Castle s07e07 Episode Script
Once Upon a Time in the West
Whitney Williams, 22.
She went into convulsions on the E train.
In and out of consciousness ever since.
I want a CBC and an EKG.
Any sign of drugs on her? Nothing.
But at one point, she said someone did this to her.
Whitney, can you tell me what happened? Diamondback.
She's seizing.
Push four milligrams of Ativan! Friends, thank you for coming on such short notice.
Well, it's times like these I'm reminded of Shakespeare, who wrote, "It's not in the stars" Ah, ah, ah.
He also said, "Brevity is the soul of wit," so get to it, darling.
Yeah, okay.
We just returned from the Hamptons and We got married! We got married.
Yes! Why did you do that? You guys suck.
Okay, hold up, hold up.
You couldn't No, no, no.
You guys jumped the broom and didn't invite us? It was spur-of-the-moment.
Spur.
Oh, and it was perfection.
I mean, you should've been there.
It was fire and love.
At one point, there were all these doves that just soared into the Gram? Gram, maybe we don't rub it in.
Let's go get you another drink.
Oh, drink.
Okay.
Yeah, come on.
Hold this.
I am your maid of honor.
I haven't had a carb in months, just in case I had to put that damn dress back on.
And you look great.
Save the flattery.
Kate, you owe me dinner.
I'm picking the restaurant, and we're ordering all the desserts! Okay.
Oh, girl, you're married! Come here! Ow.
Guys.
- Guys, come on! - No.
We were really looking forward to this for a long time, too, Castle.
We had a speech prepared and everything.
Oh.
Plus, we wrote that song.
Yeah.
Seriously, you wrote a song? Yeah.
We're planning a little reception.
You guys could do the song at the reception.
No song for you.
You had your chance.
Guys, we're gonna have to cut the celebration short.
There's been a murder.
Really? We didn't get that call.
Once again, not invited.
Cheers! Fine.
We'll meet you at the precinct.
Well, it could've been worse.
It still might be.
Who knows what they're doing to our place right now.
You heard what you just said? "Our place.
" Our.
We're married.
We did it, Mrs.
Castle.
We certainly did, Mr.
Beckett.
Although, this arguably isn't the most romantic post-wedding activity.
Or perhaps it's fitting, considering how we met.
But you bring up an excellent point.
The honeymoon.
Yes, about the exotic island getaway.
It It's gonna have to wait.
Why? Because when you went missing, I used up all of my vacation days looking for you.
So, no honeymoon? Mmm.
Not for a while, I'm afraid.
So, instead of Mai Tais, we get murder.
Great.
No, it'll be great.
Whitney Williams.
She went into convulsions, then cardiac arrest.
We couldn't bring her back.
And her last words were "Diamondback"? What does that mean? I have no idea.
And she believed that she was a victim of foul play? Yes, and so do I.
We ran a full blood workup, and it came back with high traces of digoxin.
That's a heart medication.
Derived from the foxglove plant.
According to our pathologist, this was unpurified digoxin.
Taken directly from the plant, it's lethal.
So, she was poisoned.
Any way to tell how long ago she ingested the foxglove? We're estimating 10 to 14 hours.
Have you contacted the next of kin? I thought you would wanna handle that.
This is her In Case of Emergency card.
Thanks for coming in, Mr.
and Mrs.
Dagmar.
Well, since her mom passed, I suppose we're the closest thing to family that Whitney has.
She was our first Dagmar scholar.
Dagmar scholar? We sponsor disadvantaged children.
Send them to the finest schools.
The poisoning occurred between 10 and 14 hours ago.
Do you happen to know where Whitney was, or who she was with at the time? No.
The last time we saw her was a week ago, when she came over for supper.
Did she mention if she was having problems with anyone? Perhaps at work? She did say she was going to take some time off from her internship.
Do you know why? Her mother's death was recent.
Whitney said she needed some time to get over the loss.
Does the word "Diamondback" mean anything to either of you? No.
No, I'm afraid not.
Okay, "Diamondback.
" I have whittled it down to three possibilities as to what that means and why Whitney would utter it with her dying breath.
And I am sure that none of them will be a waste of my time.
Possibility number one, it's the password for a murderous underground snake-handling fight club.
Granted, that's probably not what it means, but it might be the basis for my next Nikki Heat novel.
Possibility number two, she was killed by the Marvel character, Diamondback, whose special skill was throwing diamond-shaped spikes filled with poison.
Third possibility It's a dude ranch in Arizona.
We struck out with the Dagmars, but we found an e-mail to Whitney from a "Diamondback Old West Ranch," confirming a two-week stay in bunkhouse number 14.
Old West dude ranch.
That's my number three.
It's exactly what I was gonna say.
Good work, boys.
You still suck.
And you owe us for those tuxedo rentals.
Right.
So, she was on vacation in Arizona? For two weeks? Yep.
She go with anyone? No, but it looks like the whole city-slickers-cowboy thing didn't really agree with her.
Whitney cut her trip short after only three days there.
She paid for a last-minute ticket change for an 8:00 a.
m.
flight out of Phoenix this morning.
This morning? So, she was poisoned in Arizona.
Somewhere between And all indications are that she left in a big hurry.
She even forgot to turn in her bunkhouse key.
Okay, I need every detail we can get on that place.
According to this, "Diamondback Old West Ranch is a living-history resort, "where both staff and guests dress in Old West attire "and engage in cowboy activities.
" This sounds pretty cool! Or not, considering Whitney might've been poisoned there.
Wait a minute.
If Whitney flew back today, then she was coming in on the train from JFK when she had that seizure.
But the only personal effect that we found at the hospital was her purse.
So, where's her luggage? Maybe it was left in the subway when the medics took her.
Well, if something happened at that ranch, then there might be evidence of it in her suitcases.
I'll look into it.
And I'll keep digging in her financials.
Maybe there's somewhere else she went in Arizona.
And I'll touch base with the local sheriff and coordinate with him on the investigation.
Thanks, big boy.
Look, Detective, the way I see it, this is not an Arizona matter.
Sheriff, we have evidence that Whitney was poisoned in your jurisdiction.
No, what you have is speculation.
She could've been poisoned on the plane, or at the airport.
Hell, I wouldn't know where to begin.
Well, I'm telling you where to begin.
Diamondback Old West Ranch.
Detective, you gotta understand.
That resort is the lifeblood of our little tourist town.
So, this is political? No, it's personal.
Look, I've got people here.
Folks I grew up with.
And I can't just go in and disrupt business.
Until there's some concrete proof.
I'm sorry.
Without the sheriff's cooperation, there's only so much we can do.
So, we're just gonna let him get away with this? Kind of like how we let you get away with not inviting us to the wedding? Well, at least you were invited to the champagne toast.
Sorry, sir.
Oh, no, no, no.
I'm sure it was Mr.
Castle's fault.
Now, regarding the case, I'll call the feds and see if they can intercede on our behalf.
Sir, that could take weeks.
By then, any evidence or witnesses could be long gone.
Uh, excuse me, sir.
I checked Whitney's financials.
She used a car service to get to the airport in Arizona this morning.
And I spoke with the driver.
He said she seemed upset when she left the ranch.
Something happened there.
Yeah, but we have no way to investigate it.
Wait.
Maybe we do.
We do? Well, look at this place.
I mean, it's got beautiful skies, wide open spaces.
Thrill of the Old West? What better place for an impromptu honeymoon? For the investigation, of course.
We could jump on a plane and be there in a few hours.
Castle, you cannot be serious.
We can find Whitney's killer and have a honeymoon at the same time.
It's perfect.
No, Castle, we are not having a honeymoon at a dude ranch! Well, then, it can be our cover story.
We're a newlywed couple with a hankering for the wild frontier, right? And, look, Beckett, I know you wanna see justice brought to this young woman's killer, and this This is the only way.
I hate to say this, but your husband may be right.
This could be our best shot at solving the case.
Fine.
Excellent.
Saddle up, honey, because we are honeymooning out west.
Yee-haw.
Oh.
Whoa.
Wow.
It's like we rolled right into a John Ford movie.
Thank you.
Okay there, hoss.
Just remember, we're here for a reason.
To find Whitney's killer.
Best honeymoon ever! Ew.
This is so not our honeymoon.
I think in the Old West, that was a sign of good fortune.
Lucky me.
Say, y'all must be the newlyweds.
