Castle s07e21 Episode Script

"To Farrah, may the greatest mysteries of your life "lie ahead.
"Richard Castle.
" Thank you so much.
You know, our pilot is also a huge fan.
You think you could sign a book for her, too? I'd love to.
All I ask in return is that she deliver us to Heathrow safely.
Hey! Hey.
Um Enjoy your stay in London, Mr.
Castle.
Thank you.
I got bumped out of my assigned seat.
You said you'd fix it.
I said you had my apology.
This is the only seat available in first.
Do you know who I am? I don't know who he is, but I know what he is.
A giant ass Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Dad, when did you become such a nervous flyer? I'm not.
I just don't like turbulence, or a sudden drop in cabin pressure, or mechanical problems, or crashing.
There's nothing to worry about.
It's just a little bumpy air, that's all it is.
Air, by nature, should not be bumpy.
Just look at the flight crew.
If they're up and smiling, then everything is fine.
Yes, well, they're up, but they are not exactly smiling.
Dad, it's a long flight.
You should really focus on something else, or it'll seem even longer, for both of us.
Fine.
I shall ignore the grim specter of death and focus Focus on our itinerary.
All right.
A car is going to pick us up from the hotel, whisk us off to the Sherlock Holmes Society, where I will speak to my fellow mystery writers about Actually, I made plans for tonight.
Wh What plans? With who? Some friends who are doing their semester abroad in London.
We're meeting at a pub in South Ken.
But the, um, Sherlock Holmes Society is convening at You don't want to miss the actual home of Sherlock Holmes.
You do know he's fictional, right? Yes, but his address is real.
And I will be speaking.
And if you're not there, who will be proud of me? I'm always proud of you, Dad.
But I've heard you speak a million times.
I know what you're gonna say.
That is improbable.
You'll say you don't believe in writer's block, that you wrote your first novel to impress a girl, that reading great writers inspires you, and drinking with them inspires you to beat them on the bestseller list.
Okay.
Clearly, I need to develop some new material.
But this was supposed to be old-fashioned father-daughter time.
Dad, watching you speak to your cronies isn't exactly father-daughter time.
Besides, I'm not 12.
We don't have to be attached at the hip.
Okay.
That impending specter of death, it's back.
Oh! Hey, Beckett.
How did you get in there? Through the magic of Wi-Fi.
I figured you'd be online.
So I thought that you would want an update.
We solved the case.
The racecar driver did it.
Ah! That's good to hear.
Is everything okay up there? Just a little turbulence.
Whoa! Castle? Is something wrong? Yeah.
Everything's gonna be just fine.
Hey, Castle.
Castle? Is it just me, or does everything not seem "just fine"? Beckett, relax.
Even the most heinous turbulence won't bring a plane down.
And every day, and land in London without a problem.
It's gonna be the same for Castle's flight, too.
Yeah.
You okay? It's gonna be all right.
Folks, this is Captain Edmunds.
We hit some chop there, but we've climbed to 39,000 feet and expect a smooth ride all the way to Heathrow.
See? There's nothing to worry about.
Yeah.
Okay, so, re-check the restrooms Then why aren't they smiling? Dad, you heard the pilot.
I'm telling you, something is not right.
I am going to find out what.
Excuse me.
Sir, the seat belt sign is still illuminated.
If you could please return to your seat You're not smiling.
None of you are smiling.
And the captain's here? What's going on? Is there some kind of mechanical problem? Please, sir, just return Jim, wait.
Um Maybe he can help.
Mr.
Castle, I'm Captain Edmunds.
You work with the NYPD, right? We could actually use your assistance.
My assistance with what? This is Kyle Ford.
He's the air marshal on this flight.
I saw this guy.
He's sitting in my row.
He At least he was sitting in my row.
What does this have to do with the air marshal? An hour ago, he sent a text to his field office about a security issue on board this aircraft.
What kind of security issue? "Possible threat to Oceanic Air Flight 57.
