Castle s07e18 Episode Script

Okay, that was interminable.
How are 15 PowerPoint presentations "a unique research opportunity"? You guys said crime stat briefings were fascinating.
Wait a minute.
You guys told him that? Well, I'm sure they're fascinating to someone.
Oh, my You lied to me! I just squandered three hours of my life.
- So did we.
- Yeah.
Oh, come on, Castle.
No hard feelings.
I'll tell you what.
I will buy the first round at The Old Haunt.
Sorry, guys.
I can't tonight.
I have another security gig with my brother-in-law.
Really? Again? Yeah.
The good news is, Sarah Grace will have enough money for college.
The bad news is, she'll have no idea know who I am.
So, who are you guarding this time? Uh, truth is, I'm not allowed to say.
What do you mean you're not allowed to say? It's us.
Who is it? Seriously, man.
I can't.
That means this goes beyond the usual pro-athlete or reality star.
This is someone important.
Someone revered.
Perhaps the Pope? The Dalai Lama? Angela Merkel? My lips are sealed.
Ryan! Is it One Direction? You'd tell me, right? Are they in town? No, they're in Hong Kong.
Right.
Hey, how's my sister doing? Sleeping easier now that I retired from the force.
You don't miss the job at all? Working Vice? Nah.
I was dealing with lowlifes every waking minute.
Now I'm my own boss.
Yeah.
I'm telling you, Kev, security is a better way of life.
I have to say, a lot of guys, when they retire, they just drift.
But you're really making this work.
You could make it work for you, too.
Anyhow, there's a permanent spot for you with me the minute you make the call.
Wow, Frank.
That's a hell of an offer.
With your background, I'd be lucky to have you.
Now tell me, did you memorize the rogues' gallery? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Every face.
So, what's the threat level here? Low.
It's a charity event for Pure Water Now.
It's not a Middle-East peace conference.
There's gonna be protesters who wanna bother Congressman Lopez.
You've heard of him, right? Yeah, yeah.
Who hasn't? He's a rising member of the House, super charismatic.
Though, let's face it, there's not a hell of a lot of competition in that.
Look, he's still a stand-up guy.
Every time he comes to the city he hires me, so treat him right.
All right.
He's going places.
What's our ETA, Frank? Just a few more minutes, sir.
Detective Kevin Ryan, Congressman Alex Lopez.
Frank speaks very highly of you.
As he does of you, sir.
Oh, please, call me Alex.
Or Mr.
Lopez, if you want.
My wife, Mia.
You've met my Chief of Staff, Megan Brooks.
Kevin, what do you think your job is tonight? To protect you, sir.
Mostly, it's my reputation you need to protect.
These days, a single photo can cause major damage if some idiot approaches and tries to create a scene.
We'll make sure that doesn't happen, sir.
Good, because come campaign season, I may need some men I can rely on.
Sir, about tonight's schedule, it's the red carpet and then mingling over cocktails.
Uh, these are the people that you're gonna want to connect with.
Some of them you know.
All of them are major donors with their own Super PACs, who are still looking for a candidate that they can believe in.
I've broken down all of their past campaign contributions and net worth.
I hope all these rich guys are ready to fork over some of their money to Carolyn and her Pure Water project.
Oh, they are, darling.
But the real reason they're coming is to see you.
Okay, after meet-and-greet, you're gonna take the stage and introduce Carolyn, and here is your speech.
Excuse me, folks.
We're pulling in now.
Congressman, how's your fundraiser? Right over here! Miss, are you gonna stand by your husband? Smile.
Thanks for coming.
Congressman Lopez? Any truth to the rumor that you're launching a presidential campaign? Now, Bree, tonight is all about my very good friend Carolyn Decker and her Pure Water project.
She's gonna be providing clean water for families all over the globe.
Well, work that is only possible because of the support and generosity of people like Alex Lopez.
Do you feel that the race is in order? Race? I really shouldn't be commenting on that.
What is this? Blood? What? Were you gonna spray him with it? The drone strikes that he supports kill innocent children.
Detain him, get him out of here.
Okay, now.
Great.
Nice work.
You might find yourself protecting the first Latino President of the United States.
There he is.
Congratulations, Jim.
State Party Chairman? It's a great fit for you.
