(Two Hours Traffic - Jezebel) (Jezebel)
(there's a ringing in my ear)
(from when I called you)
(got this tiny little fear)
(that I won't see you)
(when that sun goes down again)
Reading the paper?
You are gonna lose
all of your wired-teen-hyper- texting-nano-gizmo street cred.
I'm a rebel. I kick it old-school. Is this--
Cream, two sugars. Thanks.
The style section. Anything I need to know?
The '70s are back. Mm.
They're like The Highlander. They just won't die.
Good morning, Mother. You're dressed early.
Oh, I have class.
I believe that's a matter of some debate.
Ooh. Ha ha ha ha.
At the new school, funny man.
Look, it's--it's not
that I don't appreciate everything you've done--
But a girl has to stand on her own two feet.
What's the class?
Introduction to life coaching.
It's--it's always been my desire to make a difference,
whether onstage or off, and...
(singsong voice) I...
(normal voice) have had cards made. (laughs)
That's my--I'm--you-- it says here I'm your client.
Well, of course you are.
Haven't I been telling you what to do your whole life?
(stammers)
Oh, uh, Dad, Julie Schmidt's father is back in rehab,
so a spot opened up to chaperone the D.C. trip.
Where is the--how did you know Julie's dad was back in rehab?
Must be a wired-teen-hyper-nano thing.
So what do you say?
Sorry, kiddo, but, uh, with you away,
my chaperoning needs reside here, or are you forgetting
what happened the last time we left her alone?
So she... had a little party.
There were lime shards embedded in the walls.
It was Cinco de Mayo.
Exactly. (Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" ringtone plays)
I hear dead people. (beep)
Who was murdered, and was it gruesome?
(Esposito) one victim--
Donald Kendall, 18.
He was a senior at Redding Prep.
(Ryan) Someone's gonna miss prom night.
(Beckett) Redding Prep?
Private school on Park Avenue. No trust fund baby left behind.
What's he doing in the boat? No idea.
Dr. Parish, how are you doing? Feet are cold.
So what do you got for me?
Single G.S.W. to the chest, fairly large caliber.
And from the lack of blood inside the boat,
I'd say he wasn't killed at sea.
Somebody moved him. He's got dirt and grass all on his Chucky T's.
Other than the postmortem voyage,
looks like a pop and drop.
I'm guessing sometime late last night.
Well, somebody dragged him here.
He couldn't have come from very far.
Let's get uniforms down here to do a perimeter walk.
Get 'em to go from the boats over there down to fifth.
And tell 'em they're looking for a blood pool
and possible shell casings. (Ryan) Roger that.
Esposito, did you check the boathouse?
(Esposito) Not yet.
So why the burial at sea?
The Vikings believed that if you wanted
to reach Valhalla, you needed a vessel.
Gun-toting viking-- that's your theory?
No, no, no.
They also launched their dead with a sacrificial woman...
and some booze and a good horse.
Do you know what he would've been doing in the park?
No.
When was the last time you saw your son alive?
Yesterday, uh, when he left for school.
Do you know maybe where he went after?
He was usually with his friends.
He didn't come home for dinner?
Most nights, Donny ate out or at someone else's place.
He hung out with a pretty tight crowd at Redding.
They've all been together since grammar school.
Donny used to have them over all the time.
Only, you've moved recently.
Yes, a few months ago. I was a partner at Lehman.
When it went under, well, we--we took a big hit.
That can be pretty tough on a teenager.
You get used to a certain way of living,
But it was no one's fault.
Do you think Donny was depressed?
No, Donny was strong.
But to lose everything you have...
We were just getting by.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
How did you know they moved?
Either the Kendalls really like art
or that Chinese screen was meant for a much bigger apartment.
I wonder how they could still afford Redding.
You know the school? Oh, I've been kicked out
of all of New York's finer educational institutions
at least once.
The irony is, now that I'm rich and famous,
they all claim me as alum and want money.
It is just so rough being you. My cross to bear.
(man) When the Kendalls said they couldn't afford tuition,
we put Donny on scholarship.
The family had been very generous in the past,
and Donny was one of our brightest.
