Castle s04e23 Episode Script
Always
Previously on "Castle" Who killed my mother? No, Kate.
I give you a name, I know you.
You'll run straight at him.
I might as well shoot you where you stand.
They are coming to kill you, and I'm not gonna let 'em.
I'm gonna end this.
No one outside of this immediate family ever needs to know about this.
As far as the world is concerned, Roy Montgomery died a hero.
Kate! It was supposed to be over.
Montgomery sacrificed himself to keep her safe.
This is so much bigger than you realize.
Hello.
Mr.
Castle, I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's.
We need to talk.
He says she's safe now on one condition.
She can't go near her mother's case.
She'll listen to me.
I can steer her away.
No! Ah! Beckett! Castle! Beckett! Castle, I'm here! Beckett, hang on! Either this is the most boring dream I've ever had or you can't sleep either.
It's not a dream.
More like a nightmare.
Is this about your valedictorian speech? It's my chance to say something important, something worthy.
I don't want to blow it, but I feel like I have nothing to say.
You mean nothing compared to the great sacred texts of mankind or Winston Churchill's speech to harrows, or Steve Jobs' address to Stanford? You know, maybe you should pick some speeches st a little less daunting to compare yours to, like, um, "Say Anything" or "Twilight.
" It's not supposed to be this hard.
You know, the most worthwhile things in life are often the most difficult.
For example-- Wow.
That really is a smart phone.
Of course you don't understand why she's taking her graduation speech so seriously.
You were probably the guy who had nothing on but boxers underneath his gown.
That is so insulting.
If you must know, I was naked underneath.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I stand corrected.
So how is the father of the graduate taking it? I already have a plan to drown my sorrows.
After the ceremony, my mother goes off to the Hamptons, Alexis will be doing her all-nighter.
I will be distracting myself with a double feature of "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled.
" Wow.
That is a double feature.
You like John Woo? The bloodier the better.
You wouldn't want to join me, would you? Actually, I'd love to.
You coming, Castle? Yeah.
Please.
Hey.
So? So we've got a Hispanic male, late 20s.
Cabbie spotted the body about an hour ago and called it in.
We got an I.
D.
? Nah.
We checked his pockets.
There's no phone, keys, or wallet.
And we're checking prints right now.
From the blood trail, it looks like he was shot before he entered the alley.
He was hit in the shoulder with what looks like a .
357, but the kill shot-- point-blank, execution style, with a 9 millimeter.
Two guns.
Could be more than one shooter.
Was C.
S.
U.
able to trace that blood trail from the first shot? It starts around the corner.
There's no visible point of origin, but the teams are still looking.
Well, this is a bad neighborhood.
Maybe it was a mugging gone wrong? Maybe.
These grooves in his shoulder indicate that he was carrying something, and it was heavy.
I'd say at least 30 pounds.
I'm even seeing traces of skin tissue in his fingernail.
I may be able to get D.
N.
A.
, but I'll know a lot more once I get him back to the morgue.
Uh, his pockets may have been empty, but it looks like he was trying to hide something in his shoe.
Lock picks? Now why would someone be needing lock picks? He's a thief.
Orlando Costas.
A couple of domestic B&Es, but suspected of a dozen more.
He used to run with the Cazadores.
Cazadores? They're a violent street gang that deals in drugs, arms, and larceny, but all of Orlando's priors are back when he was a teenager.
He hasn't been arrested in years.
Maybe he got back in the game.
I don't know.
He went a long way to clean up his act.
Did four years active in the military, discharged with honors last year.
Spent his rotation as an M.
P.
in Germany.
Military police? He really did clean up his act.
If this guy went straight, then how did he end up dead in an alley? Did you check for next of kin? Uh, his folks are dead, but we managed to track down a girlfriend--Marisol Castaneda.
Esposito's bringing her in right now.
All I know is, he was with me in bed last night when I went to sleep.
I woke up this morning, and both him and my car were gone.
Where did he go? I figured he'd gone to the career center to check the job listings.
He does that every morning.
He'd been looking for work? For months.
Orlando served his country.
You'd think that means something, but it's been tough, especially after my hours got cut.
So he was under financial pressure? Is it possible that he went back to old habits? No.
Look, Marisol, we know that he ran with the Cazadores.
Do you think that-- I said no.
He went through hell to escape that life.
It's why he enlisted, to get out, to be a better man for me A better father to our son.
So how about you stop trying to make this his fault and find whoever killed him? What kind of car do you have? Two blocks away from the alley, blood smeared on the arm rest-- This is definitely it.
He was shot somewhere else and then he came here? Why not go home? Why not go get patched up? He was meeting someone in that alleyway.
Phone.
His last call was 4:47 A.
M.
, just before he died.
Run that number.
Right.
Hey, Beckett, gun.
It's a .
38.
Recently fired.
So it was a shootout.
That's how he got the shoulder wound.
Which means, wherever he came from, there might be another body.
I know where he was coming from.
Where? His last entry was 299 First Avenue.
Wait.
What's at 299 First Ave.
? Captain Montgomery's house.
We're just thankful no one was hurt.
Believe me, so am I.
Ever since Roy died, I've slept with his .
357 in the nightstand.
So it was just the one guy? As far as I know.
He was taking files out of the cabinet.
He had Roy's old laptop in his backpack.
When he saw me, he pulled his weapon, so God help me, I shot him.
I think I hit him in his shoulder.
He fired back, and then he crashed through the window.
Evelyn, was this the guy? Yeah.
