Castle s02e20 Episode Script
The Late Shaft
There are two kinds of folks who sit around thinking about how to kill people: Psychopaths and mystery writers.
I'm the kind that pays better.
Who am I? I'm Rick Castle.
Castle.
Castle.
I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I? Every writer needs inspiration and I found mine.
Detective Kate Beckett.
Beckett.
Beckett.
- "Nikki Heat"? - The character he's basing on you.
And thanks to my friendship with the mayor, I get to be on her case.
I'd be happy to let you spank me.
And together we catch killers.
We make a pretty good team, you know.
Like Starsky and Hutch.
Turner and Hooch.
You do remind me a little of Hooch.
And did you hear? Our favorite golfer is in the news again.
Missed a charity tournament over the weekend.
Really unfortunate.
The world's top golfer had to pull out.
In fact, it's the first time he's pulled out of anything in five years.
McPHEE: Oh, hello! Ouch.
Ouch.
What do you think, Hank, should I take a mulligan? No, play through, Bobby! Play through! I will, my friend.
We have a great show for you tonight.
Ellie Monroe is here Mr.
Castle.
Hi, I'm Kayla.
- Please follow me.
- Sure.
and my favorite writer, Richard Castle, is joining us.
Here you go, Mr.
Castle.
Deb the makeup artist will take care of you from here.
- Thank you, Kayla.
- And you're up right after Ms.
Monroe.
- Hi.
It's Ellie.
- Rick.
Can I just say Wow, like, I can't believe - I'm meeting you right now.
- Really? Well, you're, like, my favorite author ever.
I mean, I've read Heat Wave at least three times.
Can I tell you, I've seen every movie you've ever been in.
Really? Oh, not Viper Mountain, I hope.
Yes, Viper Mountain.
You were the best thing in that movie.
As soon as that snake ate you, the whole movie fell apart.
Folks, please help me in welcoming Richard Castle.
Rick Castle.
Oh, he looks good.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
First of all, congratulations on Heat Wave.
- New York Times best-seller.
- Thank you.
And you know what? I really loved writing it.
Well, the paperback comes out July 27th.
Right? - July 27th, that's right.
- And it's being made into a movie.
Now, you worked with actual N YPD homicide detectives - to research Heat Wave, right? Yes, yes, I did.
And they still won't let me carry a gun.
I didn't know you worked with law enforcement.
It's kind of my weak spot.
Hello.
Waiter, check please! Well, you guys are single, right? Well, actually, not anymore, Bobby.
Thank you very much.
Wow.
The camera really does add ten pounds To his ego.
Call me old-fashioned, when a beautiful movie star is impressed with my fake law enforcement credentials, I'm in.
Do you think he's asked her out yet? Your father, pretty girl like that.
He may have proposed by now.
And that's our show for tonight.
Stay tuned for Late Talk with Mickey Reed.
I'm Bobby Mann.
Remember, folks, the boys will be back on duty tomorrow night.
I always wonder what they're saying when they lean in like that.
- Thank you.
- Thank you for coming.
They want me dead.
- I'm sorry, what? - I'm serious.
You work with cops, right? They want That was a great show, guys! I'm so sorry about segment three.
- Next time we put the emu in a diaper.
- I'll call you.
Oh, the box-in-box with Justin looked great.
Good, good.
You're going orienteering, not library-ing.
You sure you want to take that many books? Over-ambitious for a five-day trip? You're going to be responsible for your own pack.
I think you're supposed to be more Sacagawea than a scholarly reader.
Besides, look at all those pages.
The trees might want revenge.
Richard? - What's wrong? - Bobby Mann is dead.
- What? What happened? They're saying he had a heart attack.
I'm telling you, the guy said that somebody wanted him dead, and then he ends up dead.
That can't be a coincidence.
Bobby Mann had a history of heart disease and on the autopsy reports it states that the cause of death was a heart attack.
That can't be a coincidence either.
- Did Lanie do the autopsy? - No.
But she sent it to me.
A guy was walking his dog, saw Mr.
Mann collapse on the sidewalk.
Alone.
There's no puncture wounds, no bruising, and the tox panel came back negative.
There's no foul play, Castle.
I talked to his producer this morning.
She said that Mann left the studio at 12:45 in his Bugatti Veyron.
That's a $2 million car.
He collapsed on foot a few blocks from his house at 4:50.
- So? - So where's the car? He's like a gazillionaire, Castle.
He probably just parked it and expected someone else to pick it up the next morning.
In my book Gathering Storm, the former KGB official killed with an undetectable poison that stopped the heart.
What if that's what happened to Mann? Need I remind you that you make up stuff for a living? And there is no such poison in real life.
And if there was, there would be a whole slew of angry spouses who'd be getting away with murder.
Could you just have Lanie take a closer look? Please? You know how many strings I had to pull for this, Castle? If I'm wrong, I'll reimburse the city.
To hell with the city.
It's me you're gonna owe.
I take spa certificates, jewelry, and cash.
Duly noted.
What's that? The contents of Bobby Mann's pockets when he was brought in.
- I'm gonna go check on the labs.
Okay.
What are you doing? It's called investigating.
You should try it.
I usually wait until there's a crime.
Cell phone.
Money clip.
He stuck a piece of gum into a paper before he put it in his pocket.
One of his last acts was not littering.
Yes, but there is a word on this paper.
"Tory.
" Could be a mystery woman.
Wow, Castle.
Cracking this case wide open.
Hey, it's his idea notepad.
This is a joke from last night.
"Charity golf.
"First time he's pulled out in years.
" Do you realize that you are now investigating a heart attack? - What? - His signature line of 20 years, "The boys'll be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Looks like he was thinking of changing it.
"The crew will be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Maybe he was trying to make it hipper.
We should have a signature line.
"She's armed.
He's dangerous.
" - No.
- No.
How about, "A whole new chapter in crime solving"? - "Chapter.
" Get it? - No.
Okay.
I ran every extra tox screen outside of standard protocol.
All negative.
No trace of any known poisonous substance.
Okay, Castle.
Don't forget to tip your ME on the way out.
Not so fast.
Secondary tox panel detected traces of tyramine, which is harmless, but its presence raised a red flag for me, so I ran some more tests.
- Bobby Mann was taking Phenelzine.
- "Phenelzine"? - A prescription drug for depression.
- So? So, Phenelzine is in a class of drugs called MAO inhibitors that have powerful contra-indicators.
- You mean drug interactions? - In this case, interactions that can kill.
MAO inhibitors contra-indicate with anything fermented.
Wine, beer, certain kinds of cheeses.
Even the smallest amount can trigger a hypertensive crisis.
Oh! Almost like an undetectable poison that stops the heart.
Which doesn't mean that he was murdered.
He could've accidentally eaten or drank something he shouldn't have.
That's what I thought, so I ran the contents of his intestines.
In the hours prior to his death, he ingested three substances.
- Something sugary, like hard candy.
- Or chewing gum.
There you go.
Also, cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar.
Which is fermented.
And there was no trace of anything that you would find balsamic on.
No chicken, no fish, no pasta.
Just the cranberry juice.
Which could've easily masked the color and the taste of the balsamic vinegar.
So you're saying that somebody knew about Bobby Mann's condition, slipped balsamic vinegar into his cranberry juice, knowing that it would kill him? This was no accident.
Bobby Mann was murdered.
Well, Bobby, you were right.
No crime scene.
No clear place to begin the investigations.
Don't you just love poisonings? Especially a poisoning without poison.
Whoever did this was very smart.
Chose a murder weapon that's probably in half the kitchens in the city.
Good thing we're smart, too.
Thanks.
That was Lanie.
Based on possible rates of fatal MAOI interactions, she was able to narrow the window of poisoning down between That makes this our kill zone.
The lab said that there was no traces of cranberry juice or balsamic vinegar in the gum we found in Mann's pocket, so he must have chewed that before he was poisoned.
Well, we know he left the studio at 12:45.
Which means he wasn't poisoned there.
And we know that his home security records show that he never made it there.
Leaves in his car, is found on foot.
So, what was he doing that whole time? So, the vehicle locator in Mann's Bugatti is not sending a signal.
Probably in an underground parking garage.
Which means it could be anywhere.
All right, check his cell phone, see if he made any calls last night, and then go to his brownstone.
Castle and I will head to the studio and see what we can dig up there.
- Oh, guys - Yeah.
No talk of murder.
The longer we can keep this away from the press, the better off we'll be.
I'm sorry.
I don't know where he went after the show last night.
What is this about, anyway? I thought Bobby died of a heart attack, right? We're just tying up loose ends for the coroner.