We thought he'd do great things.
Any idea what he would've been doing in Central Park at night?
Well, the truth is,
all these kids are icebergs. We only see the tip.
If you wanna know the rest,
you should probably talk to his friends--
Amanda, Romy, Brandon, Spencer and Max.
It's strange seeing them without Donny.
Thank you. (mouths word)
Thanks.
(beep)breaking news--my parents are off to Abu Dhabi,
so I'm in a 'rents-free zone. Come over tonight for
the "dancing with the stars" results show.
Betting opens at 7:30.
My dad's cask-aged, 16-year-old single malt
opens next. (beep)
That was before they moved and everything.
Were any of you with Donny last night?
We hung out after school, but we all headed home around 5:00.
Do you know of any reason he'd be in the park?
Look, you guys, I went to York.
I know all about honor codes and protecting your friends.
You went to York prep? How does a Yorkie end up a cop?
Things happen. Things like this.
Point is, is that if you're trying
To protect your friend's memory, I get it.
But eventually, the truth comes out.
And the faster it does, the easier it'll be for us
to help find who did it.
His family had lost everything.
Not that we cared, but we go out, you know?
We always offered to cover him, but he couldn't handle it.
Yeah, he just kinda fell apart. Fell apart how?
Guys, he can't get in trouble.
He kind of got into drugs.
If he had money problems, how'd he support a drug habit?
He started dealing... In the park.
(Castle) classic tragedy.
Prominent family falls into disrepute,
Scion spirals down... And bad things happen.
Of course bad things happen.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be a tragedy.
Did you know, in the original greek,
"tragedy" literally means "goat song"?
I know, it doesn't make any sense to me, either.
But whatever that first story was,
I can't help but think
bad things must've happened to that goat.
(cell phone rings, beeps)
Beckett.
Mm-hmm.
Yep. Okay.
Of course. Sure, I'll be right there.
(grunts) next time, put it on speakerphone.
I'm gonna want to see the pictures of those
plaid skirts and knee socks. (laughs) Excuse me?
I've seen those York school uniforms.
Okay, I want in on your poker game.
I went to public school.
I just told them that to make them feel comfortable.
Well played, Ms. Streep.
Which Meryl--"Out of Africa" or "Mamma Mia!"?
Hmm.
(Ryan) Hey.
Hey. Hey.
So a 9-1-1 call comes in last night about 50 yards from here.
Esposito's following up, but we found this.
Looks like mud. It's actually blood.
Figured he was sitting on top of the bench,
takes one to the chest,
falls back over here...
and then he's dragged to the lake.
So what's he doing sitting on a park bench at night?
During my Narc days, this area was pretty much an open bazaar,
Especially at night. A drug deal gone bad.
Fancy private school education don't mean you aren't stupid.
Neither does a career in narcotics. What are you talking about?
This is a very large pool of blood.
Lanie said he was shot with a large-caliber bullet.
So if this kid is dragged when he's a fresh kill,
wouldn't there be more of a blood trail?
He was lying here for a while.
Why would someone come back and move him?
If it was a drug dealer, then he's gonna realize
the cops are gonna think drug dealer
if they find a body here.
Increasing his chances of getting caught.
So he drags the body over there
Just to try to throw us off.
I don't know, Castle.
A smart drug dealer?
Ah, everything evolves. Why not criminals?
(Beckett) 9-1-1 caller?
Yeah, Mrs. Falcigno--
Was walking her dog when she heard the shot last night.
A few seconds later, said she saw a white dude run past her.
I got her looking through mug books
at dealers arrested in that area.
Hey, detective, get over here!
(police radio chatter)
See someone you recognize, Mrs. Falcigno?
No, I miss your sparkling personality. Yeah!
That's the guy I saw right here. You sure?
What, do you want to give me a lie detector? That's him!
(Beckett) do you know why you're here?
No idea.
The arresting officer said that he saw you
In a hand-to-hand sale of narcotics in the park.
Must have me confused with somebody else.
Really? Is that what you're giving me,
that all drug dealers look alike?
You were arrested with money and dope, Mr. Scoville.