I'm investigating.
" That's all Ford said in his text.
And what did he tell you? Unfortunately, I haven't been able to talk to him.
Mr.
Ford is missing.
Missing? Missing? How could he be missing? Did you search the plane? From front to back.
Given the circumstances, I've been instructed to lock myself in the cockpit and continue on to Heathrow.
Terrorism protocol.
Precisely.
Right now, with the air marshal unaccounted for, you're the closest thing we have to law enforcement on this plane.
Which in itself is cause for concern.
Will you help us, Mr.
Castle? Yeah.
Yes.
No, of course.
Of course.
Okay, um, when you searched the plane, where did you look? The restrooms, the galleys.
Good.
Cargo hold.
Great.
Even the overhead bins.
Okay, well, Mr.
Ford is on the plane somewhere.
We just have to search again.
Maybe skip the overhead bins this time.
I don't know.
It's like he just disappeared.
It doesn't make sense.
Excuse me.
How well do you know the air marshal? Not that well.
Mr.
Ford only flies with us, like, twice a month.
He's very professional, very polite There you go.
Okay, this is the only other place we haven't given a second look.
Does Ford know how to get down here? Of course.
He has access to the entire plane, just like we do.
Runs the length of the plane.
And you looked everywhere? Well, we didn't pull out all the luggage, 'cause there was no sign anyone was down here.
There's a snake on the mother-flying plane.
You're lucky it wasn't the pit bulls we had to ship last week.
Look at this luggage.
Since when does the airline allow clothes hanging out of bags? They don't.
Not usually.
That's three different bags from three different passengers.
That doesn't make any sense.
Unless Unless what? Unless someone took the clothes out of another suitcase and stuffed them into those three bags.
You don't think One way to find out.
Oh, my God.
That's Air Marshal Ford.
You gotta be kidding me.
The air marshal is dead? Not just dead, but bonked on the head.
Murdered.
And there's more.
There's more? Kyle Ford's holster is empty.
His gun is missing.
Okay, so, uh, we have to assume that the killer is armed.
And they may have another agenda, taking hostages, hijacking the plane FYI, this is not the relaxing London getaway I had planned.
So who else knows about this? Well, just the flight crew, the Air Marshal Service, and the FBI.
And how can I help? They gave me a copy of the flight manifest.
I emailed it to you.
You should have that by now.
Good.
I'll coordinate with the FBI and start running names to look for red flags.
Are you okay? Alexis is on this flight along with almost 200 other people.
Castle, you can do this.
Do what? What am I supposed to do? Catch the killer? It could be anyone.
I wouldn't know where to start.
You start at the beginning.
We build the timeline for our victim.
Same first step we always take.
Right.
I just This time, that first step is 39,000 feet off the ground.
Castle, I'm gonna be here with you.
I'll be working this case from the ground along with the boys.
Okay, thank you.
I can figure this out.
I know you can.
I am sorry, miss, this area is off-limits.
Oh, she's That's She's with me.
That's my daughter.
Yeah, she's You were gone so long, I got worried.
Why are you down here? Uh, I'll call you later.
I love you.
I love you, too.
Always rooting for that coyote, not that Road Runner - Right.
- You guys, I need your help.
Who do you think could've done it? Well, that's what I'm gonna try to figure out.
How? By reconstructing Ford's movements with the flight crew.
In the meantime, I need you to keep this to yourself and go back upstairs where it's safer.
How is it safer? Isn't that where the killer is? I Look, I just don't want you to be a part of this.
I'm already part of it.
I can help, Dad.
I interned with Lanie, remember? I'll check the body for clues.
Well, Alexis There's a killer on this plane.
We don't know what he's planning or who he is, and maybe I can do something about that.
I am not going back to my seat.
Even if it means us being joined at the hip? Really? You're throwing that back at me now? Right in your face.
I'll get started here.