Well, thank you for all your support, Alex.
You know I'll have your back when you make a run for that White House.
Little too soon for that kind of talk, but I appreciate the thought.
Enjoy your evening.
Likewise.
All right.
Mr.
Shelton, it's a pleasure to see you.
You're being very coy about your aspirations, Alex.
But you obviously have some or you wouldn't be here.
Well, for now, I'm just happy to serve the people of my district.
Being coy isn't in my nature.
You and your ideas aren't what this country needs, and I'll see to it that you never become president.
Sir.
Nice talking to you.
Oh, Aryana Jones, this is Alex Lopez.
Hi.
Aryana, my wife and I are huge fans.
Can't wait to see the performance tonight.
You are too sweet, Alex.
Please come say hi after the show.
Uh, sir, five minutes until you're on.
You better get backstage.
Okay.
Okay, bye.
Give me some room, fellas.
I'd like a word with Carolyn.
Man, Lopez is a rock star.
Yeah, you're telling me.
All right, I'll keep eyes on him on stage.
You cover him back here? Yeah, copy that.
God knows.
So Oh, God, I think I've been hit.
Sir, stay right where you are.
Help's on the way, okay? Carolyn.
Carolyn, you're gonna be all right.
Kev! Kev, what the hell happened? Call 911.
We need a doctor in here right now.
God! Who did this? Did you see who did this? No.
No, no, no, no.
Stop! Gray suit! Stay right where you are! Go, go, go, go, go! Watch out! NYPD! Stop that man! Police! Clear out of the way! Move! Move out of the way! Freeze! Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon! Put it down! Put it down! The shooter's getting away! Put the gun down now or I'll shoot! Put it down! - Hey.
- Hey, how's Lopez? Lucky.
The round hit his collarbone, but missed his heart.
How about Carolyn Decker? Still in surgery.
I took my eyes off them for one second No, no, no, no, Kev.
We're gonna find this shooter.
NYPD sealed off 10 square blocks from this place.
Did we get a description? Only the one you gave us.
Six feet, medium build, brown hair.
Come on, no one saw his face? Yeah, they did, but they were too busy panicking to remember.
Look, why don't we walk through what happened? No, Frank, I already did that.
And what's the harm in doing it again? Yeah.
Okay.
Shots rang out.
Three of them.
I I dove onto Lopez.
Took Carolyn down, too.
I saw they were hit.
That's when you came in.
All right.
And then I spotted the shooter.
I only ever saw the back.
All right, think about his hands.
Rings on his fingers, a watch.
No, no, no, nothing like that.
Wait.
Uh Blue card.
Yeah, he had a pale blue ID card hanging from his neck.
This guy had a press pass.
Kev, that's good.
Yeah.
I'm gonna brief NYPD.
Okay.
Bad news travels fast.
Are you okay? Nah, not really.
Can we talk later? Uh, no.
Kev, this can't wait.
Beckett, I have to work this case.
Look, it's a homicide now.
I'm at the hospital.
Carolyn Decker just died in surgery.
Kev? Are you there? Yeah.
I'm here.
I read your statement.
We should talk about it.
No, no.
There's no point.
I never saw the shooter's face.
But, hey, have you talked to Lopez yet? No.
Why? The shooter was in his line of sight.
If anyone saw him, it was Lopez.
Okay.
I'm on it.
I'll call you as soon as I know something.
I'm sorry, sir.
Um, this area is off limits.
Carolyn is my daughter.
I'm very sorry, sir.
All she ever tried to do was help people.
Why her? Kev.
Yeah.
Any luck on that press pass? Who'd it belong to? No one.
What do you mean "no one"? Event security kept extra passes on hold for last-minute attendees.
So somehow our shooter got a hold of one.
Damn it.
Yeah.
So, how's Ryan doing? He knows it's not his fault, right? Well, it happened on his watch.
So, for Ryan, it means it's all on him until he finds this guy.
Detective Beckett, Jim Boyce, State Party Chair.
This whole thing is just terrible.
Is there any news? Just that we're doing everything we can to apprehend the suspect.
Well, I'm glad that you're the one handling the case.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Boyce, do we know each other? No, but you have an outstanding reputation and it's gotten the attention of the people in my world.
