"Hey, did you eat my fries?" " You shouldn't have left them." " (LAUGHS)" "What is that?" "I have no idea." "Call 911!" "(GROANING)" "Almost there, Castle." "Just another two weeks." "It's already been two weeks." "Two weeks is an eternity." "Well, maybe next time we go skiing, you're not gonna be such a show-off." "I wasn't showing off." "Okay, I was showing off a little bit." "But I swear to you, I can do a tail-grab with my eyes closed, and without breaking my kneecap." "Mmm-hmm." "Well, I am off." "Now, the retreat is out of cell phone range, so if I don't call you on your birthday, it is not because I have forgotten." "I won't think it's because you've forgotten." "I'll think it's because you made other plans." "Now, wait a minute." "You and Katherine were supposed to be celebrating in Bora Bora this week." "No, you're right." "Have a great time on your retreat." "On your only son's birthday." "It is a spa trip, darling, not a guilt trip." "(KISSES)" "He's all yours." "See you in a week." "Bye." "Come on, Castle." "Stop feeling sorry for yourself." "I'll get us a reservation." "I'll take you somewhere nice for your birthday." " As nice as Bora Bora?" " Mmm..." "Oh!" "Katherine, your ride is here." " Oh, great." " Ride?" "Yeah." "We had a body drop." "I asked the boys to pick me up so I'd have enough time to make you breakfast." "I'm missing another case?" "No, come on." "(WHISPERS) Guys, take me with you." "No!" "Not until you get better." "Castle, how's the knee?" "It's not the knee so much as the boredom." " I thought you writers like being alone." " Yeah, if I could write." "But the painkillers make me a little loopy." "Last night, I used the word "speculate" three times in the same sentence." "Hmm." "You must be bored." "You've actually gone Rear Window." "Alexis got me those as a joke to cheer me up." "I have not yet resorted to voyeurism." "Then you are missing out." " (WHISTLES)" " What?" "Let me see." " No." "Hey!" " Give me the binoculars!" "Dude, she was just about to take off her towel." "The towel's off." "Yeah." "Unless the body that you're looking at is dead," "I suggest you drop those binoculars." "Okay, Castle," "I will call you and check on you soon." "Hey, what if I consult by phone?" "We can pretend I'm Charlie and you're my Angels." "BECKETT:" "Why are men such babies when they get sick or injured?" "ESPOSITO:" "It's an evolutionary thing." "Men who can get women to take care of them, you know, they have a greater chance of survival." "Really, Espo?" "Where'd you read that?" "You're Making It Up magazine?" "Hey, Lanie, what do we got?" "Sorry, sweetie." "It's a bad one." "Multiple contusions to the head, evidence of fracturing at the base of the skull." "From the patterning, I'd say she was repeatedly struck by that bat." "Do we know who she is?" "The guard who found her ID'd her as Clara DeWinter, 35, lives in Queens and married." "BECKETT:" "What was she doing in this alleyway in the middle of the night?" "She was an IRS agent." "Worked in this building here." "RYAN:" "Apparently, she was working late." "The employees sometimes cut across the alley to get to the parking garage next door." " Do we have a witness?" " No." "But we may have something way better." "BECKETT:" "What the hell is that?" "No idea, ma'am." "Never seen anything like it." "Espo?" "It's an infrared camera." "So our attacker could be wearing some sort of high-intensity IR lights, which would be invisible to the eye but blinding to that camera." "RYAN:" "That's pretty sophisticated for a street criminal." "BECKETT:" "No, this wasn't a street crime." "The person knew that that camera was there and took precautions." "This was a premeditated murder." "Wait, go back." "Right there." "That's our killer's car." "Let's have Tech filter that image for make and model." "And let's see if they can get us a better look at our attacker's face." "With all the cutbacks, her workload increased." "She'd stay late a couple of times a week trying to catch up." "And on those nights, I'd pick up an extra shift at the store." "And when was the last time you saw her?" "We ate dinner around 7:00, then both went back to work." "And how did she seem?" "Was she nervous?" "Upset?" "No." "She was fine." "And what exactly did your wife do for the IRS?" "She was an investigator." "She went after tax evaders." " So she must've made enemies." " (LAUGHS)" "Yeah." "Pretty much everyone she audited." "And was there anyone in particular that she had trouble with?" "Actually, yeah." "We