That's him.
I'm glad Evan and the girls weren't home.
Funny thing is, I wasn't supposed to be home either.
It's almost like he knew we weren't supposed to be here.
Anything special about those files? Just paperwork, legal documents, notes on Roy's old cases.
What about his computer? What--what was on that? His old work files, but mostly, I use it for Christmas cards and recipes.
They went after Montgomery's files.
Not valuables, not cash.
And now our thief is dead and the files he took are missing? Well, let's not jump to conclusions.
What else would it be about? Everyone here thinks Montgomery died bringing a cop killer to justice.
We're the only ones who know what he was really involved in and his connection to your mother's murder.
Beckett, it can't be a coincidence.
Recheck the vic's rap sheet.
See if Montgomery was involved in any of his old arrests, and get on that number.
I want to know who he was talking to just before he died.
Say something reassuring.
There are thousands of break-ins in New York City every year.
This one feels different.
Well, that doesn't mean that it is.
Montgomery worked hundreds of cases.
Just because this guy was after files doesn't mean he was after your mom's case.
Then why is our thief dead? You know those people that Montgomery was involved with, he said that they wanted me dead, that I was getting too close, and he said that he was gonna give his life in order to protect mine, and they still tried to kill me.
I wake up sometimes, and I think to myself, how the hell am I still alive? It's like I'm just waiting for that other shoe to drop.
What if this is that other shoe? Things were finally getting better for her, for us.
She was just coming out of her shell, and now this? Do you really think it's related to her mother's murder case? I hope to God it isn't.
Montgomery's friend was very clear.
She starts poking around her mother's murder, they'll come after her again.
I can't let that happen.
I know.
Thank you.
Did you get any sleep? Not much.
Anything new on our victim? We rechecked Orlando's rap sheet.
Montgomery wasn't involved in any of his old arrests.
That break-in wasn't personal.
What about the call he made before he was killed? It's from a burner phone.
There's no registered owner.
Hey.
Hmm? You're not in this alone.
I'm here.
I know.
Hey.
We may have been wrong about why they hit Montgomery's.
Witnesses saw a Hispanic male fleeing the alley in a late-model Maroon DeVille.
Apparently he had gang ink on his neck-- a lion framed by a "C.
" Cazador? The very same gang that our victim ran with.
Gangs.
If this guy was in that alley, odds are, he killed Orlando.
Did we get a license plate? Uh, no, but according to gang task force, the ride matches the car of one Vicente Delgado.
High-level shot caller for the Cazadores.
And get this.
His cousin Diego Gutierrez was busted by Montgomery for a double homicide in '95.
His lawyer's filed a motion for retrial a month after Montgomery was killed.
Find him.
NYPD! Let me see your hands right now! Don't move! Don't move! Don't move! Let me see your hands! Well, looky here, a 9 millimeter.
Just like the gun that killed Orlando Costas.
I already told you, I was nowhere near that alley.
Fact is, your witnesses are blind.
The fact is, you knew Orlando Costas.
Yeah, I knew him once, before he turned his back.
When was the last time you heard from him? Not in years.
Hours.
Just before he was killed, Orlando called a burner cell, same phone that we found on you.
So why don't you just admit to it and save yourself 30 years? You had him break in to Roy Montgomery's house and steal your cousin's case files, and then you shot him.
What you got, chica, huh? Gun's not gonna be a match.
So that leaves you with what, a phone call, and a couple of people who saw a very common car? You know why you can't pin this on me, chica? I wasn't there.
The hell you weren't.
That's gonna be ballistics.
Last chance to make a deal.
Book him on the drugs and weapons charge and tell the D.
A.
I'm gonna want to file for murder one.
It wasn't him.
What do you mean, it wasn't him? The skin tissue that Lanie was able to scrape from underneath our victim's fingernails, the lab was able to pull D.
N.
A.
We ran it against Vicente.
It's not a match.
In fact, it wasn't a match to anyone in the system.
But it did match D.
N.
A.
trace evidence found at another crime scene.
Well, at least that's something.
What was the crime scene? It was a shooting.
Beckett, it was your shooting.
D.
N.
A.
confirms that the man who killed Orlando Costas in that alley is the same man who put a bullet in your heart.
No leads for 11 months, and now this.
Does Gates know? No.
Then we don't tell her.
If she finds out this is a match to my shooting, she'll take me off the case.
Maybe you should be off this case.
They tried to kill you once, Kate.
You keep going on this, they What's to stop them from trying again? What's to stop them now? No.
I've been waiting a year for this, and I'll be damned if I let someone else screw it up.
Hey, Javier.
Man, this just feels wrong.
We need to tell Gates.
Why So she can send Beckett home? You think that's gonna work? You think that's gonna stop her? She's gonna investigate this case, Kevin, whether she's on it or not.
The least we can do is make sure that we have her back.
Hello.
I think you know why I'm calling, Mr.
Castle.
It's you.
Thank God.
What the hell is going on? Why'd they break in to Montgomery's place? Well, most likely, it's a clean-up job.
Making sure that Montgomery had nothing else incriminating in his files.
As long as Beckett drops her investigation, we still hold all the cards.
No, she's already on to her shooter.
She's not gonna let go.
Then we have a problem.
If she doesn't stop, they will retaliate.
Now I can't control the situation if you can't control her.
I got enough on the drug and weapons charges to put you away for at least five years.
Five years of your life What's that worth? I know you didn't kill Orlando.