I won't hold you, Detective.
Pleasure to meet you.
Yeah, likewise.
What was that about? I have no idea.
Maybe we can set up a foundation in Carolyn's name.
Yes, let's do that.
Like, uh, a scholarship fund.
Why don't I look into that and get back to you with options? That'd be great, Megan.
Congressman Lopez, I'm Detective Beckett, this is Mr.
Castle.
We're investigating the shooting.
You know, as a politician you know in the back of your mind that harm may come to you.
But it should never come to an innocent bystander.
Congressman, did you notice anything or anyone suspicious prior to the shooting? Everything seemed normal.
Until it wasn't.
Well, we believe that the shots originated from the north end of the backstage area.
That's the direction you were facing when you were speaking with Carolyn Decker.
Did you notice anyone in the background? I saw stagehands, production crew There was this one guy.
What was he wearing? A gray suit.
Is that him? Is that the man that killed Carolyn? Did you see his face? Can you describe him? I can most definitely describe him.
This is our guy.
Eric Chambers.
A fringe blogger and political activist with some pretty extreme ideas.
Okay, he looks like the sketch, but can we place him at the crime scene? CSU pulled Chambers' prints off the wall.
So, he was there.
It's definitely him.
I'm guessing he's not a big supporter of Lopez.
That's an understatement.
Two weeks ago, Chambers ranted on his blog about how Lopez posed a threat to the American way of life, and that he would get what all traitors deserve.
Where is Chambers now? His last known address is in the Bowery.
Tactical's gearing up.
Take Ryan.
He should be there when you pick Chambers up.
Tactical's about three minutes out.
How do we know Chambers is at home? - Tory pinged his cell.
- He's in there.
Hey, bro, we're gonna get this guy.
Yeah.
There he is.
He's on the move! Chambers, freeze! Chambers! Get the hell off me! You can't do this! Give me a reason! Eric Chambers, you're under arrest.
We got him, Ryan.
We're good.
Mr.
Chambers, you are facing charges for murder and the attempted assassination of a congressman.
Your best hope for leniency is to confess.
I'll never confess.
I won't give you the satisfaction.
Okay, why don't you consider this a chance to tell your side of the story? My side of the story is that I'm innocent.
This is all a charade.
The evidence would suggest otherwise.
We found this stolen press pass at your apartment, along with a floor plan of the ballroom.
Then there's the pesky issue of you fleeing after firing the shots.
A true patriot, by definition, is an enemy of the state.
Our government has a long and sorry history of persecuting people like me.
So, you are the victim here? And you're the instrument they're using to try to destroy me.
You're too blind to see that this is a script.
You're just playing your part.
Um, okay, here's the part that fascinates me.
You hated Lopez, you wanted him dead.
So you shot him.
Not fatally, it turns out.
But still, you struck a blow for "true patriots" everywhere.
Isn't this the proudest moment of your life, Eric? I mean, why not own it? Why not take credit for what you've accomplished? You want your day in court, so you can have a public forum.
I'm done here.
Chambers isn't talking.
Well, that may not matter.
I think we literally just found the smoking gun.
Get this.
Unis found a .
38 caliber pistol in a storm drain about a block away from the hotel.
Recently fired.
Weren't there metal detectors at the venue? Yeah.
Which means that the gun might've been waiting for him, stashed at the hotel.
Along with the press pass.
So, that suggests he wasn't acting alone.
And Lopez might still be a target.
I'll call down to the hospital and beef up security.
If we can reconstruct Chambers' movements from the venue, we might be able to figure out how he got that gun.
And who he was working with.
You know, when we were trying to ID Chambers, we rounded up hundreds of photos from that event.
I think I know where to start.
Some were taken by photographers, others by guests on their cell phones.
I used facial recognition to try and search for Chambers.
Did you find him? He appears in 14 pictures, mostly in the background.
Since each photo is time-stamped I was able to plot his movement at the venue.
Each dot represents where Chambers was photographed.
Does anyone in the photos ever hand him something? Does he ever retrieve an object the size of a gun? I'm afraid not.
But there is a five-minute gap when Chambers is unaccounted for.
This is the last photo before the missing time.
That door leads to a storage area.
Then maybe that's where the gun was stashed.
No.