Given the fact that you have two prior felony sales
on your sheet, you should probably come up
with something better pretty quick.
Why you jammin' me up like this?
What were you doing in the park last night?
What makes you think I was even in the park?
A very reliable witness said she saw you
Runnin' toward 72nd street about midnight.
Shouldn't she put him on his heels, go straight for the shooting?
It's not about putting him on his heels.
It's about building a case for the D.A.
So? I was running in the park. So what?
See? She just got him to put himself at the crime scene.
So running isn't illegal, but shootin' someone is.
Shootin' someone?
Do you recognizehis person-- Donny Kendall?
Never seen him before.
Really? How come I'm getting the feeling
that you're not being completely truthful with me?
Watch this. Watch her now.
I want immunity.
(laughs) from what? The mumps?
Do you know what a 3-time loser is, Scoville?
It's a person facing a third felony conviction,
someone just like you, in fact.
All right. I seen him.
Last night? Yeah, last night.
Just placed him with the victim.
You sell to him?
No.
You're a drug dealer. How'd you know him?
You poker buddies?
It was real nice chatting with you, Mr. Scoville.
Maybe you can drop me a line in about 25 years.
All right, all right, hold up. Hold up. All right!
I sold to him. When?
Last night.
Bunch of other times, too, him and his little buddies.
What little buddies?
I don't know. Kids. Friends of his.
Describe 'em.
A couple of dudes, a couple of chicks. One was Asian.
Kinda hot.
Okay, so you're telling me that you saw all of them
in the park last night, right? Yep.
And now we got some witnesses.
Witnesses who lied.
You guys lied to me.
You were all with Donny when he got shot, weren't you?
Anyone know what obstruction is?
I believe that's when you deliberately
give false information in a criminal case.
You go to prison for it.
Max?
Amanda?
Yeah, we were there.
You were at the park?
Donny was out of control. We were just trying to stop him.
Why don't I believe you?
Guys, just tell the truth.
Sometimes we'd go to the park, too.
We'd tell our parents
we're hanging out at one of our apartments,
but we'd actually go to the park and party,
and Donny would--
(Castle) Would get you whatever you wanted.
So what happened?
We're all just hanging out, having a good time, partying.
And this guy came over, and he's a messed up,
and he's got this gun. And he--and he's--
He's yelling at Donny, "where's my money?
I need my friggin' money!"
Donny owes him 200 bucks. Donny didn't have it.
Then the guy points the gun. And there's this loud pop,
and you just see Donny's body crumple.
What did you guys do?
(voice breaking) we ran. We just ran.
You didn't think to call the police?
He was dead. I mean, we knew he was dead. Calling someone--
Would have just gotten you into trouble?
Did you get a good look at this guy?
Do you think you'd be able to identify him?
It--it was dark. You know, Donny was at the end of the bench.
Who was the closest?
(lowered voice) okay, Romy, this will be easy.
And when we raise the shades, they won't be able to see you.
Are you sure? I promise.
They have no idea who's back here.
You just let me know if you recognize anyone, okay?
Raise the shades, please.
Number 1, step forward.
Step back, number 1.
(Ryan) step back.
Number 2.
Number 2, step forward.
Do you recognize anyone?
Number 2.
Where do you recognize him from?
The park.
He shot Donny.
Okay.
(door opens and closes)
Mm.
Are you trying to figure out how to murder someone
In their sleep again? Not this time.
Do you know when you were little,
I used to watch you sleep every night before I went to bed,
Just for a few minutes.
It was ridiculous how adorable you were.
Who'd have thought, all these years later,
You're still adorable?
What part of snoring and drooling is adorable?
Well, every 10 or 15 breaths, you make a little snort noise.
And then sometimes you'll even get a little spit bubble--
okay, Dad. Seriously.
Do you do drugs?
(laughs) no.
Are you sure? 'cause you can tell me.
Dad, am I lethargic
And uncharacteristically irritable? No.
Are my eyes bloodshot for no apparent reason?
No, except when you're sick.
Well, that's an apparent reason. Right.
Are my grades plummeting? No.
