Castle s04e18 Episode Script
A Dance With Death
Welcome to "A Night Of Dance," America's favorite dance competition, with your host Brad Melville! Hey, hey, hey! Good evening, America.
It's dance-off time, and the theme is Latin.
As always, tonight's challengers were hand picked by the judges.
Max, are you looking forward to watching these two rumba? I'm looking forward to Santino redeeming himself for his samba-inspired solo dance last week.
Pathetic.
It was like a terrible dream my dog would have after eating the leftovers of my Brazilian dinner.
Well, then.
You know our semifinalists.
Our matchup is-- Santino versus Odette.
Can the arrogant bad boy best America's sweetheart? Let's get right to it.
Tonight's elimination dance between Santino and Odette will mean the end of the road for one of them.
One will be eliminated on Monday's results show.
The other will be guaranteed a spot in the final two.
Ladies and gentlemen-- Santino and Odette! Odette, are you in there? Guess who I ran into at the beauty parlor today? Mother, I'm at a critical juncture and-- Oona Marconi.
Oona Marconi the theater critic? I thought I might invite her to dinner ask her to give a little mention to my acting school, put it into one of her columns.
It would be invaluable publicity.
Yes, well, that would depend on the mention.
You aren't forgetting her blistering review of your performance of Maggie in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," are you? That was 1983.
I think I'm over it.
"Martha Rodgers as Maggie The Cat "is more of a helpless kitten, mewing and flapping her hands when she doesn't get her way.
" You memorized it? I couldn't help it.
You walked around the apartment quoting it for months.
Mother, I'm just saying, maybe it's not a good idea to ask an important favor of someone who's been so unkind to you in the past.
The operative word here is "past.
" I think I can rise above.
Besides, my acting school is more important to me than some old grudge.
Well, that's very mature of you, mother.
Thank you.
"If Tennessee Williams knew what crimes Martha Rodgers "had committed against this audience in his name, he would have her arrested for assault.
" Rising above.
Come on, Castle.
How mean can this critic be? I'm just afraid that she's gonna get her heart broken, you know? I mean, you know my mother.
On the exterior, she's a tough cookie.
But underneath all that bravado-- gooey center.
Hey, Lanie.
So who's our victim? Odette Morton.
Cause of death is a single GSW to the heart.
Probably a 9 millimeter.
She died instantly.
The bullet went right through her.
Well, unless our killer used a silencer someone must have heard the shot.
Not necessarily.
According to the stage manager, this area clears out once taping starts.
Plus the opening pyrotechnics could've covered a gunshot.
Well, that's assuming that she was shot just as the show started.
It looks like she was.
Yeah, the, uh, makeup girl finished with Odette at 2:45, taping starts at 3:00, and she was discovered at 3:04.
That's not a very big window.
All right, see if the crew saw anyone near this room around that time.
You got it.
Hey, Ryan.
Can I get a list of all the guests that were invited to tonight's taping along with anyone that checked in at security? Uh, already on it, but that's not the only way in here.
There's an exit door to the alley down the hall.
The crew guys like to prop it open so they can go out for a smoke.
So either our killer got lucky and found an unlocked door Or this was an inside job.
That gets my vote.
Odette was a lock to win this thing.
I bet it was one of her backstabbing rivals that did this.
What? I watch the show.
Odette was my favorite contestant.
She was an heiress raised by her rich grandpa, a party girl headed down the wrong path, then a brush with death made her wake up and change her bad-girl ways.
That's a great story.
Except for the ending.
I gotta say, Dr.
Parish.
I never figured you for a fan of "A Night Of Dance.
" I'm not exactly.
It's just when I was young, more than anything, I wanted to be a prima ballerina.
If I wasn't dancing, I was thinking about dancing.
So what happened? The girls came along when I was 13.
Not that many top-heavy ballerinas out there.
Well, I think there should be.
Of course you do.
That's not what I meant.
Although Does Odette have any next of kin? Um, Paul Morton, her brother.
Okay, great.
Bring him down here.
And talk to the rest of the contestants.
I want to see if anyone is taking this competition just a little too seriously.
We understand that you and Odette were rehearsing your dance most of the day.
How did she seem? On edge.
We both were.
I mean, one of us was about to be eliminated, which is why I can't believe she just left rehearsal at 11:00 and took off for half an hour.
- To do what? - She wouldn't say.
But everything was riding on this dance.
She told me she had to meet a friend.
She asked me to cover if anyone was looking for her.
Um do you have any idea why she was being so secretive? The producers don't like us to leave the studio on show day.
So it must have been important.
Well, the NYPD thanks you for your cooperation.
You, too.
Damn.
- Did you see that? - Mm-hmm.
She acted like I didn't even exist.
You don't.
Not since you put that ring on your finger.
Get used to being invisible to single women.
I've never seen her happier than these past couple months.
I can't believe that my sister's dead.
We understand she had some difficulties in the past.
A few years ago, our grandfather passed away, and Odette took it hard.
Uh, she quit school, she broke off her relationship with a nice guy, started hanging out with a bad crowd.
What kind of bad crowd? You know, partiers and druggies.
She was arrested several times.
But after the accident, she left all of that behind.
That was her brush with death? It was a train derailment last year.
Odette was on board.
She made it out alive, but it scared the hell out of her.
She turned her life around.
Six months of dance training, and the next thing that I know, she's auditioned for "A Night Of Dance" and been accepted.
She finally found a direction in life.
She was so close to realizing her dream.
Was there anyone in Odette's old life that could've come back to cause trouble for her? Not that I'm aware of.
What about on the show? Anyone she didn't get along with? Uh, uh, she did mention someone, another contestant.
I think she said his name was Eddie.
Detective Beckett, they're waiting for you.
Thank you.
Detective Beckett, as co-creator and executive producer of "Night Of Dance," I have instructed my staff to provide you with anything and everything you need to help solve this terrible murder.
- Anything.
- Absolutely anything.
Thanks.
Now Odette told her brother that there was someone on the show that she didn't get along with.
Eddie Gordon, but he's not here anymore.
Last week, Eddie and Odette performed a Bob-Fosse-inspired number for the elimination dance-off.
We voted and sent Eddie home.
He was upset.
- How upset? - Well, you have to understand, all the contestants are cast on this show to tell their unique yet familiar stories.
Odette was the poor little rich girl, and Eddie was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks.
We cast Eddie to bring the drama.
Eddie brought the drama and not just for the cameras.
He was furious when we sent him packing.
And we all got an earful about it.
Oh, and he was so rude.
I had to call security.
Was he threatening? Let's just say, I was relieved when he was gone.
Ironic, really.
How so? Well, according to the rules, when a contestant is unable to continue, the last eliminated dancer returns to take his or her place.
And that dancer is Eddie Gordon.
Let me tell you something about Miss Sweet-And-Innocent Odette.
She threw me under the bus tonight.
She blew off rehearsals all week, then messed up her footwork and blames it on me.
Where I'm from, we know what to do with lying bitches like that.
That was Eddie's exit interview.
The contestants are encouraged by producers to speak freely.
He certainly took their advice.
Eddie has got a record back home in Rochester, and one of the assistants at "A Night Of Dance" says they remember seeing him in the studio the afternoon Odette was murdered.
Okay, so Eddie was eliminated, but he knew that if Odette was out of the running, he'd be asked to return and take her slot.
So he went back and eliminated Odette permanently.
Corrections by Alex1969 B&E, robbery-- you were pretty busy up in Rochester, Eddie.
Yeah, but that was a long time ago.
When I started dancing, I gave up thug life.
Yeah, well, that didn't stop you from going off on the judges when you were eliminated.
Me going home was the wrong call and I said so.
Maybe I said it loud, but that don't make me no killer.
Now that Odette can't finish the competition, the last eliminated contestant will be asked to return, and that's you, Eddie.
Like my daddy used to say, the universe works in mysterious ways.
And maybe you decided to give the universe just a little shove.
So what were you doing at the studio on show day? I went by early to see my boy Santino.
Give him support on his big day.
You got an answer for everything, don't you, Eddie? And you know what else you got? You got motive and opportunity.
Man, I was across town when that mess happened, meeting my agent.
But last week, something was going on with Odette.
Something that didn't have nothing to do with dancing.
- What do you mean? - She was out of it.
Missing easy steps, she'd say she's going to the ladies room, and then be gone for half an hour.
What do you think she was doing? I know what she was doing.
I saw her go out the back door, meet some guy in the alley.
They talked real serious for a minute, then she handed him a roll of bills.
Looked like 3 grand easy.
You get a good enough look at this guy? You think you can provide us with a sketch? Yeah.
I can do that.
Hey.
So Eddie Gordon spoke the truth.
He was meeting with his agent when Odette was shot.
So maybe he was also telling the truth about the guy he saw Odette with in the alley.
Well, he gave us a sketch.
Pretty generic, though.
Handsome, Caucasian, dark hair.