No, no.
Security protocol would've had that door locked for the evening.
Well, this room wasn't locked.
Here's another picture of it, taken around the same time.
That guy works for the hotel.
If that door was supposed to be locked, what was he doing in there? Julian Bailey? Yes? You mind telling us what you were doing in the storage room last night? I wasn't in any storage room.
Oh, then who's this? Your evil twin? Okay, yeah.
I snuck in there for a girl, you know? We were gonna meet up, but she never showed.
All right.
Have you seen this guy? Yeah.
He came in the room.
I wasn't supposed to be there, so I hid.
What was he doing in the room? Was he looking for something? Did he have a gun? A gun? No.
He was with another dude.
They were talking all intense.
You have to be smart about when and where we bring Mr.
Lopez down.
I've got it covered, okay? Lopez is gonna get what's coming to him.
And you didn't think to mention this before? I was afraid I'd get fired.
Plus, by the time I realized he was the one who shot the Congressman, you guys had already caught him.
All right, this other dude that he was talking to, did you see his face? Just for a second, as the two of them were walking out.
Carl Shelton? As in billionaire industrialist Carl Shelton? Yeah.
And he's no fan of Lopez.
I saw Shelton tell Lopez to his face that he would never become president.
Maybe Shelton wanted to make sure.
So, he colluded with Chambers.
It's starting to look that way.
Especially since Shelton is co-owner of this hotel.
Which means he would have access to a press pass and know how to get a gun past security.
It's money versus power, tycoon versus politician.
A story as old as America itself.
All right, let's try and find out what the connection is between Eric Chambers and Carl Shelton.
I'm afraid Mr.
Shelton does not know anyone named Eric Chambers.
Well, we have a witness that saw the two of you talking to each other.
That witness is mistaken.
Mr.
Shelton, you financed a group called America for Americans.
It's co-founded by Eric Chambers.
My client I I fund many grassroots organizations who share my concern about the decline of this great nation.
But I'm not acquainted with every person in every group.
Eric Chambers' views are hard to miss.
He advocates armed resistance against what he calls "the US police state.
" Well, there's nothing wrong with ordinary Americans defending themselves against government overreach.
Well, this isn't about overreach.
This is about you getting rid of a politician who stood against you.
What is that, Mr.
Castle? Your latest work of fiction? I believe that concludes our interview.
If you have more questions, get a subpoena.
Mr.
Shelton, you put Chambers up to this, and I intend to prove it.
Good luck with that.
'Sup, bro? Everyone's gone.
What are you still doing here? Thinking.
Come on.
This is a win.
We got the shooter.
What about Shelton? We'll build a case against him.
And I bet that Chambers will help us out and roll on Shelton.
Why hasn't he done that already? Maybe Shelton made Chambers some promises in return for him keeping his mouth shut.
Why would a man in Shelton's situation risk being seen with Chambers? Because he's like all these other rich sons of bitches who think they can get away with anything.
I don't know.
Something about this just isn't sitting right, Javi.
You're spinning.
You just need a good night's sleep.
In the morning, everything will be clear to you.
All right? Yeah.
Hello? What? All right.
How about now? - That looks good.
- Okay.
Oh! Good.
You're here.
What is this? What are you guys doing? Ah, well, Ryan was working all night and he texted me.
You texted Castle and not me? Well, when you have a crazy theory, you don't call the voice of reason.
What What theory? Eric Chambers is not our shooter.
We got the wrong guy.
You're telling me Eric Chambers is not our shooter? Based on what? Physics, sir.
Congressman Lopez said that when he talked to Carolyn Decker, he saw Chambers by the far wall.
Which is where CSU found his prints.
Seconds later, our assassin opens fire.
Three shots.
The first one strikes Lopez beneath the left clavicle.
The second one grazes Carolyn Decker's shoulder and then the third one strikes her in the upper back.
That shot severs her pulmonary artery.
She never has a chance.
How does any of this lead you to think that Chambers is not the assassin? Chambers' vantage point.
He had a side-angle view of Lopez and Carolyn Decker.
So, how did Chambers manage to shoot Carolyn in the back? The answer is that he couldn't have.
Not unless that bullet magically took a hard right turn in mid-air.
Which means the shots were fired from the grassy knoll.