But he called you, and you talked to him for two minutes, and you were in that alley.
Why? There's nobody in here but you and me.
There's no cameras, no microphones, no one's listening.
I can make all those charges go away.
Five years of your life back, but you gotta tell me what you know.
He called last week.
Talking about "Times were bad," so I told him, "I can get you some work.
" But he knew if he came back to the Cazadores, there'd be no leaving this time.
And all he really wanted was a loan and could I help him out for old times' sake.
Did you give it to him? No.
He begged me.
Said he was good for it.
Said he had something big coming up, something that'd make him whole.
Did he say what? No, but that morning, my phone rings, and he said it'd all gone wrong, he was desperate, talking about they were gonna kill him.
Who's they? Don't know.
But he was scared.
Why did he call you? Protection, chica.
He said if I helped him out, he'd come back, and he knew that was the price.
So I told him where to meet.
But by the time I got there, he was already dead.
You told him where to meet? That's right.
You didn't tell anyone else? No.
Did you see anything there? White guy, Caught a glimpse before the night swallowed him whole.
They must have been tapping Orlando's phone.
That's the only way they got there first.
But how did they know to target Orlando for the job? Because he was desperate for money.
Yeah, but how did they know that? How did they know his background? Because they knew him from the military.
He was hired by somebody he knew.
It's a place to start.
And whoever's gotten close to that secret is dead.
I think it's clear, we're in over our heads here.
Speak for yourself, bro.
Orlando's financials just came in.
He was underwater and overdrawn until last week when a wire transfer for Let me guess.
Untraceable? So it's a dead end.
The deposits are, but the debit withdrawals are not.
Right when the money came in, Marisol started using it to pay bills.
Wait.
If Marisol knew about the money Then she knew Orlando was up to something.
She lied to us.
Not only that, but according to the bank, she cleaned out the entire account an hour ago.
She's on the run.
I've got a few questions for you before you leave town, and this time, I want the truth.
I'm telling you the truth.
I didn't know anything about the money.
Not until today.
So why do we have debits against it the moment it appeared in your account? Orlando-- It was your card, Marisol.
Who was Orlando working for? Do you know what's gonna happen if you don't cooperate? You're gonna go to jail and your kid's gonna go to foster care.
Is that what you want? Beckett-- Marco on the streets, enlisted by the Cazadores at age 10 like his father, dead in a gutter at 19! Pudrete en el infierno! Beckett That's enough.
Orlando said it was someone he knew from the service, someone dangerous.
But it was just a one-off, a lot of money for an easy job.
And we needed the money.
What was the job? They needed files from a dead cop's house.
What files? All of them, any he could find, this guy from the service, did you get a name? No.
Did you meet him? No.
Did he ever call the house? He left notes for Orlando in the mail box with a time and place.
They were coded so I-I wouldn't know where.
But I was in the car once.
I saw where they met.
At a church over on State Street.
Wednesday, you say? Yeah, around 3:00 P.
M.
He was meeting with someone.
I'm sorry.
I wish I could help.
But we're open to the public, and we get a lot of unfamiliar faces every day.
We usually just leave them to their prayers.
If your donation box is any indication, it looks like being open to the public comes with a price.
Yes, well it's not the best neighborhood.
We catch gang kids and the homeless all the time, trying to take advantage of more than just our outreach programs.
How do you catch them? Here it is, There's Orlando.
That's him.
Damn it.
Come on.
Come on.
Yes.
So that's what you look like.
I'm gonna run this through Army C.
I.
D.
If they met in the military someone in Orlando's old unit might be able to I.
D.
him.
No, no, we don't know who's involved and we don't know how high this goes.
The minute we put this photo out there, these people are gonna know.
He's gonna disappear, and we'll never see him again.
We have to do this one on our own.
Beckett, that's impossible.
All we have is a face-- no name, no I.
D.
, no way to find this guy.
Then we will find a way to find him.
I'm not gonna lose this lead.
How are we supposed to investigate if we can't investigate? You heard the lady.
We find a way.
Kate! Don't die on me! Who hired you to kill her? Forget it.
You'll never touch 'em.
Hey.
Hey.
I just got off the phone with Esposito.
Our killer had a keychain, and he matched it to Eastway Car Rentals.
That could be any one of a thousand cars.
I know, it's a needle in a haystack, but at least it's a haystack, and they keep most of their licenses on file.
Kate-- Yeah, he's probably using a fake I.
D.
But we should be able to narrow it down from there.
Kate.
What's wrong? You, um You have to stop.
This investigation, you--you have to stop.
Castle, we already talked about this.
I'm fine.
I'm in control.
No, you're not.
They are.
And if you don't stop, they will kill you, Kate.
What are you talking about? Before Montgomery went into that hangar, he sent a package to someone, someone he trusted.
It contained information damaging to the person behind all this.
Montgomery was trying to protect you.
But the package didn't arrive until after you'd been shot.
Montgomery's friend struck a deal with them.
If they left you alone, that package and the information inside would never see the light of day.
But they made one condition-- you had to back off.
And that's the reason you're alive, Kate, because you stopped.
How do you know this? In order for the deal to work, someone had to make sure you weren't pursuing it.
Are you a part of this? I was just trying to keep you safe.
By lying to me about the most important thing in my life? That lie was the only thing that was protecting you.
Castle, I didn't need protection.
I needed a lead, and you sat on it for a year.
Now who is this person? How do I find him? He's a-a voice on the phone.
He's a shadow in a parking garage.
