
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
Why did you contact me, Mr. Castle? The case is resolved.
CASTLE
Resolved? How is it resolved? Someone tried to destroy this city’s mayor and I want to know who.
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
Trust me when I say it’s not your concern.
CASTLE
It is if it involves Beckett or her mother’s murder.
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
You’re a writer. Finish this sentence, “If Weldon had been run out of office...”
CASTLE
I’d be gone from the Twelfth Precinct.
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
And then who’d keep Beckett from looking into things she shouldn’t? Who’d keep her out of harm’s way?
CASTLE
So, you did this to protect her? Why?
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
You play chess, Mr. Castle? There are times when a well-placed pawn is more powerful than a king.
[The mystery man begins to walk away.]
CASTLE
I have your number if I need to reach you.
MYSTERY MAN (SMITH)
You don’t reach me, Mr. Castle, I reach you.
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