Castle s05e11 Episode Script

Regina, your new album, "Fatal Impact," drops next week.
What can you tell us about it? It's about love, heartbreak, and revenge.
It's my best album yet.
Oh, my god.
It's Josie Lang.
Josie! Here! What the hell is Josie Lang doing at my release party? Her album's out next week, too.
Having both of you here gets us more press.
More press for who, me or her? Regina.
Thank you for the invite.
You know, you're the reason I'm a pop star.
I've been a huge fan ever since I was in grade school.
That is ridiculous.
I do not lose a turn.
Are you kidding? No, that's the rules.
You absolutely lose your turn.
Ask him.
'sito.
Ask me what? In a relationship, if you choose a movie and you choose very, very poorly, do you lose your turn? How poorly? "Valentine's Day.
" - You should lose two turns.
- What? - Yeah.
I'm just saying.
- Those are the rules.
- Those are the rules.
- That's ridiculous.
So the body was found in this dumpster over here by a homeless dude who was looking for cans.
It was wrapped up in this tarp.
'cause? G.
S.
W.
As near as I could tell, she was shot at close range.
Minimal blood seepage and lack of spatter in the area suggests she was killed elsewhere, then dumped here.
So someone was hoping she'd catch a ride with the morning haul, disappear under some landfill.
Any idea who she is? Well, according to her I.
D.
, her name is Holly Rhodes.
But her business card has her listed as D.
J.
Beat.
Called the number, and her booking agent says that she was deejaying an album launch party in SOHO last night for pop star Regina Cane.
What? Aw, dude.
You remember that music video where she was dressed up as a sexy little girl scout? I don't care what those cookies cost.
I would sell my left Anyway, she was booked at the party till 1:00 a.
m.
- 1:00 a.
m.
? - Yeah, why? We're placing the time of death between 11:00 and midnight.
So whatever happened happened at that party.
This ink looks fresh.
It's an unlisted number.
I got a call in to the phone company.
All right, you guys set up a canvass for anyone that saw the body dump.
Castle and I would head down to SOHO, see what happened last night.
Good morning.
Killer party.
Well, it looks like Regina went all out to promote her new album.
I remember when Alexis used to play her big hit "Call Me Crazy" over and over again.
Drove me crazy.
Of course, it was no "Valentine's Day.
" Excuse me, NYPD.
Where's the host? Forget the host.
Where's your pants? Am I right? Nah.
I've been there.
Check by the pool.
Wait.
You're N.
Y.
What now? P.
D.
As in, a detective.
We're here about Holly Rhodes.
Who is Holly Rhodes? D.
J.
Beat.
She was your deejay for your party.
Oh, that skank.
Yeah, bitch almost ruined my entire party.
When I left to get ready for my performance, she was supposed to stay and get the crowd pumped.
Instead, the music stopped, and she was gone.
She didn't even come back to get her equipment.
So you're saying that she left early? Yeah.
Around 11:00, after jacking in a playlist.
I didn't pay for a playlist.
If you see her, tell her I want my money back.
That might be a little tough, seeing as she's dead.
She was killed just after leaving your party.
Great.
Now I feel bad for complaining.
Did you notice any unusual behavior? Was she having problems with any of your other guests? No.
But then again, I was busy making my rounds.
Right.
Okay.
Well, I'll need a guest list along with the names of everyone that was working last night.
No problem.
I'll have my publicist send it right over.
So I spoke with several of the other party guests, and they confirm Regina's story.
Apparently, Holly just suddenly left.
In the middle of her set, why? Well, we answer that, we'll find out why she was killed.
Anyone see where she went? No, and there's no security cameras.
I'm seeing if I can pull tape from businesses across the street.
Did you get ahold of next of kin? Nah.
She doesn't have any.
Holly was an only child.
Bounced around foster care till she was 18.
That can't have been an easy childhood.
Probably why her hobbies as a teenager include burglary and shoplifting.
Then she graduated to grand theft.
Anything more recent? Not in the last seven years.
She must have cleaned up her act when she got serious about being a deejay.
Oh, and hey, get this.
The uniforms canvassing Holly's apartment building found a neighbor who saw a man pounding on Holly's door a few days ago.
What was it about? The neighbor heard him scream, "You won't get away with this.
" Either Holly wasn't home or she wouldn't answer the door, and eventually, the guy took off.
Neighbor is with a sketch artist as we speak.
Okay.
Yo.
I got a hit on that phone number written on Holly's hand.
