Castle: Episode 4x15 Pandora
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ACT ONE
[00:00, EXT. STREET/BUILDING - NIGHT]
[Shots fire. Sounds of a struggle. A man is shoved through a window and falls to his death on a car. A man looks calmly down at him from the window.]
--
[00:28, INT. CASTLE LOFT - NIGHT]
[Castle cooks dinner.]
MARTHA
Oh, I had the most exquisite class this evening. My students are rehearsing the boxing scene from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
CASTLE
I’m just glad they were using your studio and not my living room.
[Martha chuckles, then gasps.]
MARTHA
Oh, you’re making me your fabulous pasta Carbonara. Ohh, you shouldn’t have.
CASTLE
I didn’t. Actually, it’s for Alexis. She’s just been, you know, so busy lately. I thought we’d, uh, reconnect.
MARTHA
Mm.
CASTLE
So, my favorite dish, and then a screening of Saw IV, the director’s cut.
MARTHA
Uh, I hate to tell you this, darling, but she won’t be here.
CASTLE
What do you mean? Where else would she be?
MARTHA
She’s starting a new internship.
CASTLE
Another one?
MARTHA
She did say she wanted to try a few things to find her passion.
CASTLE
It’s nine o’clock. What kind of passion is she finding at this time of night?
MARTHA
Um…
[Castle’s cell phone rings.]
MARTHA
Aha. There. Your better half.
CASTLE
Uh, bu-ju-ju-don’t change the subject.
[Castle ignores Beckett’s call.]
CASTLE
What exactly is this internship exactly?
MARTHA
Richard, Alexis swore me to secrecy.
CASTLE
Yes, but as her father.
MARTHA
Ah, ah, ah, ah. My lips are sealed.
CASTLE
Then you won’t be using them to eat my…pasta Carbonara.
MARTHA (sigh)
All right. Well, let me say this. This internship has my personal Seal of Approval.
CASTLE
That doesn’t make me feel any better.
--
[01:47, EXT. STREET - NIGHT]
[Castle and Beckett exit her car and walk toward the crime scene.]
CASTLE
The truth is, the internship isn’t the problem. It’s the fact she now has three of them.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, you never know, Castle. This might be the one that brings the two of you closer together somehow.
CASTLE
I doubt it. The best I could hope for now is, she learns to become more of an underachiever.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll be able to give her some tips.
ESPOSITO
So...neighbors heard a hellacious fight and then our victim here sailed out of that fourth-floor window.
BECKETT
Was that his apartment?
ESPOSITO
We’re checking, but it doesn’t look like it. Tenants don’t recognize him and he doesn’t have any I.D.
LANIE
No I.D., but lots of causes of death.
CASTLE
You mean, other than gravity?
LANIE
Oh, yeah. See that bullet wound?
[Lanie shines a light on the corpse.]
BECKETT
So, he was shot before he fell?
LANIE
And stabbed.
BECKETT
Shot and stabbed?
LANIE
And choked, and has a pencil jammed in the side of his neck.
CASTLE
Ah. Gives new meaning to the term “overkill.”
BECKETT
Did anyone see his attacker?
ESPOSITO
Uh, we’re checking with witnesses, but I figure that our perp slipped out of the building during all the confusion.
BECKETT
All right. Let’s go see what they got.
[They begin to leave when Alexis passes them wearing an M.E. jacket.]
CASTLE (absent mindedly)
Hey, Alexis.
ALEXIS
Hey.
[Castle suddenly realizes what he just said.]
CASTLE
Alexis?
ALEXIS
Hey, Dad.
CASTLE
What are you doing here? Is…is this your new internship?
ALEXIS
Dr. Parish agreed to let me shadow her. I thought, if I go to med school, this will give me a better grasp of forensic pathology. I’ve learned so much in just two days.
CASTLE (lowered voice)
Sweetie…why wouldn’t you tell me?
ALEXIS
I guess I was afraid you’d veto it, like maybe you’d think me being here was invading your territory or--
CASTLE (high-pitched)
What?
[Castle tries to recover.]
CASTLE
That’s crazy. I wouldn’t…think that. That’s… This is great.
ALEXIS
Yeah.
CASTLE
It’s-I just-I don’t know if you should be exposed to crime scenes and dead bodies.
ALEXIS
Oh, I’m already used to it. It’s equal parts gross and cool.
LANIE
I heard that and I couldn’t agree with you more.
ALEXIS
I finally get why you’re into this, Dad. Now I’m into it, too.
CASTLE
That’s great.
[Alexis walks over to Lanie and Castle turns and mutters to himself.]
CASTLE (whisper)
Great.
[Castle walks over to Beckett]
CASTLE
My worlds are colliding
BECKETT
You mean Alexis?
CASTLE
You knew about this?
BECKETT
Come on, Castle. You’re the one who said you wanted to find a way of spending more time with her.
CASTLE
Not like this. This is my thing. This is our thing. It’s a violation of church and state. This would be like me just showing up at her school and teaching.
BECKETT
I really think that you’re overreacting.
CASTLE
But what if I’m not? What if this upsets the delicate synergy of our partnership? What if it undermines our unit cohesion?
[Beckett inhales sharply.]
CASTLE
See? Major problem.
BECKETT
Not that. This.
[Beckett shines her flashlight on a trail of blood on the sidewalk.]
CASTLE
That’s a lot of blood.
BECKETT
One of our witnesses saw a man leaving the building. He was limping.
CASTLE
Our suspect was injured.
BECKETT
And the trail goes that way.
[They follow the blood trail.]
CASTLE
A brutal killer betrayed by the frailty of his own flesh. His path revealed by that most primal stain. Except the path ends here.
BECKETT
Multiple drops in one spot? He must have stood here for a minute.
CASTLE
He got into a car.
[Beckett shines her flashlight on a surveillance camera on a nearby building.]
BECKETT
Well, if he did, maybe he got caught on tape.
