"Yes?" "Who is it?" "Mrs. Barclay, it's Anahita Menendez." " Who?" "!" " Anahita from 4d." "I lost my purse with my keys." "Would you please buzz me up?" "Well, thank you, darling." "Martha, what do you think of Rick's P.I. venture?" "Well..." "It's always been a big fantasy of his to be a private investigator, and he says that things are picking up and he's getting more calls at the office every day." "Yeah, from fans wanting to meet him or people with crazy theories about where he disappeared to for two months or cases that aren't even worth looking into, like missing cats." "Oh, well, that does seem a bit beneath him." "You know, he did this because he was hoping that we would be able to work together again and he thought he might have some interesting cases to solve." "But right now, it doesn't seem like he's getting much of either." "Well, if I know my son, then, uh..." "He may be sticking with it because he's too proud to walk away." "Good morning!" "Well, you're in a good mood." "That's because I have retooled the Richard Castle Investigations website." " Aha." " Now the entire world can have access to my savvy detective skills." "Though I will take only the most compelling cases rife with mystery and intrigue." "Castle, the site looks amazing." "My clients deserve only the best." "Oh, speaking of clients, looks like I've got one." " Better get going." " Me, too." "A private investigator must keep regular office hours." "You know, my murder's in the village right near your office." "You want to walk me to work?" "So, busy day ahead?" "While I admit the public clamor for Richard Castle Investigations has been somewhat muted," "I do have a meeting with a client this morning." "Ah, on a case rife with mystery and intrigue, I hope." "Not exactly." "Thought I will gain some classic gumshoe experience." "The client wants me to do a background check on the daughter's new boyfriend." "The boyfriend is 16." "Look, Castle, you've got nothing to prove here to me or to anyone else." "Now, is this really what you want to do?" "Well, I'm just starting out." "I mean, I have to become established, right?" "I got to pay my dues." "What... what do you think?" "I think that if this is what you really want to do, then I'm behind you all the way." "Thanks." "And once I do become established, much like my Nikki heat Novels were inspired by you, my new series of P.I. novels will be inspired by me." "I'll be my own muse." " You should have stopped at "thanks."" " Hmm." "Right." "Oh." "Old habits." "Sorry." "Uh, have a good at work, honey." "Mwah." " Hey." " Hey." "Castle trying to crash the crime scene again?" "No, actually, he's got a case of his own." "So, what's the word on ours?" "Oh, sanitation worker found our victim hidden under some trash bags up here." "She's Anahita Menendez." "Anahita?" "That's an arabic name." "Yeah, her mom's Lebanese, but she's Colombian." "And you know this how?" "She's a famous telenovela actress." "You watch telenovelas?" "No, no, but my tia does." "She's a huge fan of Anahita's show," ""Santos desesperados..." "Desperate saints."" "She plays a brilliant, young neurosurgeon..." " at least that's what my ti­a says." " Hmm." "Hey, Perlmutter." "So, tell me about our victim." "Detective Beckett, so pleasant to see you." " Thank you." " And not see Castle." "Uh..." "Uh, signs of struggle and then death came by way of a blow to the head delivered with such savage force, it crushed the cranial vault, killing her instantly." "This is the murder weapon." "It's a length of plumber's pipe." "There's a punch of scrap pieces in that trash bin over there." "Hey, our perp may have argued with her before he took that swing." "Neighbors said they overheard some loud voices coming from outside right around the time of death... a man and a woman's." "So maybe this was spontaneous... a crime of passion committed by someone she knew." "Or she might have been killed by a psychotic plumber lying in wait." "That your Castle theory?" " Yeah." " It needs work." "Look, you don't go to the movies dressed like this, so let's find out where she came from last night." "Trouble might have followed her home." "I, uh, actually tracked down the studio where they film the telenovela." "They may know." "Hey, so I figured out who we have to talk to." "His name is Francisco Herrara." "He oversees the show for the network." "He's... right over... there?" "Sofia del Cordova... a legend, a megastar." ""Chiquitas,"" ""el fuego de la passion," "caminos de Amor."" ""Chiquitas"?" " Yeah." "Her costar over there, Manuel Villalobos, he and Sofia used to be married." "Now he just rides her coattails and uses his influence over her to get his role beefed up on the show." "At least that's what I've heard." "Are you sure it's your