Fool Me Once
There are two kinds of folks
who sit around thinking about how to kill people:
psychopaths and mystery writers.
I'm the kind that pays better.
Who am I?
I'm Rick Castle.
Castle.
I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?
Every writer needs inspiration. And I found mine.
Detective Kate Beckett.
- Beckett. - Beckett.
- Nikki Heat? - The character he's basing on you.
And thanks to my friendship with the mayor,
I get to be on her case.
I would be happy to let you spank me.
And together, we catch killers
We make a pretty good team, you know?
Like Starsky and Hutch.
Turner and Hooch.
You do remind me a little of Hooch.
# oh, oh #
Everybody, settle down. Quiet down, please.
Come to the front. You know your assigned seats.
Careful.
Take your seats.
Now listen,
if you remember, the last time we spoke with Fletcher,
he had just entered the polar ice cap.
from Greenland, right here,
headed toward the North Pole.
Remember?
Now he was supposed to ski about 10 miles a day,
which would have put him right about here.
Oh, good. Right on time. Now listen, everyone.
Remember, Fletcher can't hear us, right?
So no yelling out questions,
especially you, Kahlil.
Hey, kids.
Hi, Mr. Fletcher.
I don't know if you can tell, but a blizzard just blew in
about an hour ago.
And let me tell you, it wasn't easy setting up camp
in 50-mile-an-hour winds.
ooh. - good thing I was able to buy
such a strong tent
with all the, uh, money--
money you raised.
Must be a polar bear out there
looking for a little bit of trouble, huh?
Anyway, I want to tell you about this herd of Caribou
I saw yesterday while I was out skiing.
There were 12 of 'em, including 4 calves
who had just started to grow the velvet on their horns.
Oh, talk about cute.
So there I am,
and I'm trying to pull out my camera when all--
Wait, what are you...
No, No, No, don't. Don't! Don't! Aah!
Hi, I'm Dylan. I'm here for Alexis.
I'm her new violin teacher.
Dylan, Hi. Thanks for coming.
Dad, let him in.
Yeah.
What happened to Olga?
She retired.
So you went male model?
Dylan goes to Julliard. He's a musical prodigy.
I was lucky to get a lesson with him.
Prodigies are supposed to be all nerdy and awkward,
not... that.
Well, hello there. I'm Martha.
Hi. Dylan.
Dylan. Oh, Alexis tells me you're very talented.
and,
very strong, I might add.
- uh, gram. ooh. Quite a grip.
Uh, why don't we get started? I can assess where you are,
and then tomorrow we can start your lessons. Does that
sound good.
Yeah, my room's upstairs.
Lead the way.
Uh, wh-why don't you do it down here?
You know how I love watching you play.
Nonsense.
She needs privacy, not a performance.
Spoken with true artistic insight.
Well, thank you.
I'm an actor, so it stands to reason.
Well...
So how have you been?
He's a charming you man.
Well, I'm off.
See you later, darling.
I liked Olga.
Castle.
Hey, Mike.
Where's the body?
You didn't tell him?
Tell me what?
And ruin the surprise?
What surprise?
Hey, kids.
I don't know if you can tell, but a blizzard just blew in
about an hour ago...
Do we have jurisdiction in the North Pole?
Wait for it.
...50-mile-an-hour winds, good thing that--
...of Caribou I saw yesterday while I was out skiing.
Okay. there comes the guy.
there were 12 of 'em including 4 calves...
Whoa. - who had just started to grow
- the velvet on their horns. - We see the gun.
I'm trying to pull out my camera when all--
Wait, what are you...
No, No, No, don't. Don't! Don't!
That was awesome! I mean, well, obviously it was horrible, but--
That's not the Arctic.
That's an apartment. But where?
Ryan, rewind it.
I thought I saw something when the camera was falling.
Stop. Right there.
Out the window in the background.
That's classic upper West Side architecture
Take a picture of it. Send it to the precinct.
See if any of the beat cops recognize it.
On it.
Mr. Wheeler, I'm Detective Kate Beckett.
This is Rick Castle.
I just don't understand.
Everything seemed on the up and up.
He had Yale, PhD.
When was the first time that you met Mr. Fletcher?
A few months ago. He came into the school
and made a presentation to the school board--
A month-long, one-man trip to the North Pole.