You met with him? How do you know that he's not behind my mom's murder? How do you know that he's not involved? And how the hell could you do this? Because I love you.
But you already know that, don't you? You've known for about a year.
Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now, after you told me that you just betrayed me? Kate, listen to me-- Listen to you? Why should I listen to you? How I am even supposed to trust anything that you say? How are you s-- Because of everything we've been through together! Four years, I've been right here.
Four years just waiting for you to just open your eyes, to see that I'm right here and that I'm more than a partner.
Every morning, I-I bring you a cup of coffee just so I could see a smile on your face because I think you are the most remarkable maddening challenging frustrating person I have ever met.
And I love you, Kate, and if that means anything to you, if you care about me at all, just don't do this.
If I care about you? Castle, you cut a deal for my life like I was some kind of a child.
My life, mine You don't get to decide.
You keep going with this, they're gonna decide.
They're gonna come for you, Kate.
Let them come.
They sent Coonan, and he is dead.
They sent Lockwood, and he is dead.
And I am still here, Castle, and I am ready.
Ready for what, to-to die for your cause? This isn't a murder investigation anymore, Kate.
They've turned it into a war.
If they want a war, then I will bring them a war, straight to their doorsteps.
Well, I guess there's just nothing I can say, is there? Okay, um Yeah, you're right, Kate, it's your life.
You can throw it away if you want, but I'm not gonna stick around and watch you, so this is, uh over.
I'm done.
Everything okay? Yeah.
Fine.
How's your speech coming? I have watched or read every graduation address ever written and compiled all the best advice into one speech, and then I read it out loud.
And guess what I sounded like.
Like a pompous ass.
I'm 18 years old.
What the hell do I know? Hey, look, everything you know, everything you will know is is what's true for you.
All I know is, everything's changing.
Everything's going to be different, and I'm so scared.
Of what? Moving on.
Write about that.
That feels true.
Where's Castle? He's off the team.
So what do we got? Eastway rented 700 cars last Wednesday.
We believe our suspect is going under the name Cole Maddox.
He rented out of J.
F.
K.
It's a Kansas driver's license.
Now we did some digging.
It's a cover I.
D.
Did he return the car? No, but Eastway maintains GPS tracking on all of its equipment, so we tracked it to the Lower East Side to a 1-block radius somewhere along here.
All right, you stay on grid.
Let us know if he moves.
Esposito, you're coming with me.
What are you doing? You want to do this, you do it right.
You put a team on that car and you bring backup with you.
Ryan, this whole thing started because of a group of corrupt cops.
How do you know there aren't more out there? We're about an inch away from catching this guy, and I'm not gonna blow it by advertising our next move.
With all due respect, this guy put a bullet in your heart and then he disappeared into the ether.
You cannot go in there unprepared.
Unprepared? I've been preparing for this for the past 13 years.
Hey, Javier Man, don't let her do this.
It's too big of a risk.
It's all good, bro.
We got this.
Come on.
We don't want to miss her speech or the entire graduation.
I'm almost ready.
Hey, we got him.
The doorman at the residency hotel across the way I.
D.
'ed the car.
And the front desk clerk confirms that Mr.
Maddox is here on a 1-month lease.
They've agreed to let us in his room.
Get out of the way.
Clear.
Clear.
Montgomery's files.
His contact list? What the hell were they looking for? Not what.
Who.
They grabbed Montgomery's wedding album.
Why? They're looking for someone that he knew.
Maybe they found him.
We gotta get out of here.
I'm gonna call for backup.
We'll set up in the lobby-- Just tell me who's behind this.
You're wasting your time, detective.
You have no idea what you're up against.
Neither do you.
Actually We know exactly who we're up against.
Help! Oh! Oh, God.
No! Oh, not like this.
Come on.
Come on.
No! Castle.
Beckett! Castle! Beckett! Castle, I'm here! No! Oh, God.
Castle! Beckett, hang on! Castle! Beckett! Castle? Withholding evidence, lying to a superior officer-- What you did dishonors this city and dishonors the badge.
Not only are you off this investigation, I'm putting you both on administrative leave effective immediately.
Sir-- Don't you "Sir" me.
You don't deserve to wear the uniform.
Now hand over your badges and guns.
Detective Beckett.
Keep it.
I resign.
There's a universal truth we all have to face whether we want to or not.
Everything eventually ends.
As much as I've looked forward to this day, I've always disliked endings The last day of summer The final chapter of a great book Parting ways with a close friend.
But endings are inevitable.
Javi.
I had to.
Leaves fall.
You close the book.
You say good-bye.
Today is one of those days for us.
Today we say good-bye to everything that was familiar, everything that was comfortable.
We're moving on.
But just because we're leaving, and that hurts There are some people who are so much a part of us they'll be with us no matter what.
They are our solid ground Our North Star, and the small clear voices in our hearts that will be with us always.
No, Alexis, I'll be fine.
I got a thousand cable channels, I got my Xbox.
You have fun.
I will not worry about you until lunchtime tomorrow.
I love you, too.
Beckett, what do you want? You.
I'm so sorry, Castle.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What happened? He got away, and I didn't care.
I almost died and all I could think about was you.
I just want you.
Mister Smith? Who are you? You've been a very hard man to find.
What do you want? You have some sensitive information about my employer, information that you've been using to protect detective Beckett.
Are you forgetting we have a deal? No.
What you had was blackmail.
Now you're gonna tell me where all that information is, and after you do, I'm gonna put Kate Beckett in the ground once and for all.