ti­a who's a fan?" "Yeah." "Excuse me." "Beckett." "As a man of fortitude and character," "I will resist the temptation to weasel in on your investigation, but I must confess..." "I have major case envy." "So you heard about Anahita Menendez?" "Yeah, I talked to a uniform at the scene." "Is it true... rising young telenovela star struck down in her apartment?" "Why do you get all the cases rife with mystery and intrigue?" "Not to mention sultry, tempestuous men and women and over-the-top acting." "It seems real to me." "See?" "Now you're just torturing me." "Oh, come on." "Cheer up, Castle." "You got a client of your own." "Actually, client just called." "The daughter and boyfriend broke up, so no more background check." "Who's your prime suspect?" "Let me live vicariously." "You know what, Castle?" "I have to go." "I have a witness that we have to talk to." "Yeah, I got to go, too." "I got a, uh, call on the other line." "Bye." "Come on." "I'm devastated." "Anahita was an amazing person and a gifted actor... very convincing as a neurosurgeon." " Mr. Herrara, how well did you know her?" " Very well." "I discovered Ana three years ago in Colombia, and we've been together ever since." "She was a rising star." "We just came off her promotional tour..." "Barcelona, Dubai, Miami." "She already had fans all over the world." "We heard that she went out last night." "Do you know where?" "I'm afraid I don't, but Sofia might know." "They were close." "Did she have any relationship problems?" "Issues with any overzealous fans or stalkers?" "No, but... there was a terrible incident with Marcus Segundo, her assistant." "What happened?" "Ana got upset with Marcus for interrupting her when she was memorizing her lines, and... he lost it." "He attacked her." " As in hit her?" " He tried to." "The crew intervened, but Ana wasn't hurt." "She was shaken up, as you can imagine." "She needed a few days off to recover." "Of course, I fired Marcus on the spot, but he was furious and he threatened to kill Ana if he ever saw her again." "All right, we need to talk to this guy." "Where can we find him?" "I have his contact information in my office." "I can get it for you." "We'll be back." "It is truly a tragedy when death strikes one so young." "Manuel, that's the same thing you said to the parents of the child who fell down the well in episode 347." "And it is as true now as it was then." "Go!" "Go." "Uh..." "Ms. del Cordova, I'm Detective Beckett." "It's such terrible news." "I just saw Ana last night." "Did she mention where she was headed?" "To the upper West Side to an event of some kind." " She told you that?" " No." "I just assumed because she asked to borrow my purse... an Arthur Radcliffe diamond-studded clutch." "Was it found on her?" "No." " Are you sure?" " Yes." "Ana buzzed her neighbor because she lost it." " Why?" " She lost it?" "That purse was on loan from a boutique." "It's due back tomorrow." "If I don't return it, I will owe them a fortune." "Well, Ms. del Cordova, I'm sorry." "I can't help you." "But, um, if I come across it, I'll let you know." "Actually, about that purse..." "It was 11:00 in the morning." "My phone was quieter than a dead church mouse." "My head hurt after a night of hitting the sauce like there was no tomorrow." "And for all I knew, there was no tomorrow." "I was about to pour a smile into my coffee, have a little of the hair of the dog that bit me, when she walked in." "Senor Castle?" "I'm looking for a private investigator." "S07E12 Private Eye Caramba" "I was, um, just putting this away." "So, I haven't met many private eyes." "I haven't met many clients... yet." "So far... so far today." "Um, would... would you have a seat, Ms...?" "Del Cordova." "Sofia del Cordova." "Oh, as in Sofia del Cordova who worked with the late Anahita Menendez?" "Sadly, yes." "That is why I'm here." "Detective Beckett recommended you." "She did?" "She said you are the best." "She's absolutely right and completely unbiased." "I knew she'd come around." "Uh, why don't we, uh, get right to business, shall we?" "Uh, just as soon as I find a pencil." "Perfect timing." "Okay." "Let's start with Anahita Menendez." "What can you tell me about her death?" "Just that she borrowed my purse for the evening, then she lost the purse and was killed outside her apartment." "And did Ana have any enemies that you knew of?" "I'm sorry, but why are you asking me about Ana?" "Because she's the victim." "No, I'm the victim." "You mean emotionally speaking because you lost your friend?" " Because I lost my purse." " Your purse?" "Detective Beckett is investigating Ana's death, but the purse is still missing." "I need it found." "You want me to find your purse?" "Not just any purse, and not mine." "It's an Arthur Radcliffe