We agreed to help fund the expedition.
in exchange, Fletcher said he would give
a unique educational experience for the kids,
including weekly video reports from the Arctic Circle.
How much did you raise?
Between our school and others in the area, around $50,000.
hmm.
Wow. That's a lot of pemmican.
A basic staple of the, uh, polar explorer diet.
High in fat and protein-- Basically, it's beef and grease
kind of melted together into a jerky.
You think it'd be disgusting, but surprisingly...
I'll fill you in later.
When was the last time you saw Mr. Fletcher?
He came by the school two weeks age to pick up
a stack of letters the kids wrote to him for his trip.
He was supposed to get on the plant to Greenland the next day.
We got an I.D. on the building.
79th and Amsterdam.
All right, tell Lanie that we'll meet her there.
Uniforms said the door was unlocked when they got here.
Either the victim left it that way or, uh--
or the killer had a key.
mm-hmm.
All right, talk to the neighbors.
See if Fletcher had any regular visitors.
But first, I'm thinking our vic might have been a squirrel.
Mm. I'll check the bedroom.
I'm sorry, a squirrel?
Likes to hide his nuts for the winter.
And by "nuts" you mean.
- Valuables. - Ah.
Secrets, anything s guy living a lie
wouldn't want someone to find.
Oh, yeah.
This reminds me of that movie "Capricorn One,"
But with, like, a winter-land twist.
Yeah.
Lanie, what do we got?
Victim was shot in the face with a large caliber bullet.
- Ouch. - Oh, I don't think he felt
much with a bullet that size.
Face shots usually indicate a deep anger in the shooter.
Literally trying to erase what makes the victim a Peron.
Well, con men do leave a wake of angry people.
It's amazing that this is all it took
to fake two weeks in the Arctic.
Mm-hmm. The wonders of modern technology.
A lot of criminal today don't take advantage,
I blame the parents.
I'll give this to Fletcher-- He did do his homework.
Oh! This is a library book.
Something tells me he wasn't planning on returning it.
You were right.
Look what our little squirrel was hiding in the air vent.
Something tells me our Steven Fletcher
wasn't actually Steven Fletcher.
Hmm.
Multiple I. D.s usually indicates multiple cons.
I'd say our killer is someone who Fletcher duped.
From the height of the bullet hole in the tent,
I'd say our shooter was anywhere between 5'3" and 6'.
Mm-hmm.
I guess that rules out the first graders.
Unless one was standing on another one's shoulders.
Hiding inside of a trench coat, maybe.
Diabolical. I like it.
Thank you.
Lanie, I'm gonna need a rush on the fingerprints.
We're gonna need to know who our victim really was.
Okay.
Let's bag all of this, get it back to the station.
- Right on. - Um-hmm.
Just like cap, huh?
If I climbed in a tent,
Couple of U.S. passports.
Hmm.
- See ya. - Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.
Oh, thank you.
So have you read it?
Read what?
The book.
What book?
Oh, your book. "Heat Wave."
Well?
I haven't gotten to it yet.
What do you mean, you haven't gotten to it yet?
I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with work.
I haven't had time.
You were all over me to get a copy of that book,
Do you have any idea how many hoops I had to jump through
just so my editor wouldn't send an armed guard
to watch over you while you read it?
The least you could do is to...
Oh. Oh. I see what you're doing.
I'm not doing anything.
Oh, yes, you are. Yes, you are.
You're trying to push my buttons,
but it's not gonna work.
Really?
mm-hmm.
'Cause it seems to be working just great.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to input these I. D.s
into Vi-CAP to see if any of Fletcher's other identities
have been flagged.
Where do you want all this stuff from Fletcher's apartment?
Right here.
How come you have to carry everything?
Ryan hurt his back.
We checked with all of Fletcher's neighbors.
None of 'em could remember seeing anyone but Fletcher
coming or going from the apartment. Ah.
And we called Yale. Turns out Steven Fletcher
Does have a PhD in Wildlife Biology, only--
Only their Steven Fletcher is a 7-foot-tall Albino.
No. 300-pound Hawaiian, but close.
You know what I don't get?
Mm-hmm.
Why go to so much trouble to create such an elaborate scam?