were at a dinner a couple of weeks ago, and this guy comes barging into the restaurant, accusing Clara of destroying his life." "Did she tell you who he was?" "Just another tax cheat she took down." "She said it was no big deal, but I could tell she was rattled." "Can you tell me what he looked like?" "Six feet, dark hair." "You should check with her work." "She promised to file a complaint, so..." "CASTLE: "Looks like we've got some beautiful clear skies with us today." ""A nice tailwind's gonna get us there right away, folks." ""We'll be there at zero dark thirty, zero dark quarter to." ""Nice, Red Five." "You're looking good." ""Oh, no!" "I've got something wrong!"" "Ohh, that's not good." "Evade!" "Evade, evade!" "(SHOUTS) No!" "Survivors?" "(EXHALES)" "Look, most IRS agents get threats." "It's the nature of our business." "Did Mrs. DeWinter report any recently?" " No." " Are you sure?" "You have to understand, Clara was a rare breed." "An IRS agent who actually liked her job." "What's that have to do with her being threatened?" "The thing is, each threat requires an investigation, which is a headache for upstairs." "It's an unwritten rule that agents who report threats don't fare well on performance reviews." "Well, that unwritten rule may have gotten her killed." "And since you don't have a record of the threat, we're gonna have to take a look at her audit files, going back at least a year." "Hmm." "Must be writers." "Oh, that better be for a sick child." "Oh, to be young and underemployed." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, slow down." "It's not a race." "Maybe close the blinds." "Mmm-hmm." "All right, you kids, you have fun." "Someone's home early." "Really?" "You're gonna kiss him now?" "Well, maybe next time you'll think twice about being cheating cheaters." "(CHUCKLES)" "Uh-oh." "Someone's got some 'splaining to do." "Hey, guys." "So Tech couldn't get us a better look at the attacker's face, but they're hoping to have an ID on the car by morning." "How's it going in here?" "Clara's colleagues don't remember her mentioning any explicit threat." "But if we're looking for people whose lives were ruined, there's no shortage of suspects." "We've got houses that were repossessed, bank accounts that were seized, businesses that were shut down, and we're only a couple months in." "Okay, so let's put a list together and pull photos," " see if the husband recognizes anyone." " (CELL PHONE RINGS)" "Hey, Castle." "Where are you?" "I'm at work." "Why?" "You said you were bringing home dinner." "Yes." "On my way home." "So when are you leaving?" "Soon." "When's soon?" "Like, in half an hour?" "Fine." "Shut up." "He is so on to you." "Ah." "Uh-huh." "Here it comes." "The inevitable huge breakup." "(INAUDIBLE)" "No, no, no, no." "Don't, don't." "Don't take the knife." "Don't..." "Uh..." "(CELL PHONE RINGS)" "Castle, I'm not gonna get there any faster..." "No, no, no." "Beckett, Beckett, listen." "I think I just saw a murder." "Why aren't they arresting him?" "Look, I know what I saw." "He took a knife and followed her into the bedroom." "I looked in the bedroom." "Everything was fine." "No blood, no body, I swear." "Did you look under the bed, in the closet?" "Castle, the guy was relaxed and fully cooperative." "He let us poke around without a warrant." "So he probably hid the body." "If he was completely calm, he could be a psychopath." "What did he say about the girl?" "He admitted they had a fight." "They broke up and she left." "Not possible." "I would've seen her." "So, you were watching the whole time?" "I..." "Well, not the entire time, I had to..." "So she could've left and you didn't see?" "It's possible, but..." "Because he called her." "Handed me the phone, I spoke to her." "She confirmed his story." "She was in the car on her way to her mom's house in Philadelphia." "All right." "Thanks, guys." "I'm not crazy." "No, but you do have a vivid imagination, and you've been stuck inside for two weeks." "What were you doing looking out the window anyway?" "Well, I was..." "Bored?" "So you saw what you wanted to see?" "When did you take your last painkiller?" "I was not hallucinating." "Come on, Castle." "You're here with a broken leg, binoculars, seeing a Rear Window scenario play out across the way." "I mean, what are the odds?" "Astronomical." "All right, I'm gonna make us some dinner and then get you to bed." " (SNORING)" " BECKETT:" "Seriously?" "Oh." " I can explain." " Please don't." "Listen, he was pacing back and forth in