I give you a name, I know you.
You'll run straight at him.
I might as well shoot you where you stand.
They are coming to kill you, and I'm not gonna let 'em.
I'm gonna end this.
No one outside of this immediate family ever needs to know about this.
As far as the world is concerned, Roy Montgomery died a hero.
Kate! It was supposed to be over.
Montgomery sacrificed himself to keep her safe.
This is so much bigger than you realize.
Hello.
Mr.
Castle, I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's.
We need to talk.
He says she's safe now on one condition.
She can't go near her mother's case.
She'll listen to me.
I can steer her away.
No! Ah! Beckett! Castle! Beckett! Castle, I'm here! Beckett, hang on! Either this is the most boring dream I've ever had or you can't sleep either.
It's not a dream.
More like a nightmare.
Is this about your valedictorian speech? It's my chance to say something important, something worthy.
I don't want to blow it, but I feel like I have nothing to say.
You mean nothing compared to the great sacred texts of mankind or Winston Churchill's speech to harrows, or Steve Jobs' address to Stanford? You know, maybe you should pick some speeches st a little less daunting to compare yours to, like, um, "Say Anything" or "Twilight.
" It's not supposed to be this hard.
You know, the most worthwhile things in life are often the most difficult.
For example-- Wow.
That really is a smart phone.
Of course you don't understand why she's taking her graduation speech so seriously.
You were probably the guy who had nothing on but boxers underneath his gown.
That is so insulting.
If you must know, I was naked underneath.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I stand corrected.
So how is the father of the graduate taking it? I already have a plan to drown my sorrows.
After the ceremony, my mother goes off to the Hamptons, Alexis will be doing her all-nighter.
I will be distracting myself with a double feature of "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled.
" Wow.
That is a double feature.
You like John Woo? The bloodier the better.
You wouldn't want to join me, would you? Actually, I'd love to.
You coming, Castle? Yeah.
Please.
Hey.
So? So we've got a Hispanic male, late 20s.
Cabbie spotted the body about an hour ago and called it in.
We got an I.
D.
? Nah.
We checked his pockets.
There's no phone, keys, or wallet.
And we're checking prints right now.
From the blood trail, it looks like he was shot before he entered the alley.
He was hit in the shoulder with what looks like a .
357, but the kill shot-- point-blank, execution style, with a 9 millimeter.
Two guns.
Could be more than one shooter.
Was C.
S.
U.
able to trace that blood trail from the first shot? It starts around the corner.
There's no visible point of origin, but the teams are still looking.
Well, this is a bad neighborhood.
Maybe it was a mugging gone wrong? Maybe.
These grooves in his shoulder indicate that he was carrying something, and it was heavy.
I'd say at least 30 pounds.
I'm even seeing traces of skin tissue in his fingernail.
I may be able to get D.
N.
A.
, but I'll know a lot more once I get him back to the morgue.
Uh, his pockets may have been empty, but it looks like he was trying to hide something in his shoe.
Lock picks? Now why would someone be needing lock picks? He's a thief.
Orlando Costas.
A couple of domestic B&Es, but suspected of a dozen more.
He used to run with the Cazadores.
Cazadores? They're a violent street gang that deals in drugs, arms, and larceny, but all of Orlando's priors are back when he was a teenager.
He hasn't been arrested in years.
Maybe he got back in the game.
I don't know.
He went a long way to clean up his act.
Did four years active in the military, discharged with honors last year.
Spent his rotation as an M.
P.
in Germany.
Military police? He really did clean up his act.
If this guy went straight, then how did he end up dead in an alley? Did you check for next of kin? Uh, his folks are dead, but we managed to track down a girlfriend--Marisol Castaneda.
Esposito's bringing her in right now.
All I know is, he was with me in bed last night when I went to sleep.
I woke up this morning, and both him and my car were gone.
Where did he go? I figured he'd gone to the career center to check the job listings.
He does that every morning.
He'd been looking for work? For months.
Orlando served his country.
You'd think that means something, but it's been tough, especially after my hours got cut.
So he was under financial pressure? Is it possible that he went back to old habits? No.
Look, Marisol, we know that he ran with the Cazadores.
Do you think that-- I said no.
He went through hell to escape that life.
It's why he enlisted, to get out, to be a better man for me A better father to our son.
So how about you stop trying to make this his fault and find whoever killed him? What kind of car do you have? Two blocks away from the alley, blood smeared on the arm rest-- This is definitely it.
He was shot somewhere else and then he came here? Why not go home? Why not go get patched up? He was meeting someone in that alleyway.
Phone.
His last call was 4:47 A.
M.
, just before he died.
Run that number.
Right.
Hey, Beckett, gun.
It's a .
38.
Recently fired.
So it was a shootout.
That's how he got the shoulder wound.
Which means, wherever he came from, there might be another body.
I know where he was coming from.
Where? His last entry was 299 First Avenue.
Wait.
What's at 299 First Ave.
? Captain Montgomery's house.
We're just thankful no one was hurt.
Believe me, so am I.
Ever since Roy died, I've slept with his .
357 in the nightstand.
So it was just the one guy? As far as I know.
He was taking files out of the cabinet.
He had Roy's old laptop in his backpack.
When he saw me, he pulled his weapon, so God help me, I shot him.
I think I hit him in his shoulder.
He fired back, and then he crashed through the window.
Evelyn, was this the guy? Yeah.
That's him.