Fletcher must have spent weeks
going through all the prep work.
I can give you 50,000 reasons why.
Yeah, but for con men, it's not just about the money.
I mean, for them, it's about the game.
The-the thrill they get from pulling a con?
It's like a drug high.
Con man was on drugs?
No, sir. Castle was just giving us psychological insight
based on his extensive experience as a fraud.
Meow.
Well, I just fielded several phone calls
from some very embarrassed private schools,
and they want this solved quickly and quietly.
Unfortunately, it looks like our con man
was running a whole slew of cons.
unraveling all of them and finding the killer
is gonna take some time.
or maybe not.
One of Fletcher's aliases conned a woman named Patty Schultz
out of her life savings about a year ago.
Sounds like a motive for murder to me.
Apparently Ms. Schultz has spent several stints
in Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital,
and none of them voluntary.
Straightjacket.
# Castle 2x04 # Fool Me Once Original Air Date on October 12, 2009
Ms. Schultz I'm, Detective Beckett.
Is this about Sanchez? 'Cause, you know, I only hit him
because he was drilling holes in the wall
to watch me exercise.
This isn't about Sanchez. This is about him.
Steven Fletcher-- also known as Steven Miles.
Are you arresting me?
Why would we arrest you?
Because I killed him.
Um, Mrs. Schultz, you've just confessed to a crime.
- I'm gonna read you your-- - in my mind
Did you just say
you killed him in your mind?
I meditate-- an hour every day.
It--Doctor's orders. And
all I think about are my cats...
and killing this son of a bitch.
And it finally worked, didn't it?
Well, I'm not sure.
How did you kill him in your mind?
With a belt sander.
Where were you at 9:00 A.M. this morning?
At the Vet.
Mr. Muffins has high cholesterol, so--
Okay. Thank you. We're done.
How did--How did Mr. Fletcher con you?
He said he was a Cryogenist
and that he would freeze me and my cats
so we could be resurrected
once science had conquered the death barrier.
And you believed him?
Have you ever been duped?
I've been married twice.
You think I got suckered because I'm crazy.
Well, you're wrong.
I have paranoid personality disorder,
which makes me the most suspicious person
you've ever met.
And Steven just made me feel safe
for the first time in years.
And then he vanished with $60,000 of my money.
That man could sell sand to a camel.
Thank you...
for coming.
Can I see his body?
Uh...
No.
You know, I can't help but be a little impressed
with our boy Fletcher.
Please tell me you're kidding.
Not on a personal level.
Just more of a professional one.
I mean, one storyteller to another.
The guy's a master.
He's a leech.
He preys on innocent victims and ruins their lives.
Well, it looks our leech has jumped up to the major leagues.
What do you mean?
One of Fletcher's identities was recently engaged to be married.
To Elise Finnegan.
Wait. Finnegan. Where do I known that name?
Her family owns half of Park Avenue South.
Our lovely bride-to-be is worth a cool 100 million bucks.
Ooh. Now I'm really impressed.
He wasn't a con man.
I'm afraid he was, Elise.
We've already uncovered two other scams,
and I'm certain we'll find more.
No. No. I don't believe you.
Elise--
It's okay, Sue.
They were getting married next weekend.
Elise was so excited.
How long did she know Fletcher?
Six month.
That's quite the whirlwind romance.
It was love at first sight for both of them.
So there were no clues that he was setting her up?
Stories that didn't add up or bills he couldn't pay?
He insisted on, uh, paying for the wedding
even though the cost was substantial.
He seemed to live to make her happy.
That's because making her happy was vital to his con.
You're wrong.
I have been rich my whole life, Detective.
So if there's one thing I've learned, it's how to spot
a man who's only interested in me for my money.
Steven wasn't like that. He...
He love me for me.
I can't believe how naive she's being.
even with overwhelming evidence that her fiance was a con man,
she still believes he loved her.
People see what they want to see.
It's what con artists prey on.
It's really kind of a psychopathy--
to be so cold that you can look someone in the eye,
tell them that you love them and then rob them blind
without the slightest remorse.
Whoa. I just flashed back to the eighth grade.
Sherry Ort--broke my heart stole my lunch money.
Beckett.
Then she laughed about it with her friend.
All right, thanks.
Well?