Then according to New York City's guidelines
for parents and teachers, it's a pretty safe bet I'm clean.
You make an excellent case.
Parents are invited to the drug assemblies.
You should come next time. Drug assemblies?
Is that what the kids are calling 'em nowadays?
They serve cookies.
And which of your friends are going on this
D.C. Jamboree with you? Taylor, Kelsey and Paige.
Okay, how do I know they're not bringing the blow
And partying winehouse-style?
Um, because you know them really well,
and they're good kids? But maybe they're icebergs.
Does this have something to do with that Redding kid?
Dad, he was in Central Park really, really late at night.
That's something I would never do.
But if you did, you could tell me.
I don't want you to feel you ever have to lie to me.
Anything you and your friends have done, believe me,
I've done worse. I know.
But the good news is, I'm not you.
I just mean you don't have to worry.
Besides, if I ever got in any real trouble,
My friends would be there to bail me out.
Right.
Because that's what friends do.
Yeah.
(speaking indistinctly) Gentlemen. Gentlemen.
Excuse me, I gotta go. I gotta go.
Why didn't Donny's friends just give him the money?
What are you talking about? These kids always have cash.
You're gonna tell me one of them couldn't spring a few bucks
to save his life?
Castle, some demented drug dealer's waving a gun.
Um, they probably froze up.
But all of them? He wasn't asking S.A.T. questions.
He was asking for money, something these kids
probably count in their sleep.
Look, this Scoville is a bad dude,
And we got more than enough.
Yeah, with the girl, it's a slam dunk.
And who gave you the girl?
Scoville.
(laughs) So the guy's not a genius.
Okay, okay. Say you're right.
Why would these kids peg the wrong guy for a murder?
Simple-- one of them did it.
(buzzer sounds)
Hey, Beckett.
Yankman.
Who's the sidekick? He's a...
Consultant? Consultant.
Yeah? Well, uh, shouldn't you consult the consultant
before you arrest the wrong guy?
I'm not sure I have the wrong guy yet, Yankman.
Well, my client's not happy. He gave you potential witnesses,
and then you used one against him.
(chuckles) yeah, well, your client wasn't exactly forthcoming.
But I'm willing to reconsider
if he tells me everything he knows.
Don't trust her.
Seeing as how you're facing a murder charge,
why don't you just go with the flow?
Consultant boy is right. You got nothing to lose.
The night that Donny was killed,
you sold to him and his friends, right?
No. No?
(chuckles) that's not how you really get her to reconsider.
I didn't sell to him!
They was workin' for me.
Workin' for you?
I supplied that punk.
All right? His friends bought off me, too.
Then they'd go play dealer, selling to the upscales
up in Sheeps Meadow. Wait a minute. They sold for you?
Donny, yeah. The others, it was just like a goof,
like walk on the wild side, like Truth or Dare.
So where were you when Donny got shot?
I was hanging with my boys down by
The "Alice in Wonderland" statue.
We didn't see nothing. We heard the shot, took off.
What about the gun? I told you, I don't pack.
Criminal record with no firearms convictions
Does sort of give it the ring of truth.
If past is prologue, how we doing on reconsideration?
Don't have to answer if you don't want.
I know the answer. Anytime.
Anytime, Beckett.
(door closes)
You gotta be kidding me.
I already told the brass that we got the guy.
I can see how that'd be a little awkward.
The mayor even called to thank me.
He's in for the Knicks game, by the way. Sweet.
Look, I know everyone likes the violent drug dealer for this--
no, we love the violent drug dealer for this.
Only the violent drug dealer's story makes more sense
than our witness'. Plus--and I know I'm new here but--
aren't you supposed to arrest the right guy?
Okay, go and talk to the girl again.
But my violent drug dealer stays where he is until I say so.
I'll see you at the game.
Got it.
So this dealer asked Donny for the couple hundred
he owed him, right? Yeah.
And Donny told him he didn't have it?
Right.
You mind if I take a look at your purse?
Her purse? What for?
I can get a warrant if you want.
Gucci. What does my bag have to do with anything?
If Donny was such a good friend, why did you let him get shot?