original clutch on loan to me and due back tomorrow by 5:00 p.m." "It cost $500,000 and looks just like this." "It's worth half a million dollars?" "Will you find it, Mr. Castle?" "I don't know who else to turn to." "So, the canvass turned up a witness who saw a man fleeing the scene after Ana was killed." "Witness is a homeless guy." "We got him with a sketch artist right now." "And what does this fleeing man look like?" "Uh, youngish, 6', 200 pounds." "Just like Marcus Segundo, the assistant who attacked Ana." "His metrocard shows that he rode in from the Bronx last night and he got off at a stop near Ana's neighborhood." "He also has priors for assault with intent." "Why would Ana hire a guy like that to be her assistant?" "You know, Francisco Herrara said that she had a rough upbringing, as well, and she wanted to give Marcus a chance." "She trusted him." "Looks like she shouldn't have." "Where is he now?" "Espo's bringing him in." " I'll let you take that." " Thanks." "Hello?" "You referred a case to me." " Oh!" "So you took it?" " Yeah, of course I did." "That way we get to work together, sort of." "Yeah, I just..." "I didn't know if you'd be excited by a lost purse." "A purse?" "I'm sorry." "This is not just some ordinary purse." "This is a diamondencrusted clutch." "It's on par with the priceless Maltese Falcon, and I am hot on the trail." "Matter of fact, I'm about to pore over an exhaustive list of events that Ana may have attended last night." "Unless, of course, you'd be willing to tell me where she went now that we're on the same team." "Yeah." "I wish I could help you." "I get it." "Church and state." "That, and we don't know where she went, so looks like you're gonna have to do some actual police work, you know?" "Hit the streets." "Start canvassing." "Canvassing?" "Oh, that thing you get Espo and Ryan to do." "My suggestion is you wear comfortable shoes." "Castle, I got to go." "Marcus, why'd you take the train into the city last night?" "To hit a bar in Chelsea." "What's this about?" " Were you there all night?" " No." "Had a few beers and left around 11:30, walked around a little." "Like to Ana's apartment?" "What's Ana got to do with this?" "She's dead." "What?" "Ana's dead?" "Murdered by someone who impulsively hit her with a pipe." "A witness saw a man matching your description leaving the crime scene." "Me?" "It wasn't me." "Are you crazy?" "I-I would never hurt Ana." "You attacked her on the set in front of the entire crew." "Yeah, but that whole thing was staged." "That is hard to believe." "No, I'm telling you it's true!" "Ana came to me." "She said she needed me to start that fight with her." "She paid me $3,000 because she knew that it would cost me my job." "But she promised to give me a better one in a few weeks." "Why would she pay you to attack her?" "She said she needed to get away for a couple of days, but the show wouldn't give her any time off." "So she had me cause that scene." "So she did all of that to skip out on work?" " Why?" " I don't know." "She'd gotten real secretive lately." "Taking meetings and not telling me what they were for." "She was up to something." "Maybe whatever it was is what got her killed." "Marcus' alibi checks out." "Street cams caught him in Soho at the time of the murder." "He's not our killer." "No, that would be... this guy." "Sketch came in from the homeless man." "Definitely not Marcus Segundo." "You know, if we could figure out where Ana went to last night, that might tell us who this guy is." "Her credit card said that she paid for a taxi." "I'm still trying to run down where it took her, though." "Uh, excuse me?" "Auditorium doesn't open for another five hours." "I'm not here for the opera, Ronny." "Richard Castle, private investigator." "Wonder if I could ask you a few questions." "Oh, wow, thought you were a writer." " What happened?" " Nothing happened." "Just expanding my brand, if that's all right with y... look, did you see this woman last night?" "Definitely." "She was here for the premiere of "Rigoletto."" "You're sure?" "This woman?" "Yeah, positive." "I mean, come on." "You really think I'd forget her?" "She's smoking hot." "You know what the weird thing is, though?" "Is that she arrived way late." "Like "a few minutes before the opera ended" late." "Did you notice if she was carrying this purse with her?" "Uh, yeah, I remember that, too." "Could you direct me to where she was sitting?" "It could be where she left the purse." "Uh, she actually didn't go to her seat." "She went straight to the restroom." "Hello?" "Private investigator... investigating." "The ladies' room, Castle." " Did you not see the sign?" " Seriously?" "You knew Ana came here and you wouldn't share?" "Yeah, I just found out." "She got dropped off