Metaphorically speaking.
Detective Beckett, do you actually find any of this plausible? Yes, sir.
Plausible enough that I'm getting Ballistics to re-evaluate the crime scene.
Chambers had motive.
He stole a press pass, he fled the shooting.
How do you explain all that? I think Chambers was set up to be the fall guy.
Probably by Carl Shelton.
Then why isn't he vigorously protesting his innocence? Chambers distrusts authority.
And he believes that we're part of a plot against him.
Nonetheless, Eric Chambers remains our prime suspect unless proof comes in that he isn't.
In the meantime, sir, I'd like to take another run at him.
You're wasting your time.
I'm not talking.
Well, that's okay.
You don't have to talk.
You can just listen.
Yeah, we know that you're not the shooter.
Of course you do.
You people orchestrated the whole thing.
You know, Eric, I got a newsflash for you.
You're not the focus of some big governmental conspiracy.
No one has the least bit of interest in you.
Actually, I take that back.
Someone is very interested in you.
Whoever set you up.
Somebody went to a significant amount of trouble to frame you.
And now Now you know too much.
You're a loose end.
I don't see a very bright future for you.
You honestly expect me to believe a word you say? All right.
It's up to you.
It's your life.
Just tell me everything about how you got backstage, and I'll keep you safe.
If not, I can't help you.
Nobody can.
Just think about it.
Um, but don't think too long.
Wait.
So, if Chambers isn't our shooter, then what was he doing backstage? He wanted to make a political statement by confronting Lopez during his speech in front of the cameras.
That way, he knew that it would blow up on the 24-hour news cycle.
All right, what about Carl Shelton? Castle, it's looking like Shelton may not be involved.
The billionaire industrialist with his grubby hands on the levers of power? Of course he's involved.
They were seen in the storage room.
That's because Shelton realized that Chambers had crashed the event.
So, he tried to talk him out of making a scene.
So, where did Chambers get the press pass from? It was left for him in his mailbox.
In his mail box? By whom? An anonymous sympathizer contacted him through his website, left him the pass and instructions about where to wait backstage.
Okay, yeah.
Okay.
Can I Can I just say I know I have occasionally theorized that a conspiracy was afoot Occasionally? But this time a conspiracy really is afoot! Guys, Chambers was clearly being manipulated by a person or persons unknown into being backstage, so he'd be the perfect patsy.
Why would someone go to all that trouble to set him up as Lopez's shooter? I may have an answer for that.
Prelim ballistics report.
You were right.
The shots did not come from where Chambers was standing.
So where did the shots come from? Well, based on trajectories, the shots were fired from this position right here.
The shooter was behind the lighting stanchion.
That's why no one saw him.
He took his shot and then he slipped out the back.
Yeah, it's good concealment.
Nobody would be able to spot him.
But check out this angle.
Carolyn Decker's blocking Lopez.
That would explain why the assassin missed Lopez.
Unless he didn't miss him.
Exactly.
Carolyn Decker was almost square to the shooter.
And she's the one who got hit center-mass.
You guys, what if we're looking at this the wrong way? And Carolyn Decker was the real target.
All right, we'll dig through her life, see if anyone had motive to do this.
There's something you should see first.
This is from Eric Chambers' building.
I was reviewing it to piece together his timeline when I saw this.
He goes straight to Chambers' mailbox.
Okay, that is definitely not the mailman.
He must be leaving the press pass for Chambers.
When was this? Three hours before the shooting.
And can we get a look at this dude's face? Not a good one.
Oh, my God.
What is it? It's my brother-in-law.
That's Frank.
Are you sure that's Frank Kelly? Yeah, no question.
Ryan, I know this is hard.
But where was Frank during those shots? All right, I'll keep eyes on him on stage.
You got him back here? Yes.
He was on the other side of the curtain.
He went into the ballroom to cover Lopez.
Did you see him out there? No.
So, you don't really know where he was.
After the shots, how soon did he arrive? Ten seconds, maybe.
Long enough for him to get from the light stanchion to where you saw him.
So, what are you saying here? That Frank killed Carolyn Decker? Why would he? I don't know, but we need to consider the possibility.
At the very least, he was involved.
So we're bringing him in.
Good.