Let him?
You had more than enough money to pay off the guy.
I bet you all had more than enough.
And yet Donny is dead.
Why didn't any of you front him the money?
What are you implying? She isn't implying.
She's saying your daughter is lying
About what happened that night.
There wasn't a guy, was there, Romy?
(voice breaking) I-I didn't do anything.
Romy.
What really happened to Donny that night?
It was an accident.
We were just playing a game.
A game?
Like Russian roulette. Romy! With a gun?
It was just for fun. We-- we did it all the time.
For fun?
Where'd you get the gun, Romy? (sniffles) Spencer had it.
We never meant for there to be bullets.
We just pointed the gun at each other
And pulled the trigger, just to see what it felt like.
Then how did Donny get shot? Spencer bought bullets.
We went up to his summer house in Montauk
Just to shoot around at cans and stuff. (sniffles)
One must have got left in by accident.
Who? Who shot him?
Romy, look at me.
Who shot Donny?
(sniffles) Max.
It was Max.
Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD.
I'm looking for Max Heller. Is he here?
No. I'm his mother. What's going on?
I need to see him right now, Mrs. Heller.
Do you know where he is? No, I don't. What is it?
I have a warrant for his arrest.
A warrant? Oh, my god. For what?
He's wanted for murder, Mrs. Heller. Do you understand?
I need you to go and call him on his cell phone,
find out where he is, tell him not to move.
Everything is gonna be all right,
but I need you to do it now.
Detective Esposito will go with you.
Get a photograph of him for the A.P.B., please. Right.
(cell phone rings and beeps) (Ryan) detective.
Beckett.
What? Where?
The kid's not answering his cell phone.
Mom thinks maybe he went to the park.
Yeah, he went to the park... And killed himself.
So what now? What should I do?
What?
(man singing) (I'm staying by your side)
Hey.
If you're looking for lunch money, my wallet's on the nightstand.
I lied to you, dad.
Oh. Can this wait? No. You need to know.
(I know it hasn't been that long)
Oh. Yeah.
Yeah, o-okay.
Remember the holiday formal,
how Kelsey and I went to Taylor's house after?
Well, when we left, it was already raining,
and we tried for, like, half an hour to get a taxi,
but we couldn't, and we were already so soaking wet and cold
that we finally decided to take the subway,
even though it was way after 10:00.
Well, considering that getting a cab in the rain
is kind of like winning the Powerball jackpot, I forgive you.
No, listen. The 2 was coming, and Kelsey ran through the door
and was going down the stairs to hold the door for me,
but when I swiped my card, it was empty,
and I didn't have any time to add any more money to it,
and Kelsey was screaming for me to come, and I was--
I was just so tired, and I was just anxious to get home,
that, Dad... I don't even want to say it. What?
I jumped the turnstile.
Did you make the train?
Y-yeah, but--but the point is, I didn't tell you,
even after you were so sweet and concerned yesterday.
I'm sorry. Oh, you actually jumped the turnstile?
But I swiped my card twice the next day
and didn't even ride.
Okay. Oh, sweetie. If that--
If that's the worst thing you've done,
I'm a happy, happy man.
But I lied to you. Shouldn't you punish me?
Yes. No, you're right.
Um... mandatory ice cream for breakfast. No excuses.
I'm serious. If you won't, I will.
I'm serious about the ice cream.
Fine. I'm grounded for a week.
All right. You're tough but fair. After the D.C. Trip.
That's my girl.
(I'm staying by your side)
Thanks, Dad.
Hey.
What you doing? Paperwork to dismiss
the homicide charges against Scoville.
Ballistics confirms that the gun used on Donny
in the park that night was the same one
Max used on himself.
I'm usually better at reading people.
You spent half an hour with Max.
There's no way you could have seen that coming.
Poor kid must have been a mess.
Imagine shooting your best friend
and then having to lie about it.
Well, he did more than just lie about it.
What do you mean? He went back and moved his friend's body.
He went back and moved his friend's body.
Having the presence of mind to move the body
isn't exactly consistent with a guilty conscience, is it?
I'd say that's more an act of a cold-blooded killer.