here by a cab." "You?" "Well, only six events held last night would require a gown and evening gloves, and the opera was one." " Hi." " Not bad." "So, Pam here was just telling me that she saw Ana last night, and she witnessed something very strange." "Really?" "What, uh, what was the strange thing you witnessed?" "Well, she came in, very pleasant, said hi." "Not everyone does that." "But then she went to the corner and met with this other young woman... pretty, dark hair." "She looked middle eastern, maybe." "I saw her give Ana a flash-drive stick." " You mean like a USB drive?" " Exactly." "They didn't say a word to each other, and then Ana up and slipped that USB thing in her purse and snuck out like she didn't want to be seen." "So, the woman that gave Ana the USB drive, did you know her or do you know anything about her?" "She looked familiar, so she may be a season ticket holder." "I need a list of those names." "Is your manager in?" "I'll go find her for you." "A clandestine meeting at the opera house." "A mysterious middle eastern woman passes a flash drive to the victim hours before her death." "Perhaps our telenovela actress was actually a covert operative." "She may very well be, but I don't know how that's gonna help you find her purse." "And yet find it I will!" "Sir, can you please leave now?" "Ronny, do you happen to remember where that woman went after she left the restroom?" "Yes, sir." "The performance ended, and she exited the building." "You saw her leave?" "Ah." "Right." "See, I was out front helping patrons into their cars when I saw her head for a white limo." "She left in a limo?" "Did she have the purse with her?" "Yep." "You know what?" "Smoking hot detective was really interested in the limo, too, and I told her all this earlier." "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" "You didn't ask." "That's a valid point." "All right, I'm..." "I'm asking now." "Please tell me everything you remember about that limo." "I have a client who's counting on this." "I got your text, Mr. Castle." "So?" "Ana was picked up by a white stretch limo when she left the opera?" "Where did she go then?" "Uh, well, that's what I'm trying to find out." " Does that limo sound familiar to you?" " No." "Ana usually ordered limos through the show, and our service only has black town cars." "Okay, well, do you know anyone who would have ordered a limo for Ana or maybe given her one for the evening?" "She was a celebrity." "We get limos all the time." "The limo could have come from anywhere." "But this UBS drive... this concerns me." "Why?" "What was on it?" "What could Ana have been mixed up in?" "I have no idea." "But if the purse was taken because someone wanted this UBS," "I will never get it back." "Except Ana buzzed her neighbor and specifically told her she lost the purse, not that it was stolen." "Now, my next step is to contact the taxi and limousine commission... locate that limo." "Wherever it took Ana is probably where she lost the purse." "So, this limo is your only clue?" "Of course not." "No, I have, uh, my best operatives in the field shaking the trees, generating leads." "And, uh, I just think that this limousine is very promising." "It doesn't sound so promising to me, Mr. Castle." "And we have less than a day before the deadline." "Call me with an update by this evening." "Right." "No progress on that limo or where Ana went after the opera, but we did I.D. the woman who gave her that USB drive." "Layla Nazif." "Tracked her down from her box seats at the opera." "And who is she?" "She is daughter of Abdul Nazif, billionaire and high-ranking Saudi official." "He's in town on U.N. nusiness." "So, why was Ana involved with the daughter of a Saudi official?" "That's not the only person she was involved with." "I did some digging, and it turns out she went to the Tremaine Hotel for the same two days that she took off from work." "Some of the staff saw her hanging out with this guy..." "Herman Eckles." "The real-estate tycoon?" "What was she doing with him?" "I called his office to find out." "Got stonewalled." " Eckles' people deny he even knew Ana." " Huh." "A secret rendezvous with a shadowy real-estate magnate, a flash-drive exchange with Layla Nazif, daughter of a Saudi official." "Ana was half-Lebanese." "Perhaps this is some kind of espionage plot and Ana found her way wrapped in a web of intrigue and..." "Bro!" "You're doing it again." "Plus, Castle already pitched spies." "Oh, well, great minds." "Oh, Perlmutter." "He's got something for us." "I'll talk to Layla Nazif." "We'll go see what Perlmutter has." "I'll tell you what I have... a clue that may hold the key to who committed this murder." "And that clue would be?" "You see, murders are not solved by positing