It belongs to a Tyrese Wilton.
Apparently he's some big-time record producer.
He's on the guest list.
He was at the party.
You guys see what he knows.
Castle, Lanie knows where our victim was killed.
I noticed it when I was cutting her out of her clothes-- Stains on her outfit.
The lab identified it as peanut oil with high concentrations of M.
S.
G.
Meaning what, she was eating chinese food and spilled some on herself? Except I checked her stomach contents.
No Chinese.
And they weren't serving any at the party either.
So I checked with C.
S.
U.
They said there was no trace of it in the dumpster, but it's all over the tarp, meaning She may have been killed at or near a Chinese restaurant.
Narrowing it down to every single block in Manhattan.
Uh, what about the gun? Slug is from a .
380, but there were no ballistic hits in the system.
Oh, and when C.
S.
U.
processed the tarp and the clothes, they also found these-- synthetic fibers.
They didn't come from the dumpster either.
But the lab is still running tests.
I'll keep you posted.
If Tyrese is so big-time, why is the entrance to his studio in an alley? Because celebrities don't want paparazzi taking their picture all the time.
Yo, did you just do the hair thing? What hair thing? Every time you're about to meet a celebrity or a pretty girl, you run your hand through your hair.
T.
M.
Z.
said that Tyrese was at that party with Josie Lang.
He's producing her new album.
Yeah, well, she's no Regina.
I understand that the image of her as a girl scout is seared into your memory, But Josie is a real vocalist.
Whose fan base consists of 12-year-old girls And you.
Stand by.
Hey, Ty, you want me to take that from the second bar? Sorry, Jo.
We gotta take 15.
Hey, since Josie was at the party, I should probably take her statement, right? You got this, right, bro? Thanks.
Sorry.
This is such a crazy thing.
I can't believe she's dead.
How well did you know Holly, Tyrese? I met her for the first time at the party.
I was there with Josie 'cause we've been working on her album, and I used to produce Regina back in the day.
Can you tell me why we found your phone number - written on the victim's hand? - What, that? I gave her my digits so we could set up a meeting.
About what? If there's one thing I'm good at, it's spotting talent.
Her mashups and beat match went better than most of the guys dropping albums today.
I was blown away.
I told her I wanted to take her to the next level.
So how'd she react to that? She was thrilled.
Said a break like this is what she'd been working for.
She was supposed to call me today.
You have any idea why she rushed out of that party early? Nah.
Coulda had something to do with that fight, though.
What fight? You heard of M.
C.
Thug? M.
C.
Thug? Yeah, the rapper.
- Been shot like seven times, right? - That's the one.
Now on Holly's first break, he walked over to her booth, Starts talking to her real low and angry.
I could see she was getting upset, tried to push him away.
Then he grabbed her wrist and said, "Next time, it's gonna end different.
" Then he saw me coming and bounced.
Now I was gonna talk to her about it, but, you know, I got caught up with some folks, The next thing I knew, she was gone.
This M.
C.
Thug, did you see him at the party anymore after Holly left? Nah.
In fact, I didn't see him the rest of the night.
So if you can just make it out to Jenny and Kev.
It's short for Kevin.
Hey, fanboy.
Let's go.
Thank you so much.
She's gonna die when she sees this.
Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
M.
C.
Thug-- Aka Darius Carson.
His rap sheet includes assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder, and that was just at this year's Hip-Hop Music Awards.
How did Holly wind up in the sights of a guy like that? Well, whatever was going on between them happened way before that party.
The guy who was pounding on Holly's door, threatening her? The sketch just came in from the neighbor.
Look familiar? Darius Carson-- Nobody calls me Darius unless you my mama, and by the looks of that body, you ain't.
Yeah, well, I'm sure your mama's so proud.
Yeah.
So, Darius, according to Regina Cane's party planner, you weren't on the original guest list until you made a last-minute phone call to get in the party.
I'm a fan of her music.
That a crime? No, but murder is.
I know you ain't a cop with that fancy shirt and poufy hair.
He might not be, but I am.
Are you sure you went to the party to see Regina? Yeah, I'm real sure.
Why? We know that you visited D.
J.
Beat's apartment before the party.
We know that you fought with her that night, and then she turned up dead.
I had nothing to do with that mess.
Yeah, but you had something to do with her.
Damn straight.
I wanted my girl's bracelet back.
Who had your girl's bracelet? I threw a party at my crib last week.
I hired D.
J.
Beat to spipin.