And a cold-blooded killer doesn't suddenly feel guilty
enough to commit suicide, does he? Not in any story I'd write.
So if we're right and Max didn't move Donny's body,
Then who did?
Looks like your basic, garden-variety suicide.
But you said on the phone that there was something
that wasn't consistent with a suicide. Looks like suicide.
But his shooting hand-- more specifically,
his right index finger-- has a slight abrasion
visible only under the scope. Department autopsy protocol
doesn't even call to look for that kind of thing.
And the abrasion means what to you?
That someone may have helped him pull the trigger.
Plus toxicology has his blood alcohol content at .28.
(Castle) .28! So he was drunk
Way drunk.
At .28, he may not have even been conscious.
So Max was murdered.
Whoever staged Max's suicide wanted us to believe that
he killed himself out of guilt over shooting Donny,
which makes me think Max didn't kill Donny after all.
The other kids corroborated Romy's story
that Max pulled the trigger. I didn't say he didn't shoot him.
I said he didn't kill him.
Is that a zen koan "one hand clapping" thing? I...
These kids played a game of pretending
to shoot at each other.
What if one of them wanted Donny dead for real?
What better way than to get someone else to pull the trigger?
You think one of the other kids put a bullet in the gun
Without Max knowing? That's our killer.
(whispers) oh, I like that.
You bought the bullets, Spencer.
It was just to screw around.
If by "screwing around" you mean intentionally putting
a bullet in a chamber knowing that Max was gonna shoot Donny,
then yes, you and I are in total agreement.
Detective Beckett--if the point of the game was to shoot without bullets,
then why would you have bullets unless you intended to use 'em?
I told you, I didn't know there were any bullets in the gun.
Well, somebody did, and I think whoever it is killed Max.
Your gun, your bullets--
From where I'm standing, Spencer, you did it.
So where were you between 6:30 and 9:00 last night?
Uh... At--at my dad's club.
The Century. With Brandon.
You better hope that Brandon corroborates that.
Look, I know Romy and Spencer told you guys everything,
and that we're all in big trouble...
But I'm glad.
You're glad? Yes. We should have just come clean with you guys
after the accident. You're damn right you should've.
I know. But we didn't want to screw Max over.
That's why you fingered the drug dealer, right?
'cause he's expendable.
I told Romy that was wrong, but she wanted to protect Max.
And that junkie's the one who got Donny into dealing in the first place.
So where were you when Max was killed?
With Spencer at his dad's club. Ask him, he'll confirm it.
You guys always have your stories straight, don't you?
"We weren't at the park. It was the drug dealer.
It was Max." You guys are always in sync.
Maybe that's why I don't believe you.
You don't have to believe me.
I have proof.
We'd take these videos, you know,
I mean, just for laughs, doing crazy stuff.
Romy's dad Mr. Lee is like this big I.T. Guy,
and he hooked us up with a file share over bluetooth.
That way we'd all get the files.
(exhales deeply)
Amanda shot this that night.
What is it?
A video...
of Donny getting shot.
We were all supposed to erase it.
But I knew that if the truth came out,
we'd all be screwed.
And after what happened to those kids in that Duke case,
I just...
I didn't want to end up like that.
(cell phone beeps) here.
(Romy) oh, yeah, suck it down, Bran. (manchug! Chug!
Suck it! Suck it! You suck.
(Amanda) little Brandon wet himself!
(Spencer) oh, great. "punk'd" is back. Hi, mom!
(Donny) all right, let's do this, baby!
Blast me, Max-o. Take me out.
Hey, you pulled my mom's Harry Winston tennis bracelet.
That you stole. Borrowed.
(Donny) that's worth my entire family.
(Spencer) cue the violins. Aw.
(Amanda) come on, guys. My arm's getting tired. (Spencer) Aw!
Let's do this! (Brandon) okay, here we go.
(Amanda) whoo! (laughs) all right, all right.
Goodbye, Mr. Anderson.
(gunshot)
(indistinct screaming) (woman) oh, my god!
You okay?
I was just thinking about Donny's parents,
what they'll go through when they watch that video.