I'm glad Evan and the girls weren't home.
Funny thing is, I wasn't supposed to be home either.
It's almost like he knew we weren't supposed to be here.
Anything special about those files? Just paperwork, legal documents, notes on Roy's old cases.
What about his computer? What--what was on that? His old work files, but mostly, I use it for Christmas cards and recipes.
They went after Montgomery's files.
Not valuables, not cash.
And now our thief is dead and the files he took are missing? Well, let's not jump to conclusions.
What else would it be about? Everyone here thinks Montgomery died bringing a cop killer to justice.
We're the only ones who know what he was really involved in and his connection to your mother's murder.
Beckett, it can't be a coincidence.
Recheck the vic's rap sheet.
See if Montgomery was involved in any of his old arrests, and get on that number.
I want to know who he was talking to just before he died.
Say something reassuring.
There are thousands of break-ins in New York City every year.
This one feels different.
Well, that doesn't mean that it is.
Montgomery worked hundreds of cases.
Just because this guy was after files doesn't mean he was after your mom's case.
Then why is our thief dead? You know those people that Montgomery was involved with, he said that they wanted me dead, that I was getting too close, and he said that he was gonna give his life in order to protect mine, and they still tried to kill me.
I wake up sometimes, and I think to myself, how the hell am I still alive? It's like I'm just waiting for that other shoe to drop.
What if this is that other shoe? Things were finally getting better for her, for us.
She was just coming out of her shell, and now this? Do you really think it's related to her mother's murder case? I hope to God it isn't.
Montgomery's friend was very clear.
She starts poking around her mother's murder, they'll come after her again.
I can't let that happen.
I know.
Thank you.
Did you get any sleep? Not much.
Anything new on our victim? We rechecked Orlando's rap sheet.
Montgomery wasn't involved in any of his old arrests.
That break-in wasn't personal.
What about the call he made before he was killed? It's from a burner phone.
There's no registered owner.
Hey.
Hmm? You're not in this alone.
I'm here.
I know.
Hey.
We may have been wrong about why they hit Montgomery's.
Witnesses saw a Hispanic male fleeing the alley in a late-model Maroon DeVille.
Apparently he had gang ink on his neck-- a lion framed by a "C.
" Cazador? The very same gang that our victim ran with.
Gangs.
If this guy was in that alley, odds are, he killed Orlando.
Did we get a license plate? Uh, no, but according to gang task force, the ride matches the car of one Vicente Delgado.
High-level shot caller for the Cazadores.
And get this.
His cousin Diego Gutierrez was busted by Montgomery for a double homicide in '95.
His lawyer's filed a motion for retrial a month after Montgomery was killed.
Find him.
NYPD! Let me see your hands right now! Don't move! Don't move! Don't move! Let me see your hands! Well, looky here, a 9 millimeter.
Just like the gun that killed Orlando Costas.
I already told you, I was nowhere near that alley.
Fact is, your witnesses are blind.
The fact is, you knew Orlando Costas.
Yeah, I knew him once, before he turned his back.
When was the last time you heard from him? Not in years.
Hours.
Just before he was killed, Orlando called a burner cell, same phone that we found on you.
So why don't you just admit to it and save yourself 30 years? You had him break in to Roy Montgomery's house and steal your cousin's case files, and then you shot him.
What you got, chica, huh? Gun's not gonna be a match.
So that leaves you with what, a phone call, and a couple of people who saw a very common car? You know why you can't pin this on me, chica? I wasn't there.
The hell you weren't.
That's gonna be ballistics.
Last chance to make a deal.
Book him on the drugs and weapons charge and tell the D.
A.
I'm gonna want to file for murder one.
It wasn't him.
What do you mean, it wasn't him? The skin tissue that Lanie was able to scrape from underneath our victim's fingernails, the lab was able to pull D.
N.
A.
We ran it against Vicente.
It's not a match.
In fact, it wasn't a match to anyone in the system.
But it did match D.
N.
A.
trace evidence found at another crime scene.
Well, at least that's something.
What was the crime scene? It was a shooting.
Beckett, it was your shooting.
D.
N.
A.
confirms that the man who killed Orlando Costas in that alley is the same man who put a bullet in your heart.
No leads for 11 months, and now this.
Does Gates know? No.
Then we don't tell her.
If she finds out this is a match to my shooting, she'll take me off the case.
Maybe you should be off this case.
They tried to kill you once, Kate.
You keep going on this, they What's to stop them from trying again? What's to stop them now? No.
I've been waiting a year for this, and I'll be damned if I let someone else screw it up.
Hey, Javier.
Man, this just feels wrong.
We need to tell Gates.
Why So she can send Beckett home? You think that's gonna work? You think that's gonna stop her? She's gonna investigate this case, Kevin, whether she's on it or not.
The least we can do is make sure that we have her back.
Hello.
I think you know why I'm calling, Mr.
Castle.
It's you.
Thank God.
What the hell is going on? Why'd they break in to Montgomery's place? Well, most likely, it's a clean-up job.
Making sure that Montgomery had nothing else incriminating in his files.
As long as Beckett drops her investigation, we still hold all the cards.
No, she's already on to her shooter.
She's not gonna let go.
Then we have a problem.
If she doesn't stop, they will retaliate.
Now I can't control the situation if you can't control her.
I got enough on the drug and weapons charges to put you away for at least five years.
Five years of your life What's that worth? I know you didn't kill Orlando.
But he called you, and you talked to him for two minutes, and you were in that alley.