his apartment, and he kept looking towards the bedroom." "Then he slept on the couch." "Now, why would you sleep on the couch when you have a perfectly good bed?" "I could ask you the same question." "I'll tell you why." "Because he had a dead body in there." "Ryan and Esposito didn't find it because he hid it." "Do you realize what you're doing?" "You're obsessing over this because you have nothing else to obsess about." "Why don't you just come with me to the precinct, focus on a real murder instead of wasting your time on an imaginary one?" "Well, actually, I was thinking about just trying to do some writing today." "Okay." "As long as by writing, you don't mean staring out the window and ogling at your neighbors." "No." "That would be immoral and intrusive." "Yeah, like you've never done that before." " Hey." " Hey." " How's Jimmy Stewart?" " (CHUCKLES)" "You know, up half the night waiting for the neighbor to move the body." "So did Tech get anything on our killer's car in the alley?" "Yeah." "They identified it as a late model, light-colored CLS 550." "I've got folks combing over Clara's audit records to see if anyone lists that vehicle on their return." "Hey, so I just got off the phone with security at Clara's office." "A few weeks back, this guy tried to muscle his way past security." "Now, they tried to detain him, but he broke free and he tore out of the parking lot in..." "A CLS 550." "This looks like the guy Gavin said was after his wife." "Yeah, so I compared that photo to Clara's audit files, and I got a hit on this guy." "Dan Renner." "He's an anti-government, pro-freedom hothead." "Made a fortune on a chain of dry cleaners in Brooklyn that he's neglected to pay taxes on in nearly a decade." "And because of Clara's audit, he's facing criminal charges and his wife just filed for divorce." "Sounds like someone has an axe to grind." "Or a bat to swing." "Pick him up." "Yep." "You bought rope and a tarp." "What would you need a tarp for?" "It's blood!" "You're washing away the..." "He's washing away the..." "They took my house, my marriage." "I was facing a jail sentence," " so, yeah, I wanted to have - (CELL PHONE VIBRATES)" "A few words with Mrs. DeWinter about the land of the free." "That doesn't mean I killed her." "You know what that is?" "That's a silver CLS 550, just like the one you drive, fleeing her murder scene." "Just like the one I drove." "Look, my 550 was seized by federal agents two weeks ago." "You can check." "And given what Mrs. DeWinter was gonna do for me," "I'm the last person who wanted her dead." "Going to do for you?" "Yeah." "She came to see me a week ago, said she needed a favor, and if I helped her, she'd make the criminal charges go away." "What kind of a favor could she possibly have wanted from you?" "Because of how well I hid my money, fake names, multiple IDs, she asked me to help her disappear." " Disappear?" " Yeah." "She said if I helped her get a new identity, she'd help me get my life back." "And why would she want a new identity?" "She didn't say." "But now she's dead and I'm screwed." "Mr. Renner, where were you two nights ago, at 1:38 a." "M?" " At my sister's." " (KNOCKING AT DOOR)" "(DOOR OPENS)" "Beckett, Castle's calling." "He says it's an emergency?" "This is not an emergency!" "I caught him red-handed." "Literally red-handed." "So then it's gotta be blood." "What else could it be?" "Red paint, tomato juice, beets, red velvet cupcakes." "He bought a tarp and a rope." "He brought them into the bedroom, where I'm betting, right now, he's cutting her into portable pieces." "Get a warrant." "Search that place before there's no evidence left." "Esposito spoke to the girl." "We know she's alive." "How do you know it's the same girl?" "It's possible he paid someone to be his alibi." "Or it's possible something else entirely is going on here." "Look, I know that you're lonely and that you miss me." "I miss you, too." "But you don't have to keep making up things to have me come back here." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "You think this is a ploy to get you here?" "Look, I don't mean to be..." "No, I know what you mean, all right?" "And I know what I saw." "All right, you know what?" "I have to get back to the precinct." "Wow." "You really don't believe me." "I'll be back later." "You know what?" "Don't worry about it." "I'm fine." " Yo." "What was the emergency?" " (SIGHS)" "He wanted me to get a warrant to search the place across the way." "Looks like he's taking this whole thing pretty seriously." "Should we be worried?" "I just hope he doesn't do something stupid." "Where are we with Dan Renner?" "His alibi checks out, and he was telling the truth about his car." "Maybe he was telling the truth about Clara, as well." "Let's dig deeper into her life, see if we can find anything." "Thanks." "Oh!" "(YAWNS)" "He's getting rid of the body." "Beckett's gonna have to believe me now." "Okay." "Where's the..." "There we go, here we go." "No, no, no!" "If you thought he was getting rid of the body, why didn't you call Beckett?" "Well, she thinks it's all in my head, a by-product of my imagination and pain pills." "Like that time you were convinced my art teacher was a serial killer?" "Come on." "He looked just like the guy from America's Most Wanted." "Did you ever stop to think that maybe there's an innocent explanation for everything?" "All right, what is the innocent explanation for rolling up a rug and taking it out of your apartment at 3:00 a." "M?" "Yeah." "That is pretty weird." "Right?" "And then he didn't come back until 4:30 this morning." "Where'd he go?" "I don't know, but he's up now." "What's he doing?" " Uh..." "He..." " What?" "What do you see?" "He's taking off his clothes." "What?" "Give me those." "Oh, he's cute." " All right." " No, I..." "Seriously." "You shouldn't be watching this." "Yeah, neither should you." " What the..." " That's creepy." "Staring at the phone won't make it ring." "I learned that in junior high." "You know what, maybe I should go over there." "I mean, his birthday is tomorrow." "Trust me, he'll call when he's ready." "And you're not gonna want to miss this." "We went back through all of Clara's records." "Turns out she was hiding something." "Over a half a million dollars in a secret bank account." "She used every legal trick to hide it." "Nobody, not even her husband, knew about it." "This girl made $ 75K a year." "How'd she get her hands on half a mill?" "Well, at first we thought she was shaking down her auditees, but then we traced the deposits." "All from businesses owned or affiliated to Tommy Valentino." "Tommy "The Shark" Valentino?" "Why's an IRS agent taking payoffs from a crime boss?" "I don't know, but wanting to disappear and then getting whacked in an alley, it's all starting to make sense." "It's been two hours." "What's he doing in there?" "Getting rid of evidence." "Blood stains, trace DNA." "Pretty soon there's going to be nothing left." "Oh!" "Here he comes!" "Here he comes!" "ALEXIS:" "What's in the bags?" "CASTLE:" "He took the body out in the rug." "That could be clothing, bedding." "That's her purse!" "If they broke up, no way she left without her purse." "CASTLE:" "She did not leave that apartment, at least not alive." "And now he's obliterating her identity!" " We need to call Beckett." " And tell her what?" "That we saw a man donning gloves and a respirator?" "For all we know, he was cleaning the bathroom." "No." "If I'm gonna convince Beckett I'm not crazy," "I need proof." "Something solid." "ALEXIS:" "Dad, you can't break into his apartment." "All the evidence we need is in that shredder." "It'll tell us who the victim is." "We can prove she's missing." "And what if he catches you?" "He won't." "Not if I have your help." "Next time he leaves, I'll slip over there." "You keep watch, make sure he's not coming back." "I go inside," "I get whatever's in the shredder, and I get out." " Two minutes, tops." " On crutches?" "The doctor did say I need more exercise." "What if I go?" "I'm smaller, faster and younger." "No, no, no." "If you get caught, you get a B and E on your record, and you'll never become President." "Dad..." "He's getting away with murder." "You got a better plan?" "You've got a long list of indictments against you, Mr. Valentino." "Assault, racketeering, murder one." "And yet, no convictions." "I'm lucky that way." "Yeah, well, your luck's about to run out." "I have evidence connecting you to payments made to my vic, Clara DeWinter." "My client has no comment." "Whoa, whoa, wait." "Someone killed Clara?" "Looks like he does have a comment." "So, you're admitting to knowing her?" "Yeah." "But I didn't kill her." "She was my tax consultant." "You paid an IRS agent half a million dollars to act as your tax consultant?" "You bet your ass." "No one's gonna Al Capone me." "Okay, if this was a legitimate arrangement, then why did Clara DeWinter go to such lengths to keep that money hidden?" "She hid the money from her husband." "That's why she took this