How was Mr.
Mann acting recently? Did you notice anything unusual? No, he was great.
- Except yesterday.
- What happened yesterday? I don't know.
I mean, he spent the morning locked up in his office alone, and then the rest of the day he was agitated.
He was acting weird.
- "Weird" how? - Paranoid.
At one point, he asked me if I had heard anything.
And I said, "About what?" And he just shrugged it off.
Were you aware that he was on powerful antidepressants? I mean, he tried to be very private about it, but when he went on them he had to quit drinking, and people wondered why.
So, word got around.
You don't think that's what killed him, do you? Something he ate or drank? He was very careful.
Like I said, we're just following up.
I keep looking over at that curtain, you know? Waiting for him to walk through, like this is all one big publicity stunt.
- The two of you were close, right? - Since before all this.
Since we were just kids together back in 'Nam.
So, he would've told you if there was anything wrong? Like what? Like if he was concerned for his well-being.
What's this all about? I thought he died of a heart attack.
Just routine questioning, Mr.
McPhee.
You know, some of the people said that he seemed a little agitated recently.
Come to think of it, he was a little preoccupied.
I asked him about it after the show last night, but he insisted he was fine.
Hank.
Man, I am so sorry.
- Nightmares really happen, huh? - Yeah.
You know Mickey.
Host of Late Talk, right after our show.
Yes, of course.
I'm a big fan.
I love your whole "Booty Roulette" gag.
That's great.
- I'm Rick - Castle.
Yeah, saw you on the show last night.
- I'm Detective Kate Beckett.
- Nice to meet you.
So, do either of you know where Bobby went after the show last night? We're trying to track his last hours for the coroner's report.
No clue.
I think he said something about going to see his ex-wife.
Did he say which one? How many ex-wives did he have? Six.
Ranging in ages from 25 to 50.
Seems every five years, he traded in for the latest model.
So, he didn't so much marry them as lease them.
So I ran all their names through the system, and guess what popped up? Seems Wife Number Five here was arrested over an altercation with Bobby at a restaurant uptown.
She's got crazy eyes.
There's more.
According to the doorman in her building, Bobby Mann was there last night after the show.
Mrs.
Mann, when was the last time you saw your ex-husband? About a year ago.
In court.
He took out a restraining order against me.
Well, according to the complaint, you did threaten to kill him.
Well, I don't really remember what was said.
"I wish you were dead, you little weasel.
" He was dating a younger woman, and she looked just like me.
Tell that to his previous wife.
Were you aware of his dietary restrictions? Sure, nothing fermented, or it could give him a heart attack.
Why? You think I had something to do with it? You tell me, Mrs.
Mann.
According to your doorman, Bobby showed up at your building last night.
He did? Cindy, we know you saw him.
How do you know he wasn't there to see Barbara? - Barbara? - His first wife.
She's got an apartment in the building, too.
We both got them in the divorce settlement.
Bobby co-owned the building.
Yeah, I saw Bobby last night.
He came by around 1:00 in the morning.
Woke me up, as usual.
Did he often surprise you in the middle of the night? I was the one woman who fell in love with him before all the fame and the money.
Whenever he felt insecure, he came around.
Mostly it was the same old stuff, you know.
His ratings were down or he was getting old.
But last night What? He was different.
He looked haunted.
He said something was going on.
Something awful.
- What was going on? - He wouldn't tell me.
He asked me if I thought he was a good person.
I held his hand and I said, "Bobby, you're a lousy husband, "but you're a hell of a man.
" And he left.
At what time? Around 1:15.
- Did he say where he was going? - No.
I thought he was going home.
Something awful was going on.
He knew someone was after him.
But he doesn't tell his ex-wife or his best friend.
Instead, he tells me.
Maybe it's because he knew you were working with the cops.
"Tell me I'm a good person.
" Like he was doing something he was ashamed of.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay, neighbors confirm Barbara Mann's story.
One of them saw Bobby leave her apartment at 1:15 a.
m.
That's outside of our kill zone, which means we need to figure out where he went to next.
Let's canvass all the garages in the area, see if we can find Mann's car.
Let's also look into his financials for the usual secrets, drugs, gambling, prostitution.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Hello? Ellie, hi.
Ellie Monroe, from the show.
Yeah.
No, I know.
I understand.
No, I think that's a great idea.
Yeah.
Okay, I'll meet you there.
Bye.
Ellie Monroe, huh? Yeah.
She's pretty upset about this whole Bobby Mann thing, that we were his last guests.
She thinks it would be comforting if we were to be together.
"Comforting.
" Is that what the cool kids call it these days? Wow.
You are so cynical.
You know, sometimes, after a tragedy, two human beings just need to be with each other, just for no other reason than to show each other some understanding and support.
I'm just glad I can be comforting.
Good morning, Detective.
- Really? - What? Lose the "I just got laid" voice, all right? What are you talking about? I am a trained detective, so don't bother denying it.
Okay, fine.
Oh, so now you're not denying it? You just told me not to.
Hey, guys, any news on the car? Nothing at any of the garages near Barbara Mann's building.
We checked restaurant valets in the area.
Bobby paid the guy at Mozart's a hundred bucks to keep it close while he ran up to his ex.
Witness says he left a little before 1:30.
Where did he go after that? Maybe check traffic cams in the area.
A guy in a sports car like that might have blasted through some red lights.
Yeah, it's a bit of a Hail Mary, but it's worth a try.
Maybe we don't need traffic cams.
Why not just the man on the street? I mean, a celebrity in a Bugatti Veyron? Come on.
People aren't just going to notice that, they are going to talk about it.
Or, more specifically, tweet.
And, boo-yah.
"1:37 a.
m.
Bobby Mann, FTW! "Just saw him driving some spaceship car into a garage - "at Broadway and 57th.
" - On it.
- "FTW"? - "For the win.
" Means, "My tweet kicks your tweet's butt.
" Come on, Beckett.
You got to keep up, hang with the cool kids.
I believe this is for you.
I'll just I'm just gonna take that.
I'll only be a second.
Hey, Ellie.
Yes, yes, last night was great, wasn't it? Yeah, I'd love to.
Tonight, sure.
All right, I'll see you then.
More comforting? Parking garage at Bobby Mann pulled in at 1:37 a.
m.
And he never came back for his car.
And what's at 1525 Broadway? The park-view penthouse of Mickey Reed, the gregarious and affable host of Late Talk.
Oh, Mickey, not so fine.
Doorman let Bobby up to his place at 1:45 a.
m.
Neighbors complained of a loud argument.
Bobby left a little after 2:00.
So, Mickey lied to us.
He saw Bobby somewhere right in the middle of our kill zone.
You think he was a good host, offered Bobby a drink? This set looks like an old-age home.
Everything needs to be updated.
No purple, no suede, no faux finish! And get rid of this stupid thing.
Measuring drapes already, Mr.
Reed? Like it or not, Detective, the network wants me to take over Bobby's time-slot next week, right after the tribute.
I know it seems callous, but it's what Bobby would've wanted.
- Even over his dead body.
- Excuse me? Why did you lie to us about seeing Mann the other night? Okay, look, I'm sorry.
But I lied because I didn't want it getting out.
That you two were fighting? It's hard enough filling the man's shoes around here.
I don't need the tabloids writing about us getting into it on the night he died.
So, I lied.
So what? So, you lied to a cop.
Let's be realistic.
The guy died from a heart attack, right? What? It was a heart attack that was a result of toxins in his system.
Toxins that he ingested somewhere around the time that you saw him.
So, you guys are saying that I killed Bobby? Why? Well, it's no secret you were supposed to get his 11:30 slot, but Bobby extended his contract.
Maybe you couldn't wait.
- You sound as demented as Bobby.
- What do you mean? The last time I saw him, we're best of pals, right? The other night, he comes over, he's ranting and raving, talking about what a disloyal punk I'd been.
- Why? - Man, I don't know.
All he kept saying was he knew things.
And I'm like, "Bobby, what are you talking about?" He storms out, saying I knew what I'd done.
CSUs at Mickey's apartment, running a sweep for our toxin.
Killing the King of Late Night to take his throne.
It's very Richard III.
It appeals to the writer in me.
Did you want a bite of this? The White House on speed dial.
Hell, I'll sic God on you! And you.
I don't ever want to see you on my network again.
You're banned! And you I don't know you.
You're all a bunch of nobodies.
I could buy this precinct! Howard Weisberg, president of the network.
He just found out about the search warrant for Mickey Reed.
He also found out that we think Bobby Mann was murdered.
- How? - Breaking news on a different network.