Why? There's nobody in here but you and me.
There's no cameras, no microphones, no one's listening.
I can make all those charges go away.
Five years of your life back, but you gotta tell me what you know.
He called last week.
Talking about "Times were bad," so I told him, "I can get you some work.
" But he knew if he came back to the Cazadores, there'd be no leaving this time.
And all he really wanted was a loan and could I help him out for old times' sake.
Did you give it to him? No.
He begged me.
Said he was good for it.
Said he had something big coming up, something that'd make him whole.
Did he say what? No, but that morning, my phone rings, and he said it'd all gone wrong, he was desperate, talking about they were gonna kill him.
Who's they? Don't know.
But he was scared.
Why did he call you? Protection, chica.
He said if I helped him out, he'd come back, and he knew that was the price.
So I told him where to meet.
But by the time I got there, he was already dead.
You told him where to meet? That's right.
You didn't tell anyone else? No.
Did you see anything there? White guy, Caught a glimpse before the night swallowed him whole.
They must have been tapping Orlando's phone.
That's the only way they got there first.
But how did they know to target Orlando for the job? Because he was desperate for money.
Yeah, but how did they know that? How did they know his background? Because they knew him from the military.
He was hired by somebody he knew.
It's a place to start.
And whoever's gotten close to that secret is dead.
I think it's clear, we're in over our heads here.
Speak for yourself, bro.
Orlando's financials just came in.
He was underwater and overdrawn until last week when a wire transfer for Let me guess.
Untraceable? So it's a dead end.
The deposits are, but the debit withdrawals are not.
Right when the money came in, Marisol started using it to pay bills.
Wait.
If Marisol knew about the money Then she knew Orlando was up to something.
She lied to us.
Not only that, but according to the bank, she cleaned out the entire account an hour ago.
She's on the run.
I've got a few questions for you before you leave town, and this time, I want the truth.
I'm telling you the truth.
I didn't know anything about the money.
Not until today.
So why do we have debits against it the moment it appeared in your account? Orlando-- It was your card, Marisol.
Who was Orlando working for? Do you know what's gonna happen if you don't cooperate? You're gonna go to jail and your kid's gonna go to foster care.
Is that what you want? Beckett-- Marco on the streets, enlisted by the Cazadores at age 10 like his father, dead in a gutter at 19! Pudrete en el infierno! Beckett That's enough.
Orlando said it was someone he knew from the service, someone dangerous.
But it was just a one-off, a lot of money for an easy job.
And we needed the money.
What was the job? They needed files from a dead cop's house.
What files? All of them, any he could find, this guy from the service, did you get a name? No.
Did you meet him? No.
Did he ever call the house? He left notes for Orlando in the mail box with a time and place.
They were coded so I-I wouldn't know where.
But I was in the car once.
I saw where they met.
At a church over on State Street.
Wednesday, you say? Yeah, around 3:00 P.
M.
He was meeting with someone.
I'm sorry.
I wish I could help.
But we're open to the public, and we get a lot of unfamiliar faces every day.
We usually just leave them to their prayers.
If your donation box is any indication, it looks like being open to the public comes with a price.
Yes, well it's not the best neighborhood.
We catch gang kids and the homeless all the time, trying to take advantage of more than just our outreach programs.
How do you catch them? Here it is, There's Orlando.
That's him.
Damn it.
Come on.
Come on.
Yes.
So that's what you look like.
I'm gonna run this through Army C.
I.
D.
If they met in the military someone in Orlando's old unit might be able to I.
D.
him.
No, no, we don't know who's involved and we don't know how high this goes.
The minute we put this photo out there, these people are gonna know.
He's gonna disappear, and we'll never see him again.
We have to do this one on our own.
Beckett, that's impossible.
All we have is a face-- no name, no I.
D.
, no way to find this guy.
Then we will find a way to find him.
I'm not gonna lose this lead.
How are we supposed to investigate if we can't investigate? You heard the lady.
We find a way.
Kate! Don't die on me! Who hired you to kill her? Forget it.
You'll never touch 'em.
Hey.
Hey.
I just got off the phone with Esposito.
Our killer had a keychain, and he matched it to Eastway Car Rentals.
That could be any one of a thousand cars.
I know, it's a needle in a haystack, but at least it's a haystack, and they keep most of their licenses on file.
Kate-- Yeah, he's probably using a fake I.
D.
But we should be able to narrow it down from there.
Kate.
What's wrong? You, um You have to stop.
This investigation, you--you have to stop.
Castle, we already talked about this.
I'm fine.
I'm in control.
No, you're not.
They are.
And if you don't stop, they will kill you, Kate.
What are you talking about? Before Montgomery went into that hangar, he sent a package to someone, someone he trusted.
It contained information damaging to the person behind all this.
Montgomery was trying to protect you.
But the package didn't arrive until after you'd been shot.
Montgomery's friend struck a deal with them.
If they left you alone, that package and the information inside would never see the light of day.
But they made one condition-- you had to back off.
And that's the reason you're alive, Kate, because you stopped.
How do you know this? In order for the deal to work, someone had to make sure you weren't pursuing it.
Are you a part of this? I was just trying to keep you safe.
By lying to me about the most important thing in my life? That lie was the only thing that was protecting you.
Castle, I didn't need protection.
I needed a lead, and you sat on it for a year.
Now who is this person? How do I find him? He's a-a voice on the phone.
He's a shadow in a parking garage.