Well, welcome to the Diamondback Old West Ranch, folks.
They call me Gentleman James Grady, and I am the proprietor of this here establishment.
Uh, I am Rick.
This is Kate.
And may I just say, this place is amazing.
Yeah, very authentic.
Oh, that's what you jackaroos came for, ain't it? The legend and, dare I say, romance of the Old West.
Now, these brochures in your hands detail all the activities that we have to offer here.
From cattle driving to nature walking, we got it all.
And my friendly staff of ranch hands, uh, they're the ones in the red bandanas in the brochure and all around here, they will guide you through any adventure your hearts desire.
So, shall we begin? Actually, we just got in on the red-eye, and hoping to check into our room.
No problemo.
Seeing as you're newlyweds, I upgraded you to a suite in our Grand Hotel.
Oh.
Well, we're much obliged.
Yeah, sure are, but we were looking for a more authentic experience, and we're kind of hoping to stay at one of the bunkhouse rooms.
Whatever the little lady wants.
I can see who wears the Yeah and, um, Mr.
Grady, I know that this sounds silly, but my lucky number is 14.
Is that room available? Uh, Daisy Mae! Daisy Mae! We need you, dear.
That's my missus.
Like yours, she runs the show here.
Hon, uh, these lovebirds wanna stay in bunkhouse 14.
Is it vacant? Sure is.
But why? It's a single room with a twin bed.
Oh, that's okay.
We're, uh We're cuddlers.
Yeah.
Well, all righty, then.
But first, folks, we gotta get you out of those bibs and tuckers.
Ooh-hoo! Whee.
Take a look at this belvedere.
I do look good, don't I? Oh.
This is like three fantasies coming true all at once.
Only thing missing is Gentleman James, where do we get the replica guns? Like yours? Replica? Son, this is Arizona.
It's open carry.
Say, do either of you two know what's quicker than lightning? What? This gun tamed the Wild West.
Colt .
45 Single Action Peacemaker.
I wanna be him when I grow up.
Well, yeah, if you grow up.
It's all about practice.
Which you can do with one of our firearms available for purchase at our gift shop.
In fact, why don't we mosey on over? Yeah, uh, Mr.
Grady, you know what? Maybe later.
Right now we're both a bit knackered, so we were hoping to go to our room.
So glad you're staying with us.
Much obliged, ma'am.
Much obliged, ma'am.
We were wrong.
The key that Whitney had with her wasn't her room key.
Well, then what does it go to? I don't know.
Here's 14.
Oh, wait.
Whether we like it or not, we are on our honeymoon.
So, we must act accordingly.
Oh, jeez! Oh, yeah.
So not our honeymoon.
You're looking for disinfectant? And clues.
Remember? Whitney was staying here.
I highly doubt we're gonna find anything in this room that can help us.
Howdy, partner.
I don't know if it comes with the room, but there's a naked cowboy shaving in our bathroom.
I'm sorry, what? My fault, forgot to lock the door.
It's a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.
I'm in the room on the other side.
Oh I'm Rick.
This is Kate.
We, uh, just checked in.
Newlyweds.
Oh, congratulations.
I'm Tobias.
Hi.
But didn't Mr.
Grady say that there was a woman staying in our room before? Ah, yes.
I'm surprised they let her stay in so close with menfolk, considering the customs of the Old West.
Well, I guess when they found out me and her both enjoy chasing cowboys, they figured, "What the heck?" Uh, you know, we're about to brew some coffee.
Would you care for a cup? Mmm.
I like my coffee like I like my men.
Strong, black and bitter.
Ooh.
You're fun.
I bet you and your old bunkhouse mate got into all sorts of trouble.
Not me.
But Whitney, on the other hand Now, don't get me wrong.
She's a sweetheart, but she's a bit of a hell-raiser.
Really? Yeah.
How so? Okay, like, our first day here, we went on a horseback-riding tour.
She snuck off in the middle of it.
Get out! Where did she go? Probably went to go hang out with her ranch hand.
One of the red bandana boys that work here.
She used to stay out with him all night, every night.
Sounds like I better keep him clear of my missus.
Who was this Romeo? I don't know, she wouldn't say.
She just said he was tall, dark and handsome.
Oh, and married.
Married? Get out! Yes.
Ooh, I wonder if there was any trouble.
I think the reason that we got this room is because Whitney left so early.
She sure did.
Her last night here, she rolled in at 3:00 a.
m.
, upset.
She woke me up with all her crying.
What happened? That's what I said, but she didn't wanna talk about it.
She left before the sun came up, didn't even say goodbye.
Oh.
I'm late for chow.
Thanks for the coffee.
See y'all around.
Okay.
An affair with a married man.
Yes, and she was with him until 3:00 a.
m.
That's right in the middle of her time-of-poisoning window.
We gotta find this guy.
But how? We're undercover.
I can't just flash my badge and get people to talk.
Exactly.
Which is why we don't approach this like cops, we approach this like writers.
So, we procrastinate and make stuff up? No.
Well, yes, but no.
In this particular instance, we approach the investigation like writers by doing research.
Now, there are seven ranch hands to fit the bill of "tall, dark and handsome.
" In order to figure out which one was fooling around with Whitney, we have to first determine who of them are married.
That means we need to go on a wedding ring search.
And these are the possibilities.
So, I split their classes up between us.
Whoa.
Hold up.
"Harmonica for beginners.
Cowboy saloon.
" How come you get all the cool activities? And I get hog-tying? Because this was my idea.
Though it will be a shame that we're spending the first day of our honeymoon apart.
Except we're not.
Because this is not our honeymoon.
Okay, bye.
Be safe.
Hey, Ryan, how's it going? Oh, wonderful.
In fact, we were just discussing your nuptials.
Not the actual event, since neither of us were there.
Guys, is this really why you're calling? Partly, yes.
And we have news.
Here's the good.
MTA cameras show that Whitney's bags were left on the subway.
Here's the bad news.
They were stolen by a homeless man.
But we put out a BOLO.
Hopefully, somebody'll recognize him.
Also, Lanie found something during her autopsy.
She found traces of a wax-covered cardboard under Whitney's nails and on the waistband of her pants.
Wax-covered cardboard? Like butcher paper? Well, Lanie says it's too hard to tell.
What about you and Hop-Along? Learn anything? Well, so far, it looks like our victim was having an affair with a married man.
But the problem is, his identity is a mystery.
Well, speaking of mysteries, we spoke with Whitney's friends.
They said prior to her departure, she was spending a good deal of time at the Historical Society.
Do they know what she was doing there? Well, we're still looking into it, but Okay, guys.
I gotta go.
Hey, Kate.
Wait, are you going to hog-tying class? Mmm, yeah.
Me, too! Oh, my God, we're gonna have so much fun! Yeah, we sure are.
Hog-tying.
Yee-haw.
No ring.
One down.
What'll it be, feller? I'll take, uh, coffin varnish.
Some what? You know, a gut warmer, base burner, nose paint, cowboy cocktail.
What do y'all call whiskey here? Whiskey.
Ooh.
Hey, mister.
I sure could use your help.
I'm looking for the Peacock boys.
Well, I haven't seen them, Marshal.
But I'll, uh, keep an eye out.
You just gonna bat your eyes, mister, or are you gonna play? Oh, yeah! Hey, I'm a sporting man.
Here we go.
Hey there, partner.
Couldn't help but notice you got a ring on your finger.
Just had mine put on.
Newlywed.
This isn't a ring.
It's a noose.
That bad, huh? Ooh.
Yeah, I suppose, one woman for the rest of your life is a tall order.
What's your secret? You'll figure it out.
Oh, come on.
What, do you got a little left-handed missus on the side? I don't cheat on my wife, friend.
Oh.
Well, that's, uh, not what I heard.
You no-good, mangy cur.
You got an ace up your sleeve! You know what we do with card cheats in here, mister? Hold it, boys.
Hear them bells? It's high noon.
That means it's show time.
Take it out back.
Time for a good old-fashioned gun fight! Yee-haw! What do you know? Huh? My wife send you? Hey, I've never met your wife! Who told you I was a cheater? Whitney did.
Damn it! I knew it! Look, everything that woman said to you was a lie.
Ollie! What in tarnation! Mister, are you okay? You thought that was real? Yes! Ollie, up high! He You asked him to throw you out? Yeah.
Like, Old West style.
- Ollie's been - He's all, "Yeehaw," and Well, all righty, then.