No match on Fletcher's fingerprints.
We still don't know his real identity.
What you got?
Trying to find a clue to the con that killed Fletcher,
but it looks like our guy was a criminal overachiever.
What?
Oh, you know those Nigerian e-mail scams?
Oh. Fletcher didn't pull one of those?
No. It looks like someone tried to pull one on him.
Fletcher conned the guy out of 10 grand.
Man, our boy was good.
Damn good.
Don't be so impressed. The guy was a criminal.
Oh, no, there's something about a-a well played con
that just makes you want to tip your hat, though.
and they have such great names-- the Spanish prisoner,
The pig in the poke, the pigeon drop.
Oh, I love a good con movie--
"House of Games", "Catch Me if you Can."
"Ocean's Eleven," baby.
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
"Mother?"
"Not Mother?"
For my money, it starts and it ends with "The Sting."
Oh.
How about you Beckett? What's your favorite?
I hate con movies.
What?
Really?
How can you hate "The Sting"? It, like, what, took 20 Oscars?
Something like that.
Because the only people that get conned
in a con movie are the audience members.
You can't invest in anything because nothing is real.
That's what makes it fun.
Well, it wasn't fun to these kids--
The ones from Wheeler's class who wrote to Fletcher?
"Dear Mr. Fletcher, when do Polar Bears sleep?"
"Dear Mr. Fletcher, do Penguins really wear tuxedos?"
Penguins are South Pole.
Hey, these are 6-year-old kids.
And he scammed them.
You guys still impress by this dirt-bag?
If you were just scamming these kids,
Why would you write them back?
'Cause it's all a part of the con.
Yeah... I'm not sure.
I mean, if you were just a greedy monster,
would you really bother writing back to all of them?
He's got a point.
Yeah.
Oh, now who's the sucker?
Sir.
Sucker or no sucker,
clearly there's more to this guy than meets the eye.
Busted.
Shut up, Esposito.
All right, I'm gonna leave you guys to it.
Where you going? It's early.
I got plans.
Oh, you have a date, don't you?
No.
You liar. Who's the unlucky guy?
Ha Ha. Yeah, right. See you guys in the morning.
All right, see you tomorrow.
Careful.
Okay, so who is it?
- I don't know. - Got me.
So she hasn't mentioned anyone?
In case you haven't noticed,
Beckett isn't exactly what you'd call a "sharer."
Why do you care anyway, Castle?
Do you have some unresolved feelings?
mm.
For Beckett?
Yeah.
The woman hates con movies.
# speak to me #
# read my mind #
# fill your mouth #
# with flesh #
# and wine #
# and I'll be yours #
# just give #
# me time #
# mm #
# give me time #
# and I just can't stop #
# Lord, I can't stop #
# myself #
# I can't stop #
# Lord, I can't stop #
# myself #
# now #
##
I thought you said her lesson was tomorrow.
Oh, Dylan had a cancellation.
Alexis begged him to let her take the slot.
So it's B-flat and C-sharp, right?
What are you doing?
Nothing.
Rest. Beautiful.
Right, I know I keep forgetting that rest.
Very nice.
Why'd it just get so quiet?
Maybe he's teaching her something.
Maybe he's filling her head full of lies.
What are you talking about?
All right, that's it. I'm going up there.
Oh.
So when I start the piece, should it be up-bow?
- Ah, Yeah, I would. - Okay.
Oh, hey, you guys. I had no idea you were even here.
Well, she's a very talented girl.
And a real hard worker.
So, um, practice your sautillé,
and we'll take another stag at Brahms next week,
Okay, great.
Have a good night.
You too.
Night, Dylan.
Bye.
You be safe.
I don't trust him.
What? Why?
What do we really know about this guy?
I know that he's an amazing violinist
and a really great teacher.
Olga was a great teacher.
Olga kept a tissue up her sleeve
and smelled like hard candy.
What's this about, Dad?
I just don't think that you realize
that what you see is not always what you get.
I mean. how do you know that Dylan really goes to Julliard?
Did you call the school?
No.
Check his transcripts?
No, but, Dad, I--
Okay, I don't think you should take any more lessons
from this guy until he's been properly vetted.
I want credit check, school reports, maybe even a polygraph.
Okay, you're officially out of control.