The next day, my girl Dakota realized her diamond bracelet is missing.
Now that bitch and her little bitch of an assistant are the only ones there I couldn't vouch for.
The bitch had an assistant bitch? Yeah, the little punk that works for her.
So then you tracked her down to the party.
And when she ran, you followed her and you killed her.
No, I told her she had a day to cough it up or else.
Or else what? "Or else" is usually enough.
Where were you between 11:00 and midnight? Upstairs with my girl.
Dakota? Different girl.
Kaiya.
All right.
Well, I'm gonna have to hold you while we look into that.
Good.
That helps my street cred.
You guys are gonna do a mug shot, right? 'cause I brought my lighting guy with me.
Thanks.
Hey, guys.
So Kaiya confirms that she was "Hanging out" with M.
C.
Thug in one of the bedrooms till 12:30.
And he did file a police report about the missing bracelet.
So I requested a list of all the parties that Holly worked in the past year.
Of the more than 50 events, turns out that thefts were reported in seven of them.
M.
O.
is the same every time-- mostly high-end jewelry.
In total, almost half a million bucks.
All taken from parties at upscale residences.
And I also confirmed with Holly's booking agent that she always worked with an assistant-- Paul Travers.
Okay, so the two of them are a crew using her deejay skills to access high-end homes and then cleaning them out along the way.
She does have a history of theft, so maybe she went back to her old ways.
But if the assistant worked the party with her, then where is he and why hasn't he come forward? There's only one reason.
He was involved.
I-involved in what? My friend is dead, and now you're saying, what, like, we're like Bonnie and Clyde? Paul, thefts were reported at seven of the parties that you both worked.
Oh, and so because of her history, it's gotta be her? Music saved her.
She was done with that life.
And what about you? According to Holly's agency, you were responsible for setting up and breaking down the equipment.
- So? - So you never broke it down last night.
You left the party, never came back, same as Holly.
Only you're still alive, and she's dead.
- Last night? - Mm-hmm.
I wasn't even there last night.
Paul, don't lie.
She's got you listed on her invoice.
Yeah, I I-I know.
A few times this past year, she'd call me up last minute to say she was using another guy.
It was, like, her cousin or something, and he needed the work.
I-I know she felt bad about it 'cause she still offered to pay me anyway.
I-I was at a birthday dinner last night.
I have witnesses.
Which of these parties did the other guy work? This one.
This one.
Here.
This one.
This one.
This one, and that one.
The same ones that reported robberies.
So far only one witness, a caterer, remembers seeing a guy setting up Holly's equipment last night.
And she only saw him from behind, and he was wearing a hoodie.
So we've reached out to other party guests to see if we can get a better description.
So was anything stolen from the party last night? No.
We asked everyone.
And so far, no one's reported anything missing.
So UNIs searched Holly's apartment again.
There's no sign of the stolen goods, and there's no influx of cash into her account, so if she was making money off this thing, there's no evidence of it.
What if this mystery assistant is the one behind it all? I mean, think about it.
He forces Holly to get him into these parties.
While she's busy spinning, he's free to walk around these fancy apartments.
And since he's hired help, nobody pays him any attention.
It's candy from a baby.
But when M.
C.
Thug confronted Holly, she got scared.
So she threatened to blow the whistle on the assistant.
Well, that would certainly give him motive for murder.
But with Paul's name on the invoice, there's no record of him.
How are we gonna find him? He helped set up that equipment last night, right? His fingerprints would be on it.
Get C.
S.
U.
on it.
Grunt work.
I'll come back later.
- So long as you leave the coffee.
- What did you find? Holly's phone records.
She received calls from a pay phone in Washington Heights the same days that she was booked for the parties where the thefts happened.
Well, maybe it's her mystery assistant, calling for details.
Holly grew up in the heights, so it might be someone from the old neighborhood, but it doesn't bring us any closer to finding him.
Doesn't need to.
C.
S.
U.
matched a print on that equipment to one Joey Malone-- street name, "Monster.
" He's got a list of priors a mile long.
UNIs took him down in Washington Heights.
He's in the box.
Come take a look.
Monster? Now that sounds like the kind of ganged-up thug that would shoot you dead and leave you in a dumpster someplace.
Probably half man, half mountain, full of prison tats.
Or is he quietly dangerous? You know, like, Javier Bardem in any movie where he's got weird hair.
Just take a look for yourself.
Behold Monster.
More like cookie monster.
So what do we know about this kid? Well, he's not related to Holly, for one.