You met with him? How do you know that he's not behind my mom's murder? How do you know that he's not involved? And how the hell could you do this? Because I love you.
But you already know that, don't you? You've known for about a year.
Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now, after you told me that you just betrayed me? Kate, listen to me-- Listen to you? Why should I listen to you? How I am even supposed to trust anything that you say? How are you s-- Because of everything we've been through together! Four years, I've been right here.
Four years just waiting for you to just open your eyes, to see that I'm right here and that I'm more than a partner.
Every morning, I-I bring you a cup of coffee just so I could see a smile on your face because I think you are the most remarkable maddening challenging frustrating person I have ever met.
And I love you, Kate, and if that means anything to you, if you care about me at all, just don't do this.
If I care about you? Castle, you cut a deal for my life like I was some kind of a child.
My life, mine You don't get to decide.
You keep going with this, they're gonna decide.
They're gonna come for you, Kate.
Let them come.
They sent Coonan, and he is dead.
They sent Lockwood, and he is dead.
And I am still here, Castle, and I am ready.
Ready for what, to-to die for your cause? This isn't a murder investigation anymore, Kate.
They've turned it into a war.
If they want a war, then I will bring them a war, straight to their doorsteps.
Well, I guess there's just nothing I can say, is there? Okay, um Yeah, you're right, Kate, it's your life.
You can throw it away if you want, but I'm not gonna stick around and watch you, so this is, uh over.
I'm done.
Everything okay? Yeah.
Fine.
How's your speech coming? I have watched or read every graduation address ever written and compiled all the best advice into one speech, and then I read it out loud.
And guess what I sounded like.
Like a pompous ass.
I'm 18 years old.
What the hell do I know? Hey, look, everything you know, everything you will know is is what's true for you.
All I know is, everything's changing.
Everything's going to be different, and I'm so scared.
Of what? Moving on.
Write about that.
That feels true.
Where's Castle? He's off the team.
So what do we got? Eastway rented 700 cars last Wednesday.
We believe our suspect is going under the name Cole Maddox.
He rented out of J.
F.
K.
It's a Kansas driver's license.
Now we did some digging.
It's a cover I.
D.
Did he return the car? No, but Eastway maintains GPS tracking on all of its equipment, so we tracked it to the Lower East Side to a 1-block radius somewhere along here.
All right, you stay on grid.
Let us know if he moves.
Esposito, you're coming with me.
What are you doing? You want to do this, you do it right.
You put a team on that car and you bring backup with you.
Ryan, this whole thing started because of a group of corrupt cops.
How do you know there aren't more out there? We're about an inch away from catching this guy, and I'm not gonna blow it by advertising our next move.
With all due respect, this guy put a bullet in your heart and then he disappeared into the ether.
You cannot go in there unprepared.
Unprepared? I've been preparing for this for the past 13 years.
Hey, Javier Man, don't let her do this.
It's too big of a risk.
It's all good, bro.
We got this.
Come on.
We don't want to miss her speech or the entire graduation.
I'm almost ready.
Hey, we got him.
The doorman at the residency hotel across the way I.
D.
'ed the car.
And the front desk clerk confirms that Mr.
Maddox is here on a 1-month lease.
They've agreed to let us in his room.
Get out of the way.
Clear.
Clear.
Montgomery's files.
His contact list? What the hell were they looking for? Not what.
Who.
They grabbed Montgomery's wedding album.
Why? They're looking for someone that he knew.
Maybe they found him.
We gotta get out of here.
I'm gonna call for backup.
We'll set up in the lobby-- Just tell me who's behind this.
You're wasting your time, detective.
You have no idea what you're up against.
Neither do you.
Actually We know exactly who we're up against.
Help! Oh! Oh, God.
No! Oh, not like this.
Come on.
Come on.
No! Castle.
Beckett! Castle! Beckett! Castle, I'm here! No! Oh, God.
Castle! Beckett, hang on! Castle! Beckett! Castle? Withholding evidence, lying to a superior officer-- What you did dishonors this city and dishonors the badge.
Not only are you off this investigation, I'm putting you both on administrative leave effective immediately.
Sir-- Don't you "Sir" me.
You don't deserve to wear the uniform.
Now hand over your badges and guns.
Detective Beckett.
Keep it.
I resign.
There's a universal truth we all have to face whether we want to or not.
Everything eventually ends.
As much as I've looked forward to this day, I've always disliked endings The last day of summer The final chapter of a great book Parting ways with a close friend.
But endings are inevitable.
Javi.
I had to.
Leaves fall.
You close the book.
You say good-bye.
Today is one of those days for us.
Today we say good-bye to everything that was familiar, everything that was comfortable.
We're moving on.
But just because we're leaving, and that hurts There are some people who are so much a part of us they'll be with us no matter what.
They are our solid ground Our North Star, and the small clear voices in our hearts that will be with us always.
No, Alexis, I'll be fine.
I got a thousand cable channels, I got my Xbox.
You have fun.
I will not worry about you until lunchtime tomorrow.
I love you, too.
Beckett, what do you want? You.
I'm so sorry, Castle.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
What happened? He got away, and I didn't care.
I almost died and all I could think about was you.
I just want you.
Mister Smith? Who are you? You've been a very hard man to find.
What do you want? You have some sensitive information about my employer, information that you've been using to protect detective Beckett.
Are you forgetting we have a deal? No.
What you had was blackmail.
Now you're gonna tell me where all that information is, and after you do, I'm gonna put Kate Beckett in the ground once and for all.