The guy got scooped on his own star's murder.
So much for keeping the press out.
You two better be right about all this.
- Text-giggling, really? - It's Alexis.
- She just saw a loon feeding.
- Funny, so did I.
Hey, so Mann's Bugatti is still in the garage.
They won't let us touch it without a search warrant.
$2 million car.
Apparently, it's worth more than their insurance policy.
- You sure they aren't joyriding? - All right, check with the judge.
Okay.
If his car's still in the garage, where'd he go after Mickey's place? It couldn't have been very far.
Hey, Ryan, did Mickey's doorman mention what direction Mann was headed when he left? - South.
- South.
South on Broadway from 57th.
That's the theatre district.
At 2:00 in the morning.
There's nothing playing then.
Well, there's diners, there's clubs, there's restaurants.
Well, other than the poison and the gum, we know he didn't eat or drink anything.
Maybe "Tory" is a place he went.
Conservatory.
Inventory.
Purgatory.
Factory! The Comic Factory! Mann was a comedian.
He went to a comedy club.
Comic Factory is on 55th and Broadway.
That's two blocks south.
He put his gum in a piece of paper from a Comic Factory flyer.
- You're right.
- And then, from the forensics, we know he didn't have the cranberry or the balsamic before he spit it out.
So, he was poisoned either at or after the club.
Then Mickey Reed didn't kill Bobby.
He's not our guy.
Hey, guys.
How do you feel about going to see a little comedy? and so my man The guy's got the most recognizable face in comedy.
Yeah.
I know.
Look, I got a call on the club phone, and caller ID's from Bobby's show.
A guy asks about one of my comedians.
Couple of hours later, a guy shows up to see that comedian, but he's got a funny-Iooking mustache and he's wearing a baseball cap.
- He looked like Bobby.
- Did he talk to anyone? - Did he have a drink? - No.
He sat in the back, left his drink ticket and bolted out the side after watching the comedian he came to see.
Anything special about this particular comedian? Angel Santana? The proverbial rising star.
I'm assuming you know about the incident that night.
What incident? I'm Angel Santana.
Good night, ya'II.
Ms.
Santana, I'm Detective Esposito, this is Detective Ryan.
Hey.
Thanks for coming.
The officer I talked to did not instill a lot of confidence.
- You want to tell us about it? - Not much to tell.
During my set that night, someone smashed my bike's tail light, banged up the fenders and scratched "late night bitch" into the tank.
I mean, what does that even mean? Actually, we're not here about your bike.
Ms.
Santana, did you know Bobby Mann? You mean personally? No.
Why? Well, because he came to see your act on the night he was killed.
Any idea why? Wow.
He probably trashed my bike.
I've heard stories about him.
I know guys he's blackballed just because they did his competitor's show.
Is there any reason why he might have wanted to come after you? His producer tried to book me on his show last month, but Mickey Reed wanted me, too.
I had to pick.
Mickey felt more like my vibe.
Club owner said Bobby left at 2:30 and the bartender confirms he didn't drink anything.
Which leaves us two hours left to account for.
And a whole lot of strange behavior.
Why would Bobby go see a comedian who didn't want to do his show, and then bust up her bike? Aren't famous people crazy and narcissistic? - I don't know.
Got to ask Castle.
- Where is Castle, anyway? - Gonna need some new shirts.
- No shirts.
- Good morning.
- It's okay, Castle.
You don't have to pretend to not be in a good mood for my sake.
Why should I be in a good mood? I mean, I'm a writer.
We famously brood.
- I should brood more.
- You want to brood? Forensics on Angel Santana's motorcycle are a bust.
There's no fingerprints.
Nothing.
We have no idea where Mann was after 2:30.
What about his car? Ryan and Esposito got a warrant this morning.
But, seeing that he was poisoned after he parked it, chances are we won't find anything.
And his financials were clear.
He pays more in alimony in a day than I make in an entire year.
There's no red flags on his phone records, and I re-interviewed all of his colleagues.
No one has any idea why he was acting so paranoid.
You're not paranoid if someone's actually trying to kill you.
Hey, Tony.
How's my favorite movie mogul? Yes! Right? She'd be perfect for Nikki.
Yes, perfect.
Thank you.
That's the Heat Wave producer.
That wasn't about Ellie Monroe, was it? - Yeah.
Why? - Oh.
What? That's why she was throwing herself at you.
She wanted you to recommend her for the part.
- What? - And for the record, - she's nothing like Nikki Heat.
- You just can't stand it that a beautiful actress is actually interested in me.
- Why would I care? - Exactly.
That's a good question.
Why would you care? - I don't.
- Fine.
- I'm going to go get some coffee.
- Fine.
I've got work to do.
- Break room's that way.
- Desk.
Beckett.
Castle.
Check this out.
We just finished the sweep of Bobby's car.
First off, the Bugatti? Holy shift! When you start this thing, you can feel it right But as exciting as the car is, I think we figured out why Bobby Mann was so tweaked.
Found this in his glove compartment.
That's Kayla.
She's an intern at Bobby's show.
Looks like she was doing more than interning.
You should check out the back.
Blackmail, death threats, and scandal.
That explains why his behavior was so erratic.
And probably why he was killed.
It was last week.
I stayed late to help Bobby with some bits.
Do you have any idea who took that, Kayla? Must be someone who works on the show.
Who just happened to have a camera and managed to catch the two of you in the act? Or were they tipped off, maybe? - Were you blackmailing Bobby? - Oh, my God, no.
He's three times your age and you are an intern on the show.
That adds up to embarrassment and scandal, which I'm sure he'd pay a lot to avoid.
No, I would never do that.
We were in love.
In love? Really? And how long were the two of you together? Three weeks this past Monday.
- Who else knew? - No one.
Bobby and I kept it a secret.
We didn't want my mom to find out.
- Your mom? - Who's your mom? He was banging my daughter right under my nose? I will kill him! - He's already dead.
- Well, I will kill him again! - I don't care! Where's the corpse? - Ms.
Marks, we just Kayla! My office! Now! Move it! Mom, you don't Move it! You realize if this gets out it'll destroy Bobby's reputation.
We're not trying to add to an already difficult situation, we're just trying to find the killer.
Bobby wasn't an angel, but you look at the man in his entirety, he deserves to be remembered with grace.
This business gets clouded by money, fame, ambition.
The only thing that Bobby really cared about was making people laugh.
Well, whoever took this either works for the show or had access to this building.
And maybe it was someone in a financial jam who was looking to score a quick buck, or maybe it's someone with a grudge against Bobby.
I can't imagine anyone doing that.
He was a great boss.
Everyone loved him.
Yeah.
And apparently, he loved them back.
Okay, Janine can get you a list of everyone on the crew once she's done yelling at Kayla.
Poor kid.
Who knows, she might've ended up being number seven.
Beckett.
What have we got? Well, once we suspected blackmail, I ran through his financials again.
- I thought they were clean.
- Well, they were.
But going back, we found this.
He spent a hundred grand on a kitchen reno.
Totally legitimate.
But we searched his brownstone.
And he wasn't renovating his kitchen.
So who was on the receiving end of the hundred grand? - Zach Robinson.
- Good bad-guy name.
Snaky "Z," hard "K.
" Even has "rob" in it.
Good bad-guy rap sheet, too.
Former lowlife private investigator.
I remember this guy.
He had some celebrity clients back in the day.
He was known for digging up dirt on folks and turning it into a personal payday.
Did a nickel on multiple counts of extortion, wiretapping, racketeering, and blackmail.
Well, Robinson must've gotten the picture from somebody on the inside.
Sure, figured it's worth a fast buck.
But if Bobby paid, why would he kill him? Bobby figured out that Robinson was a blackmailer, and then he threatened to take him to the cops.
Bobby pushes, Robinson pushes back harder.
- Let's go pick him up.
Easier said than done.
Esposito already ran down his last known address.
Robinson's in the wind.
Well, let's keep looking.
You are a bad man, Zach Robinson.
A dirty, naughty, no-good blackmailer.
Do you do all your interrogations in bed, Detective Heat? You think this is funny, Robinson? Okay, okay, no, I'll do whatever you want, Nikki.
Okay, that's more like it.
Mmm.
You are so sweet.
- And brilliant.
- Guilty.
What are you thinking? Nothing.
It's ridiculous.
What? Come on, tell me.
I want to know what goes on inside that incredible mind of yours.
Well, since you put it that way.
I have this friend at work who thinks that the only reason you're with me is, you know, for the part in the movie.
Wow.
Really? What does this friend of yours base that on? You know what? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have repeated that.
- Does this friend know me? - No.