You know, that missing half-hour when Odette left rehearsal the day she was shot-- maybe she was with him.
I'll have uniforms circulate the sketch around the studio, see if anybody recognizes him.
Okay, so if Odette had straightened up after the train accident, what was she doing behind the stage door secretly giving some guy a roll of bills? Could be a drug deal.
Maybe Odette was falling back into old habits.
Any recent withdrawals in her bank statement? Yeah, not for that amount of money, but check out these credit card payments.
For the last six months, Odette's credit card spending was pretty much steady, and then about a month ago, it suddenly shot up.
No kidding.
Her cards were maxed out.
Over 100 grand in charges? What was she spending all that money on? Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Lynchberg.
You were Odette's business manager as well as the executor of her grandfather's estate? And now I have the unfortunate task of handling Odette's estate as well.
And who inherits her share of the family trust? Per Odette's wishes, it goes to the Graham Morton Foundation.
It's a charitable organization.
You know, I noticed a pretty big spike in her spending over the last month.
- Do you have any idea what that was about? - I'm sure you know that after Odette's grandfather passed away three years ago, she went through a bad period.
Yeah, her brother filled us in-- parties, drugs.
Of particular concern to me during that time was her spending.
Odette would get drunk and spontaneously buy a car or put a bid down on a new apartment.
She paid for her friend's nose job-- just whatever struck her fancy.
But then after the train accident last year, all that stopped.
It was, uh, refreshing to those of us who cared about her.
I was worried that last month's credit card charges indicated that she might have been backsliding.
What was she buying? Clothing mostly.
The bulk of the charges were over two days at one particular 5th Avenue department store.
I'd like to see the original receipts.
Of course.
This is the weirdest spending spree I have ever seen.
Odette spent tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, but nothing in her size according to these receipts.
Everything's in size 4.
And I went through her apartment.
I didn't see 100 grand worth of new clothes.
Maybe she hid 'em.
Sounds to me like the old gas card scam.
What do you mean? Your parents put you on a strict allowance, but they give you a gas card so you can fill your car.
Well, you fill your friends cars, and they give you cash.
Some of my buddies in boarding school - nearly doubled their allowance.
- Uh-huh.
Not me, of course.
That Don't tell my mother.
So if Odette needed cash in a hurry to, say, maybe pay off some guy in an alley But the monthly stipend from her family trust wasn't enough to cover it.
So she charges the clothes, sells them to her friends, instant cash flow.
Which is still not enough.
The card's maxed out, the money train stops, and she can't make payment to whoever she owes.
She ends up dead.
Yeah, but do you guys think that Odette actually had one size 4 friend willing to pay 100 grand for a bunch of pegged jeans and a faux rabbit purse? Did you say rabbit? Jasmine.
We need to talk.
Where'd you get the bag? A friend gave it to me.
Your friend Odette Morton? We talked to the salesperson, Jasmine.
She said that you were with Odette when she dropped 100 grand on clothes for you.
Odette was very generous.
She's also very dead, and I know a blackmail scheme when I hear one.
Maybe Odette had something going on in her life she wanted to keep secret.
You found out about it and told her that the price for your silence was a closet full of fancy duds.
But why would I kill her? Maybe she couldn't give anymore, you got frustrated, you killed her.
Maybe she decided to come forward herself, accuse you of blackmail, you killed her.
Jasmine, these are just off the top of my head.
We can finish off this conversation at the precinct.
Wait.
Last month, I was here working late, and I happened to see Odette walk by my desk real fast, like she was upset.
Next thing I know, here comes Brad Melville, like he's looking for her.
Brad Melville, the show's host? Why would the host of "A Night Of Dance" be looking for a contestant? Aren't they not supposed to fraternize? That's why I followed him.
Brad and Odette were in the stairwell having a fight.
About what? I'm not completely sure.
But when I bluffed Odette that I was going to tell Max about her and Brad, she got really nervous.
She offered to buy me some stuff I wanted if I'd keep quiet.
And I thought that sounded like a good deal.
But that's it.
I would've never hurt Odette.
You'll have to pardon me if I don't take you at your word.
Look, if anyone had a reason to murder Odette, it was Brad.
Just listen.
I recorded the two of them.
We had a deal.
And I'm willing to stand by it if you are.
I have worked too hard to get where I am.
If anyone finds out about this, Odette, I swear, I'll kill you.
If Max Renfro found out that Brad Melville was in a relationship with one of the contestants, what would happen? She'd be thrown off the show, and he'd be fired.
Motive for murder, anyone? If anyone finds out about this, Odette, I swear, I'll kill you.
That is completely not what it sounds like.
What it sounds like, Brad, is you threatening Odette Morton's life a few weeks before she was murdered.
But I was trying to protect her.
Protect her how? I knew about Odette's troubled past-- the drugs, the DUIs.
But I also believed her when she said she was clean now and that dancing was all she cared about.
Are you trying to say that that wasn't true? What I'm trying to say is, two months ago, I walked into makeup early one morning, and found Odette shooting up.
Are you sure about this? If Max knew she was using, she would've been eliminated on the spot.
But you never told Max.
Odette promised she would clean up.
I gave her a second chance, but I also kept an eye on her.
Then a month ago, I caught her again.
I told her I was going to Max, that she was on her own.
And did you? No, because Odette threatened me.
She said that if I went to Max and told him what I'd seen, that she'd go to him and tell him that I was the one that let her off the first time.
Max would've fired me for keeping a secret that big from him.
I'd be off the show.
I'd be Brian Dunkleman.
Who's Brian Dunkleman? Exactly.
So if Odette went down, she was taking you with her.
Brad was right about her shooting up.
Found these hidden in a false bottom underneath her jewelry box.
No wonder CSU missed it - when they went through her apartment.
- Could be speed.
Yeah, except I just got off the phone with Lanie, and she said that preliminary tox screen results show that Odette wasn't using drugs, at least none of the usual ones.
So what the hell is in this bottle? And so I said to Sir Laurence, "Larry, that is "the second best performance of 'Othello' I have ever seen.
"But I'm afraid no one can improve the Orson Welles interpretation.
" "Larry," I said, "you've simply been outdone.
" Wow.
What did, uh, Olivier say to that? He said "My dear girl, you have the makings of a theater critic.
" And so here I am.
Yes, indeed, you are.
Oh, by the way, I don't know if I told you that recently, I opened my own acting school.
Martha.
How wonderful.
Thank you.
How good of you to share your years and years of experience with a new generation.
Yes, we are very proud.
And I was wondering, perhaps you might consider stopping by and sitting in on a class or two, and then if you felt so inclined, mentioning our little school in one of your wonderful columns.
I'd be happy to do that.
You just tell me where and when.
Well, that's lovely.
I just hope you're not teaching your students your little trick of tilting your head before delivering an important line of dialogue.
I don't do that.
Well, you did it when you played Maggie The Cat.
Oh, and you fluttered your hands like little bird wings.
I kept waiting for you to take off.
Who wants pie? - Alexis, would you-- - Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
I believe that was the year that I was nominated for a Tony.
Well, perhaps the american theatre wing is more tolerant of head tilting and hand fluttering than I am.
Oh, Martha, I'm just teasing.
You can't possibly still be upset about that old review.
Let's not say anything we'll regret.
That was no review.
That was a hatchet job.
It was vicious and it was uncalled for.
And it was also accurate.
You know what, Oona? I rescind my request.
There is no way I would accept your endorsement of my school now if you begged me.
Fat chance of that.
Just remember, Martha, those who can't do, teach.
And those who can't teach become theater critics.
Gram.
Could've been worse.
It couldn't have been worse.
My mother exposed her gooey center, and Oona Marconi drove a stake through it.
Well, tell her, I feel her pain.
Thanks.
I will.
Anything new on the case? Yeah, unis found the cafe that Odette went to at 11:00 a.
m.
The day that she was killed.
Scoring drugs off her mystery man? More like scoring a fat-free latte.
She met up with a friend for coffee.
Suzanne Steiner.
A friend? Leaving the studio on show day was a very big deal.
What was so important that it couldn't wait? According to Suzanne, she just wanted to talk about old times.
Hey, we got a fax from the lab.
That clear vial of liquid that we found at Odette's apartment? It wasn't illegal drugs.
It's insulin.
Odette was diabetic? Not according to her doctor.
He said he hasn't seen her in over a year.
Well, maybe she developed it recently or maybe she went to a new doctor.
Then why not just tell Brad Melville the truth, that it wasn't speed, it was insulin? And why bother buying Jasmine half of 5th Avenue to keep it quiet? Well, I think I can help with that.
CSU report is back on Odette's place.
They only found one set of prints and they were not Odette's.
They belong to a woman named Barbra Landau.
Who the hell is Barbra Landau? Not someone who would run in Odette's circles.
She was raised in foster care and was a high school dropout.
So she was staying with Odette? - We need to talk to her.
- That's gonna be tough.