No, I'm not. And back me up here.
You want her violin teacher to take a lie detector test?
You're off the reservation, kiddo.
Okay, you know what? You're cut off?
- Oh. - Dad.
No, you know what? I am the grown up here.
Oh, this is scary.
And I say no more lessons from this guy
until we've got him checked out.
What?
I finally find a teacher that I connect with,
who's as excited about music as I am.
Why are you trying to ruin it?
I'm not. I'm just...
Hey.
What's going on with her?
Besides your unreasonableness? Hormones.
What's your excuse?
Okay, Castle, what was so important
that you had to cut my sparring session short?
Just that I cracked this case wide open.
You know, the thought of you fighting in a ring
with another woman-- strangely arousing.
Who says I was sparring with a woman?
Oh, your mystery date.
Oh, do I detect some jealousy?
Me, jealous? Ha!
Double Ha!
What if I told you that my date
was with your book?
Really?
No.
God, you're easy.
Give me your case-breaking information
Well, I went a little "Daddy Dearest" on Alexis,
and it got me thinking.
If I can go this crazy over a violin teacher.
How crazy would I go if my daughter
was about to marry a scam artist?
Crazy enough to kill, maybe?
- That is--
- Inspired? - No.
- Brilliant? - mnh-mnh.
- Genius? - Unh-unh.
- What? - Thin.
- Oh
We don't have the slightest indication
that Elise's father knew that Fletcher was a con artist.
Maybe not, but Castle here suggested that we check
gun registration records for Gerry Finnegan.
and guess who happens to own
the same caliber handgun as our murder weapon.
- Who? - Gerry Finnegan.
Shut the front door!
No time for dirty talk, Go get changed.
I keep it locked in the safe.
Hasn't been fired in years.
Did anyone else have the combination?
No one.
Hasn't been fired recently or cleaned.
I'd like to take it to the lab if you don't mind.
Certainly.
- Mr. Finnegan. - Hmm?
One father to another,
I just can't believe that you never had the urge
to check out your future son-in-law.
I mean, you never thought for a moment that maybe
Fletcher wasn't what he was making himself out to be?
I didn't think.
I knew.
Two weeks ago, I hired a private investigator to look into Steven.
Not that I was suspicious I wasn't.
I just thought better safe than sorry.
I was shocked when he called to tell me
that Steven was a fraud.
Then I got angry.
Please.
I confronted Steven.
I told him I was going to expose him.
and have the wedding called off.
Well, he begged me not to.
He said he was head over heels in love with Elise,
wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
I told him I wasn't buying it,
but he promised that he was done with cons,
that the only reason that he was still pretending
to be a polar explorer was for the kids.
He didn't want to let them down.
He was a professional liar, Mr. Finnegan.
Yes, I know that.
But what ultimately convinced me was the prenup.
He said I could draw up any document,
cut him out of our fortune entirely if I wanted,
and he would sign it.
After a lifetime of greed, he said,
he'd finally found something more important than money--
- Love. - And you believed him?
Yes, I did.
So I never said a word about it to anybody.
and then when you showed up here yesterday,
I... I-I just couldn't tell Elise.
The private investigator that you hired,
did he take any photographs?
Yes.
He followed Steven for a week.
He offered me the photos, but I said I didn't want
them in the house were Elise might see them.
What are you thinking?
That Fletcher's killer.
might be in one of those photographs.
You think it's possible
that Fletcher was telling Gerry the truth?
That he's suddenly a con man with a heart of gold? No.
That's just another con.
Who, Who.
You don't think people can change?
No.
I've seen too many repeat offenders
to believe for one second that a guy who promises
never to beat his wife again actually won't.
- That's a pretty bleak attitude. - Not bleak.
Realistic.
After Mr. Finnegan hired me,
I followed your boy night and day.
It became clear pretty fast he was a grifter.
Hello.
What?
- Isn't that - Jim Wheeler.
First grade teacher extraordinaire.
- When was this taken? - Ten days ago.
When Fletcher was supposed to be in the Arctic.
Looks like Mr. Wheeler was in on the scam.
Um..
Okay, I... I'm not gonna lie to you.
Really? 'Cause clearly, you're pretty good at it.
Listen, I realized that Fletcher was faking it
when I discovered that the pictures
in his promotional booklet were photo-shopped.