Has he read anything about me that would make him think that I would prostitute myself for a role? No, of course not.
You know, I He's an idiot.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a woman in Hollywood? Ellie Beckett! Oh, yeah.
He looks like a Zach Robinson.
Where'd you find him? The boys caught up with him at a craps table at Mohegan Sun.
Already gambling away his hard-earned blackmail money.
So, how was your date with your little starlet? - How could you tell this time? - Like I said, Castle, trained detective.
Well, it went lovely.
- No thanks to you.
- What did I have to do with it? Pulled your Jedi mind trick on me.
Made me doubt Ellie's honesty.
Foolishly, I told her what you said, made her cry.
Castle, she's an actress.
A professional liar.
She's paid to cry on cue.
No.
I've never seen this picture before.
Really? You sure you didn't use it to blackmail Bobby Mann? Blackmail.
Fishing in the wrong pond, Detective.
What about the hundred grand from Bobby Mann in your bank account? Am I in the right pond now? That was for services rendered.
I don't think Webster's defines blackmailing as "a service.
" More like a coercive threat, Mr.
Rob-inson.
No, no.
No, no.
I never threatened Bobby.
He hired me.
To do what? My guys say that you don't have an alibi for the night that Mann was murdered.
You can't be serious.
I guess it'll come out when we go to the murder trial.
Have a nice life sentence.
What? No, no.
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Look, he reached out to me.
Said he needed some work done.
What kind of work? The kind that you get paid a lot extra to do.
Something illegal.
Well Okay, look, he thought that somebody was out to get him.
He said he needed to know, and so he paid me to bug a guy's office.
Who? - Howard Weisberg.
- The president of the network? Easy gig, too.
Bobby got me into the building.
- When was this? - Week ago.
What did you do with the recordings? - I delivered the CDs to Bobby.
- When? You know, the morning before he died.
Bobby's producer said that he locked himself in his office that morning.
He was listening to the recording.
And then, they said he started acting paranoid after that.
So, what did he hear? Am I good to go? Found the recordings in Mann's office, mixed in with his DVD collection.
Heard anything yet that would explain why Mann was listening in on his boss? Nah.
Just a bunch of talk about setting up breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks with writers, actors, and directors.
Where are we on the blackmail? Oh, we got uniforms running down all show employees who could've had access to the studio to take that photo.
Yo.
You guys are gonna want to hear this.
You know what? To hell with Bobby Mann.
We're losing money on him every damn night.
I want him out! Our hands are tied.
You can't fire him.
He's got five years left on his contract.
What if he drops dead, huh? Seriously, the guy's got a bad heart.
How hard would it be to make him go away? I mean, hell, I got Mickey Reed telling me every day he's ready to step in if we can just get Bobby Mann out the damn door.
Well, no wonder Bobby thought Mickey was disloyal.
And no wonder he thought someone wanted him dead.
Someone did.
What if he drops dead, huh? Seriously, the guy's got a bad heart.
How hard would it be to make him go away? Looks like you got your wish, Mr.
Weisberg.
Detective, none of the recordings are admissible in court.
Now, relax, Burt.
I didn't kill anyone, okay? Save it for when I actually do.
Detective, I wasn't serious.
Bobby thought you were.
Well, then maybe he shouldn't have been bugging my office.
Hell, in private, I issue a dozen death sentences a day on under-performing, overpaid jackasses at my network.
Now, what I wanted was Mickey Reed pulled to 11:30, but Bobby had an $80 million penalty on his contract.
Which still had another five years left on it.
Yeah.
Now, what I did was lean on Bobby for a few months to appeal to a younger audience.
But the worst thing that I did was threaten to fire him and pay him the $80 mil.
Mr.
Weisberg, where were you between 1:30 and 4:30 a.
m.
The night of the murder? - You don't have to answer that.
- It's fine, Burt.
Chill out.
I was at the Essex House hotel.
- Were you with anyone? - As a matter of fact, I was.
This actress I was screwing wanted a part on one of my sitcoms.
I met her after Bobby's show.
- I'm gonna need a name.
- Sure.
Ellie Monroe.
Thank you for coming by, Ms.
Monroe.
Of course.
Weisberg's alibi is good.
Well, go on, you can say it.
"I told you so.
" No, thanks.
I'm actually not in a gloating mood.
His alibi sets us back to square one.
Which means we have no idea who the blackmailer is, and we don't know why Mann went to the comedy club and trashed Angel Santana's bike.
We have no idea who the killer is.
Well, the good news is I can work all night.
No plans.
You know, it's late and I'm kind of tired.
How about we pick this up in the morning? All righty, then.
And the boys'll be back on duty tomorrow, to coin a phrase, which would be inaccurate because you are not a boy.
Is this some kind of a weird come-on? I think I know what Bobby Mann was doing at that comedy club, I think I know why he thought he was an awful person, and I think I know who killed him.
Mr.
McPhee? I was just going over my notes for the tribute.
Thirty-five years of friendship.
It's kind of hard to find just the right story to tell.
What can I do for you? Just came by to give you this.
Bobby's idea book.
- We thought you might like it.
- Thanks.
We did have a question about what he wrote on the last page.
"The boys'll be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Actually he crossed out "boys" and wrote "gang," "posse," and "crew.
" Any idea why? - I guess we'll never know.
- I wouldn't be too sure about that.
The network was pressuring Bobby to make a change.
They threatened to cancel him unless he did.
And the night that he was murdered, he told Barbara that something awful was going on.
He asked her if he was a good person.
Why would he say that? Because of Kayla.
Not Kayla, Hank, because of you.
He knew that he had to fire you.
He knew he needed to find someone younger and hipper if he was going to survive.
Someone like Angel Santana.
Weisberg confirmed that she was on the network's shortlist.
That's why it wasn't "boys" anymore, Hank.
'Cause Angel's a girl.
This is ridiculous.
Bobby would never fire me.
- Then why did you kill him? - I didn't! We ran your credit cards, Hank.
The night that he was murdered, you went to a 24-hour grocery store and bought two things, cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar.
It's time-stamped.
1:56 a.
m.
And I'm betting if we test your keys, we'll find metal from Angel Santana's motorcycle, where you scratched in "late night bitch.
" He told me that night, just before he left the studio.
How he'd heard Weisberg say they were going to bury him unless he made a change.
Thirty-five years I had his back, he was gonna toss me aside like one of his ex-wives.
Humiliate me in front of the whole country.
I knew it was coming.
I saw the little signs, the awkward moments in the hall.
I sent him that picture of him and Kayla to remind him of all the secrets I kept.
You know what he said? The scandal would only help his ratings.
You bought your poison and you followed him to the club.
I confronted him when he came out.
I told him not to throw away everything we'd built.
He told me he couldn't save me.
Weisberg was going younger with or without him.
Well, if you knew he didn't have a choice, why did you kill him? Because he did have another choice! Go down with the ship! We both go out gracefully, and Bobby gets 80 million bucks.
Instead of him continuing the show with some kid.
I gave him over 4,000 shows, laughing at every lousy joke he cracked whether they were funny or not.
Jeez So, how did you manage it? When I knew I couldn't change his mind, I told him I understood.
We walked over to the West Side Highway, sat on a bench, looked out at the water, talked about what a great run we'd had.
Then, I offered him a drink.
He was my best friend.
You don't do that to your friend.
Yet another example of why you shouldn't mix business with pleasure.
Even show business.
Are you talking about the case or yourself? Yeah.
Touché, Detective.
So, you wanna go for a victory lap and grab a burger? Can't.
Got to go.
Big date.
You're kidding, right? You're going out with Ellie Monroe even though you know the only reason that she was interested in you was for a part? Have you lost all sense of human decency and self - What? - My big date is with Alexis.
She's getting back from her trip.
Oh.
Right on time, Alexis.
Sacagawea has returned! And you are not Sacagawea, but - Come in.
- Thanks.
I'm headed back to LA, and I just wanted to say sorry.
Thanks.
But the truth is, I've never had so much fun being used.
You feel free to have at me anytime.
Well, I guess you'll rescind your recommendation of me to your producers, and that is the least I deserve.
No.
Tony thinks you are great for it.
And so do I.
You are a better actress than I thought when I recommended you.
Well, you should know I wasn't acting the whole time.
Me neither.
- Thanks, Rick.
Take care.
- You, too.
Bye.
Hey.
Dad, was that My Sacagawea has returned! Oh, my God, my best girl! I missed you so much! Oh, my God, I'm so glad you're home.
I missed you, too, Dad.
- You're not just saying that, are you? - What I don't care.
- Tell me you're hungry.