Officially, Barbra Landau has been dead for over a year.
Here's her death certificate.
She died of blunt force trauma from injuries suffered in a train collision.
That's right.
The same train collision that Odette survived.
Or did she? You see that picture of Odette? Well, this is Barbra.
They're identical.
But that's impossible.
Impossible or the explanation to everything? The dramatic change in Odette after the accident, the need to hide being a diabetic, because Odette was not a diabetic Odette Morton didn't survive that train crash.
Barbra did.
And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Barbra Landau walked away from the wreckage of that train and stole Odette Morton's life.
Twin girls are born and put up for adoption.
Odette goes to a wealthy, loving family.
Barbra--not so lucky.
She gets bounced around from one foster home to the next, always knowing deep inside that she was meant for something better.
Then one day, the two of them meet on a train bound for Miami.
The connection is instantaneous.
In two days, they learn everything there is to know about each other, and Barbra can't help but think, if only I had landed in the lap of luxury like Odette, I could've been anything I wanted to be.
Are you suggesting that Barbra purposefully caused the derailment to take over Odette's life? With what, her crazy wiccan powers? Wow, that would be an incredible twist, but no, no.
The accident happens.
Odette is killed.
Barbra survives.
And in the midst of all the chaos and rubble, she sees her chance.
She switches identification with Odette, and she changes her destiny.
In one move, Barbra builds herself a better future, a perfect life.
Until she was murdered a year later.
Yeah, well, separated twin stories never end happily, except "the parent trap.
" Blood tests are back.
Odette and Barbra were not biologically related.
And Barbra has no living family we could find.
If they're not related, how can Barbra look so much like Odette? I don't know.
But we do have an address for her former place of employment, a strip club in midtown.
See, we've been operating under the theory that Odette was murdered because she was Odette.
But what if she was murdered because she was really Barbra? Find out everything you can about Barbra.
In the meantime, I'm gonna reinterview Odette's brother Paul.
Is he a person of interest now? I'm just having trouble believing that Barbra managed to fool Odette's own brother for over a year.
He's gonna have to convince me that he didn't know.
Well, that sounds like something better done one-on-one, mano a mano.
Meantime, I want to take a ride downtown with the boys, - check out that strip club.
- Sorry, Castle.
Three's a crowd.
What's up? Why you freezing out our boy like that? I want to try an experiment.
Having Castle along would mess things up.
Here.
Wear my wedding ring.
What? Get that thing away from me, man.
It's a mood killer.
Just wear it when we're at the club.
What for? See, I been talking to all my married guy friends, they say that your theory is way off.
Wearing a wedding ring gets them more attention from women, not less.
- So? - So wear the ring.
I want to see if women still flirt with you and ignore me.
So you didn't want Castle to come because All the women would flirt with him.
I want to know if it's just the ring that's repelling members of the fairer sex.
It's not the ring, bro.
It's you.
See, once you've been married for a little while and you're feeling a little bored and unsatisfied, the ring will get you love from the ladies.
They'll want to take you away from all that so that you can be bored and unsatisfied with them.
Why not now? 'Cause now you're all blissfully happy with your wife and whatnot.
You have the stink of honeymoon phase all over you.
No woman wants to be around that.
How long does it last? Well, it's hard to say.
But knowing you and Jenny, probably forever.
Oh, yeah, Barbie.
All she wanted was to be a dancer on Broadway.
She used to talk about it a lot, huh? More than that.
She got a makeover, changed her hair, and then two years ago, she got her nose done even though her nose looked fine before.
Back in the day, did Barbra have trouble with anybody, say a customer, maybe a boyfriend? Boyfriend, yeah.
Jason.
Could this be him? That's him.
Jason Bagwell.
Do you know where we can find Jason? He lived over in Alphabet City.
He was always running some scam, borrowing money from Barbra for some new business venture and never paying her back.
But she loved him.
Crazy love, you know? Oh, yeah.
I do.
Well, you've been very helpful, Shantell.
Thank you for your time.
If you wanted, you could come back later.
My show starts at 8:00.
I could probably-- He's gotta get home to the little woman, Shantell, but we do thank you for your time and your cooperation.
All right.
What's wrong with you, man? Why you gotta throw salt in my game like that? You can't pick up on honeys while wearing the eternal symbol of my love and commitment to Jenny.
- Did I just say that out loud? - Mm-hmm.
No wonder women won't flirt with me.
I'm a lost cause, a man in love with his wife.
Enjoy it, my friend.
A lot of men would switch places with you.
Not me.
Mnh-mnh.
Other men.
Guys.
Unhappy single guys.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just give me my ring back, and you can go get Shantell's phone number.
You're next up.
What the ow.
What? It's stuck.
The guys are out picking up Barbra's ex-boyfriend.
I thought I'd use the time to follow up on what they learned at the club.
Starting with the fact that Barbra Landau did get plastic surgery.
Here is her old DMV photo.
- She's a pretty girl.
- Exactly.
Plastic surgery didn't make her look more beautiful.
It just made her look more like Odette Morton.
You remember her accountant Samuel Lynchberg told you that Odette paid for her friend's nose job? And you think Barbra is that friend? You think they knew each other? I know it.
Lynchberg's assistant confirmed it.
Odette paid for Barbra's surgery plus expenses.
And I'm guessing you have a theory as to why.
You know Odette loved to party.
Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that all that constant carousing does not come without consequences, like arrests, community service hours, waking up in a strange hotel room with some girl's panties on your head.
That's Forget that part.
Here is Odette doing her community service hours for her second DUI in 2010.
Here's Odette at a bridal shower with friends.
So? So according to the time stamps, these photos were taken on the same day within 20 minutes of each other.
So it was really Barbra at the soup kitchen.
Odette would do the crime, but she didn't want to do the time.
So she created a Faux-Dette to do her dirty work for her.
A job that I bet paid very well.
Maybe a wild night on the town brings Odette to the strip club, where she sees Barbra-- all of Barbra-- and she realizes, with a little work, Barbra could be the perfect double for her, doing all the unpleasant jobs that Odette simply couldn't be bothered to do-- community service hours, drug tests-- And with a little training and some surgical tweaks, Barbra could do even more, like meetings with Odette's business manager or boring luncheons with her aunt Margaret.
Nobody in Odette's inner circle could've known about the ruse, so that when the train crashed, Barbra saw her chance to go from understudy to leading lady, - and she took it.
- Okay, so that explains the transition, but we still don't know who killed her.
Maybe we do.
It would have to be someone that knew Odette was actually Barbra when he saw her on TV, someone who was looking to cash in on her new life Someone like Barbra's boyfriend Jason.
I'm telling you, this is crazy.
I didn't kill anybody.
Here's what I think happened-- you realized that Barbra didn't die in that train accident.
She was alive.
And living as Odette Morton, which meant she was very rich.
You knew her secret, and you wanted to be rich, too.
But Barbra wasn't the kind of girl to claw her way into the good life and then be taken advantage of by the likes of you.
She rejected you, and so you shot her.
See, this--this is why I didn't come forward.
I knew you'd suspect me.
We suspect people with motive, Jason.
You've got it wrong.
Barbra came to me.
Two weeks ago, she showed up on my doorstep and told me the whole story.
Barbra had everything she could want-- a perfect life.
Why would she risk it all by getting in touch with you? Because she missed me.
And Odette's life wasn't as perfect as Barbra thought.
Barbra was lonely, and she wanted to get back together.
She told me she had found out some stuff about Odette, um, secrets from her past.
- What kind of secrets? - I don't know.
But she said, if anyone found out, it would all be over for her.
You think this secret got her killed? She said she could use it to her advantage.
She just needed more information.
Information was-- was leverage, it would protect her, but she had to move fast.
And she didn't move fast enough.
Barbra had been dancing since she was a little kid, and all she ever wanted was to be a star on Broadway.
And she was so close.
So it wasn't something from her own past that got Barbra killed.
It was something from Odette's.
Okay, so a week before her death, Barbra, as Odette, is acting odd, she's missing rehearsals-- She seeks out her ex, tells him that Odette's perfect life isn't so perfect and that there's something in Odette's past - that's a problem.
- Right.
So she needs information.
So where does she go? Suzanne Steiner.
Remember, Barbra met her for coffee the day she died? She wanted to talk to Suzanne about old times.
I'm not sure what help I can be.
Odette seemed fine the day that I saw her.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I keep forgetting that she wasn't Odette.
Oh, the resemblance was remarkable.
You said that she wanted to reminisce.
How close were the two of you? Well, my dad was the butler in her grandfather's home for 20 years, so we practically grew up together.
And what did she want to talk about? Well, she asked about her grandfather.
Well, Odette's grandfather.
She talked about how close they had been.
And then she asked about the day that he died.
- He died in his sleep, didn't he? - Yeah.
Yeah, he was 98.
It was odd that she asked, because I wasn't there, but she was-- Odette was-- along with my father, and when I reminded her of that, she asked about my dad.