As long as you're enjoying yourself.
Damn! That could've cost me my job.
Look, mister, I'm sorry.
Save it.
You want my silence? Tell me about Whitney.
What happened between you two? Look, she came on to me.
Started flirting, getting all handsy.
A bunch of the boys saw us and figured we hooked up.
But we didn't, I swear it.
In fact, I think she was just after my ranch key.
Ranch key? It's on a snake key chain.
I think she picked it off me when she was pawing at me.
What does the key open? The ranch shed.
I mean, you're saying that she stole your key to open the ranch shed? What's in the shed? Nothing.
Just ranch supplies.
I don't get it.
Why would Whitney steal a key to this place? I don't know, but clearly it has nothing to do with the affair.
Right, so what was she after? Castle, do you remember how Lanie said that she found traces of wax-covered cardboard under Whitney's nails and in her waistband? Yeah, so? So, you know what's wrapped in wax-covered cardboard? Dynamite.
She broke in here to steal sticks of these.
Ranchers use dynamite to clear their land.
What the hell was Whitney using it for? Is there any indication why Whitney would steal dynamite? Not yet, but Castle and I have been re-tracing every move she made, starting with that horseback-riding tour that she snuck away from.
Well, any idea where she was going? I asked around, and apparently, the trail that she took led to the Native American reservation.
Wait a minute.
It wasn't the Yavapai Reservation, was it? Yeah.
How'd you know? The Historical Society.
Whitney was looking up obscure documents and maps from the late 18th, early 19th century.
Yeah, most of them had to do with the construction of a dam near the Yavapai Reservation.
Well, did anyone know why she was researching that area? No, but it's probably the reason she went out there in the first place.
But it doesn't explain why Whitney needed dynamite, or why she was poisoned.
Look, it's all gotta be related.
Castle and I are headed up to the reservation to get some answers now.
Uh, guys, I gotta go.
Whoa, whoa.
Ho, ho.
Hey there! Beckett, meet the boys.
This one's Esposito, I'm calling the little one Ryan.
You ready? Uh, Castle, when I asked you to find us a ride, I was thinking of something more along the lines of a pickup truck.
The reservation's 15 miles away.
This is gonna take forever! Yeah, well, what can I tell ya? Everything here is authentic Old West.
Really? Couldn't resist, huh? Just had to get a six-shooter.
Right? Isn't it great? And it gets better.
I got you one, too.
It's a wedding gift.
His-and-her matching set.
And who said romance dies after you say, "I do"? Esposito, Ryan! Hyah! Whoa, whoa.
Seriously? You're rolling up to the reservation dressed like extras from a Gene Autry movie? That's some real cultural insensitivity.
Sorry.
Sir, we didn't mean any offense.
We're vacationing at Diamondback.
Yeah.
Yeah, I figured that.
I was just messing with you folks.
Relax.
He got me.
Welcome.
Whew! Well, I'm Rick.
Yes.
This here is Kate.
And we are on our honeymoon.
- Ain't we, honey? - Yeah, we sure are.
So, we met a guest at Diamondback.
Her name was Whitney.
She said that she came out here and she discovered some breathtaking views.
Yeah, sure.
I remember Whitney.
Nice girl.
Yeah.
She came out a few days ago riding an Appaloosa.
But she wasn't interested in the scenery.
Really? What was she, uh, interested in? Did it have anything to do with dynamite? Dynamite? No, she just had a question about a Yavapai word.
What word was that? Aha gah hel'lah.
She wanted to know if it could be misinterpreted.
Seems an odd question.
Not really.
Many of our words change depending on the context.
"Aha gah hel'lah" means "river.
" But sometimes it means "stream.
" Why would she want to know about that word? I have no idea.
But Whitney was happy with my answer.
She thanked me and left.
And that was it? I don't get it.
Well, I don't get newlyweds dressing up like cowboys on their honeymoon.
But I try not to judge.
You know, the more we learn about Whitney, the less I understand about what she was up to.
Yeah.
I mean, the Historical Society, the Yavapai word, the dynamite.
How does all of that add up to someone poisoning Whitney? It just doesn't make sense.
What else doesn't make any sense is, we're married, and we're not acting like it.
Hmm, what do you got in mind, cowboy? Admit it.
You're impressed.
Yeah, you're right.
I am.
This is actually kind of magical.
To us.
To the journey, and to what lies ahead.
What? You know, maybe this is our honeymoon.
Hmm? Castle, don't move.
Your wish is my command.
No, I'm serious.
Don't move an inch.
Ahhh! What Oh, no.
No, no! No, no, no! Espo! Ryan! Come back! Guys, no! Come back! Oh.
Well, you were right before.
This is so not our honeymoon.
Well, thank goodness! We were fixing to put together a posse to go searching for the two of you.
Yeah, sorry, Mr.
Grady.
We tried to call you, but we couldn't get a signal in the hills.
Your horses came back hours ago.
What happened up there? We met a namesake of your ranch.
Oh, a rattler.
Yeah, well, why don't you mosey on over to the cantina and strap on a feed bag and get some fresh jitter juice in you.
Yeah, I think we'll do that.
Yeah, just as soon as we get on some fresh union suits.
Yee-haw.
You found our victim's suitcases? Yes, sir.
Our BOLO got a hit on the homeless guy who took them from the subway.
Inside, Whitney's research.
And something we haven't seen before.
A letter.
There's no return address, but it's got an Arizona postmark dated 1992.
A 20-year-old letter? "Slim, in care of Rebecca Doolin.
" A Jersey address.
We're hoping to track down Ms.
Doolin so we can get some answers.
The letter's from a guy named Clyde.
We assume that the photograph is him.
It says here that Clyde was a seasonal worker at Diamondback.
Yeah, 20 years ago, before the place was a resort.
But here's the interesting part.
In the letter, Clyde goes on about how he and a guy named Dutch were close to figuring out some big secret.
What big secret? It doesn't say.
But Clyde wrote, "I just need a few more weeks, Slim.
"Dutch and I are so close.
"It all comes down to a mistranslation of a Yavapai word.
" Let me guess.
"Aha gah hel'lah"? Yeah.
How'd you know? It's the same word Whitney was asking the Yavapai elder about.
Well, Clyde goes on to write, "I can hardly believe that one little old word "is the key to the secret of the Peacock boys.
"As soon as I find it, I'm coming on home to you.
Love, Clyde.
" The Peacock boys.
How do I know They're wanted men! Cornelius and Percy Pea cock.
Hey, Ryan, any idea who those people in the letter are? No, but Javi's trying to track down the lady who the letter was sent to.
I'll keep you posted.
Yes, posted Keep Keep us post Thank you.
Thank you, Ryan.
Eyes back in their sockets, cowboy.
We got a murder to solve.
Right.
Now, who is this Clyde fellow, and why did our victim have his letter? And what does any of this have to do with the Peacock boys? Good questions, and I know who has the answers.
You do? The same person who always has the answers in Westerns.
The affable, all-knowing barkeep.
Train robbers.
Held up the Southern Pacific back in 1893.
Made off with 50 bars of US Treasury gold.
Gold? The Peacock boys, they outran a whole squad of soldiers by traversing Deadman's Gorge.
Two days later, they was gunned down just outside of Phoenix.
But the gold was gone.
And no one knows anything about it? There were rumors.
started writing down the old stories of the Yavapai people.
One of them was about Black Fox, just a kid abducted by them Peacock boys.
Forced him to be their guide.
But during their journey, they stopped, and they tied poor Black Fox to a tree just south of the river.
And they rode off in their gold-laden wagon.
But when they returned, it was empty.
The Peacock brothers stashed the gold.
Well, that's what everybody thought.
'Cause when the story surfaced, treasure hunters, they came a-coming.
Anybody ever find it? Nope.
And that's why this is just another legend of the Old West.
Whitney was after the gold.
What if when those missionaries wrote down Black Fox's story, they wrote it down incorrectly? That Yavapai word has two meanings, remember? What if the Peacocks didn't stash the gold near a river? What if they stashed it near a stream? Castle! Look at these maps from Whitney's research.
In 1893, there was a small stream north of the river.
And then, in 1920, it was dammed off.
Wait, that means all those years, everyone was looking for the gold in the wrong place.
In the wrong place! That's why Whitney needed the dynamite.
To blast open whatever hiding place it was in.