His father died of a drug overdose when he was 7.
His mom committed suicide a couple of years ago.
His uncle--Martin Decker-- is the one who took over guardianship.
Where's his uncle now? He's not at home.
I notified social services, thinking they might know how to reach him.
You said that he had priors.
Yeah, he was busted for breaking and entering, burglary, resisting arrest.
Now he's moved up to the big leagues.
So, uh, what's the plan here? I'm gonna go in alone so he doesn't feel outnumbered, see what he's made out of.
He's 14.
It's hard to believe he's capable of something like this.
Not in his world, it isn't.
Hi, Joey.
I'm Detective Kate Beckett.
A major Hottie is what you are.
Okay.
Now that we got that cleared up, I need to ask you a few questions.
You need permission from my guardian.
The last time I checked, I'm a minor.
Well, we're making our best effort to get ahold of your uncle.
In the meantime, NYPD policy allows me to talk to you.
Well, so talk.
We're looking into the murder of Holly Rhodes.
Heard about that.
Real sad.
I understand that two nights ago, you worked for her.
Did you see her having problems with anyone? No.
Do you know why she left the party early? Nope.
- Do you know where she went? - No clue.
Okay, let me ask you this-- Why did you think Holly hired a 14-year-old kid With a record to be her tech assistant? 'cause I'm the best.
The best at what, stealing? Every time you've worked for Holly, High-end jewelry has gone missing-- Every single time.
I don't know nothin' about that.
Did Holly know about the stealing or did she find out that night? Is that why you killed her? What--what? Kill her? No.
No.
I didn't do that.
We have witnesses that saw you leave the party right after she did.
And you never came back for the equipment.
So where were you between 11:00 and midnight? I was at-- I was at TV king.
You left the party and the equipment to go to TV King in the middle of the night? You're gonna have to do better than that, Joey.
You may be allowed to talk to me But I don't have to talk back.
Robbery and murder? Maybe monster wasn't such a bad nickname after all.
You know what? I'm not sure about that.
He expected the conversation about the stealing, but when I accused him of murdering Holly, That threw him.
And I think I know why.
Joey's alibi checks out.
Seriously, he was at TV King? The assistant manager sometimes lets him play video games up on the big screen, and that's where Joey was during Holly's time of death.
Well, then if he didn't kill Holly, then who did? The brains behind this operation, that's who.
A kid like Joey goes from smash-and-grabs to stealing a half a mil in jewelry? I don't think so.
Someone put him up to this.
No, that makes sense.
Sometimes savvy criminals use minors to do their dirty work.
Of course.
A Fagin to Joey's Oliver Twist.
And if Holly's involved, that makes her the artful dodger, or the artful deejay.
Ooh, nicely played.
And that would explain why we never found the stolen loot in Holly or Joey's apartments.
Fagin has it.
That gives him motive to get rid of Holly if she ever gave him any trouble.
Well, if we're right, then Joey knows who our killer is.
I get this kid.
Let me get a crack at him.
Hey, where's the super-hot detective? Oh, you're looking at him.
Don't laugh.
I was featured in the NYPD calendar.
I bet that was a big seller.
So, uh, you must be the good cop.
Well, I don't know about that.
But I could be your ticket out of this.
Yeah? Mm-hmm.
How's that work? We know you didn't kill Holly.
All you did was lift a bunch of jewelry.
Nah, nah, just save it.
We don't care about the jewelry.
We can take those charges off the table.
All we want is the guy who put you up to it.
I don't even know who you're talking about.
Joey, come I just gave you the winning lottery ticket.
Now the right move here is to cash that in, not tear it up.
I bet this is the part where you tell me, I don't know the seriousness of my situation.
How unless I tell you everything I know, You can't help me.
And then you'll lean in close, like you care about me and like you're my friend, and you'll make promises you'll never keep.
I keep all my promises, bro.
That's what everybody says.
This is a limited-time offer, Joey.
Not interested.
Okay.
I want you to take a look at this.
This is how Holly ended up-- Shot, tossed in the garbage.
Now you think she deserved that, hmm? Oh, wh-what? No smart-ass comeback now, huh? You worked with this woman.
You knew her.
The same guy who has you stealing jewelry did this to Holly.
He uses kids like you.
And then he just gets to walk away while you have to sit in here and answer all my questions.
You know what you are to him right now? You're a loose end.
So take a hard look, because this is your future.
This is you.
You're wrong.
He won't hurt me.
He won't.