She said she wanted to catch up with him.
Do you know if the two of them ever spoke? Well, I gave her his number, but I-I'm not sure what happened.
Mnh-mnh.
It's not coming off.
It's like it soldered itself onto my hand.
Maybe it's possessed, you know, like some kind of cursed object from a Stephen King story.
How can I tell my wife that I'm not wearing my wedding ring because I lent it to Esposito as an experiment to see if strippers would flirt with me? Maybe she'll see the humor in it.
- Not a chance.
- You're a dead man.
So Charles Carson, former butler to Odette's late grandfather.
No record, but get this-- his name rang a bell, so I looked up the guest list from Wednesday's taping, and he's on it.
Odette called in a last-minute ticket request for Mr.
Carson.
So he was at the show.
Yes, security has him going through at 2:15, but after that, no one remembers seeing him.
Okay, so Suzanne said that Faux-Dette wanted to talk about the day her grandfather died.
What if this was the secret that Barbra was on to? What if Graham Morton didn't die of natural causes and she felt somehow Charles Carson here had something to do with it? We need to see Graham Morton's autopsy report.
Based on my reading of the coroner's report, I can see why Graham Morton's death was ruled natural causes.
However-- Ooh.
There's a however.
A very big however.
Tell 'em.
There were some anomalies I found suspicious.
Evidence of petechiae in both eyes, fresh bruising on the right side of Mr.
Morton's nose, which could have happened if, say, someone was holding a pillow over his face.
All in all, I think there's ample evidence that Mr.
Morton was murdered.
Ample.
Murdered.
I am just so proud.
- Dad, work.
Boundaries.
- Right.
One more thing.
When I requested the file be sent over, the clerk told me that I was the second person this week to ask for it.
Odette Morton was there on Tuesday.
So Barbra realized Odette's grandfather was murdered and must have thought Carson the butler had something to do with it.
And then when Carson figured out that Barbra knew too much, he killed her.
We're gonna bring him in first thing in the morning.
And arrest him for a double murder.
Good morning.
Speak for yourself.
Oh, Richard.
I really messed up.
I just let my ego get the better of me, now Oona Marconi is never gonna endorse my school.
She'll probably write something negative just out of spite.
Well, there is a chance you can still turn this around.
But are you willing to apologize to someone who doesn't really deserve it? Darling, I don't think a simple apology is gonna get me out of this.
Then in the wise words of Don Vito Corleone You need to make her an offer she can't refuse.
And if there's anything-- if there's anything I can do to help, - you let me know.
- I will.
I will.
Mr.
Carson, you worked for Graham Morton for over 25 years.
I understand that you were very close with his grandkids.
Well, as--as close as one could be while still maintaining the employer-servant relationship.
So when the victim called you and invited you to the "Night Of Dance" taping on Wednesday, - you said yes.
- I was delighted.
She asked me to meet her afterwards and said that she had a question for me, but of course, as you know, they canceled the show, and I didn't find out until the next day what had happened.
I had no idea that that girl wasn't Odette and no idea why she wanted to talk to me.
She wanted to talk to you about the day that Graham Morton died.
Why would she care about that? It seems she had some evidence that Mr.
Morton didn't die of natural causes.
I don't understand.
Are you saying that he was murdered? You were at the house that day, weren't you? Oh, good lord.
You don't think that I had-- You were the person closest to him.
You had ample opportunity.
We've seen the will.
He left you a generous bequest.
I would never have hurt Mr.
Morton.
But that woman--the woman who pretended to be Odette-- she might be right about his death.
In fact, it's possible that she believed that I knew something.
Tell me, how did Mr.
Morton die? Was he smothered? Why would you ask that? The month he died, there was tension in the household.
Odette was seeing someone of whom Mr.
Morton did not approve.
Do you know who? No, but he ordered her to break it off, and of course, that day Odette was crying, she spent most of the morning in her room.
At about 1:00, Mr.
Morton said that he wanted to take a nap, so I cleared the bed of all the pillows.
He preferred a-a flat surface.
Now a few moments later, there was a commotion down in the kitchen.
Odette had put a sandwich in the toaster oven too long, and it had caused a small fire.
We put it out, and then I went back upstairs to check on Mr.
Morton, and he was dead.
And that's when I noticed it.
Noticed what? A pillow on the bed.
And I was sure that I had taken them all off.
So I told Odette about it, but she said my mind was playing tricks on me, so I let it go.
Mr.
Carson, when you were in the kitchen, was there ever a moment that Odette was out of your sight? No.
I-I knew she was innocent.
She wasn't innocent.
She was the distraction.
Odette got you down to the kitchen while her accomplice went and murdered her grandfather.
And then when Barbra Landau figured out the truth, the accomplice murdered her, too.
Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Lynchberg.
Mr.
Lynchberg, being the Morton family financial advisor, that must give you pretty good insight into their-- their personal lives, right? Well, looking at what people spend their money on, you get to know folks pretty well.
And how well did you know Odette? As well as any of my clients.
But given the lectures that I gave her about her lifestyle, maybe more so.
We understand, about the time her grandfather died, Odette was dating someone, someone her grandfather didn't approve of.
Mm.
Well, that's not surprising.
The two of them rarely saw eye to eye.
This boyfriend-- do you remember who he was? No.
Why? Well, because we think that he conspired with Odette to kill her grandfather and then he killed Barbra when she was on the verge of figuring it all out.
You're sure you don't remember? Mnh-mnh.
Well, we just spoke with Odette's brother, and he remembers.
In fact, he remembers it being you.
He said that the two of you wanted to get married, but Odette's grandfather threatened to cut her off.
Now a girl like Odette, she could never be happy living off a meager 6-figure salary like yours.
She needed to inherit.
But that old man refused to die.
So she convinced you to go upstairs and smother him to death with a pillow while she created a distraction in the kitchen.
Problem solved.
Except once she had her money, she left you, went back to her partying lifestyle.
She used you, but there wasn't anything you could do about it.
At least not without admitting to the murder.
You can't prove that.
His death wasn't even ruled a homicide.
No, but Barbra Landau's was.
Uniforms found this 9 millimeter in the dumpster behind your offices.
Ballistics match.
This is the same gun that was used to kill Barbra Landau.
And it's got your fingerprints all over it.
Last month, when her credit card bills were so high, I thought she was slipping back into her old ways.
I said to her, "We didn't risk everything to get this money so you could let it ruin your life.
" And she looked at me, and I could tell, she had no idea what I was talking about.
In that moment, I knew that she wasn't my Odette.
And that's how she got on to you.
So this Barbra told me that if I kept her secret, she would keep mine.
She thought we were even.
She thought that she could just take the place of Odette.
I mean, wh-what-- what was I supposed to do, just let some dirty stripper live in her house and wear her clothes and--and blackmail me? Odette deserved better.
What's going on? I was just thinking how we rely on dreams to keep us going in life and how sad it is when they become the things that tear us down.
Yeah, well, that might be the case for Barbra Landau, but not for everyone with dreams that didn't come true.
I mean, take Lanie for instance.
She wanted to be a dancer.
She became a doctor.
That's not so bad, is it? Hmm.
What about you? I mean, I know you became a cop because your mother was murdered, but there had to be something before that.
What did little Kate Beckett want to be when she grew up? At Stanford, I was pre-law.
So your dream was to argue a case before the supreme court.
Mm-hmm.
Yep, I was on my way to becoming the first female Chief Justice.
- Wow.
- Mm-hmm.
Not bad.
Ah, it won't-- yeah, you know what? I'm late for my stripper date, man.
Whoa.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, no.
I cannot go home again without ring on my finger tonight.
Our couch has a loose spring.
My back-- Did you try soap? Yeah.
Yeah, that was, like, the first thing we did.
Cooking spray? I didn't think about cooking spray.
Where am I gonna find cooking spray? Here.
It's like silk.
That might work.
- Oh, yeah.
I think it's coming.
- Yeah? At least it's off my finger.
Oona, thank you so much for stopping by.
Thank you, Martha.
And I'll be sure to find a few inches of column space to mention your little school.
Oh, good.
Thank you.
I really appreciate that dear.
Oh, Richard, good.
You're just in time to say good-bye to Oona.
Oh.
How nice to see you again.
It's lovely to see you as well.
And I, uh, look forward to hearing from you.
Hearing from-- Well, I know you're in a hurry, dear, and, uh, I'll call you.
We will have lunch.
- Yes.
- Bye-bye.
All's well that ends well.
Mother, why would Oona Marconi be looking forward to hearing from me? Well, you did say, if there was any way that you could help-- That you should let me know.
Exactly what did you promise her without asking me first? That you would read her novel Oh, mother.
And critique it and give it to your publisher.
It is the inspiring story of a young woman's journey from department store clerk to world-renowned Broadway star.
Chick lit? Mother this is really not my-- Oh, and, darling, when you give her your thoughts, do be kind, because it's always been her dream to be a novelist.