Because you know what? He'll tell his side of the story.
There's an explanation for this.
I'm sure there is, Ryan, and nothing would make us happier.
Guys, this is my brother-in-law.
There's no way he could be mixed up in something like this.
Hey, bro.
I'm sorry to say that, uh, unis just tried to pick up Frank.
As soon as he saw the patrol car, he bolted.
They lost him.
Issue an APB.
See if there's any connection between Frank Kelly and Carolyn Decker.
I'm on it.
Uh, where are you going? I'm gonna go find Frank.
I'll go with you.
Thanks, Javi.
But this is family here.
I gotta do this one alone.
Okay.
I need to talk to Frank, Gwen.
He's not here.
Where is he then? Kevin, don't you walk in here and start pointing fingers at your own family! He ran! Why would he do that, Gwen? What's he into? Nothing! I know that look.
Yeah, that's the look that you used to get when you'd sneak a cigarette and then you'd lie to Mom about it.
Look, Gwen, I'm here for you.
But I need to know the truth.
What's he into? Things were tight last year.
You know, both kids are at Saint Margaret's now, and that costs an arm and a leg.
But then some money started coming in.
From where? Frank said that he was picking up extra work and But he never ran it through the company.
It was always cash.
How much cash? Over time, close to 50 grand.
Kevin! You know Frank.
You know he would never hurt a soul.
Okay, then tell me where he is before he's the one who gets hurt.
Any word from Ryan? Uh, no, not yet.
It's got to be tough.
Frank is like a brother to him.
Well, maybe Frank isn't in this as deep as we think.
Esposito still hasn't found anything connecting him to Carolyn Decker.
Yeah, well, neither have I.
Hate this part.
Going through a victim's effects? Yeah.
Especially a purse.
Everything in it just is so intimate.
It's like you get a chance to really see who a person is.
Or was.
And who was Carolyn Decker? Uh, she was, um, a workaholic.
The daily alarm on her phone is set for 4:00 a.
m.
And her calendar shows that she was completely dedicated to Pure Water Now.
She has that handwritten letter from a little boy in Africa in her wallet, thanking her.
His village was almost completely wiped out by cholera, and then once they set up the water filtration system in the village, nobody died.
She was actually making a difference.
You know, you make a difference, too.
Yeah, not like her.
Okay.
What? She's got a second phone.
Anything on it? Yeah.
Motive for murder.
What did you do, Frank? Not what you're thinking, man.
It's a nice touch, the way you acted all surprised when I remembered that Chambers was wearing a press pass.
But you weren't surprised, Frank, because all along it was you that gave it to him.
You hired me for this job because you knew that I would never suspect you.
You knew that you could steer the investigation.
No.
No, it wasn't like that and nobody was ever supposed to get hurt.
What the hell does that even mean? Carolyn Decker, she's dead.
I blamed myself.
All along it was you.
Kev, I got myself into something and I got I can't get myself out.
How could you do this? How could you do this to Gwen and the kids? Look me in the eyes and tell me.
Did you kill Carolyn? Did you know her? Did you do it for the money? I didn't kill nobody.
You had to have done something, Frank.
Where'd you get all that cash? The security thing ain't going as good as I said.
Times are tough, you know? I needed money.
So, I made some cash on the side by selling access.
What kind of access? Slipping people in backstage at a concert, passes to fringe journalists, you know, who can't get in the front door.
I swear to you, I didn't know that press pass was going to Chambers.
I'm just trying to provide for my family, for your sister.
I thought of all people you'd understand that.
Who paid you for that pass? No.
I told you everything I know.
And that's all you're gonna get 'cause we both know what happens to cops in prison.
I ain't turning myself in.
Frank.
Frank! Ryan, I'm so sorry.
I know.
It's gonna be a lot harder on my sister.
But at least Frank isn't our shooter.
Does he know who is? No.
He received $5,000 and an envelope along with an address where to leave the press pass.
And who paid him? He was contacted by an outfit called Manhattan Politics.
Turns out, it's a front, with a dead email address.
So whoever's behind this set up Eric Chambers and used Frank to do it.
Can we trace the money? No luck so far.
Though the bills are sequential, so it probably came from a bank withdrawal.
What about the envelope? CSU pulled off a partial print, but it's not enough to run against the database.