Not once we stop him.
All I need is his name, Joey.
I still don't know who you're talking about.
I've been Joey's caseworker since his parents died.
Needless to say, it hasn't been smooth sailing, But I can't imagine he'd do anything like this.
Well, we think that the thefts were someone else's idea.
Do you know of anyone in his life who might have drawn him into this? No, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was someone.
His uncle's not exactly a strong role model.
What about his uncle? Where is he now? We're trying to track him down.
He may be in A.
C.
He's a card player.
Guy sounds like a real prize.
You want the best option for these kids.
And sometimes all you have is the least-bad option.
Which brings me to the issue of what to do with Joey.
Are you charging him with theft? We were hoping not to.
So I'll put him in temporary foster care.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
He's not safe out there in the world right now.
The guy that we're after killed a woman.
He could do the same thing to Joey.
Then you can put him in protective custody in juvenile hall.
I-I can't just throw him in juvie.
I'm trying to gain his trust here.
Ms.
Cooper, this boy is the key to us solving a murder.
Well, I'm sorry, but those are the choices.
What if I take him? That way, he's not locked up, and I can keep him safe.
And I can continue to work on him.
What about that? I I suppose I could delay his paperwork, but this would be for one night, and it means that Joey Malone is your responsibility.
It's cool.
I got this.
The kid doesn't have a father.
He probably just needs someone to connect with.
I'd rather have a pajama party with the lady cop.
Yeah? Well, it looks like I drew the short straw, literally.
Man, no wonder you're single.
No woman would spend time here unless it was against her will.
Yeah, what about you, Martha Stewart? What's your place supposed to be, shabby chic, emphasis on shabby? It's a dive, but it's not my fault.
My uncle would rather blow all of his money at the tables.
Must be why he's too busy to call us back.
Don't wait by the phone.
He only cares about claiming me as a dependent.
My parents split up when I was 5.
Man, get your feet off my table.
Dad moved to Florida with his new wife.
Most I ever got after that was a phone call or a postcard.
- Postcard? - Yeah.
How old are you, anyway? Ancient, but I'm young enough to remember what it was like.
You must miss your folks.
After my dad died, my mom kept going.
You know, she tried to pretend that we were still a normal family.
She did her best to take care of me until she couldn't do it anymore.
Now you take care of yourself.
Yeah.
Look, man, I know you didn't have to do this.
Take me in, I mean.
So, uh, thanks.
I'm gonna go grab you a blanket, pillow.
At least you didn't skimp out on the audio-visual budget.
You know that's right.
Oh, and I got "Assassin's Creed III.
" So go ahead and knock yourself out.
Oh, and, uh, put it on dual-player mode so I can come back and school you.
Yeah, 20 bucks says you won't make it past level one.
What? Crazy.
Sit down.
Okay.
Care to explain? What, the handcuffs? No, no.
The stylish shoes that you're wearing.
Yes, the handcuffs.
Well, junior here tried to pull a Houdini on me last night.
Who the hell is houdini? - Shut up.
- Out the window? Yeah.
Down the fire escape? Yeah, and then on to a moving garbage truck.
Then on a skateboard for 5 blocks, which took him all the way to the "L" train.
How'd you keep up? - He didn't.
- Shut up.
What the give me that.
I commandeered this dude's bicycle, and then he lost me in the subway.
But then I caught him at the next stop.
Kid's wily.
But I'm wilier.
Wow.
Just like "The French Connection.
" In the meantime, C.
S.
U.
was able to I.
D.
those fibers found on the tarp that Holly's body was wrapped in.
- Where are they from? - Germany.
Based on the chemical composition and color, they're fibers from carpeting used by a high-end European car manufacturer to line their vehicles' trunks.
Well, now we know how Holly's body ended up at that construction site.
C.
S.
U.
narrowed it down to a model 2010 to 2012 X5.
I'll canvass around the construction site, see if anyone saw a car like that hanging around the dumpster.
So we pulled Joey's juvie files from the central clerk's office.
Theory being, whoever he's involved with might be in there somewhere.
Unless he gave you a name.
Uh, n-no.
Not exactly.
Look, we find out who Joey got mixed up with, we find our killer.
There's gotta be something in these files that points to him.
Looks like he got his first taste with a B&E when he was 11 years old.
Graduated to burglary when he was 12-- Broke in to a mom-and-pop corner store along with an identified adult male.
Maybe he's the one we're looking for.
No, we're not looking for someone who he was busted with.