--
[04:37, INT. PRECINCT, TECH ROOM - NIGHT]
[The team watches the surveillance footage.]
RYAN
First 9-1-1 call came at 8:42, just after our victim crash landed. So, our guy probably made it to the corner a minute or two later. Hey. Pretty cool about Alexis’s internship.
[Ryan sees Castle expression.]
RYAN
Or not.
BECKETT
There. That’s gotta be him.
[Ryan pauses the tape.]
CASTLE
He’s wounded, the cops are after him, and he’s looking for a place to go.
[Ryan plays the tape. The murderer forces a woman into her taxi.]
BECKETT
He’s got a hostage. Track the taxi off the medallion number, find out where it went.
--
[05:05, INT. TINA MASSEY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT]
[The police break in the door. A woman screams. The murderer sits calmly, eating a sandwich.]
ESPOSITO
NYPD!
UNIFORM
Let me see your hands.
BECKETT
NYPD! Hands in the air.
ESPOSITO
Get up.
BECKETT
Show us your hands. Get up. Hands in the air.
ESPOSITO
Get up. Get up.
[The man stands up, hands in the air - one of them still holding the sandwich, and he chews calmly. He has a bloody bandage around his right leg. ]
ESPOSITO
Put your hands on your head.
[The man takes another bite of the sandwich.]
ESPOSITO
Hands on your head now.
[The man drops the sandwich and puts his hands on his head.]
ESPOSITO
Drop to your knees.
[The man gets on his knees and Esposito cuffs him.]
--
[05:29, INT. PRECINCT, INTERROGATION - NIGHT]
BECKETT
Thomas Gage. For the record, have I advised you of your rights?
THOMAS GAGE
Yes.
BECKETT
Including your right to an attorney?
THOMAS GAGE
I won’t need one.
BECKETT
Do you recognize this man?
[Beckett shows him the photo of the man he pushed out the window.]
THOMAS GAGE
Looks like he took a nasty fall.
BECKETT
Well, he had a little help. Fingerprint evidence will show that he was thrown out a window…by you.
CASTLE
After which, you kidnapped Tina Massey in full view of a security camera.
[Castle shows Gage the security footage photo.]
BECKETT
Murder, plus kidnapping, that equals more years in prison than you have left. Unless you cooperate.
THOMAS GAGE
Everything that you have on me…or you think you have…it’s all going away. And we’re done here.
--
[06:27, INT. PRECINCT, OBSERVATION - NIGHT]
BECKETT
This guy should be sweating bullets. This doesn’t feel right.
CASTLE
It’s like he knows something we don’t.
BECKETT
I want you to pull everything you can on Thomas Gage.
RYAN
The problem is, that’s not his real name. His driver’s license is bogus, and his prints aren’t in the system. Bottom line is, we have no idea who this man is.
--
[06:47, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - NIGHT]
TINA MASSEY
The guy was super calm the whole time. Not big on chitchat either. His opening line was, “Get your ass in the cab, or I’ll kill you.”
BECKETT
And what about when you went back to your apartment, what did he talk about?
TINA MASSEY
After he promised not to murder me, he asked me to patch up his leg. He had a real gash.
BECKETT
Could you tell how he got the injury?
TINA MASSEY
He said he got slashed with a knife…while he was killing a guy.
BECKETT
And he admitted that to you?
TINA MASSEY
More like just made the statement.
CASTLE
And did he say who this guy was or why he killed him?
TINA MASSEY
All he told me was that the man doesn’t exist.
--
[07:20, INT. PRECINCT, AUTOPSY HALLWAY - NIGHT]
LANIE
The man doesn’t exist as far as I can tell.
BECKETT
So, you haven’t IDed him yet?
LANIE
Look, I’m trying, but his fingerprints aren’t in any database, which is weird, because I thought for sure he’s have a criminal record.
CASTLE
How come?
LANIE
It’s not the first time this guy has mixed it up - old gunshot wounds, callused hands from martial arts training, more broken bones than Evel Knievel. You’re not gonna believe his x-rays.
[They enter autopsy. The body is gone.]
LANIE
Where’s my John Doe?
[Lanie turns to Alexis.]
LANIE
Where’s my John Doe?
ALEXIS
He was right there when I left. I-I was only gone a minute.
LANIE
I know he was right there. I was just about to cut him open.
CASTLE
Well, now he really doesn’t exist.
--
[08:00, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - NIGHT]
BECKETT
How does a body just vanish from a morgue?
CASTLE
I don’t know, but Thomas Gage does. Remember what he said, “Whatever you think you have is going away”? He’s in on this.
BECKETT
Espo, did Gage get transferred to central booking yet?
ESPOSITO
No, he’s still in holding.
BECKETT
He’s gonna give us some answers.
--
[08:16, INT. PRECINCT, HOLDING - NIGHT]
[The cell is empty.]
BECKETT
Where is this guy?
[They enter the cell. Open handcuffs are handing on the cell cage.]
ESPOSITO
He was here. I--I secured him myself.
BECKETT
Lock down the precinct.
ESPOSITO
All right. Move.
[OPENING TITLES]
--
ACT TWO
[08:43, INT. CASTLE LOFT, OFFICE - MORNING]
[Alexis enters as Castle types.]
ALEXIS
Hey, Dad. I tried to wait up, but you must have gotten in really late.
CASTLE
Not by choice. Our suspect pulled a Houdini, so they locked down the entire station. But by then, the mysterious steely killer, going by the nom de guerre of Thomas Gage, was long gone. I’m writing up notes on this case. Solid-gold material for my next book.
ALEXIS
Wait. The guy who threw John Doe out the window, he escaped?
CASTLE
Uh-huh, but only after orchestrating the theft of John Doe’s body from the morgue. How awesome is that?
ALEXIS
Not so awesome if you’re the person who let it happen.
CASTLE
Oh, honey, it’s not your fault.
ALEXIS
I was with that body, but a friend called, and I stepped away to talk. I didn’t--
CASTLE
Okay, hang on. Listen to me. I’m glad you weren’t there, because the kind of person who took John Doe’s body is the kind of person who wouldn’t think twice about hurting whoever got in the way.