So you figured you'd make a few bucks.
rather than,
I don't know, protect your students?
No. I-I know this sounds crazy, but...
the kids were learning.
Fletcher loved those kids, and they loved him.
Sure, he was faking the trip, technically,
but he went out of his way
to provide a dynamic, fact-filled presentation.
I just figured, if he was making money on it,
why shouldn't I? Nobody was getting hurt.
He was scamming little kids, and you were his accomplice.
Any jury in the world would convict you of that.
Jury?
I didn't kill him.
I was standing right here when he was murdered.
Doesn't mean I won't prosecute you for criminal fraud.
Now you want to stay out of jail,
You better point us towards Fletcher's killer.
Listen, I-I swear, I don't know who killed him.
Have you spoken to his partner?
- Partner? - Partner?
I guess that's who she was.
She was with him at the cafe when I met him.
She's in the picture.
Where?
Hard to see.
Do you have a magnifying glass?
Better.
That's Elise Finnegan, Fletcher fiance.
Who is conning whom here?
First you tell me
that you have no idea that Fletcher is a con man.
And then I find a picture of you
witnessing him make a payoff during one of his scams.
That's not what it was.
- Then what was it? - I can't...
Elise, the man that you loved is dead.
I am trying to find his killer.
Help me.
Steven wasn't a con man.
- Elise, we-- - He wasn't.
He was in the CIA.
- This is the best case ever - Shut up.
What makes you think he's in the CIA?
A month after we started dating,
he told me that he couldn't bear lying to me anymore.
He wasn't really a corporate lawyer,
he was a CIA agent on a top-secret case.
And what part of this case involves conning first graders?
Well, that was part of his mission.
Next you're gonna tell me
that Wheeler was also a secret agent.
- Oh, come-on. - Think about it.
Wheeler works at the International School.
Half of those students are the children
of U.N. diplomats--
Syria, China, the Middle East.
Getting close to their kids allowed Steven unique access
to some of our country's worst enemies.
- That is-- - Pretty smart.
Steven wasn't killed for being a con man,
he was killed for his intelligence work.
No.
- I'm just saying-- - No.
- You can't deny it's a possibility... - He is not in the CIA.
I'll bet you a dollar.
All right. You're on.
- Who are you calling? - My guy in the CIA.
You have a guy in the CIA?
When you gonna learn? I've got a guy everywhere.
Thai food is pleasing to the tongue.
Secret code.
He'll call me back.
I met agent Gray when I was researching "Storm Warning".
Now this guy was invaluable
for the really hard-core secret agent stuff.
This guy is a machine.
I've interviewed serial killers, hit men.
- Agent Gray? - mm-hmm.
By far the deadliest man I've ever met.
He once killed a North Korean agent
with a melon baler.
It was an ice cream scoop, Castle.
and that information was supposed to remain private.
- Sorry. - Agent Gray.
Not quite what I pictures based on Castle's description.
I live in a world where nothing is as it seems, Detective.
For good reason.
Transparency gets you killed.
Didn't you use that line in "Storm Warning"?
Yeah. I use some of your kines in "Heat Wave," too.
Which you'd know if you'd read it.
I read it.
I thought it was terrific, especially that sex scene.
Talk about racy.
Wait. There' a sex scene in the book?
Between us?
There's a sex scene in the book between Nikki Heat
and the roguishly handsome reporter who's helping her.
Oh, good. So he's nothing like you.
Funny.
Wait, how did--How did you get a copy of the book?
Look... Can you just tell us that Fletcher wasn't a spook
so wee can get on with the case?
Not here.
Get out.
Officially, I am not at liberty to confirm or deny
whether anyone is an agent,
but unofficially...
We've never heard of your boy.
- So cool. - Wh--
I can't believe Fletcher conned me.
We need to take another run at Elise,
see if there's anything else she's holding out on us.
Dad!
We need to talk.
- Sweetie... - Sit.
Dylan called.
Did you call Julliard and check on him?
Maybe.
I can't believe you. After I told you.
how much taking lessons from him means to me?
- Sweetie-- - No, no, quiet.
Am I a troublemaker, Dad?
Do I get drunk,
disobey authority, steal police horses...
- That-- - Naked?