outlandish, fanciful theories... sad to say, a habit you seem to be acquiring, Detective Ryan." "No, crimes are solved by applying the scientific method." "So, are you gonna show us what you found, or you just gonna stand here and talk about it?" "There are bruises on the victim's wrist, as if the killer seized her." "Yeah, signs of a struggle." "We already know that." "Ah, but what you don't know is that the killer left a print." "After painstaking examination," "I recovered an intact print here." "Did you run it through the system?" "I leave that to lesser minds." "Thank you for taking the time, Ms. Nazif." "I see you brought your lawyer." "My father insisted." "So, I need to ask you about Anahita Menendez." "Simply awful." "I admired her so much." "What was your relationship?" "We were acquaintances." "You see, I adore telenovelas, much to the disapproval of my father." "The passion, the drama..." "Ana had such talent." "She and I met at social functions from time to time." "Like at the opera?" "The opera?" "Yeah, I gather that the two of you" " met at the opera last night." " I did no such thing." "But we have a witness that saw you." "That witness is mistaken." "You gave Ana a flash drive." " What was on it?" " Your information is incorrect, and I am not obliged to speak with you, detective." "I have diplomatic immunity." "This meeting is over." "So, you think Layla's behind the killing?" "I don't know, but she's clearly hiding something." "Ryan, where are we on that print that Perlmutter found?" "We got an I.D. off the military database, and it matches our sketch." "This is our killer." "Harlan Mathis." "He's out of Vegas, ex-marine, worked in private security." "But now he's freelance, and word is he'll pretty much do anything if the price is right, including wet work." "Why send a hired gun like Mathis after a telenovela star?" "Let's find Mathis and ask him about Ana's murder." "Put out an APB and alert TSA and Homeland Security." "If he's still in town, a guy like this won't be easy to find." "But we'll dig in." "Hopefully make some headway by the morning." "Got it." "So, the lonely P.I. burning the midnight oil, huh?" "Who knew finding a purse could be this exhausting?" "So, did you figure out where the white limo took Ana?" "I can't even figure out whose limo it was." "The taxi and limo commissions have thousands of limos registered, but they're not broken down by colors, so I'm working on plan "b."" "Okay, well, you ready to get out of here, call it a night?" "Ooh." "What's your rush, doll?" "Why don't you stick around a while, give those stems of yours a rest?" "Could I?" "I'm all alone, and this is my first time in the big, scary city." "Spare me the tall tale, precious." "A dame like you?" "You got an angle." "You're pretty quick for a gumshoe." "Come on." "Spill the story." "Time is money, and I got none of either." "All right, I'll give it to you straight." "I'm just a girl looking for a private dick..." "Whoa." "Well, then, your search is over, sweetheart." "This here... that's the tough one." "There we go." "I got it." "You got it?" "Mr. Castle!" "Ms. del Cordova..." "Uh, we were not expecting you." "Obviously." "And do you know what I was expecting?" "An update from you." "I totally forgot." "I was..." "I was busy working the case." "You said he was the best." "Maybe your rating is not so objective." "You know what?" "I better be on my way." "You two obviously have work to discuss." "Let me be plain, Mr. Castle." " Have you found my purse?" " Not yet, though..." "And what about where the white limousine took Ana?" "I am following every lead." "It's only a matter of time." "Which is one thing I do not have." "You're fired, Mr. Castle." "What?" "Fired?" " You can't do that." " I just did." "Well, I don't accept." "You do understand how firing works?" "Fine." "Effective immediately," "I'm hiring myself to solve this case." "You can't do that." "I just did." "I am determined to see this through." "I've made it my mission to find your purse." "Take a look at this." "Somewhere last night, one of Anahita's fans must have seen her in that limo, so I have been going over every post, every tweet, every comment, every photo of Ana that's hit social media in the last 24 hours." "I've set alerts on all of her fansites, and I have a photo aggregator in case any new photos get posted." "As a matter of fact, that is the sound of a fresh batch of photos arriving." "Not so fresh." "This one is from last week." "All right, well..." "There... that one's from last night." "That's her leaving the opera with the purse." "There." "There's Ana in the white limo." "Looks like she's in a hurry." "She doesn't have my purse." " Where... where is the purse?" " Okay, wait." "That photo's timestamped 11:03." "That's