job in the first place." "She was afraid of him." "She needed the money to get away." "BECKETT:" "Tommy "The Shark"'s alibi holds." "He was with some associates at a nightclub that he owns." "It doesn't mean he didn't send one of his boys." "Look, if he killed Clara, he wouldn't have talked to me." "No." "Hiding the money, planning to disappear." "Something else is going on here." "So what've you got on the husband?" "Not much." "He's a manager at a big name supermarket in Queens." "No priors." "Married seven years." "Oh!" "And he took a million-dollar life insurance policy out on his wife only three months ago." "Huh." "That's not suspicious." "You think he did it and set Renner up?" "After what happened at the restaurant, it would've been easy." "All he'd have to do is rent Renner's same CLS sedan and keep his face hidden." "While making sure the car was seen." "All right." "Pick him up." "All clear." "Over." "Dad, no." "Just get the stuff and get out of there!" "Over." "It'll only take a minute." "Over." "Bleach and paint." "What are you trying to cover up?" "Bloodstains." "This is it!" "This is where he killed her!" "This is why Ryan didn't see any blood!" "It was all in here!" "Oh, oh!" "(GROANS)" "ALEXIS:" "Dad!" "Dad, he's coming back!" "Get out of there!" "Get out now!" "Dad?" " Dad?" " (GRUNTING)" "(CELL PHONE RINGS)" "Yeah?" "He's coming in!" "Dad, Dad, he's coming in!" "No, I have it handled for now, but I can't leave it there forever." "Oh, no." "No." "Well, I was thinking Jimmy's boat." "While he's at work." "He'd never know." "GAVIN:" "You think I did this?" "You think I could possibly hurt my wife?" "I told you, we were happy." "Not according to her sister." "She claims that Clara was terrified of you." "Her sister?" "That woman's had it out for me since we started dating." "Then why did Clara hide money from you?" "And why was she planning on disappearing?" "How should I know?" "You took out a sizeable life insurance policy against your wife three months ago." "Why?" "I'd like my lawyer." "Now." "RYAN:" "The supermarket confirmed he was there the night of the murder." "Came in at 10:00, left at 3:00." "Can't be him." "Get up to that store and talk to everyone that was there that night." " (CELL PHONE RINGS)" " Tear apart his financials and his phone records." "If he hired someone, we gotta find out who." "Beckett." "Wait, you did what?" "And you helped him?" "I did..." "I..." "Okay, this is not about what we did." "This is about what he did." "And check this out." "Now, I wasn't able to reassemble the credit cards, but I found this in the bag." "An invoice from a storage facility." "So?" "Not just any storage facility." "This one's open 24 hours." "Yeah, and look what time he rented the space." "3:43 a.m." "Last night at 3:00 a.m., I watched him pull a rug out of his apartment." "You know what fits in a rug?" " A body." " (SNAPS FINGERS)" "That's where he's storing her until he can figure out what to do." "Or the rug belongs to his girlfriend who asked him to keep it in storage until she's ready to pick it up." "All right." "Then explain the bleach." "The paint." "And I overheard him say, "I can't keep it there forever."" "Dad, look." "Someone's coming." "CASTLE:" "That's him." "That's the guy she was having an affair with." "He's looking for her." "He wants to know where she is." "If you leave now, you can catch him." "You can ask him where she is." "Castle..." "Look, if she's really visiting her mother, wouldn't the guy she's having the affair with, who broke them up, be the first to know?" "Excuse me." "Hey!" "Excuse me!" "NYPD." "Do you have a minute?" "BECKETT:" "So, his name is Brent Lansky." "He and Emily have been taking a class together at Pace." "And he's been texting her for the past couple of days, but so far there's been no response." "What about her parents?" "Ryan tracked them down, but they haven't heard from her either." "So, I'm not a drug-addled crazy." "Look, I know it sounds suspicious, but without a body or a missing persons report," "I've got nothing to go on." "Well, while you're waiting for something to go on, he's already taken most of the evidence away." "But luckily, I know what he's gonna..." "Thank you." "With the body in the storage unit." "You're talking about an illegal search." "When you do it, it's an illegal search." "When I do it, it's just illegal." "Castle, this is such a bad idea." "No, this is a brilliant idea." "I break in, I find the body." "Then I call downstairs to the front desk, tell