No, That's be you.
I seem to be the only person in this family
blessed with good judgment,
And yet, you don't trust me.
I trust you. It's just--it's a dangerous world out there...
and people lie.
You don't think I know that? I'm in high school.
it's like the wild wild west with hormones, and I think
I'm doing a pretty good job navigating it.
You are, and I'm proud.
Well, then why don't you trust me to pick the person
Who's gonna inspire me as an artist?
I love you, daddy, but I'm not a little girl anymore.
You can't protect me from everything.
She's good.
She took you apart like a pro.
- You saw that? - Mm-hmm. Through the glass.
It was actually kind of difficult to watch.
Even harder to experience.
So do you need a minute, or can we get back to work?
I'll give you a minute.
You're the one who's been pushing her to break the rules,
and when she suddenly steps outside of your comfort zone,
I didn't freak out. I was...
I freaked out a little, didn't I?
Welcome to parenting a teenage girl.
as someone who used to be one, you have my sympathy.
Detective...
Can we come in?
Sure.
Is everything okay?
Fine.
We did some checking, Elise. Fletcher wasn't in the CIA.
Okay. I-Is that all?
I don't understand.
You fight me tooth and nail that he wasn't a con man,
and now you just give in?
I just--I just want this whole thing behind me.
There's something you aren't telling us.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Elise, tell them the good news.
- What good news? - Nothing.
Fletcher alive.
Best case ever.
I'm sorry I tried to fool you.
It's just...
Steven left me a voice mail a half an hour ago.
And you're sure it was him?
Elise, they're after me.
I'll contact you when I can.
Trust no one.
Okay, I just got a chill.
That's not possible.
and yet...
But if Fletcher's alive,
then who's the dead guy in out morgue?
It's Fletcher, right?
Honestly, I'm not 100% sure.
His prints match the ones found at the apartment,
but we never got a fingerprint match on his real identity.
So I have nothing else to compare it to.
Plus, Fletcher has seven known identities, and so far,
I haven't found a single one that went to the dentist.
So I have no dental records to compare.
Okay, bottom line?
This body could or could not be
a man whose alias is Steven Fletcher.
- But we saw him die. - Or did we?
- I hate this case/ - I know, isn't it great?
Wait. What are you... No. No. No, don't. Don'! Don't!
Aah!
We don't actually see his murder.
The camera's already fallen when the shot went off.
And the body we have doesn't even have a face.
But why? Fletcher was about to marry into an obscene amount of money,
and the only other scam he had going was at the school.
Why would he just jump ship and fake his death?
It's possible agent Gray was lying to us about Fletcher
to protect the mission.
No, he wasn't in the CIA
the paper trail for the cons is way too extensive.
There's something else that we're not seeing here.
Yeah.
Yeah, one of Fletcher's credit cards was just used
to buy a plane ticket-- JFK to Jakarta, Indonesia.
He's making a run for it.
- Why Indonesia?
it's a non-extradition country.
- What time does the plane leave? - 5:00 o'clock.
Alert D.H.S. and T.S.A.
We'll coordinate a plan of attack on the way.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
We also got hits on five other identities--
credit card reservation for flights out of Newark
and LaGuardia, car rental reservations out of New York
and Philadelphia and an Amtrak out of D.C.
He's trying to confuse his trail, spread us thin.
Well, it's gonna work.
We don't have resources to cover that territory.
And these are just the ID's that we know about.
I guarantee you he's got at least one identity
we've never heard of.
So he's gonna get away with this murder?
- No. - What do you mean, "No"?
By the time we figure out his real escape route,
He'll be on a beach somewhere laughing at us.
We don't need to figure out his escape route,
Because all roads lead to Elise.
Why would he risk everything by calling Elise?
Sir, I believe he really does love her,
and he was planning on running away with her.
If we get to Elise, we'll find Fletcher.
Go.
You just missed her.
She left about ten minutes ago after she got another call.
From Fletcher?
She wouldn't say. She just ran out the door.
But I think she might have written something down
by the phone?
What's going on?
Try the old pencil trick where
- I know. - you rub it--
Damn it.
I'm gonna call in an A.P.B. on Elise,
see if we can get lucky at one of the airports.
or...
What?