five minutes after she left the opera." "So?" "So, the usher said when she went to the limo, she had her purse with her." "If she's leaving the limo five minutes later without the purse..." "Then she left it inside the limousine." "I find that limousine," "I find your purse, Ms. del Cordova." "But how without the license plate?" "With that." "That sticker has the vin." "The vehicle identification number will tell us exactly who this car is registered to." "And I know just the person to trace that for me." "Mr. Castle, you are a genius." "You are hired." "Again." "Are you awake?" "Oh, yeah." "Well, I admit, uh," "Sofia barging in on us was a little awkward." " Mm-hmm." "Try mortifying." " Yeah." "I was supposed to call her with an update." "I had no idea she'd drop by to get it in person." "I'm..." "I'm so sorry." "It was actually kind of funny, if you think about it." "Yeah." "So, I'm forgiven?" "Mm." "Forgiven enough to ask for a favor?" "Mm." "Maybe." "Depending on what you're asking." "How would you like to trace a vin number for me?" "Oh, my God." "Castle!" "You're unbelievable." "So that's a no?" "So, we may have a location on our killer, Harlan Mathis." "How'd you pull that off?" "Well, we knew he was from out of town, so we checked motels, hotels, short-term housing." "Building manager in Harlem recognized him from his photo." "He checked in two weeks ago under the name James Hyndman." "All right, let's go." "All right." "NYPD!" "NYPD!" "Clear!" "Clear!" "No sign of Mathis." "Hey." "I think I may have an idea who hired him." "Check it out." "Security credentials for the Saudi consulate." "Layla and her father are Saudi nationals." "That can't be a coincidence." "Yeah, well, why would they hire Mathis to kill Ana?" "Well, I bet this is exciting for you." "Yeah, it's not every day that the DMV gets to help the NYPD crack a homicide case." "Really?" "Every day." "Okay, well, if you just run that vin number through your database, tell me who the limo is registered to." "My name?" "It's..." "Ryan." "Uh-huh." "Detective Kevin Ryan." "Badge number 42344." "Uh-huh." "And do you have an address for the Danbridge Group?" "Yes!" "Okay." "It's not here." "Which means either the driver found the purse or..." "This isn't my limo!" "Give me your phone." "You and I are going for a ride." "What were you doing in the limo, Mr. Castle?" "Uh, this is gonna sound crazy, but I was looking for a purse." " A purse." " Yeah, and it wasn't there." "So why don't I just apologize for breaking into your car, and you let me go, and, well, we'll just call it even?" "Whose purse is it?" "Um..." " Whose purse?" " Anahita Menendez." " What do you know about her and me?" " Nothing." "Just that she left the limo without her purse." "You're lying." "She never had a purse when she got in." "Who hired you?" "Who are you really investigating?" " Me?" " Why would I investigate you?" "For the same reason the police are." "Because Ana Menendez is dead." "Which you clearly had nothing to do with, so... whoa!" "Okay, see, now, that's..." "that's not necessary." "I need to know what you know." "You do know everything I know." "I know nothing." "Convince me." "Harlan Mathis!" "NYPD!" "Drop that knife!" "Now!" "Turn around." "Show me your hands." "Castle?" "What are you doing here?" "I was only trying to find Ana's purse." "How was I supposed to know that the limo she was in was being driven by the guy that killed her?" "Castle, do you realize how lucky you are?" "Extremely lucky." " After all, I'm married to you." " Don't even go there." "What if we didn't connect Harlan Mathis to the Danbridge Group?" "What if that limo didn't have lojack?" "We would have no way of finding you." "You would if you had traced that vin number for me." "That's not the lesson to take away here." "Look, from now on, I want you to tell me where you're going and what you're doing." "Uh, see, that's not fair." "Neither is how we saved your bacon and got nothing to show for it." "I mean, what is a rescue from certain death worth these days?" "Floor seats to a few Knicks games." "At the very least." "Guys, rescued from certain death?" "Come on!" "I had him right where I wanted him!" "Fine." "Floor seats." "So, we looked into the Danbridge Group." "It is a front owned by a company controlled by Abdul Nazif." "The Saudi billionaire?" "He's behind this?" "And Mathis works for him?" "We figure that Mathis forced Ana into the limo at the opera, stole her purse with the USB in it." "Yes, Richard." "But Mathis said that she didn't have the purse when she got into the car." "I think I know what happened." "As Ana was leaving the opera house, she realized she was going to be abducted." "So before she got into the limo, she ditched the purse outside the opera house, where I will find it and solve my case!" "See?" "I'm telling you where I'm going." "You know where I'm going?" "To get a confession out of Harlan Mathis." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Where you going, floor seats?" "Make the call." "I have nothing to say to you." "Then you don't grasp the situation, Mr. Mathis." "With all the charges you're facing plus Anahita Menendez, by the time you get out of prison, you're gonna be a senior citizen." "Now, you were hired to abduct her, weren't you?" "Is this supposed to be loyalty to your employer?" "Because they've got none towards you." "I spoke to Abdul Nazif's people, and they claim to not know you." "So you're all alone here." " What are you offering?" " Consideration from the D.A." "if you tell me what happened with Ana." "I was hired to secure Ms. Menendez." "What were you orders?" "To pick her up at the opera and bring her to Mr. Nazif." "For what?" "He wanted to speak with her." "But she had refused to meet with him." "I'm not clear on the specifics." "What about the USB?" "I don't know about any USB." "When she left the opera, I escorted her to the limo." "A few stoplights later, she jumped out, ran off, and I lost her." "I don't know what happened to her after that." "I do." "You caught up to her at her apartment, and then you murdered her." "That's not true." "A witness saw you fleeing the crime scene." "Your print is on her neck." "I went to her apartment to look for her, but she was already dead." "That print is me checking for a pulse." "You expect me to believe that someone else killed her?" "Who?" "How should I know?" "But killing her was not my assignment." "Okay, Ronny, just so we are completely clear, you remember seeing Ana out here with the purse?" "Yeah, that's right." "As the driver was escorting her into the white limo." "Okay, so it's possible she handed it off to someone, stashed it in a bag, "enemy of the state" style." "Did you notice anyone near her?" "Uh, just the limo driver." "All right, well, how far from the limo was she when you last saw her?" "Uh, she was like right there, just near the curb." "Perfect." "Thank you, Ronny." "You are getting to be an expensive habit." "Oh." "Yes." "Ronny!" "I might owe you a bigger tip!" "Oops." "Where I come from, it's rude to look through a lady's purse." "Ms. del Cordova." "You got here fast." "I'm very anxious to get that clutch back, as you well know." "Even if it's a knockoff?" "These diamonds are fake." "What's really going on here?" "I'm sure you're mistaken." "Please give me the purse and its contents." "I'm afraid I can't do that." "This USB drive is a part of the murder investigation." "I'm afraid I must insist, Mr. Castle." "Not your purse, is it?" "It's not even Arthur Radcliffe's." "It's Ana's." "You were after the USB drive the whole time." "Why?" "What's on it?" "That is not your concern." "You used me." "You're a private eye." "Doesn't that come with the job?" "You even fired me, knowing I'd work that much harder just to find the damn thing." "I could see you are like me, Mr. Castle." "You hate to lose, but lose you must." "The UBS, please." "It's USB." "And where I come from, it's rude to point a gun at a man." "L-look at that." "I mean, her going to prison?" "What a tragic waste." "I just wish it would have been Harlan Mathis." "Why wasn't it?" "What cleared him?" "The lojack in his limo proves that he wasn't at Ana's when she was killed." "So you're saying I solved my case and your case and I apprehended the killer?" "Hmm." "Yeah, you disarmed a 110-pound woman." "Must have been a tense moment." "You mock, but I'm telling you, my online P.I. self-defense course, much like your special forces training, had me in the zone." "It was like everything was moving in slow-motion." "You do realize it was a prop gun, right?" " What?" " Yeah." "No bullets, plugged barrel." "Harmless." "But since I didn't know that at the time, my act of valor still stands." "Hey, so, uh, tech went over that USB drive." "Turns out it's a dongle." "Oh." "What's a dongle?" "It's basically an encrypted security key." " That unlocks what?" " When tech plugged it in, it routed them to an anonymous numbered bank account in Switzerland with a balance of $100 million." "100 million bucks?" "I should have charged way more to find that purse." "Ms. del Cordova, where were you at 12:09 the night that Ana was killed?" "At home in bed." " And can anyone corroborate that?" " No." "So, tell me, why was Ana in possession of a security key to a Swiss bank account containing $100 million?" "I'm not at liberty to say." "Okay, well, here's my theory." "Ana was involved in some kind of a business deal with Layla Nazif... something secret, illegal, or both." "Now, you either knew about the deal or you