- I'm starving! Come with me.
Tell me everything!
I'm the kind that pays better.
Who am I? I'm Rick Castle.
Castle.
Castle.
I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I? Every writer needs inspiration and I found mine.
Detective Kate Beckett.
Beckett.
Beckett.
- "Nikki Heat"? - The character he's basing on you.
And thanks to my friendship with the mayor, I get to be on her case.
I'd be happy to let you spank me.
And together we catch killers.
We make a pretty good team, you know.
Like Starsky and Hutch.
Turner and Hooch.
You do remind me a little of Hooch.
And did you hear? Our favorite golfer is in the news again.
Missed a charity tournament over the weekend.
Really unfortunate.
The world's top golfer had to pull out.
In fact, it's the first time he's pulled out of anything in five years.
McPHEE: Oh, hello! Ouch.
Ouch.
What do you think, Hank, should I take a mulligan? No, play through, Bobby! Play through! I will, my friend.
We have a great show for you tonight.
Ellie Monroe is here Mr.
Castle.
Hi, I'm Kayla.
- Please follow me.
- Sure.
and my favorite writer, Richard Castle, is joining us.
Here you go, Mr.
Castle.
Deb the makeup artist will take care of you from here.
- Thank you, Kayla.
- And you're up right after Ms.
Monroe.
- Hi.
It's Ellie.
- Rick.
Can I just say Wow, like, I can't believe - I'm meeting you right now.
- Really? Well, you're, like, my favorite author ever.
I mean, I've read Heat Wave at least three times.
Can I tell you, I've seen every movie you've ever been in.
Really? Oh, not Viper Mountain, I hope.
Yes, Viper Mountain.
You were the best thing in that movie.
As soon as that snake ate you, the whole movie fell apart.
Folks, please help me in welcoming Richard Castle.
Rick Castle.
Oh, he looks good.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
First of all, congratulations on Heat Wave.
- New York Times best-seller.
- Thank you.
And you know what? I really loved writing it.
Well, the paperback comes out July 27th.
Right? - July 27th, that's right.
- And it's being made into a movie.
Now, you worked with actual N YPD homicide detectives - to research Heat Wave, right? Yes, yes, I did.
And they still won't let me carry a gun.
I didn't know you worked with law enforcement.
It's kind of my weak spot.
Hello.
Waiter, check please! Well, you guys are single, right? Well, actually, not anymore, Bobby.
Thank you very much.
Wow.
The camera really does add ten pounds To his ego.
Call me old-fashioned, when a beautiful movie star is impressed with my fake law enforcement credentials, I'm in.
Do you think he's asked her out yet? Your father, pretty girl like that.
He may have proposed by now.
And that's our show for tonight.
Stay tuned for Late Talk with Mickey Reed.
I'm Bobby Mann.
Remember, folks, the boys will be back on duty tomorrow night.
I always wonder what they're saying when they lean in like that.
- Thank you.
- Thank you for coming.
They want me dead.
- I'm sorry, what? - I'm serious.
You work with cops, right? They want That was a great show, guys! I'm so sorry about segment three.
- Next time we put the emu in a diaper.
- I'll call you.
Oh, the box-in-box with Justin looked great.
Good, good.
You're going orienteering, not library-ing.
You sure you want to take that many books? Over-ambitious for a five-day trip? You're going to be responsible for your own pack.
I think you're supposed to be more Sacagawea than a scholarly reader.
Besides, look at all those pages.
The trees might want revenge.
Richard? - What's wrong? - Bobby Mann is dead.
- What? What happened? They're saying he had a heart attack.
I'm telling you, the guy said that somebody wanted him dead, and then he ends up dead.
That can't be a coincidence.
Bobby Mann had a history of heart disease and on the autopsy reports it states that the cause of death was a heart attack.
That can't be a coincidence either.
- Did Lanie do the autopsy? - No.
But she sent it to me.
A guy was walking his dog, saw Mr.
Mann collapse on the sidewalk.
Alone.
There's no puncture wounds, no bruising, and the tox panel came back negative.
There's no foul play, Castle.
I talked to his producer this morning.
She said that Mann left the studio at 12:45 in his Bugatti Veyron.
That's a $2 million car.
He collapsed on foot a few blocks from his house at 4:50.
- So? - So where's the car? He's like a gazillionaire, Castle.
He probably just parked it and expected someone else to pick it up the next morning.
In my book Gathering Storm, the former KGB official killed with an undetectable poison that stopped the heart.
What if that's what happened to Mann? Need I remind you that you make up stuff for a living? And there is no such poison in real life.
And if there was, there would be a whole slew of angry spouses who'd be getting away with murder.
Could you just have Lanie take a closer look? Please? You know how many strings I had to pull for this, Castle? If I'm wrong, I'll reimburse the city.
To hell with the city.
It's me you're gonna owe.
I take spa certificates, jewelry, and cash.
Duly noted.
What's that? The contents of Bobby Mann's pockets when he was brought in.
- I'm gonna go check on the labs.
Okay.
What are you doing? It's called investigating.
You should try it.
I usually wait until there's a crime.
Cell phone.
Money clip.
He stuck a piece of gum into a paper before he put it in his pocket.
One of his last acts was not littering.
Yes, but there is a word on this paper.
"Tory.
" Could be a mystery woman.
Wow, Castle.
Cracking this case wide open.
Hey, it's his idea notepad.
This is a joke from last night.
"Charity golf.
"First time he's pulled out in years.
" Do you realize that you are now investigating a heart attack? - What? - His signature line of 20 years, "The boys'll be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Looks like he was thinking of changing it.
"The crew will be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Maybe he was trying to make it hipper.
We should have a signature line.
"She's armed.
He's dangerous.
" - No.
- No.
How about, "A whole new chapter in crime solving"? - "Chapter.
" Get it? - No.
Okay.
I ran every extra tox screen outside of standard protocol.
All negative.
No trace of any known poisonous substance.
Okay, Castle.
Don't forget to tip your ME on the way out.
Not so fast.
Secondary tox panel detected traces of tyramine, which is harmless, but its presence raised a red flag for me, so I ran some more tests.
- Bobby Mann was taking Phenelzine.
- "Phenelzine"? - A prescription drug for depression.
- So? So, Phenelzine is in a class of drugs called MAO inhibitors that have powerful contra-indicators.
- You mean drug interactions? - In this case, interactions that can kill.
MAO inhibitors contra-indicate with anything fermented.
Wine, beer, certain kinds of cheeses.
Even the smallest amount can trigger a hypertensive crisis.
Oh! Almost like an undetectable poison that stops the heart.
Which doesn't mean that he was murdered.
He could've accidentally eaten or drank something he shouldn't have.
That's what I thought, so I ran the contents of his intestines.
In the hours prior to his death, he ingested three substances.
- Something sugary, like hard candy.
- Or chewing gum.
There you go.
Also, cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar.
Which is fermented.
And there was no trace of anything that you would find balsamic on.
No chicken, no fish, no pasta.
Just the cranberry juice.
Which could've easily masked the color and the taste of the balsamic vinegar.
So you're saying that somebody knew about Bobby Mann's condition, slipped balsamic vinegar into his cranberry juice, knowing that it would kill him? This was no accident.
Bobby Mann was murdered.
Well, Bobby, you were right.
No crime scene.
No clear place to begin the investigations.
Don't you just love poisonings? Especially a poisoning without poison.
Whoever did this was very smart.
Chose a murder weapon that's probably in half the kitchens in the city.
Good thing we're smart, too.
Thanks.
That was Lanie.
Based on possible rates of fatal MAOI interactions, she was able to narrow the window of poisoning down between That makes this our kill zone.
The lab said that there was no traces of cranberry juice or balsamic vinegar in the gum we found in Mann's pocket, so he must have chewed that before he was poisoned.
Well, we know he left the studio at 12:45.
Which means he wasn't poisoned there.
And we know that his home security records show that he never made it there.
Leaves in his car, is found on foot.
So, what was he doing that whole time? So, the vehicle locator in Mann's Bugatti is not sending a signal.
Probably in an underground parking garage.
Which means it could be anywhere.
All right, check his cell phone, see if he made any calls last night, and then go to his brownstone.
Castle and I will head to the studio and see what we can dig up there.
- Oh, guys - Yeah.
No talk of murder.
The longer we can keep this away from the press, the better off we'll be.
I'm sorry.
I don't know where he went after the show last night.
What is this about, anyway? I thought Bobby died of a heart attack, right? We're just tying up loose ends for the coroner.
How was Mr.
Mann acting recently? Did you notice anything unusual? No, he was great.