- Mrs. Finnegan, What is this? - Oh, oh.
that's their engagement album.
it just came.
Sue made it for the wedding.
Every guest was going to get one.
This looks just like the--
The Arctic brochure Fletcher handed out.
You said Sue made this?
Yes, she's a graphic artist.
How long has Sue known Elise?
Oh, I don't know. A year, maybe.
Sue is Fletcher's partner.
It's the undercover lover con.
Sue is the scout. She gets close to Elise first,
learns everything there is to know,
paving the way for Fletcher.
Who comes in with a playbook
of all of Elise's hopes and dreams,
and voila, it's love at first sight.
Oh, no, no, no. Something doesn't quite track.
Why would they fake Fletcher's death in such a public way?
They had to know the police were gonna get involved,
exposing their con to a lot of dangerous scrutiny.
Unless Fletcher really is dead.
If her dad is right,
and Fletcher really fell in love with Elise...
And was going to give up his con man ways...
Then Sue stood to lose a fortune by not finishing the con,
and if Fletcher married Elise, then Sue had no chance
of pulling off the con on her own.
So Sue takes matters into her own hands,
she kills Fletcher, shooting him in the face,
making sure a positive I.D. is impossible.
Bingo.
But what about the phone call from Steven?
Well, she must have faked it somehow.
Why?
Because...
- The con is still on. - The con is still on.
If Elise needed money where would she go?
National Bank and Trust. 84th and Lexington.
- Thank you Mrs. Finnegan. - Save these, they're evidence.
Sue.
Is Steven okay?
Yeah, yeah. He would've called himself, but it wasn't safe.
and-and he's sure that a million's going to be enough?
it's enough to get you out of the country.
He's got money stashed overseas.
Oh, thanks, Sue.
- You need to hurry. - Okay.
- Any problems? - No, no.
Ms. Finnegan!
- You forgot your phone. - Oh, thank you.
Your welcome.
Steven just called.
He wants me to drop the money at the safe house,
while you go pack.
He said to meet him at Grand Central at 9:00
after he does one last thing.
- And then you two can be together.
Here.
- Good luck. - Thanks.
Newspapers
I didn't think people read those anymore.
Outta the car, you.
Come on, Let me see your hands.
Turn around.
You know, Detective Beckett here
didn't think we could con a con artist, but
I told her you just weren't that smart.
You did, after all, fall for the oldest con in the book--
The lazy Susan
The lazy Susan?
It's either that or the grumpy beaver.
I always get them mixed up.
Detective.
Thank you so much for your help.
Absolutely
It's my job to protect our clients.
Hey.
Oh, wow. Whoa. Hang on a second.
I thought you said you hated con movies.
Oh, Castle, you are such an easy mark, aren't ya?
Hey, I got something.
Elise, they're after me.
I'll contact you when I can. Trust no one.
When you see how it's done, it really takes the magic out of it.
Detective?
Is Steven really dead?
I'm afraid so.
Then it was all a lie?
No, Elise.
You need to know that Steven loved you very much.
He changed his ways because you made him want to be a better man.
Thank you.
No hot date tonight?
No, Just the paperwork.
One of the many reasons I'm glad I'm not actually a cop.
Uh-huh.
- Have a good one. - Yeah, you, too.
Aha.
Oh! Castle, What are you doing here?
- I knew you were reading it. - Uh, I w--
- It's one page 105, by the way. - What?
That sex scene you're looking for.
And Agent Gray was right. It's steamy.
I wasn't.
See you tomorrow
Oh.
Wait. Who's getting a lesson?
Gram.
- Very good. Very good. - Thank you.
- That's nice - Yeah.
- Very nice - Yeah
Yeah, Oh, I-It's--Yes.
I'm sorry for how I acted.
There's no one in the world I trust more than I trust you.
And I'm gonna try to be more respectful.
Just promise me one thing.
Be patient with me.
I've never had a teenage daughter before.
Deal
Thanks.
Aren't you worried about Dylan's intentions towards Gram?
I'm hoping they involve running away together,
but I'm not that lucky.
It's getting better.
Speaking of running away, how about we have dinner out?
- Yes, please. - Thank yo.
Really keep that wrist relaxed.
Good, good.
Come on.
sync, transcript elderman Spell errors corrected by Lafemme