them that the lock has been cut." "When they come up to see if everything's okay, they find the body, they call the police, and you have probable cause." "If you stay out here in the hallway, you won't be violating anyone's rights." "There it is." "Okay." "(BREATHING HEAVILY)" "I did not think this part through." "If you just..." "Fine, Castle." "But I was never here." "Just unroll it." "Where's the body?" "It's in the bags." "(SIGHS)" "(GASPS)" "Oh, my God, it's her." "(SIGHS)" "Castle, it's a wig." "And there's clothes in here." "Now, can we get out of here before someone sees us?" "Illegal search, breaking and entering!" "You're lucky I don't have your badge." "And you." "What in the hell do you think you were doing?" "But all the evidence, the rug, the storage space..." "Evidence?" "I just spoke to your alleged killer, Mr. Castle." "He got that storage space at his ex-girlfriend's request." "He was moving her belongings there, including her rug..." "How do you know he's telling the truth?" "No one's heard from her." "We contacted her." "She's fine." "What about the paint and the bleach?" "He discovered mold and wanted to take care of it." "Anything else?" " Just..." " Sir, Castle is just..." "Embarrassing me and the department?" "And, Mr. Castle, your neighbor did say that if you bother him in any way, he will press charges." "And I will be so happy to take you into custody personally." "(CLEARS THROAT)" "Hey, Castle, is it hard to balance on those crutches when you've just had your ass chewed off?" "I'll be in the car." "(LAUGHS)" "Did you two comedians find out anything new on the husband?" "Well, there was nothing unusual in his phone or financial records." "RYAN:" "We talked to everyone at the store." "They said he was there all night." "But they did say that he was acting weird." "Weird how?" "Well, normally on a late shift, he holes up in his office." "But that night, he spent all his time on the floor." "He wanted to be seen 'cause he needed an alibi." "That guy is involved." "ESPOSITO:" "That's a great theory, but there's only one problem." "We have no proof." "Yet." "CASTLE:" "Well, I don't say this often, but I'm sorry." "Sorry I got you into trouble, sorry I lost my mind." "BECKETT:" "You know what, Castle?" "It's okay." "Your overactive imagination has actually brought a lot of people to justice." "In fact, it's one of the things that I love about you." "Wow." "And wow." "Happy birthday to me!" "If that's my present, I can't wait to unwrap it." "Later." "Right now, let's just forget about the murder, go to dinner, celebrate your life, come back and celebrate some more." "Sounds perfect." "Okay, so the car's gonna be here in 15 minutes." "Would you like a drink from the fridge?" "The fridge." "What?" " He just got a soda from the cabinet." " So?" "So why get it from the cabinet?" "Why not get it from the fridge?" "Why not get ice?" "Oh, no." "She's in the refrigerator!" " Oh, God." " Those plastic trays in the closet!" "Those weren't plastic trays." "Those were refrigerator shelves!" "Castle..." "I don't know who Gates was talking to on the phone, but that was not Emily." "Emily is in that fridge." "She's not in the apartment." "She's not in the fridge." "There is no body!" "Yes, there is." "Castle, you just apologized to me." "I rescind the apology." "I take it back." "She's in the fridge." "You know what?" "Let's just go downstairs and wait for the driver there." "I am not going anywhere until I see what's in that fridge." "What?" "You're gonna stay here and wait for him to open it?" "If that's what it takes." "Okay, fine." "Where are you going?" "Castle, I made plans for you." "I dressed up for you." "And I'm not gonna let you ruin this night." "So what are you gonna do?" "I am going to go over there and open that bloody fridge, and then you and I are going to dinner and never talking about this again." "No, don't do it." "It's too dangerous." "Not as dangerous as me if you blow up my plans." "What if he doesn't let you in?" "Look at me." "He's gonna let me in." "Not if there's a body in there." "There's not a body in there!" "No, no, Beckett." "No." "No!" "Beckett, no!" "No!" " Where is she?" " She's upstairs!" "She's in the apartment!" " Come on!" " Wait for me!" "NYPD!" "Open up!" "Open up now!" " Kick it." "Yeah!" " Kick it!" "Kick it!" "Kick it!" " Beckett!" " Beckett!" " Beckett!" "Beckett, you there?" " Beckett!" "Beckett!" "Beckett, where are you?" "ALL:" "Surprise!" "(APPLAUDING AND CHEERING)" "Happy birthday!" "It was