But what do you do when you discover 50 bars of gold? Fly it home in your carry-on? 'Course not.
So, she left it there, she went back to New York for help.
But perhaps the killer caught onto her, poisoned her to silence her and to keep the gold for themselves.
When Whitney went home, she was upset.
Does that sound like someone who just found gold? Okay.
Hmm, you got me there.
But if Whitney was searching for the gold and the killer tracked her, there could be clues.
You keep assuming that the gold's still out there.
Don't forget, Clyde and Dutch were looking for it.
They might have found it.
Not if they didn't have those old maps that Whitney had.
You just wanna go after the gold.
Of course I wanna go after the gold! It's gold! Okay, look.
If we use Whitney's research, we may find Whitney's killer, too.
Come on, Beckett.
What do you say? Yeah, that's me.
But I haven't lived at this address in years.
Rebecca, who is Slim? She was a friend of mine.
Her real name's Virginia Williams.
Wait, does she have a daughter named Whitney? Well, Virginia was pregnant with Whitney when she stayed with me.
Virginia was a real mess back then.
How so? Knocked up, no money, no prospects.
Virginia got so fed up with getting letters like these, she finally wrote Clyde a "Dear John" letter and moved on.
Wait, are you saying that Clyde is Whitney's father? Mmm-hmm.
Do you have any idea where Clyde is now? It's been 20 years.
How would I know? Whitney must've found Clyde's letters after her mother passed.
Yeah, and that's what started her quest.
Now, according to the map, the stream used to be right around here.
I think.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Castle, what are you doing? I am tracking Whitney's path to the gold.
And how are you doing that? By staring at the dirt.
That's how they do it in all the old Westerns.
Yes, because they're cowboys.
You're a New Yorker.
An Easterner.
A city slicker.
Yes, and because I'm a city slicker, I can tell you with absolute certainty, Whitney was here.
How? You don't know how to read tracks.
No! No.
But because I'm a New Yorker, I know how to read litter.
Check this out.
Charred, wax-covered cardboard.
Whitney must've detonated the dynamite nearby.
We're close.
Ah.
More there.
Beckett, look at this! There's gold in them thar hills.
You go first, check for snakes.
This place is old.
This mine must've been abandoned before the Peacock boys stashed their loot.
Slow down, Castle.
Just be careful.
Are you kidding? There's treasure in here.
Whitney found the gold.
Or Clyde found the gold and split it with his buddy Dutch, and simply abandoned Whitney and her mom.
I'm absolutely positive Clyde didn't find the gold.
And how can you be so sure, huh? Because it's still here.
For over a century, have been trapped in this cold, dark tomb, waiting patiently to be rescued.
You hear that, Beckett? You hear them calling? Calling to me.
Your wait is over, my golden friends.
I'm here to save you.
Okay, that's not gold! That's blunt-force trauma.
Yeah, and given this hat, I'm pretty sure I know who the victim is.
It's Clyde.
Yep.
Castle, do you think that Whitney came out here to find her dad? Well, explains why she was so upset when she left.
You were right.
Clyde found the treasure years ago.
Yeah, but then his buddy Dutch double-crossed him.
Dutch took the gold for himself, left his blood-stained shirt behind And if he killed once, what's to stop him from killing again to protect his secret? Wait.
If Whitney found her murdered father, why not just go straight to the sheriff? Why take the first flight home? To confront her father's killer.
Dutch was just his nickname.
Castle, look.
There's a laundry tag on this shirt.
It has the initials "P.
D.
" Philip Dagmar.
I had nothing to do with Whitney's death.
Are you sure about that, Mr.
Dagmar? Or should we call you "Dutch"? We checked your phone records.
There was a call from the ranch pay phone to your cell phone the morning of Whitney's murder.
She called you, didn't she? What did she say? That she was flying home.
She needed to speak with me in person.
Why didn't you tell us this before? Because it makes me look guilty.
You're right.
It does.
I bet you've still got connections in that one-horse town, don't you? Why would I kill Whitney? Because she knew about your secret, Dutch.
We found Clyde's skeleton.
The skeleton you left when you took those 50 bars of gold.
So, you're saying that the story about the Peacock boys and the gold is true? Yep, and someone found out the hard way.
Well, that's not gonna be good for business.
Now, don't you worry none.
All that nonsense is from long before y'all bought the place.
It's not gonna scare anyone off.
And I'll make sure of it.
We appreciate that, Sheriff.
Jimmy, I sure could use the ranch's ATVs to get up to this mine.
Of course.
We got two of them.
They're all yours.
Come on, I'll take you to them.
Detective, would you mind showing me the way? Not a problem.
Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, Castle.
Where's the fun in that? Sounds like you've had a hell of a day, son.
Wanna bend an elbow and tell me all about it? Drinks are on me.
I did the best I could for Whitney, all these years.
But she wanted to find out what happened to her father.
God, I can't believe she found him.
And when she did, you knew exactly what to do, didn't you? So you hired someone to poison her No, I didn't kill Whitney.
But I think I know who did.
Come on, Dutch.
We know it was you.
Clyde and I couldn't find the location of the old stream, so we enlisted the help of someone who grew up in the town.
Clyde and I planned to turn in the gold and collect the finder's fee from the Treasury.
But our new partner disagreed.
They fought, and Clyde fell, landed on a rock, and hit his head.
He was dead in minutes.
That's when I sold my soul.
For 25 bars of gold.
Mr.
Dagmar, who was your other partner? Smooth.
Oh, excuse me.
Ah.
Ryan, they didn't have mobile phones in the Old West, so you're kind of killing the vibe and my buzz.
Listen, is Beckett with you? No.
Why? I've been calling and texting.
She's not answering.
Oh, she's on an ATV.
She probably can't hear her phone.
What's up? There was a third partner.
He's the killer.
The sheriff? No, it's James Grady.
Well, I guess this is goodbye.
Grady, stop! Who's gonna make me, son? You? Look, Grady, you, uh You kill me, that's just another murder you're gonna have to answer for.
Not if I make it to Mexico first.
I can't let that happen.
You've got sand, boy, I'll give you that much.
Why don't you sit on down and have another drink? Come on, son, think of your wife.
I am.
Well, then, you've got a hankering for a residence in the bone orchard, I'll accommodate you.
Any last words? Yeah.
If I survive this, I'm giving this place a scathing review on Yelp.
Hey! I, uh, guess you got Ryan's message.
Castle, I leave you alone for five minutes and you end up in a showdown? Yeah, well, good thing I married the fastest gun from the East.
Given that Whitney checked in under her own name, Grady may have been onto her from the moment she arrived.
Probably didn't take him long to figure out why she came.
And when he did, he must've followed her to the mine and seen what she discovered.
Yep.
On the morning she left, Grady made specific Internet searches on foxglove poisoning.
Sounds like you got him dead to rights, Sheriff.
Well, with what you did here, we sure do.
Detective, I'm in your debt.
Y'all take care of yourselves.
Thank you, Sheriff.
Well, I guess we cleaned up this town.
Yeah, I reckon we did.
So, I guess it's, uh, time to go home.
Nah, nah.
Well, you know what really gets me? It's that they said they only invited immediate family.
What? We're not family? More like poor relations.
And we're probably the reason that they fell in love in the first place.
Right? You know, I've been listening to your bellyaching for the last few days, and I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you two? Come on, sir.
It doesn't bother you? You really wanna know what I think, detectives? I think that the two of you should stop whining like two little school girls who weren't invited to the dance, and be happy that your friends, your very dear friends, have found a way to make it work.
Especially after all the hell those two have been through.
Now, that's what I think.
Well, when you put it that way Yeah.
I guess, in some opinions, we have been kind of jerks about it.
Right.
Yeah, you have.
But if you're interested, there might be something you could do to make it up to them.
Well, Rick, I'm sorry to see you guys go.
Oh, yeah.
Me, too.
But it couldn't be helped.
Hey there, cowboy.
Where are you off to in such a hurry? Beckett, what are you doing? We're gonna miss our flight.
You gotta be in the office by morning.
No, I don't.
Yeah, you do.
You don't have any personal days left.
Actually, I kind of do.
For our wedding gift, Ryan and Esposito have both agreed to give me two of their vacation days, each.
They did? Yeah.
So, now, we have four days to do whatever we want.
And you wanna stay here? Of course I wanna stay.
After all, this is our honeymoon.
Oh, wait, we're gonna still go to that island getaway, right? Yes, absolutely.