ALEXIS
Still, I thought working with Dr. Parish, there’d be zero chance I’d make a mistake that would affect a patient. I mean, how could I, right? Well, I found a way.
CASTLE
Y-you know, honey, if this internship isn’t the right fit, I’m sure Lanie would understand.
ALEXIS
No. Dr. Parish gave me this opportunity, and I want to see it through.
[Castle holds in his frustration that he couldn’t convince Alexis to quit.]
--
[09:57, INT. PRECINCT, GATES’S OFFICE - DAY]
GATES
Well?
RYAN
The apartment where John Doe was killed, we think Thomas Gage was squatting there. Turns--
GATES
I don’t care where Gage was unless it tells me where he is now. But I’m very interested in knowing how he got out of that holding cell on your watch.
ESPOSITO
We’re not clear on that, sir. But we do know how he left this precinct.
GATES
I assume he snuck out of the back exit.
RYAN
Actually, he went out through the front door. This is him heading to the lobby.
[Ryan gives Gates a surveillance photo of Gage in a police uniform.]
GATES
Where did this man get a uniform?
RYAN
He stole it from the locker room.
GATES
Find out what else he did. Check our security video and retrace his steps. I want to know every move that he made.
ESPOSITO
Okay.
--
[10:42, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
[Beckett places the photo of Gage in a police uniform on the murder board.]
BECKETT
Gage has been two steps ahead of us this whole time.
CASTLE
Not only that, but he must have a partner who took John Doe from the morgue.
BECKETT (sigh)
Which still doesn’t explain why he ended up wearing those blues. Why risk stealing a uniform when he could’ve just walked out of the building?
[Ryan enters.]
RYAN
I’ll tell you why. He needed something inside our precinct.
[Ryan holds up a photo of Gage using a computer in the bullpen.]
RYAN
The guy got into our database.
BECKETT
Looking for what?
ESPOSITO
Not what. Who.
[The others join Esposito at his computer.]
ESPOSITO
Tracy McGrath of Queens. He ran her name, and I think I know why. Her address is unlisted.
CASTLE
What if getting arrested was part of Gage’s plan? So he could access our data for Tracy’s address.
BECKETT
All right, you guys pull up everything you can on Tracy. Castle and I will go over there now.
ESPOSITO
Okay.
--
[11:27, EXT. QUEENS, TRACY MCGRATH’S HOUSE - DAY]
BECKETT
Her phone’s going straight to voicemail.
CASTLE
What is her connection to all this? Why is Gage so interested in her?
BECKETT
With any luck, she knows who Gage really is.
[Beckett knocks on the front door, but it squeaks open at the touch. Beckett opens the door all the way and peers in cautiously and they enter.]
BECKETT
Tracy McGrath? NYPD.
[They find Tracy dead on the floor.]
BECKETT
Castle.
[Beckett stops next to the body and dials her cell phone.]
BECKETT (on cell)
Espo. Yeah, we got here too late. Uh, she’s got one to the back of the head. Can you call Lanie, get her to bring CSU down here?
--
[12:13, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
EPOSITO (on phone)
Yeah. I’m on it. (hangs up) Captain Gates, looks like Tracy McGrath was Gage’s next victim.
GATES
What do we know about her?
RYAN
Well, she’s 33, no family. A scientist at a research foundation.
GATES
All right. Talk to her co-workers. Find out why Gage would’ve wanted her dead.
[Esposito grabs his coat and they exit.]
--
[12:29, INT. TRACY MCGRATH’S HOUSE - DAY]
CASTLE
Looks like she’s been here a while.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, it makes sense. Gage escaped last night. He had a ten-hour lead on us. You stay put. I’m gonna check the rest of the place.
[Castle stays by the body and Beckett sweeps the house. She finds a warm cup of coffee on the counter and readies her gun. She turns a corner to find Castle standing at the front door alone with a black bag over his head.]
BECKETT
Castle, wh...
[A gun cocks next to her head and she raises her hands. The mystery man takes her gun and places a black bag over her head.]
--
ACT THREE
[13:19, EXT. QUEENS, TRACY MCGRATH’S HOUSE - DAY]
[Lanie and Alexis arrive at the crime scene.]
ALEXIS
Where is everybody?
LANIE
We usually beat the uniforms to the scenes. It’s not like they want to hurry and stand around.
ALEXIS
Just so you know, I’m not letting this victim out of my sight.
LANIE
Crazy.
ALEXIS
What is?
LANIE
The fact that Richard Castle, a man unburdened by regret and guilt, has a child that carried the weight of the world. It is not on you that a dead man came up missing.
ALEXIS
Well, how often does something like that happen, anyway?
LANIE
It never happens, honey. So relax. It was a freak thing. Bodies just don’t disappear.
--
[13:52, INT. TRACY MCGRATH’S HOUSE - DAY]
[They enter.]
LANIE
Detective Beckett? Detective Beckett.
[They enter the living room, but the body is gone.]
LANIE
Okay, I see where the blood stain is.
ALEXIS
Where is the body?
--
[14:02, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, ELEVATOR - DAY]
[Beckett and Castle’s head bags are removed.]
CASTLE
You okay?
BECKETT
Yeah. You?
[They turn to look at the man who removed their masks.]
CASTLE
Who are you?
BECKETT
Where the hell are you taking us?
CASTLE
Wherever it is...it’s way down.
[Beckett looks at the floor indicator. It counts down to B15 and stops. The doors open and they’re escorted into a secret high-tech facility.]
BECKETT
What is this place?
CASTLE
Uh... Uh... I don’t know. I have no idea.
SOPHIA TURNER
Rick Castle at a loss for words?
[A beautiful woman saunters up to them.]
SOPHIA TURNER
That must be a first for you.
CASTLE
Sophia Turner.
SOPHIA TURNER
Hello, Rick. Welcome to the CIA.