all fake?" "Nothing was real." "You..." "You let me think I was crazy?" "You let me think you were gonna die!" "Yeah, but, Castle, you were so bored over the past couple of weeks, stuck at home with no case to solve, and I saw that this apartment was for rent, and I..." "I thought that I..." " Richard..." " No." "No." "This is, without a doubt, the greatest birthday gift of my life!" "(ALL CHEER)" "How did you do it?" "I did have a lot of help." "Yes." "You did, indeed." " You were all in on it?" " Mmm-hmm." "Michael, Brent, Emily, my brilliant acting students." "I, of course, was the director." "And the boys?" " Yep." " Oh, yeah, they were great." "Except you didn't have to kick down the door." " I was in the moment." "Yeah." " We wanted to be convincing." "Alexis, you, too?" "It's why I bought you the binoculars." "Even Captain Gates?" "Yeah, she jumped at the chance to dress you down for any reason." " Where is Captain Gates?" " She couldn't make it." "Good." "Wow." "ESPOSITO:" "All right!" "You really blew my mind." "Yeah, well, I figured the trickiest part would be fooling you and keep a straight face." "Well, you win the Oscar for Best Pretend Murder." "I cannot believe the whole thing was staged." "Staged?" "What?" "I think I just solved my case!" "Does that mean you're gonna have to go run off and arrest someone now?" "No." "Right now, I've got other plans." "Happy birthday." "BECKETT:" "Look, I'm sorry I had to drag you down here, but I think you might actually hold the key to solving this murder." "Sure." "But I already told you what I know." "Right, that you spotted the murder being committed on surveillance, and then you called 911." "That's correct." "See, I've looked at this video dozens of times, trying to see if I could find a clue as to who the murderer was." "And then I realized I'm looking in the wrong place." "Do you see that?" "See what?" "It's actually kind of hard to spot." "That dot, right there." "It's graffiti that somehow magically appears on that wall." "Here, I'll play it for you again." "BECKETT:" "How is that possible?" "I don't know." "The only way that it's possible is if someone tampered with the feed and replaced the live image with footage that was recorded before that tag was made." "That would be impossible." "Unless somebody..." "Had access to the surveillance system, which you have." "And if that is indeed a prerecorded image, then that means that the attack was faked." "And that woman that is being beaten and then thrown into the dumpster is not the real Mrs. DeWinter." "And do you notice that she never actually shows her face?" "It's almost as if someone is pretending to be her." "Someone with the same frame." "Someone a lot like you." "That is not me!" "I'm guessing that the real Mrs. DeWinter was killed somewhere else earlier in the evening, and that the killer planted her body in the dumpster so that it would be there when you and your colleagues viewed the faked footage." "That video is the perfect alibi for the murderer." "I didn't even know Mrs. DeWinter." "No, but you do know her husband." "According to your personnel file, you worked night security at a supermarket in Queens a year ago." "That is the same store as Mr. DeWinter." "That's just a coincidence." "Is it also a coincidence that you rented a CLS 550 a week ago?" "I didn't kill her." "I know you didn't." "I need you to tell me who did." "They met a year ago on the late shift and started an affair." "Once they got together, Gavin realized that he'd have to get rid of his wife, and instead of a messy divorce, they decided to make a killing." "Some marriage." "No wonder Clara wanted to disappear." "Yeah, but she didn't do it fast enough." "So where'd the actual murder take place?" "In the DeWinters' garage." "After dinner, he bludgeoned her to death with the bat that he left in the alleyway, and then he changed her into the clothes that Rigas wore on that tape." "And then, just before placing her body in the dumpster," "Rigas switched to the dummy feed." " Perfect crime." " Yeah." "Almost." "CASTLE:" "Well, I'm glad I could help with the case, even though it was by accident." "How many murders do you think we've solved since we met?" "I don't know." "Maybe a hundred or so?" "A hundred?" "Here's to a hundred more." "You know, what you did for me," "nobody's ever done that for me before." "That was epic." "But you do know that now I will have to get you back." "Really?" "And you think that you can top that?" "Just you wait and see." "(CHUCKLING)"