You go talk to the flight crew and try to figure out who did this.
Right.
It was someone out there.
One of those people killed Kyle Ford.
I just told the other flight attendants.
I still can't believe this.
What do we do now, Mr.
Castle? Well, now, we try to piece together where the victim was and who he had contact with before he died.
When was the last time anyone remembers seeing Air Marshal Ford? Okay, wait.
Who served him during drink service? I did.
Okay.
This was an 8:30 a.
m.
flight.
Drink service occurred when? Uh, we start at 10:00.
And by the time I did the trash pick-up, Ford wasn't in his seat.
He was gone.
Not gone.
I noticed him during meal service, near the back of the plane.
Doing what? I didn't see, because a passenger got in my face about the lousy food.
We recently switched vendors to save money, and I When you saw him, was he in aisle one or aisle two? If it was meal service, aisle one is blocked by the cart So aisle two.
What time was that? Just before 11:00.
And we found the body at 11:35, giving us about a 35-minute window before he was killed.
Does anyone else remember seeing him at the back of the plane? Was he with someone? Come on, you guys.
Try to remember.
Maybe we can ask the passengers in the back if they saw him.
No.
If we did that, word would get out something is wrong.
Word that could make it back to the killer.
Maybe there's another way to know what Ford was doing at the back of this aisle.
How long have those two gentlemen been taking selfies? The honeymooners? Since their first Pimm's cup.
They're adorable.
I have to talk to them.
What should we do? You have the hardest job of all.
Pretend like everything's normal.
I think for the rest of the trip we should talk like this.
So posh.
How do you say "selfie" in British? Selfie.
Sophie? Why don't I grab a proper picture of the two of you? Oh! Great.
Thanks! You bet.
Here we go.
Can you hurry up? My face is hurting.
Right.
One more for safety.
Okay.
Mmm-hmm.
So how did you guys meet? It's kind of a long story.
Well, I love long stories.
Oh, God.
Yeah.
It's awful what you're dealing with, sweetie.
Thanks for your help, Lanie.
Are you kidding? I just wish there was more I could do.
I'm gonna talk you through this, all right? Do you want to see the head wound first? Yeah, but you're gonna need to get in really close.
Try moving the hair back a little.
Yeah, there we go.
Can you tell what he was hit with? Mmm.
It's hard to say.
Something oblong.
A pipe, maybe.
Oh, man.
Alexis, are you all right? It's just another body.
You've done this plenty of times before.
It's not the body I'm worried about.
It's the person who killed him and took his gun.
And looking at this, there is something I can tell you about who that person is.
Dad.
You and Lanie find something? No signs of a struggle, but it looks like Ford died from a single blow to the back of the head.
The left parietal bone.
So the killer must have caught him by surprise.
The bigger news is that the angle of the blow indicates whoever did this was left-handed.
Statistically speaking, that rules out almost everyone on the plane.
Good work.
The gay couple? Are they suspects? Nah, I really doubt it.
Then why do you have their selfies? Well, I emailed them to myself off their phone.
It's a long story.
Almost as long as the one about how they met.
But they took these near the time that Air Marshal Ford was at the back of the plane.
I was hoping he'd show up in one of them, along with the killer, but no luck.
Not even in the video? Actually, I didn't check out that one.
Hello! We did it! Yeah! In the background.
There he is.
That's Ford.
But he's not with anybody.
He was checking the overhead bin.
Yeah, but for what? Not his own bag.
He was up here in first with us.
Let's play it again.
Maybe something's in there? Ford said he was onto a possible threat.
But he's not even looking inside.
Because the overhead bin is a ruse.
See how Ford is glancing over his shoulder? He's clocking someone.
You're right.
It's this guy.
he realizes Ford is watching him.
Isadore Baldon, No criminal record, but we have a problem, Castle.
What's the problem? He doesn't match the man that you described.
We contacted Baldon.
He's actually here in town.
His passport was stolen weeks ago.