--
[14:57, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
[Esposito shows a photo of Tracy - the second victim - to her boss.]
BOSS
Yeah, that’s her. Tracy’s worked for me at the Newton Foundation for five years. I just talked to her yesterday. We debated the merits of the Chevy Corvair. She’s a classic car buff. She was.
RYAN
And what kind of work did Tracy do exactly?
BOSS
It wouldn’t get you killed, if that’s what you’re asking. Tracy has a PhD in applied mathematics. She’d been developing statistical models to predict the affects of climate change.
ESPOSITO
Did she have any enemies, anybody who might want to do her harm?
BOSS
Not that I know of. Hold on. There was something, yesterday. Uh, she left the office rather suddenly, about three o’clock. She didn’t check in with me. She was just gone for two hours. That wasn’t like her.
RYAN
Do you have any idea where she went?
BOSS
No, and when I asked, she didn’t seem to want to tell me.
ESPOSITO
We’re gonna need access to her computer, her e-mails, her documents, everything.
BOSS
It’s all on our server. I can log into there from here.
--
[15:54, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY]
[Beckett and Castle wait in a room with “United State of America Central Intelligence Agency” etched into the glass walls.]
CASTLE
Secret underground headquarters? This is straight out of James Bond.
BECKETT (annoyed)
Castle, you’re avoiding the question. Who’s Sophia Turner? How do you know her?
CASTLE
Uh, it’s a...long story.
BECKETT
Well, I’ll take the short version.
[Sophia enters with two cups of coffee.]
SOPHIA TURNER
Let me give it to you. What has it been, twelve years?
CASTLE
Eleven and a half.
[Beckett notices when Sophia hands Castle the coffee cup. Sophia hands Beckett the other cup.]
SOPHIA TURNER
Rick and I met when he was just beginning to do research on his first Derrick Storm novel. He wanted an up-close-and-personal look at the life of a female CIA agent. So I gave him one.
[Castle slurps his coffee, avoiding Beckett’s gaze.]
BECKETT
You’re Clara Strike. The Clara Strike from the Derrick Storm books?
SOPHIA TURNER
I wouldn’t say that I am Clara Strike, but I’d like to think that I inspired Rick in some small way.
[Beckett is not pleased.]
BECKETT
Well, that is just fascinating.
SOPHIA TURNER
You look good.
CASTLE
You, too.
BECKETT
Okay, so I hate to interrupt this reunion, but we’re being illegally detained, at least I am.
SOPHIA TURNER
This is not a detention. This is a debriefing approved by the NYPD. Feel free to call Ted McQuinn.
BECKETT
The Chief of Detectives?
SOPHIA TURNER
He assured me you’d give us your full cooperation. I need to know everything you know about Thomas Gage.
BECKETT
No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here.
SOPHIA TURNER
Fine. But that would be getting into highly classified information regarding national security, which, if you were to reveal to anyone, would be considered a treasonable offense against the United States of America, punishable by death. So...you still want to know?
--
[17:29, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY]
MARTIN DANBERG
We recruited Thomas Gage out of Seal Team Six in 1997. Smart, highly trained, fluent in eleven languages, Gage was our most effective asset. We sent him into conflict zones, failed states all over the world. Gage was adept in every situation. Unfortunately, he went rogue.
SOPHIA TURNER
Based on NSA intercepts, we believe that Gage is trying to initiate a catastrophic event, which poses an imminent threat to the country.
CASTLE
So...that man that Gage pushed out the window, he was CIA.
SOPHIA TURNER
Gary Harper, one of our best. We got a tip on Gage’s whereabouts. We sent Harper to bring him in. Obviously, that operation didn’t go as planned.
CASTLE
At which point, you took the body from the morgue.
MARTIN DANBERG
This is a national security crisis. We didn’t want the NYPD underfoot.
BECKETT
Well, good to know. So, how did you guys get on to Tracy McGrath?
SOPHIA TURNER
We monitored data from your precinct. Her name came up, but unfortunately, by the time our agent got there, she was already dead.
CASTLE
So, why did Gage kill her?
SOPHIA TURNER
We were hoping you would know.
[Beckett’s cell phone rings.]
SOPHIA TURNER
You can go ahead and answer that.
BECKETT
Yeah, I was planning on it.
SOPHIA TURNER
Would you mind terribly putting it on speaker?
BECKETT (answers cell)
Espo, you’re on speaker.
[INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN/UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY]
ESPOSITO
Yeah, so, uh, word came down from Chief of D’s. They said you were on some kind of special assignment. What’s that about?
BECKETT
Uh, it’s a long story. What do you got on Tracy McGrath?
ESPOSITO
It may be nothing, but she ditched work yesterday for two hours. She has a notation in her day planner, but all it says is “Pandora.”
BECKETT
You know what? Let me get back to you.
[Beckett hangs up.]
BECKETT
What’s Pandora?
MARTIN DANBERG
According to the chatter, Pandora is the code name for Gage’s mission, which means that the McGrath woman is mixed up in it.
SOPHIA TURNER
Now the two of you know as much as we do. Look, you have done impressive work on this case. I want you to take the lead in finding Thomas Gage.
MARTIN DANBERG
Sophia-
SOPHIA TURNER
Martin, we are up against the wall. The CIA is barred from domestic investigation.
BECKETT
Well, isn’t that what the FBI is for?
SOPHIA TURNER
Thomas Gage is a hired gun. We don’t know who he works for or how deep this goes. All I am asking is that you continue your investigation, and we will share all information we get on him.
BECKETT
And what’s the catch?
SOPHIA TURNER
That you do the same and that you report only to me. This has to stay between us. Our techs have uploaded icons on both your phones, which will connect you to my direct line. You’ve seen what Gage is capable of. He’s one of our most dangerous operatives, and I have no doubt that, whatever he is planning, he is completely capable of carrying out. I wouldn’t put you in this position, but this man has to be stopped. Can I count on you for your help?
CASTLE
Yes.