- Except yesterday.
- What happened yesterday? I don't know.
I mean, he spent the morning locked up in his office alone, and then the rest of the day he was agitated.
He was acting weird.
- "Weird" how? - Paranoid.
At one point, he asked me if I had heard anything.
And I said, "About what?" And he just shrugged it off.
Were you aware that he was on powerful antidepressants? I mean, he tried to be very private about it, but when he went on them he had to quit drinking, and people wondered why.
So, word got around.
You don't think that's what killed him, do you? Something he ate or drank? He was very careful.
Like I said, we're just following up.
I keep looking over at that curtain, you know? Waiting for him to walk through, like this is all one big publicity stunt.
- The two of you were close, right? - Since before all this.
Since we were just kids together back in 'Nam.
So, he would've told you if there was anything wrong? Like what? Like if he was concerned for his well-being.
What's this all about? I thought he died of a heart attack.
Just routine questioning, Mr.
McPhee.
You know, some of the people said that he seemed a little agitated recently.
Come to think of it, he was a little preoccupied.
I asked him about it after the show last night, but he insisted he was fine.
Hank.
Man, I am so sorry.
- Nightmares really happen, huh? - Yeah.
You know Mickey.
Host of Late Talk, right after our show.
Yes, of course.
I'm a big fan.
I love your whole "Booty Roulette" gag.
That's great.
- I'm Rick - Castle.
Yeah, saw you on the show last night.
- I'm Detective Kate Beckett.
- Nice to meet you.
So, do either of you know where Bobby went after the show last night? We're trying to track his last hours for the coroner's report.
No clue.
I think he said something about going to see his ex-wife.
Did he say which one? How many ex-wives did he have? Six.
Ranging in ages from 25 to 50.
Seems every five years, he traded in for the latest model.
So, he didn't so much marry them as lease them.
So I ran all their names through the system, and guess what popped up? Seems Wife Number Five here was arrested over an altercation with Bobby at a restaurant uptown.
She's got crazy eyes.
There's more.
According to the doorman in her building, Bobby Mann was there last night after the show.
Mrs.
Mann, when was the last time you saw your ex-husband? About a year ago.
In court.
He took out a restraining order against me.
Well, according to the complaint, you did threaten to kill him.
Well, I don't really remember what was said.
"I wish you were dead, you little weasel.
" He was dating a younger woman, and she looked just like me.
Tell that to his previous wife.
Were you aware of his dietary restrictions? Sure, nothing fermented, or it could give him a heart attack.
Why? You think I had something to do with it? You tell me, Mrs.
Mann.
According to your doorman, Bobby showed up at your building last night.
He did? Cindy, we know you saw him.
How do you know he wasn't there to see Barbara? - Barbara? - His first wife.
She's got an apartment in the building, too.
We both got them in the divorce settlement.
Bobby co-owned the building.
Yeah, I saw Bobby last night.
He came by around 1:00 in the morning.
Woke me up, as usual.
Did he often surprise you in the middle of the night? I was the one woman who fell in love with him before all the fame and the money.
Whenever he felt insecure, he came around.
Mostly it was the same old stuff, you know.
His ratings were down or he was getting old.
But last night What? He was different.
He looked haunted.
He said something was going on.
Something awful.
- What was going on? - He wouldn't tell me.
He asked me if I thought he was a good person.
I held his hand and I said, "Bobby, you're a lousy husband, "but you're a hell of a man.
" And he left.
At what time? Around 1:15.
- Did he say where he was going? - No.
I thought he was going home.
Something awful was going on.
He knew someone was after him.
But he doesn't tell his ex-wife or his best friend.
Instead, he tells me.
Maybe it's because he knew you were working with the cops.
"Tell me I'm a good person.
" Like he was doing something he was ashamed of.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay, neighbors confirm Barbara Mann's story.
One of them saw Bobby leave her apartment at 1:15 a.
m.
That's outside of our kill zone, which means we need to figure out where he went to next.
Let's canvass all the garages in the area, see if we can find Mann's car.
Let's also look into his financials for the usual secrets, drugs, gambling, prostitution.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Hello? Ellie, hi.
Ellie Monroe, from the show.
Yeah.
No, I know.
I understand.
No, I think that's a great idea.
Yeah.
Okay, I'll meet you there.
Bye.
Ellie Monroe, huh? Yeah.
She's pretty upset about this whole Bobby Mann thing, that we were his last guests.
She thinks it would be comforting if we were to be together.
"Comforting.
" Is that what the cool kids call it these days? Wow.
You are so cynical.
You know, sometimes, after a tragedy, two human beings just need to be with each other, just for no other reason than to show each other some understanding and support.
I'm just glad I can be comforting.
Good morning, Detective.
- Really? - What? Lose the "I just got laid" voice, all right? What are you talking about? I am a trained detective, so don't bother denying it.
Okay, fine.
Oh, so now you're not denying it? You just told me not to.
Hey, guys, any news on the car? Nothing at any of the garages near Barbara Mann's building.
We checked restaurant valets in the area.
Bobby paid the guy at Mozart's a hundred bucks to keep it close while he ran up to his ex.
Witness says he left a little before 1:30.
Where did he go after that? Maybe check traffic cams in the area.
A guy in a sports car like that might have blasted through some red lights.
Yeah, it's a bit of a Hail Mary, but it's worth a try.
Maybe we don't need traffic cams.
Why not just the man on the street? I mean, a celebrity in a Bugatti Veyron? Come on.
People aren't just going to notice that, they are going to talk about it.
Or, more specifically, tweet.
And, boo-yah.
"1:37 a.
m.
Bobby Mann, FTW! "Just saw him driving some spaceship car into a garage - "at Broadway and 57th.
" - On it.
- "FTW"? - "For the win.
" Means, "My tweet kicks your tweet's butt.
" Come on, Beckett.
You got to keep up, hang with the cool kids.
I believe this is for you.
I'll just I'm just gonna take that.
I'll only be a second.
Hey, Ellie.
Yes, yes, last night was great, wasn't it? Yeah, I'd love to.
Tonight, sure.
All right, I'll see you then.
More comforting? Parking garage at Bobby Mann pulled in at 1:37 a.
m.
And he never came back for his car.
And what's at 1525 Broadway? The park-view penthouse of Mickey Reed, the gregarious and affable host of Late Talk.
Oh, Mickey, not so fine.
Doorman let Bobby up to his place at 1:45 a.
m.
Neighbors complained of a loud argument.
Bobby left a little after 2:00.
So, Mickey lied to us.
He saw Bobby somewhere right in the middle of our kill zone.
You think he was a good host, offered Bobby a drink? This set looks like an old-age home.
Everything needs to be updated.
No purple, no suede, no faux finish! And get rid of this stupid thing.
Measuring drapes already, Mr.
Reed? Like it or not, Detective, the network wants me to take over Bobby's time-slot next week, right after the tribute.
I know it seems callous, but it's what Bobby would've wanted.
- Even over his dead body.
- Excuse me? Why did you lie to us about seeing Mann the other night? Okay, look, I'm sorry.
But I lied because I didn't want it getting out.
That you two were fighting? It's hard enough filling the man's shoes around here.
I don't need the tabloids writing about us getting into it on the night he died.
So, I lied.
So what? So, you lied to a cop.
Let's be realistic.
The guy died from a heart attack, right? What? It was a heart attack that was a result of toxins in his system.
Toxins that he ingested somewhere around the time that you saw him.
So, you guys are saying that I killed Bobby? Why? Well, it's no secret you were supposed to get his 11:30 slot, but Bobby extended his contract.
Maybe you couldn't wait.
- You sound as demented as Bobby.
- What do you mean? The last time I saw him, we're best of pals, right? The other night, he comes over, he's ranting and raving, talking about what a disloyal punk I'd been.
- Why? - Man, I don't know.
All he kept saying was he knew things.
And I'm like, "Bobby, what are you talking about?" He storms out, saying I knew what I'd done.
CSUs at Mickey's apartment, running a sweep for our toxin.
Killing the King of Late Night to take his throne.
It's very Richard III.
It appeals to the writer in me.
Did you want a bite of this? The White House on speed dial.
Hell, I'll sic God on you! And you.
I don't ever want to see you on my network again.
You're banned! And you I don't know you.
You're all a bunch of nobodies.
I could buy this precinct! Howard Weisberg, president of the network.
He just found out about the search warrant for Mickey Reed.
He also found out that we think Bobby Mann was murdered.
- How? - Breaking news on a different network.
The guy got scooped on his own star's murder.
So much for keeping the press out.
You two better be right about all this.