Okay, good.
She went into convulsions on the E train.
In and out of consciousness ever since.
I want a CBC and an EKG.
Any sign of drugs on her? Nothing.
But at one point, she said someone did this to her.
Whitney, can you tell me what happened? Diamondback.
She's seizing.
Push four milligrams of Ativan! Friends, thank you for coming on such short notice.
Well, it's times like these I'm reminded of Shakespeare, who wrote, "It's not in the stars" Ah, ah, ah.
He also said, "Brevity is the soul of wit," so get to it, darling.
Yeah, okay.
We just returned from the Hamptons and We got married! We got married.
Yes! Why did you do that? You guys suck.
Okay, hold up, hold up.
You couldn't No, no, no.
You guys jumped the broom and didn't invite us? It was spur-of-the-moment.
Spur.
Oh, and it was perfection.
I mean, you should've been there.
It was fire and love.
At one point, there were all these doves that just soared into the Gram? Gram, maybe we don't rub it in.
Let's go get you another drink.
Oh, drink.
Okay.
Yeah, come on.
Hold this.
I am your maid of honor.
I haven't had a carb in months, just in case I had to put that damn dress back on.
And you look great.
Save the flattery.
Kate, you owe me dinner.
I'm picking the restaurant, and we're ordering all the desserts! Okay.
Oh, girl, you're married! Come here! Ow.
Guys.
- Guys, come on! - No.
We were really looking forward to this for a long time, too, Castle.
We had a speech prepared and everything.
Oh.
Plus, we wrote that song.
Yeah.
Seriously, you wrote a song? Yeah.
We're planning a little reception.
You guys could do the song at the reception.
No song for you.
You had your chance.
Guys, we're gonna have to cut the celebration short.
There's been a murder.
Really? We didn't get that call.
Once again, not invited.
Cheers! Fine.
We'll meet you at the precinct.
Well, it could've been worse.
It still might be.
Who knows what they're doing to our place right now.
You heard what you just said? "Our place.
" Our.
We're married.
We did it, Mrs.
Castle.
We certainly did, Mr.
Beckett.
Although, this arguably isn't the most romantic post-wedding activity.
Or perhaps it's fitting, considering how we met.
But you bring up an excellent point.
The honeymoon.
Yes, about the exotic island getaway.
It It's gonna have to wait.
Why? Because when you went missing, I used up all of my vacation days looking for you.
So, no honeymoon? Mmm.
Not for a while, I'm afraid.
So, instead of Mai Tais, we get murder.
Great.
No, it'll be great.
Whitney Williams.
She went into convulsions, then cardiac arrest.
We couldn't bring her back.
And her last words were "Diamondback"? What does that mean? I have no idea.
And she believed that she was a victim of foul play? Yes, and so do I.
We ran a full blood workup, and it came back with high traces of digoxin.
That's a heart medication.
Derived from the foxglove plant.
According to our pathologist, this was unpurified digoxin.
Taken directly from the plant, it's lethal.
So, she was poisoned.
Any way to tell how long ago she ingested the foxglove? We're estimating 10 to 14 hours.
Have you contacted the next of kin? I thought you would wanna handle that.
This is her In Case of Emergency card.
Thanks for coming in, Mr.
and Mrs.
Dagmar.
Well, since her mom passed, I suppose we're the closest thing to family that Whitney has.
She was our first Dagmar scholar.
Dagmar scholar? We sponsor disadvantaged children.
Send them to the finest schools.
The poisoning occurred between 10 and 14 hours ago.
Do you happen to know where Whitney was, or who she was with at the time? No.
The last time we saw her was a week ago, when she came over for supper.
Did she mention if she was having problems with anyone? Perhaps at work? She did say she was going to take some time off from her internship.
Do you know why? Her mother's death was recent.
Whitney said she needed some time to get over the loss.
Does the word "Diamondback" mean anything to either of you? No.
No, I'm afraid not.
Okay, "Diamondback.
" I have whittled it down to three possibilities as to what that means and why Whitney would utter it with her dying breath.
And I am sure that none of them will be a waste of my time.
Possibility number one, it's the password for a murderous underground snake-handling fight club.
Granted, that's probably not what it means, but it might be the basis for my next Nikki Heat novel.
Possibility number two, she was killed by the Marvel character, Diamondback, whose special skill was throwing diamond-shaped spikes filled with poison.
Third possibility It's a dude ranch in Arizona.
We struck out with the Dagmars, but we found an e-mail to Whitney from a "Diamondback Old West Ranch," confirming a two-week stay in bunkhouse number 14.
Old West dude ranch.
That's my number three.
It's exactly what I was gonna say.
Good work, boys.
You still suck.
And you owe us for those tuxedo rentals.
Right.
So, she was on vacation in Arizona? For two weeks? Yep.
She go with anyone? No, but it looks like the whole city-slickers-cowboy thing didn't really agree with her.
Whitney cut her trip short after only three days there.
She paid for a last-minute ticket change for an 8:00 a.
m.
flight out of Phoenix this morning.
This morning? So, she was poisoned in Arizona.
Somewhere between And all indications are that she left in a big hurry.
She even forgot to turn in her bunkhouse key.
Okay, I need every detail we can get on that place.
According to this, "Diamondback Old West Ranch is a living-history resort, "where both staff and guests dress in Old West attire "and engage in cowboy activities.
" This sounds pretty cool! Or not, considering Whitney might've been poisoned there.
Wait a minute.
If Whitney flew back today, then she was coming in on the train from JFK when she had that seizure.
But the only personal effect that we found at the hospital was her purse.
So, where's her luggage? Maybe it was left in the subway when the medics took her.
Well, if something happened at that ranch, then there might be evidence of it in her suitcases.
I'll look into it.
And I'll keep digging in her financials.
Maybe there's somewhere else she went in Arizona.
And I'll touch base with the local sheriff and coordinate with him on the investigation.
Thanks, big boy.
Look, Detective, the way I see it, this is not an Arizona matter.
Sheriff, we have evidence that Whitney was poisoned in your jurisdiction.
No, what you have is speculation.
She could've been poisoned on the plane, or at the airport.
Hell, I wouldn't know where to begin.
Well, I'm telling you where to begin.
Diamondback Old West Ranch.
Detective, you gotta understand.
That resort is the lifeblood of our little tourist town.
So, this is political? No, it's personal.
Look, I've got people here.
Folks I grew up with.
And I can't just go in and disrupt business.
Until there's some concrete proof.
I'm sorry.
Without the sheriff's cooperation, there's only so much we can do.
So, we're just gonna let him get away with this? Kind of like how we let you get away with not inviting us to the wedding? Well, at least you were invited to the champagne toast.
Sorry, sir.
Oh, no, no, no.
I'm sure it was Mr.
Castle's fault.
Now, regarding the case, I'll call the feds and see if they can intercede on our behalf.
Sir, that could take weeks.
By then, any evidence or witnesses could be long gone.
Uh, excuse me, sir.
I checked Whitney's financials.
She used a car service to get to the airport in Arizona this morning.
And I spoke with the driver.
He said she seemed upset when she left the ranch.
Something happened there.
Yeah, but we have no way to investigate it.
Wait.
Maybe we do.
We do? Well, look at this place.
I mean, it's got beautiful skies, wide open spaces.
Thrill of the Old West? What better place for an impromptu honeymoon? For the investigation, of course.
We could jump on a plane and be there in a few hours.
Castle, you cannot be serious.
We can find Whitney's killer and have a honeymoon at the same time.
It's perfect.
No, Castle, we are not having a honeymoon at a dude ranch! Well, then, it can be our cover story.
We're a newlywed couple with a hankering for the wild frontier, right? And, look, Beckett, I know you wanna see justice brought to this young woman's killer, and this This is the only way.
I hate to say this, but your husband may be right.
This could be our best shot at solving the case.
Fine.
Excellent.
Saddle up, honey, because we are honeymooning out west.
Yee-haw.
Oh.
Whoa.
Wow.
It's like we rolled right into a John Ford movie.
Thank you.
Okay there, hoss.
Just remember, we're here for a reason.
To find Whitney's killer.
Best honeymoon ever! Ew.
This is so not our honeymoon.
I think in the Old West, that was a sign of good fortune.
Lucky me.
Say, y'all must be the newlyweds.
Well, welcome to the Diamondback Old West Ranch, folks.