Be kind.
For you, mother, I can be kind.
Corrections by Alex1969
It's dance-off time, and the theme is Latin.
As always, tonight's challengers were hand picked by the judges.
Max, are you looking forward to watching these two rumba? I'm looking forward to Santino redeeming himself for his samba-inspired solo dance last week.
Pathetic.
It was like a terrible dream my dog would have after eating the leftovers of my Brazilian dinner.
Well, then.
You know our semifinalists.
Our matchup is-- Santino versus Odette.
Can the arrogant bad boy best America's sweetheart? Let's get right to it.
Tonight's elimination dance between Santino and Odette will mean the end of the road for one of them.
One will be eliminated on Monday's results show.
The other will be guaranteed a spot in the final two.
Ladies and gentlemen-- Santino and Odette! Odette, are you in there? Guess who I ran into at the beauty parlor today? Mother, I'm at a critical juncture and-- Oona Marconi.
Oona Marconi the theater critic? I thought I might invite her to dinner ask her to give a little mention to my acting school, put it into one of her columns.
It would be invaluable publicity.
Yes, well, that would depend on the mention.
You aren't forgetting her blistering review of your performance of Maggie in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," are you? That was 1983.
I think I'm over it.
"Martha Rodgers as Maggie The Cat "is more of a helpless kitten, mewing and flapping her hands when she doesn't get her way.
" You memorized it? I couldn't help it.
You walked around the apartment quoting it for months.
Mother, I'm just saying, maybe it's not a good idea to ask an important favor of someone who's been so unkind to you in the past.
The operative word here is "past.
" I think I can rise above.
Besides, my acting school is more important to me than some old grudge.
Well, that's very mature of you, mother.
Thank you.
"If Tennessee Williams knew what crimes Martha Rodgers "had committed against this audience in his name, he would have her arrested for assault.
" Rising above.
Come on, Castle.
How mean can this critic be? I'm just afraid that she's gonna get her heart broken, you know? I mean, you know my mother.
On the exterior, she's a tough cookie.
But underneath all that bravado-- gooey center.
Hey, Lanie.
So who's our victim? Odette Morton.
Cause of death is a single GSW to the heart.
Probably a 9 millimeter.
She died instantly.
The bullet went right through her.
Well, unless our killer used a silencer someone must have heard the shot.
Not necessarily.
According to the stage manager, this area clears out once taping starts.
Plus the opening pyrotechnics could've covered a gunshot.
Well, that's assuming that she was shot just as the show started.
It looks like she was.
Yeah, the, uh, makeup girl finished with Odette at 2:45, taping starts at 3:00, and she was discovered at 3:04.
That's not a very big window.
All right, see if the crew saw anyone near this room around that time.
You got it.
Hey, Ryan.
Can I get a list of all the guests that were invited to tonight's taping along with anyone that checked in at security? Uh, already on it, but that's not the only way in here.
There's an exit door to the alley down the hall.
The crew guys like to prop it open so they can go out for a smoke.
So either our killer got lucky and found an unlocked door Or this was an inside job.
That gets my vote.
Odette was a lock to win this thing.
I bet it was one of her backstabbing rivals that did this.
What? I watch the show.
Odette was my favorite contestant.
She was an heiress raised by her rich grandpa, a party girl headed down the wrong path, then a brush with death made her wake up and change her bad-girl ways.
That's a great story.
Except for the ending.
I gotta say, Dr.
Parish.
I never figured you for a fan of "A Night Of Dance.
" I'm not exactly.
It's just when I was young, more than anything, I wanted to be a prima ballerina.
If I wasn't dancing, I was thinking about dancing.
So what happened? The girls came along when I was 13.
Not that many top-heavy ballerinas out there.
Well, I think there should be.
Of course you do.
That's not what I meant.
Although Does Odette have any next of kin? Um, Paul Morton, her brother.
Okay, great.
Bring him down here.
And talk to the rest of the contestants.
I want to see if anyone is taking this competition just a little too seriously.
We understand that you and Odette were rehearsing your dance most of the day.
How did she seem? On edge.
We both were.
I mean, one of us was about to be eliminated, which is why I can't believe she just left rehearsal at 11:00 and took off for half an hour.
- To do what? - She wouldn't say.
But everything was riding on this dance.
She told me she had to meet a friend.
She asked me to cover if anyone was looking for her.
Um do you have any idea why she was being so secretive? The producers don't like us to leave the studio on show day.
So it must have been important.
Well, the NYPD thanks you for your cooperation.
You, too.
Damn.
- Did you see that? - Mm-hmm.
She acted like I didn't even exist.
You don't.
Not since you put that ring on your finger.
Get used to being invisible to single women.
I've never seen her happier than these past couple months.
I can't believe that my sister's dead.
We understand she had some difficulties in the past.
A few years ago, our grandfather passed away, and Odette took it hard.
Uh, she quit school, she broke off her relationship with a nice guy, started hanging out with a bad crowd.
What kind of bad crowd? You know, partiers and druggies.
She was arrested several times.
But after the accident, she left all of that behind.
That was her brush with death? It was a train derailment last year.
Odette was on board.
She made it out alive, but it scared the hell out of her.
She turned her life around.
Six months of dance training, and the next thing that I know, she's auditioned for "A Night Of Dance" and been accepted.
She finally found a direction in life.
She was so close to realizing her dream.
Was there anyone in Odette's old life that could've come back to cause trouble for her? Not that I'm aware of.
What about on the show? Anyone she didn't get along with? Uh, uh, she did mention someone, another contestant.
I think she said his name was Eddie.
Detective Beckett, they're waiting for you.
Thank you.
Detective Beckett, as co-creator and executive producer of "Night Of Dance," I have instructed my staff to provide you with anything and everything you need to help solve this terrible murder.
- Anything.
- Absolutely anything.
Thanks.
Now Odette told her brother that there was someone on the show that she didn't get along with.
Eddie Gordon, but he's not here anymore.
Last week, Eddie and Odette performed a Bob-Fosse-inspired number for the elimination dance-off.
We voted and sent Eddie home.
He was upset.
- How upset? - Well, you have to understand, all the contestants are cast on this show to tell their unique yet familiar stories.
Odette was the poor little rich girl, and Eddie was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks.
We cast Eddie to bring the drama.
Eddie brought the drama and not just for the cameras.
He was furious when we sent him packing.
And we all got an earful about it.
Oh, and he was so rude.
I had to call security.
Was he threatening? Let's just say, I was relieved when he was gone.
Ironic, really.
How so? Well, according to the rules, when a contestant is unable to continue, the last eliminated dancer returns to take his or her place.
And that dancer is Eddie Gordon.
Let me tell you something about Miss Sweet-And-Innocent Odette.
She threw me under the bus tonight.
She blew off rehearsals all week, then messed up her footwork and blames it on me.
Where I'm from, we know what to do with lying bitches like that.
That was Eddie's exit interview.
The contestants are encouraged by producers to speak freely.
He certainly took their advice.
Eddie has got a record back home in Rochester, and one of the assistants at "A Night Of Dance" says they remember seeing him in the studio the afternoon Odette was murdered.
Okay, so Eddie was eliminated, but he knew that if Odette was out of the running, he'd be asked to return and take her slot.
So he went back and eliminated Odette permanently.
Corrections by Alex1969 B&E, robbery-- you were pretty busy up in Rochester, Eddie.
Yeah, but that was a long time ago.
When I started dancing, I gave up thug life.
Yeah, well, that didn't stop you from going off on the judges when you were eliminated.
Me going home was the wrong call and I said so.
Maybe I said it loud, but that don't make me no killer.
Now that Odette can't finish the competition, the last eliminated contestant will be asked to return, and that's you, Eddie.
Like my daddy used to say, the universe works in mysterious ways.
And maybe you decided to give the universe just a little shove.
So what were you doing at the studio on show day? I went by early to see my boy Santino.
Give him support on his big day.
You got an answer for everything, don't you, Eddie? And you know what else you got? You got motive and opportunity.
Man, I was across town when that mess happened, meeting my agent.
But last week, something was going on with Odette.
Something that didn't have nothing to do with dancing.
- What do you mean? - She was out of it.
Missing easy steps, she'd say she's going to the ladies room, and then be gone for half an hour.
What do you think she was doing? I know what she was doing.
I saw her go out the back door, meet some guy in the alley.
They talked real serious for a minute, then she handed him a roll of bills.
Looked like 3 grand easy.
You get a good enough look at this guy? You think you can provide us with a sketch? Yeah.
I can do that.
Hey.
So Eddie Gordon spoke the truth.
He was meeting with his agent when Odette was shot.
So maybe he was also telling the truth about the guy he saw Odette with in the alley.
Well, he gave us a sketch.
Pretty generic, though.
Handsome, Caucasian, dark hair.
You know, that missing half-hour when Odette left rehearsal the day she was shot-- maybe she was with him.