[Beckett is not pleased.]
--
ACT FOUR
[20:14, INT. BECKETT’S UNMARKED - DAY]
CASTLE
Do you realize what this means? We’re spies. This is like being in a Jason Bourne movie, only he’s the bad guy, and the CIA are the good guys.
BECKETT
That remains to be seen.
CASTLE
Ooh, wait. I’ve gotta see those direct-dial icons they put on our phones.
[Castle checks both cell phones.]
CASTLE
Hey. Why is mine a panic button?
BECKETT
I guess she really does know you well.
CASTLE
Okay. You’re upset.
BECKETT
I’m not upset.
CASTLE
Then what are you?
BECKETT
I am just a little bit uncomfortable with the new command structure. I don’t like keeping secrets from my own people.
CASTLE
You’re sure this isn’t about Sophia?
BECKETT
No, why would it be?
CASTLE
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I based a character on her.
BECKETT
Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Castle. It’s not that big an honor.
CASTLE
Good, because Sophia is on our side. We’re on the same team.
BECKETT
And that doesn’t concern you? You don’t think that that will undermine our “unit cohesion”?
CASTLE
Hey, I am willing to let that slide in the interest of national security.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, I guess I am, too.
[Castle smirks with satisfaction and Beckett shakes her head with pursed lips.]
BECKETT
It’s just, I might have been a little bit taken aback to find out that you had...researched with someone else.
CASTLE
Look, it was never the way it is with you and me. I just hung out with her for a while to lend some authenticity to Clara Strike. It was a brief moment a long time ago. And besides, Nikki Heat is a far more complex and...nuanced character.
[Beckett shoots Castle an “oh, please” look.]
CASTLE
She is. And I’m a far more experienced writer, more mature.
[Beckett shoots Castle another look.]
CASTLE
One out of two is...
BECKETT
Mm. So, how long did the two of you hang out?
[Castle looks out the window to avoid answering.]
--
[21:58, INT. PRECINCT, HALLWAY - DAY]
[Beckett and Castle step out of the elevator.]
BECKETT
A year? That’s your idea of a “brief moment”?
CASTLE
I was young, and she had a lot to teach me.
BECKETT
Ha! Yeah, I’ll bet.
CASTLE
A-about the shadowy world of espionage.
BECKETT
Let me ask you this - how many other women have you semi-stalked in the name of “research”?
CASTLE
Is this a trick question?
BECKETT
You know what? I don’t even want to know.
[Gates enters.]
GATES
Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, good of you to drop by. So, tell me about this special assignment of yours.
BECKETT
I’m afraid I can’t, sir.
GATES
Excuse me?
CASTLE
Yes, it’s on a need-to-know basis.
GATES
And I need to know.
BECKETT
Sir, I think that the Chief of Detectives would back me up on this one.
[Gates is stunned.]
GATES
Well...we’ll see about that.
CASTLE (chuckles)
Whoa. Did you see how mad she was? God, that was so good.
RYAN
So, seriously, what’s going on?
BECKETT
Guys, I’m sorry. We really can’t talk about it.
ESPOSITO
Come on. This is us.
[Beckett gives them a look, so they turn to Castle.]
CASTLE
No. Hey, sorry, boys. Classified. Top secret. Our eyes only. Defcon 1. And if I did tell you, well, then I’d have to kill you.
ESPOSITO
Yeah? Good luck with that.
CASTLE
Yeah, realistically, that’s not-
ESPOSITO
I’m gonna go on record and say that this sucks.
RYAN
It sucks.
BECKETT
And noted. Now, let’s move on to Tracy McGrath. Where’d she go after she left work?
RYAN
Well, according to her E-Z pass, she drove down the Jersey turnpike and exited somewhere near Newark Airport. We’re still trying to figure out where she went.
CASTLE
Maybe the answer’s still at the crime scene.
--
[23:26, INT. TRACY MCGRATH’S HOUSE - DAY]
BECKETT
There’s no signs of forced entry or struggle. It’s like she knew our killer, she let him in. She walked in front of him, and he shot her in the back of the head.
CASTLE
Which means she knew Gage. So, how is a climate scientist mixed up with a ruthless ex-CIA agent?
BECKETT
And how is she connected to Pandora?
[Castle plays with the chess timer sitting on the game table until Becket shoots him a look.]
BECKETT
There’s gotta be something here that ties them together.
CASTLE
Well, she has excellent taste in cars. An auto repair manual for a 1967 Pontiac GTO.
BECKETT
Hmm.
CASTLE
That’s funny. They keys are sitting on a pile of yesterday’s mail. She drove it before she died.
BECKETT
Except there’s no GTO in the street.
CASTLE
Or in the garage, so where’s the car?
--
[24:13, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
[Ryan reads off his computer.]
RYAN (on phone)
I see a recurring charge on her credit card. It looks like she’s paying a hundred bucks a month for Frenchie’s parking.
CASTLE
A hundred buck? That’s not gonna get you a space in Manhattan.
RYAN
Bingo. Billing info says that Frenchie’s is in Elizabethport, New Jersey.
BECKETT
That’s right near Newark Airport.
CASTLE
So, the mystery ride Tracy took has to do with the GTO.
--
[24:31, INT. LONG-TERM PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT]
CASTLE
There it is. Now that is some classic motor city iron.
BECKETT
400 cubic inches with a Rochester 4-barrel and 360 horsepower.
CASTLE
You know muscle cars?
BECKETT
Oh, yeah. We should go to the track sometime, Castle. See who laps who. So, why do you think Tracy took off work to come down here?
CASTLE
Maybe to drive it to a clandestine Pandora-related, uh, rendezvous?
BECKETT
No. Look at the dust on this. This hasn’t gone anywhere in a while.
[Beckett reaches the trunk and notices fingerprints in the dust by the latch.]
BECKETT
Castle, look. Maybe she came to stash something in the trunk.
CASTLE
Handprints, indicating someone’s been in there.
BECKETT
Yeah.