They call me Gentleman James Grady, and I am the proprietor of this here establishment.
Uh, I am Rick.
This is Kate.
And may I just say, this place is amazing.
Yeah, very authentic.
Oh, that's what you jackaroos came for, ain't it? The legend and, dare I say, romance of the Old West.
Now, these brochures in your hands detail all the activities that we have to offer here.
From cattle driving to nature walking, we got it all.
And my friendly staff of ranch hands, uh, they're the ones in the red bandanas in the brochure and all around here, they will guide you through any adventure your hearts desire.
So, shall we begin? Actually, we just got in on the red-eye, and hoping to check into our room.
No problemo.
Seeing as you're newlyweds, I upgraded you to a suite in our Grand Hotel.
Oh.
Well, we're much obliged.
Yeah, sure are, but we were looking for a more authentic experience, and we're kind of hoping to stay at one of the bunkhouse rooms.
Whatever the little lady wants.
I can see who wears the Yeah and, um, Mr.
Grady, I know that this sounds silly, but my lucky number is 14.
Is that room available? Uh, Daisy Mae! Daisy Mae! We need you, dear.
That's my missus.
Like yours, she runs the show here.
Hon, uh, these lovebirds wanna stay in bunkhouse 14.
Is it vacant? Sure is.
But why? It's a single room with a twin bed.
Oh, that's okay.
We're, uh We're cuddlers.
Yeah.
Well, all righty, then.
But first, folks, we gotta get you out of those bibs and tuckers.
Ooh-hoo! Whee.
Take a look at this belvedere.
I do look good, don't I? Oh.
This is like three fantasies coming true all at once.
Only thing missing is Gentleman James, where do we get the replica guns? Like yours? Replica? Son, this is Arizona.
It's open carry.
Say, do either of you two know what's quicker than lightning? What? This gun tamed the Wild West.
Colt .
45 Single Action Peacemaker.
I wanna be him when I grow up.
Well, yeah, if you grow up.
It's all about practice.
Which you can do with one of our firearms available for purchase at our gift shop.
In fact, why don't we mosey on over? Yeah, uh, Mr.
Grady, you know what? Maybe later.
Right now we're both a bit knackered, so we were hoping to go to our room.
So glad you're staying with us.
Much obliged, ma'am.
Much obliged, ma'am.
We were wrong.
The key that Whitney had with her wasn't her room key.
Well, then what does it go to? I don't know.
Here's 14.
Oh, wait.
Whether we like it or not, we are on our honeymoon.
So, we must act accordingly.
Oh, jeez! Oh, yeah.
So not our honeymoon.
You're looking for disinfectant? And clues.
Remember? Whitney was staying here.
I highly doubt we're gonna find anything in this room that can help us.
Howdy, partner.
I don't know if it comes with the room, but there's a naked cowboy shaving in our bathroom.
I'm sorry, what? My fault, forgot to lock the door.
It's a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.
I'm in the room on the other side.
Oh I'm Rick.
This is Kate.
We, uh, just checked in.
Newlyweds.
Oh, congratulations.
I'm Tobias.
Hi.
But didn't Mr.
Grady say that there was a woman staying in our room before? Ah, yes.
I'm surprised they let her stay in so close with menfolk, considering the customs of the Old West.
Well, I guess when they found out me and her both enjoy chasing cowboys, they figured, "What the heck?" Uh, you know, we're about to brew some coffee.
Would you care for a cup? Mmm.
I like my coffee like I like my men.
Strong, black and bitter.
Ooh.
You're fun.
I bet you and your old bunkhouse mate got into all sorts of trouble.
Not me.
But Whitney, on the other hand Now, don't get me wrong.
She's a sweetheart, but she's a bit of a hell-raiser.
Really? Yeah.
How so? Okay, like, our first day here, we went on a horseback-riding tour.
She snuck off in the middle of it.
Get out! Where did she go? Probably went to go hang out with her ranch hand.
One of the red bandana boys that work here.
She used to stay out with him all night, every night.
Sounds like I better keep him clear of my missus.
Who was this Romeo? I don't know, she wouldn't say.
She just said he was tall, dark and handsome.
Oh, and married.
Married? Get out! Yes.
Ooh, I wonder if there was any trouble.
I think the reason that we got this room is because Whitney left so early.
She sure did.
Her last night here, she rolled in at 3:00 a.
m.
, upset.
She woke me up with all her crying.
What happened? That's what I said, but she didn't wanna talk about it.
She left before the sun came up, didn't even say goodbye.
Oh.
I'm late for chow.
Thanks for the coffee.
See y'all around.
Okay.
An affair with a married man.
Yes, and she was with him until 3:00 a.
m.
That's right in the middle of her time-of-poisoning window.
We gotta find this guy.
But how? We're undercover.
I can't just flash my badge and get people to talk.
Exactly.
Which is why we don't approach this like cops, we approach this like writers.
So, we procrastinate and make stuff up? No.
Well, yes, but no.
In this particular instance, we approach the investigation like writers by doing research.
Now, there are seven ranch hands to fit the bill of "tall, dark and handsome.
" In order to figure out which one was fooling around with Whitney, we have to first determine who of them are married.
That means we need to go on a wedding ring search.
And these are the possibilities.
So, I split their classes up between us.
Whoa.
Hold up.
"Harmonica for beginners.
Cowboy saloon.
" How come you get all the cool activities? And I get hog-tying? Because this was my idea.
Though it will be a shame that we're spending the first day of our honeymoon apart.
Except we're not.
Because this is not our honeymoon.
Okay, bye.
Be safe.
Hey, Ryan, how's it going? Oh, wonderful.
In fact, we were just discussing your nuptials.
Not the actual event, since neither of us were there.
Guys, is this really why you're calling? Partly, yes.
And we have news.
Here's the good.
MTA cameras show that Whitney's bags were left on the subway.
Here's the bad news.
They were stolen by a homeless man.
But we put out a BOLO.
Hopefully, somebody'll recognize him.
Also, Lanie found something during her autopsy.
She found traces of a wax-covered cardboard under Whitney's nails and on the waistband of her pants.
Wax-covered cardboard? Like butcher paper? Well, Lanie says it's too hard to tell.
What about you and Hop-Along? Learn anything? Well, so far, it looks like our victim was having an affair with a married man.
But the problem is, his identity is a mystery.
Well, speaking of mysteries, we spoke with Whitney's friends.
They said prior to her departure, she was spending a good deal of time at the Historical Society.
Do they know what she was doing there? Well, we're still looking into it, but Okay, guys.
I gotta go.
Hey, Kate.
Wait, are you going to hog-tying class? Mmm, yeah.
Me, too! Oh, my God, we're gonna have so much fun! Yeah, we sure are.
Hog-tying.
Yee-haw.
No ring.
One down.
What'll it be, feller? I'll take, uh, coffin varnish.
Some what? You know, a gut warmer, base burner, nose paint, cowboy cocktail.
What do y'all call whiskey here? Whiskey.
Ooh.
Hey, mister.
I sure could use your help.
I'm looking for the Peacock boys.
Well, I haven't seen them, Marshal.
But I'll, uh, keep an eye out.
You just gonna bat your eyes, mister, or are you gonna play? Oh, yeah! Hey, I'm a sporting man.
Here we go.
Hey there, partner.
Couldn't help but notice you got a ring on your finger.
Just had mine put on.
Newlywed.
This isn't a ring.
It's a noose.
That bad, huh? Ooh.
Yeah, I suppose, one woman for the rest of your life is a tall order.
What's your secret? You'll figure it out.
Oh, come on.
What, do you got a little left-handed missus on the side? I don't cheat on my wife, friend.
Oh.
Well, that's, uh, not what I heard.
You no-good, mangy cur.
You got an ace up your sleeve! You know what we do with card cheats in here, mister? Hold it, boys.
Hear them bells? It's high noon.
That means it's show time.
Take it out back.
Time for a good old-fashioned gun fight! Yee-haw! What do you know? Huh? My wife send you? Hey, I've never met your wife! Who told you I was a cheater? Whitney did.
Damn it! I knew it! Look, everything that woman said to you was a lie.
Ollie! What in tarnation! Mister, are you okay? You thought that was real? Yes! Ollie, up high! He You asked him to throw you out? Yeah.
Like, Old West style.
- Ollie's been - He's all, "Yeehaw," and Well, all righty, then.
As long as you're enjoying yourself.