I'll have uniforms circulate the sketch around the studio, see if anybody recognizes him.
Okay, so if Odette had straightened up after the train accident, what was she doing behind the stage door secretly giving some guy a roll of bills? Could be a drug deal.
Maybe Odette was falling back into old habits.
Any recent withdrawals in her bank statement? Yeah, not for that amount of money, but check out these credit card payments.
For the last six months, Odette's credit card spending was pretty much steady, and then about a month ago, it suddenly shot up.
No kidding.
Her cards were maxed out.
Over 100 grand in charges? What was she spending all that money on? Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Lynchberg.
You were Odette's business manager as well as the executor of her grandfather's estate? And now I have the unfortunate task of handling Odette's estate as well.
And who inherits her share of the family trust? Per Odette's wishes, it goes to the Graham Morton Foundation.
It's a charitable organization.
You know, I noticed a pretty big spike in her spending over the last month.
- Do you have any idea what that was about? - I'm sure you know that after Odette's grandfather passed away three years ago, she went through a bad period.
Yeah, her brother filled us in-- parties, drugs.
Of particular concern to me during that time was her spending.
Odette would get drunk and spontaneously buy a car or put a bid down on a new apartment.
She paid for her friend's nose job-- just whatever struck her fancy.
But then after the train accident last year, all that stopped.
It was, uh, refreshing to those of us who cared about her.
I was worried that last month's credit card charges indicated that she might have been backsliding.
What was she buying? Clothing mostly.
The bulk of the charges were over two days at one particular 5th Avenue department store.
I'd like to see the original receipts.
Of course.
This is the weirdest spending spree I have ever seen.
Odette spent tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, but nothing in her size according to these receipts.
Everything's in size 4.
And I went through her apartment.
I didn't see 100 grand worth of new clothes.
Maybe she hid 'em.
Sounds to me like the old gas card scam.
What do you mean? Your parents put you on a strict allowance, but they give you a gas card so you can fill your car.
Well, you fill your friends cars, and they give you cash.
Some of my buddies in boarding school - nearly doubled their allowance.
- Uh-huh.
Not me, of course.
That Don't tell my mother.
So if Odette needed cash in a hurry to, say, maybe pay off some guy in an alley But the monthly stipend from her family trust wasn't enough to cover it.
So she charges the clothes, sells them to her friends, instant cash flow.
Which is still not enough.
The card's maxed out, the money train stops, and she can't make payment to whoever she owes.
She ends up dead.
Yeah, but do you guys think that Odette actually had one size 4 friend willing to pay 100 grand for a bunch of pegged jeans and a faux rabbit purse? Did you say rabbit? Jasmine.
We need to talk.
Where'd you get the bag? A friend gave it to me.
Your friend Odette Morton? We talked to the salesperson, Jasmine.
She said that you were with Odette when she dropped 100 grand on clothes for you.
Odette was very generous.
She's also very dead, and I know a blackmail scheme when I hear one.
Maybe Odette had something going on in her life she wanted to keep secret.
You found out about it and told her that the price for your silence was a closet full of fancy duds.
But why would I kill her? Maybe she couldn't give anymore, you got frustrated, you killed her.
Maybe she decided to come forward herself, accuse you of blackmail, you killed her.
Jasmine, these are just off the top of my head.
We can finish off this conversation at the precinct.
Wait.
Last month, I was here working late, and I happened to see Odette walk by my desk real fast, like she was upset.
Next thing I know, here comes Brad Melville, like he's looking for her.
Brad Melville, the show's host? Why would the host of "A Night Of Dance" be looking for a contestant? Aren't they not supposed to fraternize? That's why I followed him.
Brad and Odette were in the stairwell having a fight.
About what? I'm not completely sure.
But when I bluffed Odette that I was going to tell Max about her and Brad, she got really nervous.
She offered to buy me some stuff I wanted if I'd keep quiet.
And I thought that sounded like a good deal.
But that's it.
I would've never hurt Odette.
You'll have to pardon me if I don't take you at your word.
Look, if anyone had a reason to murder Odette, it was Brad.
Just listen.
I recorded the two of them.
We had a deal.
And I'm willing to stand by it if you are.
I have worked too hard to get where I am.
If anyone finds out about this, Odette, I swear, I'll kill you.
If Max Renfro found out that Brad Melville was in a relationship with one of the contestants, what would happen? She'd be thrown off the show, and he'd be fired.
Motive for murder, anyone? If anyone finds out about this, Odette, I swear, I'll kill you.
That is completely not what it sounds like.
What it sounds like, Brad, is you threatening Odette Morton's life a few weeks before she was murdered.
But I was trying to protect her.
Protect her how? I knew about Odette's troubled past-- the drugs, the DUIs.
But I also believed her when she said she was clean now and that dancing was all she cared about.
Are you trying to say that that wasn't true? What I'm trying to say is, two months ago, I walked into makeup early one morning, and found Odette shooting up.
Are you sure about this? If Max knew she was using, she would've been eliminated on the spot.
But you never told Max.
Odette promised she would clean up.
I gave her a second chance, but I also kept an eye on her.
Then a month ago, I caught her again.
I told her I was going to Max, that she was on her own.
And did you? No, because Odette threatened me.
She said that if I went to Max and told him what I'd seen, that she'd go to him and tell him that I was the one that let her off the first time.
Max would've fired me for keeping a secret that big from him.
I'd be off the show.
I'd be Brian Dunkleman.
Who's Brian Dunkleman? Exactly.
So if Odette went down, she was taking you with her.
Brad was right about her shooting up.
Found these hidden in a false bottom underneath her jewelry box.
No wonder CSU missed it - when they went through her apartment.
- Could be speed.
Yeah, except I just got off the phone with Lanie, and she said that preliminary tox screen results show that Odette wasn't using drugs, at least none of the usual ones.
So what the hell is in this bottle? And so I said to Sir Laurence, "Larry, that is "the second best performance of 'Othello' I have ever seen.
"But I'm afraid no one can improve the Orson Welles interpretation.
" "Larry," I said, "you've simply been outdone.
" Wow.
What did, uh, Olivier say to that? He said "My dear girl, you have the makings of a theater critic.
" And so here I am.
Yes, indeed, you are.
Oh, by the way, I don't know if I told you that recently, I opened my own acting school.
Martha.
How wonderful.
Thank you.
How good of you to share your years and years of experience with a new generation.
Yes, we are very proud.
And I was wondering, perhaps you might consider stopping by and sitting in on a class or two, and then if you felt so inclined, mentioning our little school in one of your wonderful columns.
I'd be happy to do that.
You just tell me where and when.
Well, that's lovely.
I just hope you're not teaching your students your little trick of tilting your head before delivering an important line of dialogue.
I don't do that.
Well, you did it when you played Maggie The Cat.
Oh, and you fluttered your hands like little bird wings.
I kept waiting for you to take off.
Who wants pie? - Alexis, would you-- - Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
I believe that was the year that I was nominated for a Tony.
Well, perhaps the american theatre wing is more tolerant of head tilting and hand fluttering than I am.
Oh, Martha, I'm just teasing.
You can't possibly still be upset about that old review.
Let's not say anything we'll regret.
That was no review.
That was a hatchet job.
It was vicious and it was uncalled for.
And it was also accurate.
You know what, Oona? I rescind my request.
There is no way I would accept your endorsement of my school now if you begged me.
Fat chance of that.
Just remember, Martha, those who can't do, teach.
And those who can't teach become theater critics.
Gram.
Could've been worse.
It couldn't have been worse.
My mother exposed her gooey center, and Oona Marconi drove a stake through it.
Well, tell her, I feel her pain.
Thanks.
I will.
Anything new on the case? Yeah, unis found the cafe that Odette went to at 11:00 a.
m.
The day that she was killed.
Scoring drugs off her mystery man? More like scoring a fat-free latte.
She met up with a friend for coffee.
Suzanne Steiner.
A friend? Leaving the studio on show day was a very big deal.
What was so important that it couldn't wait? According to Suzanne, she just wanted to talk about old times.
Hey, we got a fax from the lab.
That clear vial of liquid that we found at Odette's apartment? It wasn't illegal drugs.
It's insulin.
Odette was diabetic? Not according to her doctor.
He said he hasn't seen her in over a year.
Well, maybe she developed it recently or maybe she went to a new doctor.
Then why not just tell Brad Melville the truth, that it wasn't speed, it was insulin? And why bother buying Jasmine half of 5th Avenue to keep it quiet? Well, I think I can help with that.
CSU report is back on Odette's place.
They only found one set of prints and they were not Odette's.
They belong to a woman named Barbra Landau.
Who the hell is Barbra Landau? Not someone who would run in Odette's circles.
She was raised in foster care and was a high school dropout.
So she was staying with Odette? - We need to talk to her.
- That's gonna be tough.
Officially, Barbra Landau has been dead for over a year.
Here's her death certificate.
She died of blunt force trauma from injuries suffered in a train collision.