[Beckett opens the trunk and they find a metal case inside.]
CASTLE
That’s not original equipment.
BECKETT
No, but it’s probably why she came here.
[Beckett reaches to open the case.]
CASTLE
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait--wait a minute, wait a minute. We don’t know what’s in there.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, there’s only one way to find out.
CASTLE
Yeah, but it might be Pandora, as in “Pandora’s box,” as in opening that could unleash an unstoppable tide of evil.
BECKETT
Castle, that’s a myth.
CASTLE
I’m speaking metaphorically. Gage is planning a catastrophic event, right? So, what if there’s a doomsday device in that case set to go off when you open it?
BECKETT
And ground zero is a parking garage in New Jersey? I doubt it.
CASTLE
I ju-
[Castle mumbles nervously as Beckett opens the case.]
CASTLE
That is a military-grade cell phone and a scrambler. That’s spy equipment.
BECKETT
Tracy came here to make a phone call, and I bet you that the last number she dialed is still on the phone.
[Beckett begins dialing.]
THOMAS GAGE
Close the case and turn around. Hands in the air.
[Beckett sets down the phone and they comply.]
BECKETT
Gage.
THOMAS GAGE
Your weapon and phones on the ground.
[Beckett sees that his hands are at his side and his gun is in its holster.]
BECKETT
Really? You put your hands in the air.
[Beckett lazily aims one arm at Gage and he grabs her gun and aims it at her in a flash.]
CASTLE
Whoa.
THOMAS GAGE
The phones on the ground.
CASTLE
I just upgraded. This is a brand-new phone.
[Gage knocks it to the ground and stomps on both of them.]
THOMAS GAGE
Now...I’m afraid you’re not gonna like what comes next.
--
ACT FIVE
[26:46, INT. LONG-TERM PARKING GARAGE, GTO TRUNK - NIGHT]
BECKETT (whisper)
Castle.
[Beckett turns on her flashlight. She finds Castle cringing.]
BECKETT
Castle, what are you doing?
CASTLE
Bracing myself to shield you from a hail of bullets.
BECKETT
Yeah, well, that’s very gallant of you, but you can stop bracing. I think he left.
CASTLE
Oh. Man, my life was passing before my eyes. I think I lost track of time.
BECKETT
What do you know about trunk latches?
CASTLE
Um...well, bad news is, this one was not designed to open from the inside.
BECKETT
And the good news?
CASTLE
At least this time, we’re not handcuffed together. You know, it’s surprisingly roomy in here.
BECKETT
Well, it’s not that roomy. Sooner or later, we’re gonna run out of air. We gotta get out of here.
CASTLE
Well, maybe somebody will find us.
BECKETT
Castle, we are locked in the trunk of a car in long-term parking. It’s gonna be hours before anyone realizes that we’re missing. Who do you think is gonna find us?
CASTLE
I just feel, in situations like this, it’s important to have faith.
BECKETT
You pressed the panic button, didn’t you?
CASTLE
Well, if there was ever a time to panic, I think this was it.
BECKETT
I am-
CASTLE
You should be thanking me.
BECKETT
No, I am not gonna be rescued by your girlfriend. Move, Castle.
CASTLE
Ow. What are you--?
BECKETT
I need to get under there.
CASTLE
Hey! Hey. Hey! What-what are you doing?
BECKETT
I got it.
CASTLE
What?
[Beckett pulls out a metal bar.]
BECKETT
This. Here.
[Beckett places the bar by the latch.]
BECEKTT
Is it in?
CASTLE
To the left.
BECKETT
Okay.
CASTLE
Push.
BECKETT
Scoot down.
[Beckett pops the latch with the bar.]
BECKETT
Yes.
CASTLE
Nice.
[They open the trunk and sit up. An agent is standing there, holding up two black bags.]
AGENT JONES
For you.
--
[28:29, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY]
[Sophia enters and hands Beckett her gun.]
SOPHIA TURNER
I believe this is yours. Agent Jones found it in the parking structure. Finding the car was great work. I think it just might be the break we need.
CASTLE
Well, I can’t take all the credit.
BECKETT
Yeah, especially since it was Detective Ryan who found it.
SOPHIA TURNER
Well, in any case, the phone is obviously key, or else Gage wouldn’t have gone after it.
CASTLE
Well, Tracy McGrath used it on the day she died. Maybe she called someone connected to Pandora...
SOPHIA TURNER
And then Gage eliminated her and took the phone to tie off all loose ends.
BECKETT
Which still doesn’t explain where Gage is now or who Tracy called.
SOPHIA TURNER
Well, we’ll find that out once we track the call she made.
CASTLE
But Gage took the phone. How can you do that when you don’t know what number she called or even the number she called it from?
SOPHIA TURNER
By using all the coolest toys.
--
[29:15, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, TECH ROOM - DAY]
SOPHIA TURNER
Bring up Newton Foundation to Frenchie’s parking, commute time by car at 3:00 PM yesterday via the turnpike.
TECH AGENT
41 minutes. There was a fender bender on the G.W. bridge .
SOPHIA TURNER
Factoring the time it would have taken her to get to her car, let’s say she got there at 3:45 PM. Pull up all cell phone traffic for the next 15 minutes.
TECH AGENT
Call would’ve pinged off the nearest cell tower. This guy at the south end of the Newark Airport, which processed...5,429 calls in the 15-minute time frame.
SOPHIA TURNER
Filter it to calls just to New York and New Jersey.
TECH AGENT
That takes us to 4,112.
SOPHIA TURNER
Now just pay phones and unregistered cells.
TECH AGENT
Down to 712.
SOPHIA TURNER
Calls under a minute. She would’ve kept it brief.
TECH AGENT
We’re at 42.
SOPHIA TURNER
Okay, now triangulate those 42 signals, and let’s see which one originates closest to that parking structure.
TECH AGENT
Got it. Yesterday at 3:56 PM. This call pinged off the tower and was routed to a pay phone in Brooklyn. Uh, intersection of Plymouth and Gold.