- Text-giggling, really? - It's Alexis.
- She just saw a loon feeding.
- Funny, so did I.
Hey, so Mann's Bugatti is still in the garage.
They won't let us touch it without a search warrant.
$2 million car.
Apparently, it's worth more than their insurance policy.
- You sure they aren't joyriding? - All right, check with the judge.
Okay.
If his car's still in the garage, where'd he go after Mickey's place? It couldn't have been very far.
Hey, Ryan, did Mickey's doorman mention what direction Mann was headed when he left? - South.
- South.
South on Broadway from 57th.
That's the theatre district.
At 2:00 in the morning.
There's nothing playing then.
Well, there's diners, there's clubs, there's restaurants.
Well, other than the poison and the gum, we know he didn't eat or drink anything.
Maybe "Tory" is a place he went.
Conservatory.
Inventory.
Purgatory.
Factory! The Comic Factory! Mann was a comedian.
He went to a comedy club.
Comic Factory is on 55th and Broadway.
That's two blocks south.
He put his gum in a piece of paper from a Comic Factory flyer.
- You're right.
- And then, from the forensics, we know he didn't have the cranberry or the balsamic before he spit it out.
So, he was poisoned either at or after the club.
Then Mickey Reed didn't kill Bobby.
He's not our guy.
Hey, guys.
How do you feel about going to see a little comedy? and so my man The guy's got the most recognizable face in comedy.
Yeah.
I know.
Look, I got a call on the club phone, and caller ID's from Bobby's show.
A guy asks about one of my comedians.
Couple of hours later, a guy shows up to see that comedian, but he's got a funny-Iooking mustache and he's wearing a baseball cap.
- He looked like Bobby.
- Did he talk to anyone? - Did he have a drink? - No.
He sat in the back, left his drink ticket and bolted out the side after watching the comedian he came to see.
Anything special about this particular comedian? Angel Santana? The proverbial rising star.
I'm assuming you know about the incident that night.
What incident? I'm Angel Santana.
Good night, ya'II.
Ms.
Santana, I'm Detective Esposito, this is Detective Ryan.
Hey.
Thanks for coming.
The officer I talked to did not instill a lot of confidence.
- You want to tell us about it? - Not much to tell.
During my set that night, someone smashed my bike's tail light, banged up the fenders and scratched "late night bitch" into the tank.
I mean, what does that even mean? Actually, we're not here about your bike.
Ms.
Santana, did you know Bobby Mann? You mean personally? No.
Why? Well, because he came to see your act on the night he was killed.
Any idea why? Wow.
He probably trashed my bike.
I've heard stories about him.
I know guys he's blackballed just because they did his competitor's show.
Is there any reason why he might have wanted to come after you? His producer tried to book me on his show last month, but Mickey Reed wanted me, too.
I had to pick.
Mickey felt more like my vibe.
Club owner said Bobby left at 2:30 and the bartender confirms he didn't drink anything.
Which leaves us two hours left to account for.
And a whole lot of strange behavior.
Why would Bobby go see a comedian who didn't want to do his show, and then bust up her bike? Aren't famous people crazy and narcissistic? - I don't know.
Got to ask Castle.
- Where is Castle, anyway? - Gonna need some new shirts.
- No shirts.
- Good morning.
- It's okay, Castle.
You don't have to pretend to not be in a good mood for my sake.
Why should I be in a good mood? I mean, I'm a writer.
We famously brood.
- I should brood more.
- You want to brood? Forensics on Angel Santana's motorcycle are a bust.
There's no fingerprints.
Nothing.
We have no idea where Mann was after 2:30.
What about his car? Ryan and Esposito got a warrant this morning.
But, seeing that he was poisoned after he parked it, chances are we won't find anything.
And his financials were clear.
He pays more in alimony in a day than I make in an entire year.
There's no red flags on his phone records, and I re-interviewed all of his colleagues.
No one has any idea why he was acting so paranoid.
You're not paranoid if someone's actually trying to kill you.
Hey, Tony.
How's my favorite movie mogul? Yes! Right? She'd be perfect for Nikki.
Yes, perfect.
Thank you.
That's the Heat Wave producer.
That wasn't about Ellie Monroe, was it? - Yeah.
Why? - Oh.
What? That's why she was throwing herself at you.
She wanted you to recommend her for the part.
- What? - And for the record, - she's nothing like Nikki Heat.
- You just can't stand it that a beautiful actress is actually interested in me.
- Why would I care? - Exactly.
That's a good question.
Why would you care? - I don't.
- Fine.
- I'm going to go get some coffee.
- Fine.
I've got work to do.
- Break room's that way.
- Desk.
Beckett.
Castle.
Check this out.
We just finished the sweep of Bobby's car.
First off, the Bugatti? Holy shift! When you start this thing, you can feel it right But as exciting as the car is, I think we figured out why Bobby Mann was so tweaked.
Found this in his glove compartment.
That's Kayla.
She's an intern at Bobby's show.
Looks like she was doing more than interning.
You should check out the back.
Blackmail, death threats, and scandal.
That explains why his behavior was so erratic.
And probably why he was killed.
It was last week.
I stayed late to help Bobby with some bits.
Do you have any idea who took that, Kayla? Must be someone who works on the show.
Who just happened to have a camera and managed to catch the two of you in the act? Or were they tipped off, maybe? - Were you blackmailing Bobby? - Oh, my God, no.
He's three times your age and you are an intern on the show.
That adds up to embarrassment and scandal, which I'm sure he'd pay a lot to avoid.
No, I would never do that.
We were in love.
In love? Really? And how long were the two of you together? Three weeks this past Monday.
- Who else knew? - No one.
Bobby and I kept it a secret.
We didn't want my mom to find out.
- Your mom? - Who's your mom? He was banging my daughter right under my nose? I will kill him! - He's already dead.
- Well, I will kill him again! - I don't care! Where's the corpse? - Ms.
Marks, we just Kayla! My office! Now! Move it! Mom, you don't Move it! You realize if this gets out it'll destroy Bobby's reputation.
We're not trying to add to an already difficult situation, we're just trying to find the killer.
Bobby wasn't an angel, but you look at the man in his entirety, he deserves to be remembered with grace.
This business gets clouded by money, fame, ambition.
The only thing that Bobby really cared about was making people laugh.
Well, whoever took this either works for the show or had access to this building.
And maybe it was someone in a financial jam who was looking to score a quick buck, or maybe it's someone with a grudge against Bobby.
I can't imagine anyone doing that.
He was a great boss.
Everyone loved him.
Yeah.
And apparently, he loved them back.
Okay, Janine can get you a list of everyone on the crew once she's done yelling at Kayla.
Poor kid.
Who knows, she might've ended up being number seven.
Beckett.
What have we got? Well, once we suspected blackmail, I ran through his financials again.
- I thought they were clean.
- Well, they were.
But going back, we found this.
He spent a hundred grand on a kitchen reno.
Totally legitimate.
But we searched his brownstone.
And he wasn't renovating his kitchen.
So who was on the receiving end of the hundred grand? - Zach Robinson.
- Good bad-guy name.
Snaky "Z," hard "K.
" Even has "rob" in it.
Good bad-guy rap sheet, too.
Former lowlife private investigator.
I remember this guy.
He had some celebrity clients back in the day.
He was known for digging up dirt on folks and turning it into a personal payday.
Did a nickel on multiple counts of extortion, wiretapping, racketeering, and blackmail.
Well, Robinson must've gotten the picture from somebody on the inside.
Sure, figured it's worth a fast buck.
But if Bobby paid, why would he kill him? Bobby figured out that Robinson was a blackmailer, and then he threatened to take him to the cops.
Bobby pushes, Robinson pushes back harder.
- Let's go pick him up.
Easier said than done.
Esposito already ran down his last known address.
Robinson's in the wind.
Well, let's keep looking.
You are a bad man, Zach Robinson.
A dirty, naughty, no-good blackmailer.
Do you do all your interrogations in bed, Detective Heat? You think this is funny, Robinson? Okay, okay, no, I'll do whatever you want, Nikki.
Okay, that's more like it.
Mmm.
You are so sweet.
- And brilliant.
- Guilty.
What are you thinking? Nothing.
It's ridiculous.
What? Come on, tell me.
I want to know what goes on inside that incredible mind of yours.
Well, since you put it that way.
I have this friend at work who thinks that the only reason you're with me is, you know, for the part in the movie.
Wow.
Really? What does this friend of yours base that on? You know what? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have repeated that.
- Does this friend know me? - No.
Has he read anything about me that would make him think that I would prostitute myself for a role? No, of course not.