Maybe we don't have to.
What do you mean? Well, given the texts we found on Carolyn Decker's phone, we may only have to check one name.
Alex will be discharged later today and we are so grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support from all over the world.
But it's also a time of mourning for the tragic death of Carolyn Decker.
My husband will honor her name by continuing to fight for the people of this country and for those whose voices aren't always heard.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Detective Beckett, Mr.
Castle.
What brings you here? This.
It contained cash used to buy a press pass for Eric Chambers.
A press pass? That's how the assassin got in? Well, you should know.
Your fingerprint is on the envelope.
Where were you during the shooting, Mrs.
Lopez? Because we can't account for you.
You can't be suggesting that I tried to kill my husband.
Oh, no.
No, no.
Not at all.
We're suggesting you tried to kill Carolyn Decker and succeeded.
That's ridiculous and despicable.
These are texts between your husband and Carolyn.
Going back three years, when their affair first started.
That's motive for murder, Mrs.
Lopez.
Now, maybe it was purely personal or maybe you saw her as a liability to your husband's chances of becoming president.
Either way, Carolyn Decker had to go.
But you had to make sure that it didn't lead back to you.
So you created a narrative where Mr.
Lopez was being targeted by an assassin, and Eric Chambers was the patsy.
A plan which happened to raise your husband's profile on the national stage, as we just saw.
Well done.
You don't think I knew about the affair? I understood the deal I was making when I married Alex.
And far from a liability, Carolyn was his behind-the-scenes adviser.
She was a conduit to major donors who backed his Where were you during the shooting, Mrs.
Lopez? Alex and I have an agreement.
I was at the hotel.
Room 717.
I can give you her name if it's absolutely necessary.
It will be.
But it still doesn't explain away your fingerprint.
This envelope is from Alex's office.
I know that because I ordered the stationery.
I help out there sometimes.
I send letters to his constituents.
I must have touched it at some point.
Who else has access to those envelopes? I'm afraid I don't understand.
So you think that one of my people played a part in this? Well, that's impossible.
I I personally vetted everyone.
Once we knew where to look, we matched the serial numbers from those bills to a withdrawal from your bank account.
My bank? Specifically, your campaign travel account.
That can't be.
I'm the only one authorized to access the account.
Just me.
And Megan.
Who is, oddly enough, who showed up on the bank's security video making the withdrawal.
Alex, this is a mistake.
I would never do this.
I have no reason to.
That's not exactly true.
We looked into Carolyn's texts again.
She had misgivings about you.
Carolyn believed that you could make it all the way to the presidency with the right team in place.
But she didn't think that Megan belonged on that team.
The thought of being cast aside was more than you could bear.
So you came up with a plan that would eliminate your problem and win your boss the sympathy of a nation.
Two birds with one stone.
We got a search warrant to look into your apartment, Megan.
The coat that you were wearing tested positive for gunshot residue.
You killed Carolyn? Megan, how How could you do that? How could I? How could you? When you started at City Council, I was putting signs on people's lawns, I was passing out pamphlets in the freezing cold.
I write your speeches.
I craft your bills.
I have invested my entire life in you, in doing whatever it is you need me to do, and I've done it well.
That should count for something.
Megan Brooks, you're under arrest for the murder of Carolyn Decker.
Backstabbing, adultery and betrayal.
That is why I hate politics.
Representatives of the people should be honorable.
They should be trustworthy.
Well, I'm sure some of them are.
But Washington could probably use a few more people that think the way you do.
What's this? Oh, study materials.
For the captain's exam? So, you're gonna go for it? Well, it's the next step.
I'm not sure if it's the right one yet, but I figure I'd take the test, see how I do.
And if you do well? Then maybe that'll make my decision for me.
You ready to go home? Yeah.
What am I gonna tell her? The only thing you can.
The truth.
I messed everything up.
Even with a plea deal, I'm going to jail.
No, you don't know that.
Gwen's gonna hate me.
For lying and for not being the man I said I was.
She's strong, Frank.
Stronger than you think.
I don't know if I should knock or just open the door.
I'm sorry, Gwennie.
I'm so sorry.
We'll get through it, baby.
We'll figure it out.
Thank you.
Yeah.