This guy's smart enough to stay above it all.
Check this out.
Two months ago, someone named Shane Winters bailed him out after he was picked up on a shoplifting charge.
Shane Winters? I remember that name.
When Holly Rhodes, our victim, was 17, she was busted on a grand theft charge.
And check out who posted bail.
Shane Winters.
That's our guy.
Shane Winters.
Trafficking, grand theft, assault with a deadly weapon, extortion-- This dude has dabbled in everything.
So when Holly was a troubled teen, she must have worked for Shane, just like Joey is.
But then she cleaned herself up, got out of the life.
Then when Shane figured out what kind of access she had at the parties, he pulled her back in.
Well, that explains why Holly had to hire Joey as an assistant.
Just ran Shane Winters.
Guess what he drives.
That would have the carpet fibers we found on the tarp.
Yeah, and a roomy trunk for all your body-moving needs.
- We gotta bring him in.
- We tried to.
UNIs busted in on his last-known address.
He's not there.
So what are you, officer babysitter? Do you get paid extra for doing that? Where's Shane Winters? Where's my soda? L.
T.
You figure you're special to him, don't you? Well, you're not.
Man You don't get it.
I'm not giving him up.
You know how much time keeping your mouth shut is gonna buy you with Shane as long as it takes him to pull his gun and shoot you with it.
And then he's just gonna move on to the next lost kid.
Don't let it end that way, Joey.
Just tell me where I can find him.
I'm not a rat.
Any luck? Man, I just want to wring this little bastard's neck right now.
I'm gonna call that a no.
So we got a BOLO out on Shane and his car.
Freakin' kids, man.
I don't know how you do it, bro.
Oh, no, no.
I lucked out with Alexis.
At a certain point, you realize you're just dealing with someone who hasn't been around as long as we have.
They have to find their way.
The problem is, he's already found his way.
He just doesn't see where it's gonna put him.
Hey, no luck on the BOLO.
But I talked to Garcia in robbery.
We got a tip on Shane's location.
You want to roll? You know what? Let me get this one.
Hey, sugar.
What's your poison? Hello.
What are you drinking? Mr.
Winters is not taking any meetings today.
Can I just get a bag of ice, please? What the hell do you want with a bag of ice? It's for him.
Excuse me.
You must be Detective Esposito.
Joey told me you two been hanging out.
Said sooner or later, you'd find your way down here.
So he warned you.
Yeah, he's a good kid.
Dependable.
Put 'em on.
Or better yet, resist arrest.
Please.
Some other time, maybe.
Huh? Do you know a woman named Holly Rhodes, Shane? - Name sounds familiar.
- Well, it should.
You ran with her back in the day.
Oh, she ran, but not with me.
Then why did you bail her out when she was a teenager? Well, I got a soft spot for kids, man.
Yeah, yeah.
You're just like a regular Mr.
Rogers.
When was the last time you saw her, Shane? Uh, last time I saw Holly? Don't recall.
Well, let me help you out with that.
It's three nights ago when you killed her.
You're wrong about that.
Mm.
I don't think so.
See, when this whole deejaying gig of Holly's took off-- wealthy clients, penthouses-- you saw a golden, diamond-encrusted opportunity.
And that's when you pressured Holly into bringing in Joey Malone as an assistant.
He'd go in to these fancy parties, and he'd walk right out the front door with a half a million in high-end jewelry, And your hands would stay clean.
Well, you are right about that part at least.
My hands are clean.
But then something went wrong at this last party.
I mean, maybe Holly pushed back.
Or maybe she wanted you out of her life, once and for all.
But she knew too much so she had to go.
Look, all I hear you guys saying is a whole lot of stuff that you can't prove.
Well, we can prove that her body was in your trunk.
Fibers stuck to the tarp that Holly was wrapped in match your X5.
We're impounding it right now.
Wow.
Then I guess you guys didn't hear about it-- about the little problem I had with my vehicle this morning.
You see, I got a little careless.
I was, uh, I was lighting a cigarette, and next thing I know, whole car catches on fire.
Inside, outside, the carpet-- whole thing burned to a crisp.
I hate to tell you, but there's probably not a fiber left to match.
Crazy how things happen sometimes, huh? So, again, whole lot of noise that you can't prove.
That being said, I'd like my lawyer.
I need a minute alone.
You tipped off Shane.
After you bolted last night, you called him.
Warned him that he was a suspect, which gave him a chance to torch his car.
Cover up his role in Holly's death.