Damn! That could've cost me my job.
Look, mister, I'm sorry.
Save it.
You want my silence? Tell me about Whitney.
What happened between you two? Look, she came on to me.
Started flirting, getting all handsy.
A bunch of the boys saw us and figured we hooked up.
But we didn't, I swear it.
In fact, I think she was just after my ranch key.
Ranch key? It's on a snake key chain.
I think she picked it off me when she was pawing at me.
What does the key open? The ranch shed.
I mean, you're saying that she stole your key to open the ranch shed? What's in the shed? Nothing.
Just ranch supplies.
I don't get it.
Why would Whitney steal a key to this place? I don't know, but clearly it has nothing to do with the affair.
Right, so what was she after? Castle, do you remember how Lanie said that she found traces of wax-covered cardboard under Whitney's nails and in her waistband? Yeah, so? So, you know what's wrapped in wax-covered cardboard? Dynamite.
She broke in here to steal sticks of these.
Ranchers use dynamite to clear their land.
What the hell was Whitney using it for? Is there any indication why Whitney would steal dynamite? Not yet, but Castle and I have been re-tracing every move she made, starting with that horseback-riding tour that she snuck away from.
Well, any idea where she was going? I asked around, and apparently, the trail that she took led to the Native American reservation.
Wait a minute.
It wasn't the Yavapai Reservation, was it? Yeah.
How'd you know? The Historical Society.
Whitney was looking up obscure documents and maps from the late 18th, early 19th century.
Yeah, most of them had to do with the construction of a dam near the Yavapai Reservation.
Well, did anyone know why she was researching that area? No, but it's probably the reason she went out there in the first place.
But it doesn't explain why Whitney needed dynamite, or why she was poisoned.
Look, it's all gotta be related.
Castle and I are headed up to the reservation to get some answers now.
Uh, guys, I gotta go.
Whoa, whoa.
Ho, ho.
Hey there! Beckett, meet the boys.
This one's Esposito, I'm calling the little one Ryan.
You ready? Uh, Castle, when I asked you to find us a ride, I was thinking of something more along the lines of a pickup truck.
The reservation's 15 miles away.
This is gonna take forever! Yeah, well, what can I tell ya? Everything here is authentic Old West.
Really? Couldn't resist, huh? Just had to get a six-shooter.
Right? Isn't it great? And it gets better.
I got you one, too.
It's a wedding gift.
His-and-her matching set.
And who said romance dies after you say, "I do"? Esposito, Ryan! Hyah! Whoa, whoa.
Seriously? You're rolling up to the reservation dressed like extras from a Gene Autry movie? That's some real cultural insensitivity.
Sorry.
Sir, we didn't mean any offense.
We're vacationing at Diamondback.
Yeah.
Yeah, I figured that.
I was just messing with you folks.
Relax.
He got me.
Welcome.
Whew! Well, I'm Rick.
Yes.
This here is Kate.
And we are on our honeymoon.
- Ain't we, honey? - Yeah, we sure are.
So, we met a guest at Diamondback.
Her name was Whitney.
She said that she came out here and she discovered some breathtaking views.
Yeah, sure.
I remember Whitney.
Nice girl.
Yeah.
She came out a few days ago riding an Appaloosa.
But she wasn't interested in the scenery.
Really? What was she, uh, interested in? Did it have anything to do with dynamite? Dynamite? No, she just had a question about a Yavapai word.
What word was that? Aha gah hel'lah.
She wanted to know if it could be misinterpreted.
Seems an odd question.
Not really.
Many of our words change depending on the context.
"Aha gah hel'lah" means "river.
" But sometimes it means "stream.
" Why would she want to know about that word? I have no idea.
But Whitney was happy with my answer.
She thanked me and left.
And that was it? I don't get it.
Well, I don't get newlyweds dressing up like cowboys on their honeymoon.
But I try not to judge.
You know, the more we learn about Whitney, the less I understand about what she was up to.
Yeah.
I mean, the Historical Society, the Yavapai word, the dynamite.
How does all of that add up to someone poisoning Whitney? It just doesn't make sense.
What else doesn't make any sense is, we're married, and we're not acting like it.
Hmm, what do you got in mind, cowboy? Admit it.
You're impressed.
Yeah, you're right.
I am.
This is actually kind of magical.
To us.
To the journey, and to what lies ahead.
What? You know, maybe this is our honeymoon.
Hmm? Castle, don't move.
Your wish is my command.
No, I'm serious.
Don't move an inch.
Ahhh! What Oh, no.
No, no! No, no, no! Espo! Ryan! Come back! Guys, no! Come back! Oh.
Well, you were right before.
This is so not our honeymoon.
Well, thank goodness! We were fixing to put together a posse to go searching for the two of you.
Yeah, sorry, Mr.
Grady.
We tried to call you, but we couldn't get a signal in the hills.
Your horses came back hours ago.
What happened up there? We met a namesake of your ranch.
Oh, a rattler.
Yeah, well, why don't you mosey on over to the cantina and strap on a feed bag and get some fresh jitter juice in you.
Yeah, I think we'll do that.
Yeah, just as soon as we get on some fresh union suits.
Yee-haw.
You found our victim's suitcases? Yes, sir.
Our BOLO got a hit on the homeless guy who took them from the subway.
Inside, Whitney's research.
And something we haven't seen before.
A letter.
There's no return address, but it's got an Arizona postmark dated 1992.
A 20-year-old letter? "Slim, in care of Rebecca Doolin.
" A Jersey address.
We're hoping to track down Ms.
Doolin so we can get some answers.
The letter's from a guy named Clyde.
We assume that the photograph is him.
It says here that Clyde was a seasonal worker at Diamondback.
Yeah, 20 years ago, before the place was a resort.
But here's the interesting part.
In the letter, Clyde goes on about how he and a guy named Dutch were close to figuring out some big secret.
What big secret? It doesn't say.
But Clyde wrote, "I just need a few more weeks, Slim.
"Dutch and I are so close.
"It all comes down to a mistranslation of a Yavapai word.
" Let me guess.
"Aha gah hel'lah"? Yeah.
How'd you know? It's the same word Whitney was asking the Yavapai elder about.
Well, Clyde goes on to write, "I can hardly believe that one little old word "is the key to the secret of the Peacock boys.
"As soon as I find it, I'm coming on home to you.
Love, Clyde.
" The Peacock boys.
How do I know They're wanted men! Cornelius and Percy Pea cock.
Hey, Ryan, any idea who those people in the letter are? No, but Javi's trying to track down the lady who the letter was sent to.
I'll keep you posted.
Yes, posted Keep Keep us post Thank you.
Thank you, Ryan.
Eyes back in their sockets, cowboy.
We got a murder to solve.
Right.
Now, who is this Clyde fellow, and why did our victim have his letter? And what does any of this have to do with the Peacock boys? Good questions, and I know who has the answers.
You do? The same person who always has the answers in Westerns.
The affable, all-knowing barkeep.
Train robbers.
Held up the Southern Pacific back in 1893.
Made off with 50 bars of US Treasury gold.
Gold? The Peacock boys, they outran a whole squad of soldiers by traversing Deadman's Gorge.
Two days later, they was gunned down just outside of Phoenix.
But the gold was gone.
And no one knows anything about it? There were rumors.
started writing down the old stories of the Yavapai people.
One of them was about Black Fox, just a kid abducted by them Peacock boys.
Forced him to be their guide.
But during their journey, they stopped, and they tied poor Black Fox to a tree just south of the river.
And they rode off in their gold-laden wagon.
But when they returned, it was empty.
The Peacock brothers stashed the gold.
Well, that's what everybody thought.
'Cause when the story surfaced, treasure hunters, they came a-coming.
Anybody ever find it? Nope.
And that's why this is just another legend of the Old West.
Whitney was after the gold.
What if when those missionaries wrote down Black Fox's story, they wrote it down incorrectly? That Yavapai word has two meanings, remember? What if the Peacocks didn't stash the gold near a river? What if they stashed it near a stream? Castle! Look at these maps from Whitney's research.
In 1893, there was a small stream north of the river.
And then, in 1920, it was dammed off.
Wait, that means all those years, everyone was looking for the gold in the wrong place.
In the wrong place! That's why Whitney needed the dynamite.
To blast open whatever hiding place it was in.
But what do you do when you discover 50 bars of gold? Fly it home in your carry-on? 'Course not.