Guess it's not too often
you get a murder caught on tape, huh?
Yeah, well, he was smart to keep it.
Otherwise they'd all be facing a manslaughter charge.
Yeah... That was pretty smart
when you think about it, wasn't it?
I know that tone, Castle. I'm just saying,
It's pretty lucky they filmed their little game that night.
Yeah. Well, people post crazy stuff on You Tube.
I get filming it the first few times. It's exciting.
But the 10th? The 15th?
What was so special about that night?
Donny got shot. So the only reason to film it is...
You knew something was gonna happen.
And that was when? Okay, thank you, Mrs. Kendall.
Get this--
Donny and Amanda were dating until about a month ago.
When Donny broke it off?
You weren't in school today, Amanda.
So? I wasn't up for it.
Yes. Lying can be so exhausting.
So can losing two of your friends. We saw the video.
Brandon told me. So now you know everything.
Why did you shoot the video that night?
I don't know. We did lots of times.
When was the last time before that night?
I don't remember.
Look, I thought you said you saw what happened.
We did. We're just not sure why we saw what happened.
Your decision to make
a video that night doesn't make any sense
unless you knew something was gonna happen.
You think I knew? It was totally an accident!
There's no way I could have known
Donny was gonna get shot.
Sure there is,
If you're the one who put a bullet in the gun. What?
We spoke to Donny's parents. We know you two were dating.
We also know Donny broke up with you about a month ago.
Oh, my god. It gives you motive, Amanda.
It's not what happened!
Yes, Donny broke up with me,
but only because he found out I hooked up with Brandon.
Brandon?
Everything with his family...
Donny checked out.
He wasn't there for me, and Brandon was.
I bet he was.
It's not like that. Brandon's a really good guy.
A good guy who kept the only copy of a video he told us you shot.
If Brandon kept the video, he had his reasons.
Brandon told you to shoot the video that night, didn't he?
Yeah.
(church bell tolling)
(Castle) guess who just changed his story?
Your buddy Spencer.
Your comrade just gave up your alibi for Max's murder.
You mean Max's suicide, don't you?
And last I checked,
I wouldn't need an alibi for that, would I?
The medical examiner concluded that Max's death was a homicide.
Oh. Well, I'm sure there are any number of experts
we can hire who will disagree with a city employee.
Expert witnesses? Scrambling for alibis?
Sounds like you're already building a defense.
You guys have been running around accusing everyone of murder.
I figured my turn was coming, and I'd better be ready.
Only now we know it was you.
All three of your friends have solid alibis
for the night Max was killed. You say killed, I say suicide.
Where were you that night? I took a walk.
I knew you guys wouldn't believe me,
So I asked Spencer to cover for me.
That's what you guys do, right, cover for each other?
Exactly. Look, detective, you're hot and everything,
but if you had any actual evidence,
you'd have already arrested me.
Me? I have a video that proves Max killed Donny.
Do you really think a jury's gonna believe
he didn't get drunk and off himself?
This is just a game for you, isn't it?
Like selling drugs in the park.
Well, if it was, looks like I'd be winning.
But hey, if you think I did it...
Let's see you prove it.
I hate that kid.
You know, actually having to prove things is really tedious.
Welcome to my world. Brandon had this all planned.
He gets Max to shoot Donny
Then gets Max drunk and kills him.
There's no such thing as a perfect crime, Castle.
Not yet. But one day I'm gonna write it.
Okay, we canvassed every store, stand and homeless guy
from the park's entrance at 72nd to the scene.
And no one remembers seeing Max or Brandon last night.
If we can't put Brandon at Max's murder scene,
then the D.A. Will never move.
These kids were hooked on video sharing.
There has to be something.
Eh, I already scrolled through every video, audio,
photo and text file in that thing. Guess we weren't lucky enough
to have Max take video of Brandon killing him.
Funny thing is, if he did, Brandon would have known.
It would have popped up in his shared folder as soon as their phones...
Synced.
Thank you.
Synced.
If they were together when Max was murdered,
then their phones would have automatically synced.
There'd be a record.
You have the right to have a lawyer present, Brandon.