Congratulations, Joey.
You helped him get away with murder.
Now I'd beat your skinny little ass for being so stupid if it'd change anything.
But it won't because, well You're so loyal.
Now let's see how Shane returns the favor.
Look, I can see that you're a little slow, but I just said, "I want my lawyer.
" This is about the thefts.
Somebody's gonna have to go down for 'em, and we know it's gonna be Joey Malone.
The D.
A.
wants to try him as an adult.
That means hard time.
All you gotta do is man up.
Man up about the thefts, and then maybe I can talk to the D.
A.
And get Joey a deal.
Look, man, If the kid did the crime, he's gotta do the time.
Have you seen enough? You still want to protect him? Look It was like you said.
I'd go in with Holly, Lift pricey jewelry, The more the better.
But this time, it was different.
Why? Shane told me my mark was this music producer, - Tyrese-- -Tyrese Wilton? Yeah, him.
It was weird.
I was supposed to boost his cell phone.
Why his cell phone? I don't know, but I took it.
Yeah, and then what? Somehow Holly found out, and she flipped.
She got in my face and told me to give the phone back.
And I got scared because I knew she carried heat, but I had already handed the phone off to Shane.
So I-I got outta there, and That was the last time I saw her.
I didn't know she would end up dead.
I didn't know Shane would kill her.
So no doubt a guy like Shane would kill her, but it's starting to look like he didn't.
He's got an alibi.
I don't believe it.
Affidavits from six bar patrons, all stating that Shane was there between 11:00 and midnight.
Well, he practically runs the place, So the patrons will say what he tells 'em.
So C.
S.
U.
just confirmed that his car was too burned for them to match the fibers or pull forensics.
So we can't even prove that he transported the vic's body.
We also can't tie the murder weapon to him either.
According to her assistant Paul, Holly used to carry around a .
380 pistol for protection.
She might have been killed with her own gun.
Here's something that doesn't add up-- Tyrese Wilton's phone.
Why would Shane tell Joey to steal a phone worth a couple of hundred bucks? Especially when there had to be so much bling at that party.
Dude, nobody says "bling" anymore.
Try "shine.
" There's something else that doesn't add up.
All the guests were contacted and asked if they were missing any personal items.
They all said no, so-- Why didn't Tyrese Wilton mention that his phone was gone? Check this out.
"Yang Dynasty.
" Could explain the peanut oil on Holly's clothes.
There's blood spatter on the wall.
Looks like we found our crime scene.
Yep, and it's right at Tyrese's doorstep.
Are you saying that Holly was killed just outside my studio? That's right.
So why don't you tell us what she was doing here? How the hell should I know? Mm.
Well, then maybe you can tell us what you were doing between 11:00 and midnight the night of the party.
I was at the party.
I stayed there till just after 1:00.
You can check.
You were also asked if any of your stuff went missing the night of the party.
You didn't mention your phone.
Because my phone wasn't missing.
You don't have to lie to me, Tyrese.
I talked to the kid who stole it.
I mean, it was missing for an hour or two, but then it turned up.
See? I found it in the bathroom at the end of the night.
If Joey stole the phone, how'd it end up back at the party? Whoever brought that back didn't want it missed.
Based on Shane's M.
O.
, he was after something valuable, something he could sell.
Yo, Tyrese, what's on that phone-- Financial info, pictures, valuable data? Only one thing that really matters-- I use this phone as an e-key.
An e-key? An electronic key.
It opens up this studio.
Well, did Holly know that? Yeah, I mentioned it to her when I discovered it was gone.
I went to text her my number, But I had to write it on her hand instead.
That's why Holly was here.
She realized that Shane stole the phone because he was gonna rip the studio off.
She couldn't let that happen, not with Tyrese here about to give her big break.
Right, so she races over here to confront Shane to stop him before he ripped you off.
Looks like she did, because nothing's missing.
You sure? Positive.
I got over $2 mil in equipment here.
And nothing Oh, god.
- What? - The recordings.
If someone got their hands on an unreleased album It'd be worth a fortune.
Not to mention tanking our record sales if it leaked online.
Oh, no.
Josie Lang's album was accessed at 11:45 the night of the party.
Someone downloaded the masters.
Shane.
Look, I'm telling you, Shane's alibi is rock-solid.
How is that even possible? We interviewed everyone in the bar.
We even talked to the cabbies outside, and everyone said that he left around midnight.
Why would he torch his car if he didn't use it to dump her body? He might have dumped the body, But our timeline says that he did not kill her.