That's right.
The same train collision that Odette survived.
Or did she? You see that picture of Odette? Well, this is Barbra.
They're identical.
But that's impossible.
Impossible or the explanation to everything? The dramatic change in Odette after the accident, the need to hide being a diabetic, because Odette was not a diabetic Odette Morton didn't survive that train crash.
Barbra did.
And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Barbra Landau walked away from the wreckage of that train and stole Odette Morton's life.
Twin girls are born and put up for adoption.
Odette goes to a wealthy, loving family.
Barbra--not so lucky.
She gets bounced around from one foster home to the next, always knowing deep inside that she was meant for something better.
Then one day, the two of them meet on a train bound for Miami.
The connection is instantaneous.
In two days, they learn everything there is to know about each other, and Barbra can't help but think, if only I had landed in the lap of luxury like Odette, I could've been anything I wanted to be.
Are you suggesting that Barbra purposefully caused the derailment to take over Odette's life? With what, her crazy wiccan powers? Wow, that would be an incredible twist, but no, no.
The accident happens.
Odette is killed.
Barbra survives.
And in the midst of all the chaos and rubble, she sees her chance.
She switches identification with Odette, and she changes her destiny.
In one move, Barbra builds herself a better future, a perfect life.
Until she was murdered a year later.
Yeah, well, separated twin stories never end happily, except "the parent trap.
" Blood tests are back.
Odette and Barbra were not biologically related.
And Barbra has no living family we could find.
If they're not related, how can Barbra look so much like Odette? I don't know.
But we do have an address for her former place of employment, a strip club in midtown.
See, we've been operating under the theory that Odette was murdered because she was Odette.
But what if she was murdered because she was really Barbra? Find out everything you can about Barbra.
In the meantime, I'm gonna reinterview Odette's brother Paul.
Is he a person of interest now? I'm just having trouble believing that Barbra managed to fool Odette's own brother for over a year.
He's gonna have to convince me that he didn't know.
Well, that sounds like something better done one-on-one, mano a mano.
Meantime, I want to take a ride downtown with the boys, - check out that strip club.
- Sorry, Castle.
Three's a crowd.
What's up? Why you freezing out our boy like that? I want to try an experiment.
Having Castle along would mess things up.
Here.
Wear my wedding ring.
What? Get that thing away from me, man.
It's a mood killer.
Just wear it when we're at the club.
What for? See, I been talking to all my married guy friends, they say that your theory is way off.
Wearing a wedding ring gets them more attention from women, not less.
- So? - So wear the ring.
I want to see if women still flirt with you and ignore me.
So you didn't want Castle to come because All the women would flirt with him.
I want to know if it's just the ring that's repelling members of the fairer sex.
It's not the ring, bro.
It's you.
See, once you've been married for a little while and you're feeling a little bored and unsatisfied, the ring will get you love from the ladies.
They'll want to take you away from all that so that you can be bored and unsatisfied with them.
Why not now? 'Cause now you're all blissfully happy with your wife and whatnot.
You have the stink of honeymoon phase all over you.
No woman wants to be around that.
How long does it last? Well, it's hard to say.
But knowing you and Jenny, probably forever.
Oh, yeah, Barbie.
All she wanted was to be a dancer on Broadway.
She used to talk about it a lot, huh? More than that.
She got a makeover, changed her hair, and then two years ago, she got her nose done even though her nose looked fine before.
Back in the day, did Barbra have trouble with anybody, say a customer, maybe a boyfriend? Boyfriend, yeah.
Jason.
Could this be him? That's him.
Jason Bagwell.
Do you know where we can find Jason? He lived over in Alphabet City.
He was always running some scam, borrowing money from Barbra for some new business venture and never paying her back.
But she loved him.
Crazy love, you know? Oh, yeah.
I do.
Well, you've been very helpful, Shantell.
Thank you for your time.
If you wanted, you could come back later.
My show starts at 8:00.
I could probably-- He's gotta get home to the little woman, Shantell, but we do thank you for your time and your cooperation.
All right.
What's wrong with you, man? Why you gotta throw salt in my game like that? You can't pick up on honeys while wearing the eternal symbol of my love and commitment to Jenny.
- Did I just say that out loud? - Mm-hmm.
No wonder women won't flirt with me.
I'm a lost cause, a man in love with his wife.
Enjoy it, my friend.
A lot of men would switch places with you.
Not me.
Mnh-mnh.
Other men.
Guys.
Unhappy single guys.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just give me my ring back, and you can go get Shantell's phone number.
You're next up.
What the ow.
What? It's stuck.
The guys are out picking up Barbra's ex-boyfriend.
I thought I'd use the time to follow up on what they learned at the club.
Starting with the fact that Barbra Landau did get plastic surgery.
Here is her old DMV photo.
- She's a pretty girl.
- Exactly.
Plastic surgery didn't make her look more beautiful.
It just made her look more like Odette Morton.
You remember her accountant Samuel Lynchberg told you that Odette paid for her friend's nose job? And you think Barbra is that friend? You think they knew each other? I know it.
Lynchberg's assistant confirmed it.
Odette paid for Barbra's surgery plus expenses.
And I'm guessing you have a theory as to why.
You know Odette loved to party.
Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that all that constant carousing does not come without consequences, like arrests, community service hours, waking up in a strange hotel room with some girl's panties on your head.
That's Forget that part.
Here is Odette doing her community service hours for her second DUI in 2010.
Here's Odette at a bridal shower with friends.
So? So according to the time stamps, these photos were taken on the same day within 20 minutes of each other.
So it was really Barbra at the soup kitchen.
Odette would do the crime, but she didn't want to do the time.
So she created a Faux-Dette to do her dirty work for her.
A job that I bet paid very well.
Maybe a wild night on the town brings Odette to the strip club, where she sees Barbra-- all of Barbra-- and she realizes, with a little work, Barbra could be the perfect double for her, doing all the unpleasant jobs that Odette simply couldn't be bothered to do-- community service hours, drug tests-- And with a little training and some surgical tweaks, Barbra could do even more, like meetings with Odette's business manager or boring luncheons with her aunt Margaret.
Nobody in Odette's inner circle could've known about the ruse, so that when the train crashed, Barbra saw her chance to go from understudy to leading lady, - and she took it.
- Okay, so that explains the transition, but we still don't know who killed her.
Maybe we do.
It would have to be someone that knew Odette was actually Barbra when he saw her on TV, someone who was looking to cash in on her new life Someone like Barbra's boyfriend Jason.
I'm telling you, this is crazy.
I didn't kill anybody.
Here's what I think happened-- you realized that Barbra didn't die in that train accident.
She was alive.
And living as Odette Morton, which meant she was very rich.
You knew her secret, and you wanted to be rich, too.
But Barbra wasn't the kind of girl to claw her way into the good life and then be taken advantage of by the likes of you.
She rejected you, and so you shot her.
See, this--this is why I didn't come forward.
I knew you'd suspect me.
We suspect people with motive, Jason.
You've got it wrong.
Barbra came to me.
Two weeks ago, she showed up on my doorstep and told me the whole story.
Barbra had everything she could want-- a perfect life.
Why would she risk it all by getting in touch with you? Because she missed me.
And Odette's life wasn't as perfect as Barbra thought.
Barbra was lonely, and she wanted to get back together.
She told me she had found out some stuff about Odette, um, secrets from her past.
- What kind of secrets? - I don't know.
But she said, if anyone found out, it would all be over for her.
You think this secret got her killed? She said she could use it to her advantage.
She just needed more information.
Information was-- was leverage, it would protect her, but she had to move fast.
And she didn't move fast enough.
Barbra had been dancing since she was a little kid, and all she ever wanted was to be a star on Broadway.
And she was so close.
So it wasn't something from her own past that got Barbra killed.
It was something from Odette's.
Okay, so a week before her death, Barbra, as Odette, is acting odd, she's missing rehearsals-- She seeks out her ex, tells him that Odette's perfect life isn't so perfect and that there's something in Odette's past - that's a problem.
- Right.
So she needs information.
So where does she go? Suzanne Steiner.
Remember, Barbra met her for coffee the day she died? She wanted to talk to Suzanne about old times.
I'm not sure what help I can be.
Odette seemed fine the day that I saw her.
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I keep forgetting that she wasn't Odette.
Oh, the resemblance was remarkable.
You said that she wanted to reminisce.
How close were the two of you? Well, my dad was the butler in her grandfather's home for 20 years, so we practically grew up together.
And what did she want to talk about? Well, she asked about her grandfather.
Well, Odette's grandfather.
She talked about how close they had been.
And then she asked about the day that he died.
- He died in his sleep, didn't he? - Yeah.
Yeah, he was 98.
It was odd that she asked, because I wasn't there, but she was-- Odette was-- along with my father, and when I reminded her of that, she asked about my dad.
She said she wanted to catch up with him.