Whoever is sitting in 26B, it's not Isadore Baldon.
Or maybe that's why Ford was watching him.
He got on to that somehow.
And then, moments later, Ford was murdered.
I think we found our killer.
What's he doing? Sweating bullets.
He's nervous.
Of course he's nervous.
He just killed Kyle Ford.
We don't know that, Jim.
He's flying on a stolen passport.
He requested a seat in the back, near the cargo hold.
You saw the video.
Ford was watching him, and now he's dead.
Debbie, you can't tell me he doesn't meet the criteria for posing a threat to passengers and crew.
No, he definitely does.
Under the circumstances, we're empowered to detain him, and we have the training to do so.
I don't think you should, not just yet.
Well, you're not responsible for the people on this plane.
We are.
Yeah.
And if he did it, he has a gun.
And I, for one, don't wanna wait for him to start shooting it.
And what if he's not our guy? You go out there and take him down, it would start a panic, alert the real killer.
And he may pull the gun anyway.
Okay.
So what do you propose? We need to identify him.
Figure out who it is we're dealing with.
Isn't it about time for another drink service? It would be, except for that the airline's cut back, so now we're only allowed Jim, Jim! My treat.
Trash.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Can I take that for you, sir? Thank you so much.
Well played, Farrah.
What are we doing now? He's using the graphite from his mechanical pencil to make fingerprint powder.
I saw this on MacGyver once.
You know, I actually met Richard Dean Anderson.
You know what he Can you please do it already? All right.
Thank you.
It's actually working.
Sweet.
Okay, yeah.
I got a hit off the FBI database.
Aiman Haddad.
He's a Syrian national in the US on a student visa.
Enrolled at Hudson University.
Twenty-four years old.
Wait, if he's here legally, then why would he be traveling on a stolen passport? It might be because the FBI has him on the No-Fly list.
For what reason? Apparently, Aiman Haddad is affiliated with ISIS.
He's a terrorist.
It gets worse.
I just talked to Haddad's roommate at Hudson.
He said that Haddad had recently become super religious and sold all of his stuff.
And when the roommate asked why, Haddad said that he wasn't gonna be needing it anymore.
We gotta tell Castle.
Yeah.
Thank you for letting me know.
I'll call you later.
What is it? What did Beckett say? I want you to go back to first class.
Stay there until I tell you.
Okay.
Be careful, Dad.
Okay.
I take it he's a bad guy.
He's on the No-Fly list, and for good reason.
So he's a terrorist? Oh, my God.
He murdered the air marshal.
Now, that is a bold act, committed by someone not concerned with what happens to him once the plane lands.
Because maybe the plane won't be landing.
I think we can assume the worst.
Assume that his plan is bigger than killing Kyle Ford.
Okay.
We know what to do.
First, we isolate him if possible.
I'll control his hands so he doesn't go for the gun or, hey, something worse.
I'll get the zip ties to secure him.
Good.
And like you said, I think we should to do this quietly, try to get him out of his seat and away from the other passengers.
I could page him back to the rear galley.
Then he might get suspicious.
That's too risky.
If he realizes we're trying to take him down, he may do something desperate.
Watch out! Hey, what are you doing? What's going on? Open the door! Open the door! Can you understand what he's saying? Who is that? Who are you talking to? What are you saying? What was he saying? He said, "They know, and it'll all be over soon.
" Yo, Beckett.
I just got off with Homeland Security.
The number that Haddad was calling was traced to a Syrian mobile account.
Castle, did you hear that? Yeah.
Do we know who he was calling? No.
State's trying to coordinate with the Syrian government, but they're not expecting any kind of cooperation.
You're making a mistake! I have rights! Okay, we checked his seat and his carry-on, and there's no sign of a gun.
Beckett, we can't find the gun.
Well, he might have hidden it somewhere, or he has a partner who's on board.
Either way, Castle, you're gonna have to interrogate him.