If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.
(Castle) Oh, he could afford a million lawyers.
But she still has to advise me of my rights, right? Right.
Anyway, that's cool. I don't want a lawyer.
This is way more fun.
Maybe you'd like to just sign a confession, then?
Sure.
I confess...
that I'm dying to cop a feel under your cop blouse.
(pen clatters)
There.
Now I feel so much better.
You sure you don't want to call somebody--
Your parents maybe?
Why would I worry them?
You know, I made a call just a little while ago to my bookie.
Sweet.
I was standing in the street outside Nobu waiting for my car.
Oh, yeah? I love that place. The black squid pasta is amazing.
Anyway, I was talking on the phone
when the valet pulled up with my car.
And all of a sudden, my call got cut off.
And I realized--oh, the bluetooth in my car
picked up the call automatically because they were linked.
You told us that all your phones autoshare media files
via a bluetooth link, right? So?
So your phone linked with Max's phone the night he was killed.
It's a digital fingerprint that places you
within 20 feet of Max at the time of his murder.
You did say if she got some actual evidence,
she should arrest you. You took advantage of Max's
guilt over Donny's death, and you got him blackout drunk,
and then you put a gun in his hand,
pressed it against his temple, and then you pulled the trigger.
Why would I do that? To cover your tracks over killing Donny.
Why would I kill Donny?
Amanda.
Amanda is with me, not Donny.
Yeah, only after Donny lost all his money.
Which makes you sloppy seconds.
It had to eat you alive knowing that Amanda had been with Donny.
Especially 'cause he got way more
Than just under her blouse, right?
I have that video that shows that Max killed Donny,
not me.
And arranging that was very impressive.
Fooling Spencer, Romy and Amanda wasn't that hard.
They didn't handle the gun. But Max was another story.
He actually pulled the trigger,
and he just couldn't let it go, could he?
And then he remembered, you gave him the gun.
So he called you and asked to meet you.
We have a record of the call.
You knew something was up,
so you brought the gun and, what, vodka?
Or was Max a scotch guy?
He knew all about you, Donny and Amanda.
He had to wonder, "did you set me up
to kill my best friend?"
And when he realized you had,
he wasn't gonna keep it quiet, was he?
Even with you telling him, "you'd all go to jail."
If only Max had been strong enough just to man up...
If only Donny realized he didn't belong with you guys anymore,
he and Amanda were through, well, then none of this
would have been necessary.
(lowered voice) Weak people just don't get it,
do they, Brandon?
Sometimes they just have to be led to the truth.
(whispers) Exactly.
Did he just say "exactly"?
'Cause I heard him say "exactly." Yeah, I heard it, too.
He tricked me.
You tricked me.
It's called "admission against interest."
It's just a fancy term for a confession. Pretty sweet, huh?
Mm-hmm. Oh, and the funny thing is,
I bet you thought you were pretty clever to go back
And move Donny's body, right?
But the thing is, is we would have never figured it out if you hadn't.
Well, she would have never figured it out.
Oh, like you would have figured it out.
I definitely would have figured it out.
Are you kidding me right now?
Honest truth, straight face, from my heart.
(police radio chatter)
Let's go. Power up. I don't want to be late.
You're coming?
You're looking at the official replacement chaperone.
Yay! (laughs)
I just realized I have some business
to take care of in D.C. Anyway. Really?
Yeah, I gotta pick out a spot for my monument just in case.
I think Washington and Lincoln already have the good ones.
Maybe they can move Jefferson. Oh, yeah, I'm sure.
All right, you two kids, hurry off now.
You don't want to miss any of the fun.
(doorbell buzzes)
Any of your fun, you mean? It's not what you think.
Hello, hello. Welcome. Welcome. Come in.
No, it's exactly what I thought.
Now does this look like a wild group?
For your information, I am hosting a seminar
for my life coaching class--
"be the change you want to see."
How very zen of you. Dad, come on, be supportive.
She's trying to help... people. Yeah, to my liquor cabinet.
No. This is going to be a very civilized affair.
Now off, off, off, off. (singsong voice) Have fun!