Do you know if the two of them ever spoke? Well, I gave her his number, but I-I'm not sure what happened.
Mnh-mnh.
It's not coming off.
It's like it soldered itself onto my hand.
Maybe it's possessed, you know, like some kind of cursed object from a Stephen King story.
How can I tell my wife that I'm not wearing my wedding ring because I lent it to Esposito as an experiment to see if strippers would flirt with me? Maybe she'll see the humor in it.
- Not a chance.
- You're a dead man.
So Charles Carson, former butler to Odette's late grandfather.
No record, but get this-- his name rang a bell, so I looked up the guest list from Wednesday's taping, and he's on it.
Odette called in a last-minute ticket request for Mr.
Carson.
So he was at the show.
Yes, security has him going through at 2:15, but after that, no one remembers seeing him.
Okay, so Suzanne said that Faux-Dette wanted to talk about the day her grandfather died.
What if this was the secret that Barbra was on to? What if Graham Morton didn't die of natural causes and she felt somehow Charles Carson here had something to do with it? We need to see Graham Morton's autopsy report.
Based on my reading of the coroner's report, I can see why Graham Morton's death was ruled natural causes.
However-- Ooh.
There's a however.
A very big however.
Tell 'em.
There were some anomalies I found suspicious.
Evidence of petechiae in both eyes, fresh bruising on the right side of Mr.
Morton's nose, which could have happened if, say, someone was holding a pillow over his face.
All in all, I think there's ample evidence that Mr.
Morton was murdered.
Ample.
Murdered.
I am just so proud.
- Dad, work.
Boundaries.
- Right.
One more thing.
When I requested the file be sent over, the clerk told me that I was the second person this week to ask for it.
Odette Morton was there on Tuesday.
So Barbra realized Odette's grandfather was murdered and must have thought Carson the butler had something to do with it.
And then when Carson figured out that Barbra knew too much, he killed her.
We're gonna bring him in first thing in the morning.
And arrest him for a double murder.
Good morning.
Speak for yourself.
Oh, Richard.
I really messed up.
I just let my ego get the better of me, now Oona Marconi is never gonna endorse my school.
She'll probably write something negative just out of spite.
Well, there is a chance you can still turn this around.
But are you willing to apologize to someone who doesn't really deserve it? Darling, I don't think a simple apology is gonna get me out of this.
Then in the wise words of Don Vito Corleone You need to make her an offer she can't refuse.
And if there's anything-- if there's anything I can do to help, - you let me know.
- I will.
I will.
Mr.
Carson, you worked for Graham Morton for over 25 years.
I understand that you were very close with his grandkids.
Well, as--as close as one could be while still maintaining the employer-servant relationship.
So when the victim called you and invited you to the "Night Of Dance" taping on Wednesday, - you said yes.
- I was delighted.
She asked me to meet her afterwards and said that she had a question for me, but of course, as you know, they canceled the show, and I didn't find out until the next day what had happened.
I had no idea that that girl wasn't Odette and no idea why she wanted to talk to me.
She wanted to talk to you about the day that Graham Morton died.
Why would she care about that? It seems she had some evidence that Mr.
Morton didn't die of natural causes.
I don't understand.
Are you saying that he was murdered? You were at the house that day, weren't you? Oh, good lord.
You don't think that I had-- You were the person closest to him.
You had ample opportunity.
We've seen the will.
He left you a generous bequest.
I would never have hurt Mr.
Morton.
But that woman--the woman who pretended to be Odette-- she might be right about his death.
In fact, it's possible that she believed that I knew something.
Tell me, how did Mr.
Morton die? Was he smothered? Why would you ask that? The month he died, there was tension in the household.
Odette was seeing someone of whom Mr.
Morton did not approve.
Do you know who? No, but he ordered her to break it off, and of course, that day Odette was crying, she spent most of the morning in her room.
At about 1:00, Mr.
Morton said that he wanted to take a nap, so I cleared the bed of all the pillows.
He preferred a-a flat surface.
Now a few moments later, there was a commotion down in the kitchen.
Odette had put a sandwich in the toaster oven too long, and it had caused a small fire.
We put it out, and then I went back upstairs to check on Mr.
Morton, and he was dead.
And that's when I noticed it.
Noticed what? A pillow on the bed.
And I was sure that I had taken them all off.
So I told Odette about it, but she said my mind was playing tricks on me, so I let it go.
Mr.
Carson, when you were in the kitchen, was there ever a moment that Odette was out of your sight? No.
I-I knew she was innocent.
She wasn't innocent.
She was the distraction.
Odette got you down to the kitchen while her accomplice went and murdered her grandfather.
And then when Barbra Landau figured out the truth, the accomplice murdered her, too.
Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Lynchberg.
Mr.
Lynchberg, being the Morton family financial advisor, that must give you pretty good insight into their-- their personal lives, right? Well, looking at what people spend their money on, you get to know folks pretty well.
And how well did you know Odette? As well as any of my clients.
But given the lectures that I gave her about her lifestyle, maybe more so.
We understand, about the time her grandfather died, Odette was dating someone, someone her grandfather didn't approve of.
Mm.
Well, that's not surprising.
The two of them rarely saw eye to eye.
This boyfriend-- do you remember who he was? No.
Why? Well, because we think that he conspired with Odette to kill her grandfather and then he killed Barbra when she was on the verge of figuring it all out.
You're sure you don't remember? Mnh-mnh.
Well, we just spoke with Odette's brother, and he remembers.
In fact, he remembers it being you.
He said that the two of you wanted to get married, but Odette's grandfather threatened to cut her off.
Now a girl like Odette, she could never be happy living off a meager 6-figure salary like yours.
She needed to inherit.
But that old man refused to die.
So she convinced you to go upstairs and smother him to death with a pillow while she created a distraction in the kitchen.
Problem solved.
Except once she had her money, she left you, went back to her partying lifestyle.
She used you, but there wasn't anything you could do about it.
At least not without admitting to the murder.
You can't prove that.
His death wasn't even ruled a homicide.
No, but Barbra Landau's was.
Uniforms found this 9 millimeter in the dumpster behind your offices.
Ballistics match.
This is the same gun that was used to kill Barbra Landau.
And it's got your fingerprints all over it.
Last month, when her credit card bills were so high, I thought she was slipping back into her old ways.
I said to her, "We didn't risk everything to get this money so you could let it ruin your life.
" And she looked at me, and I could tell, she had no idea what I was talking about.
In that moment, I knew that she wasn't my Odette.
And that's how she got on to you.
So this Barbra told me that if I kept her secret, she would keep mine.
She thought we were even.
She thought that she could just take the place of Odette.
I mean, wh-what-- what was I supposed to do, just let some dirty stripper live in her house and wear her clothes and--and blackmail me? Odette deserved better.
What's going on? I was just thinking how we rely on dreams to keep us going in life and how sad it is when they become the things that tear us down.
Yeah, well, that might be the case for Barbra Landau, but not for everyone with dreams that didn't come true.
I mean, take Lanie for instance.
She wanted to be a dancer.
She became a doctor.
That's not so bad, is it? Hmm.
What about you? I mean, I know you became a cop because your mother was murdered, but there had to be something before that.
What did little Kate Beckett want to be when she grew up? At Stanford, I was pre-law.
So your dream was to argue a case before the supreme court.
Mm-hmm.
Yep, I was on my way to becoming the first female Chief Justice.
- Wow.
- Mm-hmm.
Not bad.
Ah, it won't-- yeah, you know what? I'm late for my stripper date, man.
Whoa.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, no.
I cannot go home again without ring on my finger tonight.
Our couch has a loose spring.
My back-- Did you try soap? Yeah.
Yeah, that was, like, the first thing we did.
Cooking spray? I didn't think about cooking spray.
Where am I gonna find cooking spray? Here.
It's like silk.
That might work.
- Oh, yeah.
I think it's coming.
- Yeah? At least it's off my finger.
Oona, thank you so much for stopping by.
Thank you, Martha.
And I'll be sure to find a few inches of column space to mention your little school.
Oh, good.
Thank you.
I really appreciate that dear.
Oh, Richard, good.
You're just in time to say good-bye to Oona.
Oh.
How nice to see you again.
It's lovely to see you as well.
And I, uh, look forward to hearing from you.
Hearing from-- Well, I know you're in a hurry, dear, and, uh, I'll call you.
We will have lunch.
- Yes.
- Bye-bye.
All's well that ends well.
Mother, why would Oona Marconi be looking forward to hearing from me? Well, you did say, if there was any way that you could help-- That you should let me know.
Exactly what did you promise her without asking me first? That you would read her novel Oh, mother.
And critique it and give it to your publisher.
It is the inspiring story of a young woman's journey from department store clerk to world-renowned Broadway star.
Chick lit? Mother this is really not my-- Oh, and, darling, when you give her your thoughts, do be kind, because it's always been her dream to be a novelist.
Be kind.
For you, mother, I can be kind.
Corrections by Alex1969