Me? You've been with me in hundreds of interrogations.
Yeah, just never when my life depended on it, along with everyone else's.
Hey, guys.
I have more bad news.
According to the airline, Haddad has a checked bag on the flight.
FBI needs you to locate and search it.
Great.
And if we find something? In the event there's an explosive device, the bomb squad will talk you through it.
We need to find his luggage.
- I'll go with you.
- No, no, no.
I need you and Farrah upstairs keeping things calm.
The passengers are starting to ask questions.
What did you tell them? That a gentleman had too much to drink.
But I'm not sure they believed me.
I'll go.
The faster we find it, the safer we'll be.
All right, wish me luck.
You don't need it.
You've done this a million times.
I'll let you know if I find anything.
Please, this is all a terrible mistake.
What's your name? Isadore Baldon.
Maybe we should try this again.
We know you are Aiman Haddad, and that you have ties with ISIS.
Now, what is your plan, and who are you working with? I don't know what you're talking about.
"They know, and it'll all be over soon.
" That's what you said upstairs on the phone.
So who were you talking to? Why should I answer when I can see you won't believe me? It's in here.
Anything like this ever happen on a flight before? Closest I came was a 90-year-old who had a heart attack.
Luckily, that one had a happy ending.
This one will, too.
Yeah.
How long have you been doing this? Thirty years.
Thought I'd seen it all.
Every crazy passenger, every country Now this.
If anyone can figure it out, my dad can.
Hmm.
Good thing he's on this flight.
You're lucky to have family like that.
Yeah.
I guess I am.
What about you? You have kids? Ah, what can I say? It was always up in the air.
Got it.
Isadore Baldon.
This is his bag.
Now, I'm not a cop, and I'm not an air marshal.
But I'm gonna find out what you're up to.
Do you know why? Because my daughter is on this plane, and I'm not going to let anything happen to her.
I am not a terrorist.
You're on the No-Fly list.
Only because my idiot cousin decided to join ISIS.
You're flying on a stolen passport.
I couldn't travel under my own name, so how else should I fly? Why the sudden urgency to fly in the first place? I need to go back to Syria.
Why? What's your mission? My mission? I have to go home.
My mother is very sick.
Pancreatic cancer.
I petitioned the TSA, I went through the proper channels.
But now she only has a few weeks to live.
She is the one I was talking to on the phone.
Explain this.
See how the air marshal is staring right at you? He's the air marshal? He saw I was nervous, didn't he? Is he the reason I'm being detained? Yeah, you might say that.
He realized you were up to something, so you followed him to the back of the plane and you killed him.
Killed him? What do you mean? We found him right over there.
No.
No, no, no! In fact, seconds after that, this man got numerous texts on his phone and then began texting back, and then he rushed off! Look, this is the last I saw of him.
We have his phone, Haddad.
He only sent one text.
No.
I know what I saw.
He got a bunch of texts.
Five at least.
Dad, could I see you for a second? Anything? We checked his luggage.
No gun, no device.
Nothing that speaks to terrorism.
Look, State can't confirm the story about the sick mother, but part of Haddad's story checks out.
Turns out that Air Marshal Ford had a second phone on the flight.
It was his personal cell.
Well, we didn't find a second phone on the body.
Well, if it had evidence on it, it's possible the killer removed it.
Can we recover his texts without the phone? Yeah, but it's gonna take some time to get the phone company to release them.
Well, time is something we don't have.
And none of this clears Haddad.
This could all be a smokescreen.
Something for us to chase while his real plan unfolds.
We need that phone.
If Ford was texting, he must have been connected to the plane's Wi-Fi.
Which means the phone may still be connected.
Right.
So, can Tory ping his cell using the Find My Users app? Make it beep? Okay.
I'm in.
I've linked his number into the app.
Ready to ping when you are.
Okay, stand by.
All right.
Everyone ready? Ready.
Farrah and I are in coach, and Jim is in first class.