Man.
W-wait a minute.
We--we-- we gotta be missing something here.
So let's just go over it again.
We know that Joey handed Shane that phone around 11:00.
And we know that Josie's album was downloaded at 11:45.
Holly was murdered sometime between 11:00 and midnight.
Wait a minute.
The key to this whole thing is that phone.
We're assuming that Shane was the one who used it to break in to the studio.
Because he's the one that Joey gave the phone to.
Right, but witnesses place him at the bar, 11:30 to midnight.
The album was downloaded at the studio at 11:45.
- It had to be someone else.
- Like who? Well, it had to be someone from the party.
So then whoever broke in to the studio must have returned the phone to the party so that Tyrese wouldn't realize that it was even taken.
All we have to do is figure out which one of the guests had something to gain from stealing Josie's album.
One, two.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Rock one, two, three, four.
Step.
Nice.
Good.
Point again.
Did you guys not get the guest list that we sent over? Yeah, we we did.
We just need to ask you a few questions about your schedule the night of the party.
Yeah, sure.
So according to your party planner, you excused yourself at 11:00 to do a costume change for a performance of a track from your new album.
Is that correct? That sounds about right, but I just go where they tell me to.
You know how it is.
Only your planner told us that you insisted on having a full hour.
Have you ever tried changing into skintight leather pants? It's time-consuming.
Why? What's-- what's the point? Well, that hour gave you enough time to get to Tyrese Wilton's studio, download Josie's new album, and get back to the party to perform your song.
Are you insane? Why would I do anything like that? Because your album sales have been sagging for years.
If your album didn't perform, your record label was gonna drop you.
I've been with Harmony 360 for 10 years.
They love me.
It's no secret that Josie Lang's eclipsed you.
Oh, please.
She's been around for two seconds.
Give it a year, you won't even remember her name.
It doesn't matter.
Both your albums come out next week, and she's going to crush you.
Unless someone mysteriously leaks Josie's new album online.
Your plan was simple-- Hire Shane to steal the phone, that way, you can get in to the studio.
The one thing that you didn't plan on was Holly.
She showed up and caught you just as you were leaving the studio.
You couldn't risk her exposing you.
You fought.
She pulled out her gun to protect herself, but you managed to use it on her instead.
So you called Shane and you got him to get rid of the body.
Are you kidding me? That's all speculation.
The one thing that's not speculation is that you hired D.
J.
Beat.
How'd you find out about her? Word of mouth.
More like your bodyguard grew up with Shane Winters.
Shane had you hire d.
J.
Beat So that Joey could get in and steal that phone.
You know what else isn't speculation? The warrant she served on your I.
S.
P.
that warrant revealed the e-mail account that you created to communicate with the hacker that was going to leak josie's new album online.
Is that enough fact for you? My record sales may be down, but I can still afford a damn good lawyer.
You keep showing up here like this, My boys are gonna think you're sweet on me.
Not anymore, they won't.
You are walking on grand larceny and accessory after the fact.
Wow.
Now that kind of luck does not last long.
Well, I guess I gotta go play the powerball, then, tonight.
This is my gun.
And this one will be yours.
You ever go near Joey or any other kid ever again, The story's gonna go like this-- you pulled that piece on me.
And I had to defend myself, so I killed you.
You understand me? Or should we play out that story right here, Right now? I hear you.
Good.
Reach back there and grab that file.
What am I, your secretary? Just grab the file.
Look, haven't I done enough to solve this case for you? Read it.
"Juvenile record for Javier Esposito.
" Yep.
The good ol' days.
So "Assault, resisting arrest" Mm.
"Unlawful possession.
" Yeah.
You were a mess.
Yeah, but that's all I knew.
Dad was gone, my mom was working two jobs.
In my neighborhood, you had to do what you had to do to survive.
Not everybody made it.
Is this where you tell me that I need to man up and get my act together like you did? No.
It doesn't work like that.
You need help.
For me, it was one of my teachers.
Saw a future in me that I didn't even see in myself.
But it was up to me to make the choice, to pick which road to go down.
I talked to your school counselor.
- What? - She's gonna call me if you keep ditching.
Come on, man.
And I'm gonna call you once a week, check in.
All right, I'll go If you agree to get new furniture.
You can't get laid on the regular with that junk you have.
I'm just looking out for you.
Here.
If you need anything, day or night, you call me at that number.
Okay.
You're all right For a cop.
I know.
Now get out of my car.