So, she left it there, she went back to New York for help.
But perhaps the killer caught onto her, poisoned her to silence her and to keep the gold for themselves.
When Whitney went home, she was upset.
Does that sound like someone who just found gold? Okay.
Hmm, you got me there.
But if Whitney was searching for the gold and the killer tracked her, there could be clues.
You keep assuming that the gold's still out there.
Don't forget, Clyde and Dutch were looking for it.
They might have found it.
Not if they didn't have those old maps that Whitney had.
You just wanna go after the gold.
Of course I wanna go after the gold! It's gold! Okay, look.
If we use Whitney's research, we may find Whitney's killer, too.
Come on, Beckett.
What do you say? Yeah, that's me.
But I haven't lived at this address in years.
Rebecca, who is Slim? She was a friend of mine.
Her real name's Virginia Williams.
Wait, does she have a daughter named Whitney? Well, Virginia was pregnant with Whitney when she stayed with me.
Virginia was a real mess back then.
How so? Knocked up, no money, no prospects.
Virginia got so fed up with getting letters like these, she finally wrote Clyde a "Dear John" letter and moved on.
Wait, are you saying that Clyde is Whitney's father? Mmm-hmm.
Do you have any idea where Clyde is now? It's been 20 years.
How would I know? Whitney must've found Clyde's letters after her mother passed.
Yeah, and that's what started her quest.
Now, according to the map, the stream used to be right around here.
I think.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Castle, what are you doing? I am tracking Whitney's path to the gold.
And how are you doing that? By staring at the dirt.
That's how they do it in all the old Westerns.
Yes, because they're cowboys.
You're a New Yorker.
An Easterner.
A city slicker.
Yes, and because I'm a city slicker, I can tell you with absolute certainty, Whitney was here.
How? You don't know how to read tracks.
No! No.
But because I'm a New Yorker, I know how to read litter.
Check this out.
Charred, wax-covered cardboard.
Whitney must've detonated the dynamite nearby.
We're close.
Ah.
More there.
Beckett, look at this! There's gold in them thar hills.
You go first, check for snakes.
This place is old.
This mine must've been abandoned before the Peacock boys stashed their loot.
Slow down, Castle.
Just be careful.
Are you kidding? There's treasure in here.
Whitney found the gold.
Or Clyde found the gold and split it with his buddy Dutch, and simply abandoned Whitney and her mom.
I'm absolutely positive Clyde didn't find the gold.
And how can you be so sure, huh? Because it's still here.
For over a century, have been trapped in this cold, dark tomb, waiting patiently to be rescued.
You hear that, Beckett? You hear them calling? Calling to me.
Your wait is over, my golden friends.
I'm here to save you.
Okay, that's not gold! That's blunt-force trauma.
Yeah, and given this hat, I'm pretty sure I know who the victim is.
It's Clyde.
Yep.
Castle, do you think that Whitney came out here to find her dad? Well, explains why she was so upset when she left.
You were right.
Clyde found the treasure years ago.
Yeah, but then his buddy Dutch double-crossed him.
Dutch took the gold for himself, left his blood-stained shirt behind And if he killed once, what's to stop him from killing again to protect his secret? Wait.
If Whitney found her murdered father, why not just go straight to the sheriff? Why take the first flight home? To confront her father's killer.
Dutch was just his nickname.
Castle, look.
There's a laundry tag on this shirt.
It has the initials "P.
D.
" Philip Dagmar.
I had nothing to do with Whitney's death.
Are you sure about that, Mr.
Dagmar? Or should we call you "Dutch"? We checked your phone records.
There was a call from the ranch pay phone to your cell phone the morning of Whitney's murder.
She called you, didn't she? What did she say? That she was flying home.
She needed to speak with me in person.
Why didn't you tell us this before? Because it makes me look guilty.
You're right.
It does.
I bet you've still got connections in that one-horse town, don't you? Why would I kill Whitney? Because she knew about your secret, Dutch.
We found Clyde's skeleton.
The skeleton you left when you took those 50 bars of gold.
So, you're saying that the story about the Peacock boys and the gold is true? Yep, and someone found out the hard way.
Well, that's not gonna be good for business.
Now, don't you worry none.
All that nonsense is from long before y'all bought the place.
It's not gonna scare anyone off.
And I'll make sure of it.
We appreciate that, Sheriff.
Jimmy, I sure could use the ranch's ATVs to get up to this mine.
Of course.
We got two of them.
They're all yours.
Come on, I'll take you to them.
Detective, would you mind showing me the way? Not a problem.
Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, Castle.
Where's the fun in that? Sounds like you've had a hell of a day, son.
Wanna bend an elbow and tell me all about it? Drinks are on me.
I did the best I could for Whitney, all these years.
But she wanted to find out what happened to her father.
God, I can't believe she found him.
And when she did, you knew exactly what to do, didn't you? So you hired someone to poison her No, I didn't kill Whitney.
But I think I know who did.
Come on, Dutch.
We know it was you.
Clyde and I couldn't find the location of the old stream, so we enlisted the help of someone who grew up in the town.
Clyde and I planned to turn in the gold and collect the finder's fee from the Treasury.
But our new partner disagreed.
They fought, and Clyde fell, landed on a rock, and hit his head.
He was dead in minutes.
That's when I sold my soul.
For 25 bars of gold.
Mr.
Dagmar, who was your other partner? Smooth.
Oh, excuse me.
Ah.
Ryan, they didn't have mobile phones in the Old West, so you're kind of killing the vibe and my buzz.
Listen, is Beckett with you? No.
Why? I've been calling and texting.
She's not answering.
Oh, she's on an ATV.
She probably can't hear her phone.
What's up? There was a third partner.
He's the killer.
The sheriff? No, it's James Grady.
Well, I guess this is goodbye.
Grady, stop! Who's gonna make me, son? You? Look, Grady, you, uh You kill me, that's just another murder you're gonna have to answer for.
Not if I make it to Mexico first.
I can't let that happen.
You've got sand, boy, I'll give you that much.
Why don't you sit on down and have another drink? Come on, son, think of your wife.
I am.
Well, then, you've got a hankering for a residence in the bone orchard, I'll accommodate you.
Any last words? Yeah.
If I survive this, I'm giving this place a scathing review on Yelp.
Hey! I, uh, guess you got Ryan's message.
Castle, I leave you alone for five minutes and you end up in a showdown? Yeah, well, good thing I married the fastest gun from the East.
Given that Whitney checked in under her own name, Grady may have been onto her from the moment she arrived.
Probably didn't take him long to figure out why she came.
And when he did, he must've followed her to the mine and seen what she discovered.
Yep.
On the morning she left, Grady made specific Internet searches on foxglove poisoning.
Sounds like you got him dead to rights, Sheriff.
Well, with what you did here, we sure do.
Detective, I'm in your debt.
Y'all take care of yourselves.
Thank you, Sheriff.
Well, I guess we cleaned up this town.
Yeah, I reckon we did.
So, I guess it's, uh, time to go home.
Nah, nah.
Well, you know what really gets me? It's that they said they only invited immediate family.
What? We're not family? More like poor relations.
And we're probably the reason that they fell in love in the first place.
Right? You know, I've been listening to your bellyaching for the last few days, and I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you two? Come on, sir.
It doesn't bother you? You really wanna know what I think, detectives? I think that the two of you should stop whining like two little school girls who weren't invited to the dance, and be happy that your friends, your very dear friends, have found a way to make it work.
Especially after all the hell those two have been through.
Now, that's what I think.
Well, when you put it that way Yeah.
I guess, in some opinions, we have been kind of jerks about it.
Right.
Yeah, you have.
But if you're interested, there might be something you could do to make it up to them.
Well, Rick, I'm sorry to see you guys go.
Oh, yeah.
Me, too.
But it couldn't be helped.
Hey there, cowboy.
Where are you off to in such a hurry? Beckett, what are you doing? We're gonna miss our flight.
You gotta be in the office by morning.
No, I don't.
Yeah, you do.
You don't have any personal days left.
Actually, I kind of do.
For our wedding gift, Ryan and Esposito have both agreed to give me two of their vacation days, each.
They did? Yeah.
So, now, we have four days to do whatever we want.
And you wanna stay here? Of course I wanna stay.
After all, this is our honeymoon.
Oh, wait, we're gonna still go to that island getaway, right? Yes, absolutely.
Okay, good.