Watch for anyone reaching for their phone.
Ford's phone could be in the killer's hands.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay.
Go.
Pinging now.
Over there.
False alarm.
Do you hear anything? If someone removed the battery, or even turned it off, Tory's not gonna be able I have something! Where is it? Oh, crap.
I hate snakes.
How long does it take a snake to pass a There it is! Oh, thank God.
Okay.
It's locked.
We need his passcode.
Or his fingerprint.
I am so sorry about this.
And thank you for your service to our country.
Okay.
What's it say? There's gotta be at least a dozen texts on here.
You see? I told you! "Hey, sexy.
Wanna have some fun?" "Who is this?" "Meet me in the back of the plane and find out.
" But then, when they refuse to reveal their identity, Ford won't meet.
Look, the texts start to get hostile.
"Do what I say, or you'll have a situation on your hands.
" "What kind of situation?" "The kind you're hired to prevent.
" "It's a federal offense to threaten an aircraft.
" "It's not a threat if I follow through and take down this plane.
" Whoever's behind this is still on the plane.
Beckett, I've got something.
Yeah.
Hold on.
Those texts on the marshal's phone, they were sent from a prepaid cell.
Can you trace it? No.
It looks like it's been turned off.
Okay.
Run down that number, see if you can find out who bought it and from where.
Castle, you still there? Yeah.
I'm here.
Whoever's behind this did their homework.
They had Ford's personal number, and they knew exactly how to manipulate him.
They must've known him somehow.
I've got the boys digging into Ford's life.
Financials, movements, phone records.
They're looking for anything that'll connect him to someone on that flight.
Well, tell them to dig a little faster, before our texter makes good on his threat to take us down.
Castle, I I know.
Me, too.
Call me when you have something.
Okay.
We can't just sit around and wait for word from the precinct.
There has to be something we can do.
Well, maybe there is.
Only 10% of the population is left-handed.
There must be a way for us to figure out who of the passengers is a southpaw, thus narrowing our suspect pool.
We could pass out customs and immigration forms.
Then we'd know who's left-handed.
Brilliant.
Now you're thinking like a mystery writer.
Think this will work? I don't know.
It's better than doing nothing.
Hey.
Too bad we didn't sleep through this, too, huh? I'm just making sure it's still there.
Yeah.
Beckett, I got it.
The phone that texted the marshal.
The phone was purchased online and picked up at the airport at a Flight Tech Express store less than half an hour before the flight.
Does the store have any cameras? No, and the cameras in the airport don't have a good angle on the register.
But we don't need video.
The purchaser used a credit card.
We have her name.
And I checked the manifest.
She's on the plane.
Marilyn Singer? Yeah, she's a former Oceanic executive who got fired last year.
And, Castle, get this.
She filed a wrongful termination suit accusing the airline of blackballing her.
And last week, the judge ruled against her in favor of Oceanic Airlines.
So she wants to So she wants to take down one of their planes for revenge? That seems a little extreme.
Yes, Castle, but it's consistent with the texts she sent the air marshal.
And what better way for her to destroy the airline she believes ruined her life? What seat is she in? - Thank you.
- That's Marilyn? The hair, the glasses, she did not wanna be recognized.
Dad, left hand.
It's her.
Okay, we need to isolate her before she carries out whatever her plan is.
How? Go to your seat.
What are you gonna do? Something very stupid.
She has a gun.
Which is why I want you as far away as possible.
You know I feel the same way about you, right? I do.
I do.
Now, go back to your seat, please.
I'm gonna need a glass of wine.
Red.
Oh! I am so sorry! Oh, my My apologies, ma'am.
I have stain remover in the galley.
Come with me, we'll clean you up.
Yes.
Thank you.
No.
I've got detergent wipes in my bag.
Ma'am, you don't want that to set.
Come back with me and we'll take care of it.
Don't touch me, I'm fine.
Maybe you should go with her.