CASTLE
Wow.
SOPHIA TURNER
It’s gotta be the number Tracy McGrath called. Get me eyes on that pay phone. Any local surveillance from yesterday at 3:56 PM.
TECH AGENT
Found one. Isolating now. There’s a video at 3:56 PM.
[They see a man approach the pay phone.]
SOPHIA TURNER
Zoom in.
TECH AGENT
He’s got a scrambler. That’s our guy.
SOPHIA TURNER
He looks familiar. Freeze there.
[The tech pauses the video, providing a clear view of the man’s face.]
SOPHIA TURNER
Oh, my God. That’s impossible. He’s supposed to be dead.
CASTLE
Who is he?
--
[31:04, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY]
MARTIN DANBERG
Dr. Nelson Blakely, mathematics professor. He was a legend at the agency, a genius. Consulted for us, but died in 2002, or at least that’s what we thought until just now.
CASTLE
So, he faked his own death. This just keeps getting better.
SOPHIA TURNER
No, it doesn’t, not with what this man is capable of. Blakely designed math-based predictive models for us, model to help create geopolitical change.
BECKETT
What do you mean by that?
MARTIN DANBERG
The agency would bring him a problem - how can we prevent Country A from betting the bomb, or cause regime change in Country B. Blakely found solutions using what he called “Linchpin Theory”. His approach was to find a small event that could trigger a large event.
CASTLE
Like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand causing WWI.
SOPHIA TURNER
Exactly. He once said that you only had to knock over one domino, but if it was the right domino, the rest would fall. (sighs) If Blakely is the one who planned Pandora, this is beyond a worst-case scenario.
MARTIN DANBERG
Blakely is just a hired gun, like Gage.
SOPHIA TURNER
He’s not the one behind this.
TECH AGENT 2
Agent Turner, I’ve got it. The video’s clean enough to track his lip movement.
SOPHIA TURNER
What’s he saying?
[The agent plays the lip-reader program.]
DR. NELSON BLAKELY (electronic voice)
Meet me Thursday at 5:00 PM. Bishop A-5, bishop C-4, pawn E-3.
CASTLE
Chess moves?
MARTIN DANBERG
Blakely was a world-class chess player. It’s some sort of code. Run that pattern against anything in the encryption database.
[The tech agent begins. Sophia turns to Beckett and Castle.]
SOPHIA TURNER
This takes us into a sensitive area.
CASTLE
For your eyes only. I get it.
SOPHIA TURNER
Thank you so much for your help.
[Sophia strokes Castle’s lapel.]
SOPHIA TURNER
Agent Jones will show you out.
BECKETT
W-wait a minute. What about Gage?
SOPHIA TURNER
We need to invest all of our resources into finding Blakely. He’s the weak link here.
BECKETT
Right, but if you find something on Gage, you’ll let us know.
SOPHIA TURNER
Absolutely. We’re in this together.
--
[33:01, INT. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, ELEVATOR - DAY]
CASTLE
You know what I think? I think we should crack that chess code.
BECKETT
The CIA can handle it, Castle.
CASTLE
With their track record? I’m not so sure.
[Castle looks at Agent Jones behind them.]
CASTLE
I’m just sayin’. Look, we decipher that code, we can save this country from a nameless cataclysmic event.
BECKETT
Look, if you want to go after Blakely, go ahead. I’m a homicide detective. I have to find Thomas Gage and I can’t do that by answering to Sophia Turner.
CASTLE
What do you mean?
BECKETT
He killed two people, Castle. Do you think she even cares about that? No. She’s got a whole different agenda.
CASTLE
Yeah, like saving the world. We’re all on the same team here.
BECKETT
No, you’re on her team. ‘Cause the way you look at her, you’re sure as hell not on mine.
[They look back at Agent Jones who holds up the black bags again.]
BECKETT
Seriously?
AGENT JONES
This is a secure facility. We need to keep it that way.
[They take the bags and place them over their own heads.]
--
ACT SIX
[33:58, INT. CASTLE LOFT - DAY]
[Castle looks over a chess board.]
MARTHA
I just had a talk with Alexis. I am so pleased you are on board with this internship.
CASTLE
Because I was forced to be on board. How could you let that happen, Mother?
MARTHA
Oh, darling, don’t be silly. And you’re just in a foul mood because you had a spat with Beckett.
CASTLE
I’m not in a... How did you find out about that? No, wait. Let me guess. Beckett to Lanie to Alexis to you.
MARTHA
W--
CASTLE
See? This, this is what I was afraid of. For your information, we did not have a spat. I simply chose to work at home today.
MARTHA
On a case involving vanishing bodies and special assignments.
[Martha twirls an invisible moustache.]
CASTLE
Really? She told you that, too? Is nothing sacred?
MARTHA
Not much.
CASTLE
Yes, well, in any event, I’m not allowed to discuss it.
MARTHA
Oh, please. When has that stopped you before?
CASTLE
Well, clearly it’s time I start setting some boundaries around here.
MARTHA
All right.
CASTLE
I can tell you this much. I’m working on a code...
MARTHA
Uh-huh.
CASTLE
Involving these three chess pieces. The answer to which could avert a catastrophe.
MARTHA
Two bishops and a pawn. What could it mean?
CASTLE
I don’t know. I’ve been looking up classic strategies. I’ve looked up famous chess matches with Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, but this pattern never occurs.
MARTHA
Maybe the pieces have nothing to do with the chess game. Maybe the pieces represent something else...entirely. Hmm?
--
[35:27, INT. PRECINCT, BULLPEN - DAY]
ESPOSITO
Yo, Beckett. Nothing on Gage, but remember you asked me to look for a link between Tracy McGrath and some guy named Nelson Blakely?
BECKETT
Yeah.
ESPOSITO
I found one from ten years ago. Tracy and a bunch of her grad student friends went on a white-water rafting trip with a Dr. Blakely, their professor, although it wasn't a good time for him. He drowned during the trip.