were involved in it, too." "Feel free to jump in and correct me at any point." "You went to Ana's place to collect the money." "She didn't have the security key, so you killed her, and then you hired Castle to find it." "Ana and I were business partners, but I did not kill her." "She was my friend." "What kind of business, Sofia?" "Your future's on the line here." "Ana wanted to create the first" "Latin-American female-driven television network." "It was her dream." "A television network?" "She came to me because she needed someone with star power who knew the business, but we had to keep everything secret." "If anyone had found out we were trying to leave "Santos desesperados"" "and the very network that created us, it would endanger the deal." "But the pieces were almost in place." "Ana had found an investor that she met with... a real-estate man to buy sound stages." "And I take it that was Herman Eckles and the investor was..." "Layla Nazif?" "But Layla's father tried to stop her from investing." "He didn't want his name associated with a woman's TV network." "So she went behind his back and gave Ana the USB." "The next thing I know, Ana was dead." "If what you're saying is true, then why did you threaten Castle at gunpoint?" "Because the money has to be in the escrow account by 5:00 p.m. today or the deal is off." "Time is running out." "Who else knew about Ana's meeting at the opera house?" "No one." "She didn't even tell me where she was going." "She just said she was meeting Layla on the upper West Side." "And where did you and Ana have this conversation?" "In my trailer, where it is private." "No one else was around." "Hey, Beckett." "Anything?" "Yeah, looks like part of Sofia's story holds up." "She was at home the night of the murder." " Someone saw her?" " Mm." "The doorman." "He said she came in at 9:30 and she didn't leave her apartment the whole night." "Yo." "So, we searched Sofia's trailer on set." "You'll never guess what we found." "Detectives, what can I do for you?" "Well, you can explain this." "It's a microphone like the ones we use to record the actors." "Except the actors involved didn't know that they were being recorded." "That was hidden in Sofia's trailer." "Reprehensible." "It's probably the tabloids again." "Believe me, I will find the person who did this." "Well, you won't have to look too far." "Your sound man caved." "He admitted that you borrowed it from him last week." "You probably suspected what Ana and Sofia were up to, and you knew that they talked in Sofia's trailer, so you bugged it." "That's how you knew that Ana was planning on leaving and taking your biggest star with her." "I know nothing of this." "These are outrageous accusations." "Those two women are the reason audiences watch." "You knew that." "If you let Ana go forward with her plan, where would that leave the network?" "Where would that leave you?" "Mr. Herrara, we circulated your photo." "You were seen at the coffee shop down the street from Ana's apartment." "You waited for her to come home, and when she did, you snapped, didn't you?" "I made Ana." "Before me, she was nobody, and she was going to ruin everything." "I begged her not to do it." "She refused to see reason." "I-I never meant to kill her." "Francisco Herrara, you're under arrest for the murder of Anahita Menendez." "It is terrible what Francisco did, but Ana's legacy will live on." "We deposited the money in escrow 20 minutes before the deadline." "So you'll still be able to launch the network?" "Yes, the deal is complete." "Layla and I agreed to co-run the company in Ana's name." "I am sorry I deceived you, Mr. Castle." "It comes with the job." "And pulled a gun on you." "Which also comes with the job." "Excuse me." "Um, sorry, uh, Ms. del Cordova, I'm..." "I'm sorry to bother, but do you think you could sign this for my ti­a before you leave?" " Absolutely." " Thank you." "What is her name?" "Javier?" "Okay, it's... it's... it's for me." "It's..." "I-I've just been such a big fan of yours for so long." "You're just so great in "Santos desesperados"..." "Uh, you know what, Castle?" "We should probably get out of here before Gates sees you." " Right." "Can I walk you home?" " Yeah." "Who knew a missing purse would turn into a case rife with mystery and intrigue?" "Thanks." "Oh, all I did was refer a case." "You're the one who solved it." "So, how does it feel to have your first satisfied customer?" "Like I want to satisfy another one." "Oh, I think that can be arranged." "As the sun set on the mean streets of the naked city," "I could feel my luck was about to change." "The killer was caught, my case was closed, and hanging on my arm was the dame of my dreams." "Are you gonna be doing that all night?" "Not if it hurts my chances."