I said I'm fine.
Gun! Oh, my God! Come on.
Wait! Uh Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated.
We obviously had a situation, but we have it under control.
I'm telling you, this is some kind of mistake.
That gun is not mine.
What was your plan, Marilyn? Take hostages? Try to bring down the plane? Bring down the plane? What the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about the suit you lost against Oceanic.
And the threatening texts you sent from this phone.
That is not my phone.
It was in your purse.
Paid for with your credit card.
Where's Kyle? I wanna talk to Kyle.
I know he's the air marshal on this flight.
Did he put you up to this? Because it is not funny.
How is it that you know Mr.
Ford? He's my boyfriend, all right? And if he thinks he's teaching me a lesson, I'm going to be seriously pissed.
Now, where is he? Marilyn, Kyle is dead.
Dead? Kyle's dead? How? You should know.
His gun was in your purse.
No, I I I don't understand what's going on.
Someone else must have put that in my bag with the phone when I was in the bathroom.
And I suppose you always wear a wig when you travel? You don't understand.
I thought I thought Kyle was having an affair.
It was our six-month anniversary, and we were supposed to go away for the weekend.
But at the last minute, Kyle called and said he had to work this flight, that he had to fill in for someone.
But there was something in his voice, like he wasn't telling me the whole story.
So you decided to stalk him, follow him onto this plane.
We met in the air, fell in love on the long haul.
I thought maybe he'd found someone else.
Is that why you lured him back here? To confront him? And when it all went south, you killed him in a rage? No.
I wouldn't do that.
Please.
You have to believe me.
I can't afford to.
Jim, take her down below.
Make sure she's secure.
Please.
What's wrong? I don't know.
Just When I told her Ford was dead, her reaction seemed so real.
Dad, the gun and phone were in her purse.
She's left-handed.
I No, I know.
I know, everything fits.
But why buy a prepaid phone online, just to pick it up at the airport store minutes later? Why not just walk into the store and buy it? And why use a credit card that can be traced back to her? Unless Unless it was part of the plan, to give us the perfect suspect so we'd stop looking for the truth.
You think someone set her up? I think something else is going on here.
Look, Castle, you've been through a lot up there, so maybe your storyteller's imagination's getting the best of you.
I'm telling you, there's a lot more going on here.
Someone wants us to think this is over, but it's not.
Castle may be right.
We contacted the Air Marshal Service.
Ford wasn't filling in for anyone.
He requested to be on that flight.
We also double-checked Ford's financial records and we found a transaction that just posted.
It turns out $9,950 was wired to his bank account just minutes before take-off.
Just under the $10,000 mark.
Someone didn't wanna tip off the feds.
Whatever's going on up there, Ford is involved.
Who's the money from? This guy.
Victor Kristoph Dietrich.
He's a wealthy German industrialist.
Big name in the import-export business.
US Customs officials had flagged him several times for violations, but nothing ever stuck.
Do you think Ford requested to be on this flight because Dietrich paid him to be on it? Yes.
But why? Where is Dietrich? His office is two blocks away.
I want him here, now.
All right.
I am sorry, detectives, but I've never seen him before.
Then why was $10,000 transferred from your bank account to his, Mr.
Dietrich? Must be some kind of banking error.
No, it's not.
Both of your financial institutions confirmed it.
It isn't a crime to give a gift.
Oh, so it's a gift now? To someone that you don't even know? What were you paying the air marshal for, Mr.
Dietrich? This has been delightful, but I'm afraid I have to go.
Um, no.
You're not going anywhere.
You have no cause to hold me.
Actually, we do.
As a material witness.
A witness to what? The murder of a federal air marshal on a transatlantic flight.
Murder? Air Marshal Ford is dead? Yes.
Now, what was the money for? Security.
What kind of security? I consult with Brampton's Auction House.
I hired Mr.
Ford to provide protection for a piece we acquired from the Met that was being transported on that plane.