You know, I He's an idiot.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a woman in Hollywood? Ellie Beckett! Oh, yeah.
He looks like a Zach Robinson.
Where'd you find him? The boys caught up with him at a craps table at Mohegan Sun.
Already gambling away his hard-earned blackmail money.
So, how was your date with your little starlet? - How could you tell this time? - Like I said, Castle, trained detective.
Well, it went lovely.
- No thanks to you.
- What did I have to do with it? Pulled your Jedi mind trick on me.
Made me doubt Ellie's honesty.
Foolishly, I told her what you said, made her cry.
Castle, she's an actress.
A professional liar.
She's paid to cry on cue.
No.
I've never seen this picture before.
Really? You sure you didn't use it to blackmail Bobby Mann? Blackmail.
Fishing in the wrong pond, Detective.
What about the hundred grand from Bobby Mann in your bank account? Am I in the right pond now? That was for services rendered.
I don't think Webster's defines blackmailing as "a service.
" More like a coercive threat, Mr.
Rob-inson.
No, no.
No, no.
I never threatened Bobby.
He hired me.
To do what? My guys say that you don't have an alibi for the night that Mann was murdered.
You can't be serious.
I guess it'll come out when we go to the murder trial.
Have a nice life sentence.
What? No, no.
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Look, he reached out to me.
Said he needed some work done.
What kind of work? The kind that you get paid a lot extra to do.
Something illegal.
Well Okay, look, he thought that somebody was out to get him.
He said he needed to know, and so he paid me to bug a guy's office.
Who? - Howard Weisberg.
- The president of the network? Easy gig, too.
Bobby got me into the building.
- When was this? - Week ago.
What did you do with the recordings? - I delivered the CDs to Bobby.
- When? You know, the morning before he died.
Bobby's producer said that he locked himself in his office that morning.
He was listening to the recording.
And then, they said he started acting paranoid after that.
So, what did he hear? Am I good to go? Found the recordings in Mann's office, mixed in with his DVD collection.
Heard anything yet that would explain why Mann was listening in on his boss? Nah.
Just a bunch of talk about setting up breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks with writers, actors, and directors.
Where are we on the blackmail? Oh, we got uniforms running down all show employees who could've had access to the studio to take that photo.
Yo.
You guys are gonna want to hear this.
You know what? To hell with Bobby Mann.
We're losing money on him every damn night.
I want him out! Our hands are tied.
You can't fire him.
He's got five years left on his contract.
What if he drops dead, huh? Seriously, the guy's got a bad heart.
How hard would it be to make him go away? I mean, hell, I got Mickey Reed telling me every day he's ready to step in if we can just get Bobby Mann out the damn door.
Well, no wonder Bobby thought Mickey was disloyal.
And no wonder he thought someone wanted him dead.
Someone did.
What if he drops dead, huh? Seriously, the guy's got a bad heart.
How hard would it be to make him go away? Looks like you got your wish, Mr.
Weisberg.
Detective, none of the recordings are admissible in court.
Now, relax, Burt.
I didn't kill anyone, okay? Save it for when I actually do.
Detective, I wasn't serious.
Bobby thought you were.
Well, then maybe he shouldn't have been bugging my office.
Hell, in private, I issue a dozen death sentences a day on under-performing, overpaid jackasses at my network.
Now, what I wanted was Mickey Reed pulled to 11:30, but Bobby had an $80 million penalty on his contract.
Which still had another five years left on it.
Yeah.
Now, what I did was lean on Bobby for a few months to appeal to a younger audience.
But the worst thing that I did was threaten to fire him and pay him the $80 mil.
Mr.
Weisberg, where were you between 1:30 and 4:30 a.
m.
The night of the murder? - You don't have to answer that.
- It's fine, Burt.
Chill out.
I was at the Essex House hotel.
- Were you with anyone? - As a matter of fact, I was.
This actress I was screwing wanted a part on one of my sitcoms.
I met her after Bobby's show.
- I'm gonna need a name.
- Sure.
Ellie Monroe.
Thank you for coming by, Ms.
Monroe.
Of course.
Weisberg's alibi is good.
Well, go on, you can say it.
"I told you so.
" No, thanks.
I'm actually not in a gloating mood.
His alibi sets us back to square one.
Which means we have no idea who the blackmailer is, and we don't know why Mann went to the comedy club and trashed Angel Santana's bike.
We have no idea who the killer is.
Well, the good news is I can work all night.
No plans.
You know, it's late and I'm kind of tired.
How about we pick this up in the morning? All righty, then.
And the boys'll be back on duty tomorrow, to coin a phrase, which would be inaccurate because you are not a boy.
Is this some kind of a weird come-on? I think I know what Bobby Mann was doing at that comedy club, I think I know why he thought he was an awful person, and I think I know who killed him.
Mr.
McPhee? I was just going over my notes for the tribute.
Thirty-five years of friendship.
It's kind of hard to find just the right story to tell.
What can I do for you? Just came by to give you this.
Bobby's idea book.
- We thought you might like it.
- Thanks.
We did have a question about what he wrote on the last page.
"The boys'll be back on duty tomorrow night.
" Actually he crossed out "boys" and wrote "gang," "posse," and "crew.
" Any idea why? - I guess we'll never know.
- I wouldn't be too sure about that.
The network was pressuring Bobby to make a change.
They threatened to cancel him unless he did.
And the night that he was murdered, he told Barbara that something awful was going on.
He asked her if he was a good person.
Why would he say that? Because of Kayla.
Not Kayla, Hank, because of you.
He knew that he had to fire you.
He knew he needed to find someone younger and hipper if he was going to survive.
Someone like Angel Santana.
Weisberg confirmed that she was on the network's shortlist.
That's why it wasn't "boys" anymore, Hank.
'Cause Angel's a girl.
This is ridiculous.
Bobby would never fire me.
- Then why did you kill him? - I didn't! We ran your credit cards, Hank.
The night that he was murdered, you went to a 24-hour grocery store and bought two things, cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar.
It's time-stamped.
1:56 a.
m.
And I'm betting if we test your keys, we'll find metal from Angel Santana's motorcycle, where you scratched in "late night bitch.
" He told me that night, just before he left the studio.
How he'd heard Weisberg say they were going to bury him unless he made a change.
Thirty-five years I had his back, he was gonna toss me aside like one of his ex-wives.
Humiliate me in front of the whole country.
I knew it was coming.
I saw the little signs, the awkward moments in the hall.
I sent him that picture of him and Kayla to remind him of all the secrets I kept.
You know what he said? The scandal would only help his ratings.
You bought your poison and you followed him to the club.
I confronted him when he came out.
I told him not to throw away everything we'd built.
He told me he couldn't save me.
Weisberg was going younger with or without him.
Well, if you knew he didn't have a choice, why did you kill him? Because he did have another choice! Go down with the ship! We both go out gracefully, and Bobby gets 80 million bucks.
Instead of him continuing the show with some kid.
I gave him over 4,000 shows, laughing at every lousy joke he cracked whether they were funny or not.
Jeez So, how did you manage it? When I knew I couldn't change his mind, I told him I understood.
We walked over to the West Side Highway, sat on a bench, looked out at the water, talked about what a great run we'd had.
Then, I offered him a drink.
He was my best friend.
You don't do that to your friend.
Yet another example of why you shouldn't mix business with pleasure.
Even show business.
Are you talking about the case or yourself? Yeah.
Touché, Detective.
So, you wanna go for a victory lap and grab a burger? Can't.
Got to go.
Big date.
You're kidding, right? You're going out with Ellie Monroe even though you know the only reason that she was interested in you was for a part? Have you lost all sense of human decency and self - What? - My big date is with Alexis.
She's getting back from her trip.
Oh.
Right on time, Alexis.
Sacagawea has returned! And you are not Sacagawea, but - Come in.
- Thanks.
I'm headed back to LA, and I just wanted to say sorry.
Thanks.
But the truth is, I've never had so much fun being used.
You feel free to have at me anytime.
Well, I guess you'll rescind your recommendation of me to your producers, and that is the least I deserve.
No.
Tony thinks you are great for it.
And so do I.
You are a better actress than I thought when I recommended you.
Well, you should know I wasn't acting the whole time.
Me neither.
- Thanks, Rick.
Take care.
- You, too.
Bye.
Hey.
Dad, was that My Sacagawea has returned! Oh, my God, my best girl! I missed you so much! Oh, my God, I'm so glad you're home.
I missed you, too, Dad.
- You're not just saying that, are you? - What I don't care.
- Tell me you're hungry.
- I'm starving! Come with me.
Tell me everything!