[Esposito hands Beckett the accident report.]
BECKETT
So he faked his death and Tracy was in on it.
ESPOSITO
Who faked his death--Blakely?
[Esposito grabs the report back.]
BECKETT
Uh... I'm sorry. I can't tell you.
ESPOSITO
You know, a man can only take so much.
[Beckett smirks as Esposito walks off in a tiff. Castle enters.]
CASTLE
Hey.
BECKETT
Hey. What are you doing here?
CASTLE
I found something. It's about Blakely.
BECKETT
Well, shouldn't you tell Sophia about it?
CASTLE
She isn't my partner. You are. May I?
[Beckett nods. Castle sets down his fold-up chess board and sets up the pieces as Blakely described on the recorded phone call.]
CASTLE
All right. Bishop, bishop, pawn. We know Blakely was a world-class chess player. Tracy McGrath played, too. She had a game timer. Yet, this placement makes no tactical sense.
BECKETT
I'm guessing you got a theory?
CASTLE
I don't think the pieced have anything to do with the game. I think Blakely was leaving Tracy a coded message, telling her where to meet him. Maybe even a place where they play chess.
BECKETT
Okay, well, uh, people play chess in parks. Uh, Central Park, Washington Square Park-- those would be great places to meet up with someone without drawing attention.
CASTLE
Exactly. Now, what if each piece stood for the first letter of a word? Bishop for "B", Pawn for "P"?
BECKETT
Okay, "B" and then seven spaces, that could be...Brooklyn. And Blakely made his phone call from Brooklyn. So, Brooklyn...B-B-P. Uh, Brooklyn...Bridge Park?
CASTLE
That meeting is at five o'clock. That's in half an hour. If Blakely shows, we can find out what Pandora is and we can find Gage. What do you say?
--
[37:29, EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK - DAY]
[Beckett looks around the park as Castle plays the chess game set up in front of them.]
BECKETT
Blakely should've been here by now. Maybe he knows that Tracy's dead or maybe Gage already killed him.
CASTLE
I choose the audacity of hope. I say, he'll be here.
BECKETT
Well, then shouldn't you call Sophia?
CASTLE
And look like an ass if I'm wrong?
BECKETT
You know, I have to admit, I'm actually kind of surprised that you've never mentioned her before.
CASTLE
I wasn't allowed to. She is an active CIA agent.
BECKETT
I see.
CASTLE
Look, if you want, I will answer any question you have about her--anything at all.
[Beckett smiles.]
BECKETT
No. Thanks.
CASTLE
Are you sure?
BECKETT
Yeah, I mean, it's really none of my business.
CASTLE
Okay. Well, we're done with it then.
BECKETT
Fine.
[Beckett loses concentration on the game as she debates if she really wants to hear Castle's answers.]
BECKETT
So... how close were the two of you exactly?
[Castle looks up at her and she waits for his answer. Castle's gaze shifts.]
CASTLE
There he is.
BECKETT
Come on, Castle. You said I could ask you anything.
CASTLE
No, seriously, there he is.
[Blakely holds a chess board, searching for Tracy. Beckett and Castle approach him.]
BECKETT
Dr. Blakely.
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else.
BECKETT
No, there is no mistake.
[Beckett holds up her badge.]
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
How did you find me?
BECKETT
Through Tracy. She's dead.
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
If they got to her, they can get to me. We need to leave here now.
--
[38:57, INT. BECKETT'S UNMARKED - DAY]
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I always knew this day would come. But Tracy...
BECKETT
Dr. Blakely, what's going on? What's Pandora?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I need you to drive me to Pier 32.
BECKETT
You're not in a position to bargain here.
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I got in this car voluntarily, and I'll get right back out if you don't take me where I want to go.
CASTLE
Okay, what's at Pier 32?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
Once we're there, I'll tell you what you want to know.
CASTLE
You were top of your field, a professor, an advisor for the CIA. Why fake your own death?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I brought down nations for the agency. I played God, but...my Linchpin Theory didn't factor in the human cost. I knew they'd never let me leave, so I died and was reborn.
CASTLE
And the only one who knew was Tracy?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
She's my lifeline. She steered consulting work my way. I helped reduce cholera in Africa. I predicted that a lone act of civil disobedience would trigger an uprising and remake the Arab world. I--I did good things. Who killed her?
BECKETT
Same man that's trying to pull off Pandora.
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
You mean, they're trying to make it happen? This is even worse than I thought.
--
[40:21, PIER 32, INT. BECKETT'S UNMARKED - DAY]
[Beckett stops the car.]
BECKETT
All right, talk.
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I need to go inside first.
BECKETT
You're not going anywhere until you tell me about Pandora. What is it?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
It was the name of a white paper that I wrote.
CASTLE
For whom?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
I was hired by a think tank to identify weaknesses in U.S. Security so they could be shored up, protected. I found an alarming vulnerability - a linchpin that was tied to the economy that would cause crisis and devastation beyond anything we'd ever seen. The dominos would just never stop falling. I asked Tracy to follow up with the think tank, but they don't exist. Whoever they are, I gave them the blueprint that will bring about the end of our country as we know it.
CASTLE
Dr. Blakely, what is the linchpin?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
A f--flock of pigeons?
BECKETT
Blakely, the linchpin, what is it?
DR. NELSON BLAKELY
Pigeons don't fly in flocks unless they're fleeing a predator. They're here.
[Blakely freaks out and gets out of the car.]
BECKETT
Wait. Wait!
CASTLE
Hey.
BECKETT
Wait! Blakely!
CASTLE
Hey!
[A shot fires and Blakely goes down. A black SUV rams Beckett's unmarked from behind.]
BECKETT
Come on, come on!
CASTLE
Beckett!
BECKETT
Hold on, Castle, hold on!
CASTLE
Brake! Beckett!
BECKETT
Hold on, Castle!
[Beckett's unmarked is pushed front-first into the river.]
TO BE CONTINUED
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