What kind of a piece? It is an Art Deco-era Louis Callay Celestialis watch, worth $13.
3 million.
And Ford was carrying it? He was merely keeping an eye on it.
One of our in-house apprentices is actually wearing the timepiece.
You gave an apprentice a $13-million watch? Yeah, it's a common auction house practice.
They fly an employee to a foreign country wearing the goods so that they don't have to claim it or pay taxes on it.
With such a valuable piece, I wanted real security for the flight.
And Ford was backing up my courier.
That was all.
Except that wasn't all.
Something went awry.
Yes.
The courier stopped replying to my texts shortly after take-off.
What was the courier's name, and where was he sitting? Aaron Rich? Aaron, wake up! Hey! I think he's been drugged.
Wake up! Mr.
Castle, what are you doing? It's part of the investigation.
The suspect is in custody! Maybe not.
No, no, no, no.
No, I wasn't supposed to fall asleep.
Thank God.
Hey! Hey.
Let go of me! Don't thank God just yet.
This watch is a fake.
The real Celestialis is self-winding.
This watch has a knob, which means this was never about terrorism.
It was about a heist.
I don't understand.
You're wearing a knockoff.
It got switched out while you were sleeping.
You weren't supposed to realize it until you were off the plane and the real watch was long gone.
That obnoxious guy who had his seat changed, was this originally where he was supposed to sit? Yes, but Mr.
Ford put in a request for that seat two days ago.
And air marshals get priority, so the system assigned it to him.
He knew it was the perfect vantage point from which to watch the watch.
But the thief must've found out.
And they couldn't steal the watch with an air marshal sitting right there.
So they had to lure Ford out of first class.
Using a phone that, if traced, would lead them back to Ford's girlfriend, who had a motive.
Dad, that means the thief knows who's on the plane.
They had access to the manifest, seat assignments, Ford's personal life And passenger credit cards.
This was an inside job.
Aaron, who served you this drink? Because someone spiked it.
I can't remember.
But it's usually her.
No.
No, I did not drug anybody.
Dad, she couldn't have.
She was serving us over in aisle two.
Well, then, it was Stay back.
Debbie? Mmm-hmm.
You? Mmm-hmm.
Why? Thirty years, Farrah.
Thirty years of loyal service.
I was finally ready to retire.
So what does Oceanic do? They restructure and eliminate our pensions.
Debbie, you don't wanna do this.
Drop the gun.
Do you have any idea what it's like serving this little punk kid in first class every month? Hearing him brag about how much money he's got strapped to his wrist, when I have nothing.
So when you found out he was taking this flight again, you decided to do something.
I heard about that watch, how it was gonna be auctioned off.
That's $13 million.
But nobody Nobody was supposed to get hurt.
All right? I just needed Ford to step away from him for, like, a minute.
But when he saw Aaron was sleeping, he knew.
He tracked me down to the cargo hold and I Debbie, what the airline did to you was unfair.
But please, don't make it worse.
This isn't who you are.
It's not.
It's not.
We'll be landing soon.
You can go ahead and retake your seat with our apologies.
Thank you for believing me, Mr.
Castle.
And for bringing Kyle's killer to justice.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
Mr.
Haddad.
Unfortunately, when the plane lands, you are going to be detained for traveling on a stolen passport.
However, I had my friends in New York make some calls.
If your story checks out, the authorities here are going to allow you to travel to Syria to see your family before you face charges.
Thank you, Mr.
Castle.
Be safe.
And you.
I'm very proud of the way you handled yourself today, with what you said to Debbie.
It was very brave.
Thanks.
You know, I think I'm going to postpone my pub date.
You are? I thought you said you didn't wanna be attached at the hip.
Yeah.
Well, after what happened today, I kind of do.
Me, too! Folks, this is your captain.
We're starting our final descent into London Heathrow.
Please take your seats.
We'll have you on the ground shortly.
Okay.