(PANTING)
(WOLF HOWLING)
-(TWIG SNAPPING) -(GASPS)
(LEAVES RUSTLING)
(SCREAMS)
She screamed as the pain ripped through her.
And in between each labored breath she thought,
"There is no way in hell I'm having this baby
"on a subway train in the Bronx."
Did you get all that?
So you actually gave birth to your son on the Metro?
No, she didn't.
She also didn't run a marathon the week before she had me.
Or beat up a mugger while nine months pregnant.
It's called dramatic license, darling.
Actually, it's called wild exaggeration. Dramatic license applies to writing.
And that's what I'm doing.
This is Marcus, this fabulous young playwright I told you about
who is helping me put together my one-woman show.
Mr. Castle, I'm a huge fan.
Just being in this office is a dream come true.
For me, too. For me, too.
Only in my dreams, I'm usually by myself.
We just felt that this room had the best creative juju.
Oh, it does, it does. Hey, I wrote 20 bestsellers in here.
Right.
Like to write another one.
Now.
Oh. Can't it wait, dear?
We're just putting the final touches on Act One.
You know, where I overcome the challenges
-of being a single working mother. -(CELL PHONE RINGING)
You know you're writing a work of fiction, right?
Castle.
First, Alexis is interning for Lanie. Thank you.
Now my mother is taking over my office.
I feel like my whole life is being invaded.
You'll get used to it. I did.
It is not the same thing.
Okay, it's similar. Just much less invasive.
Hey, Lanie, so what have we got here?
That's a good question. I can tell you this much.
Based on body temp and lividity,
our victim died between 10:00 and midnight.
Claw marks? She was attacked by an animal?
Well, she was running from something. She's got dirt on her feet.
What animal in Central Park could maul a person to death?
I'm not even sure that's what happened.
These lacerations look shallow. Non-lethal.
But I won't know exactly what killed her until I get her back to the morgue.
Do you have an ID?
No wallet or purse, so we don't know who she is.
Isn't it obvious? I mean, am I the only one seeing this?
What?
Red cloak, in the woods, animal attack.
She's Little Red Riding Hood.
Great, Castle. I'll call in an APB for the Big Bad Wolf.
Do you have a better theory?
Hey, Ryan?
Do you think you could call dispatch,
see if there are any reports of a violent animal running around the park?
Like a wolf? A big bad one?
Really?
That is exactly how I pictured her. It's freaky.
My older sister used to read me that story.
Okay, when you're done reliving your childhood memories,
do you also think that you could canvass the area for witnesses
and anyone that might know her name?
And I bet you, it's not gonna be Little Red Riding Hood.
On it.
CASTLE: "'All the better to eat you with!'
"No sooner had the wolf said these words
"when he leaped up and gobbled down poor Little Red Riding Hood."
Well, the good news is, the wolf can talk.
So if we can find him, we might be able to get a confession.
Yeah, except in the original story,
the wolf doesn't kill Little Red Riding Hood.
The Huntsman cuts her out of the wolf's stomach, and then she kills the wolf.
Someone's a Brothers Grimm fan.
Oh, yeah. They didn't sugarcoat it.
They understood that fairy-tales are pretty much horror stories.
Exactly. Which is why we all need them to grapple with the unknown.
Which is why they tap into our primal fears.
Like being alone in the woods, or getting eaten by monsters.
They're not horror stories. They're life lessons.
If you do the right thing, you get to live happily ever after.
But only in fairy-tales.
Speaking of fairy-tales, turns out
that our victim really was Red Riding Hood.
Are you drinking Castle's Kool-Aid now?
No, I mean that she was actually wearing a Red Riding Hood costume.
It said so right on the label.
Okay, so then why was she wearing it in the middle of the woods at night?
On her way to Grandmother's house?
I doubt it. Her grandmother lives in Tallahassee.
Great. So you got an ID?
Yeah, her prints popped in the DMV database.
Her name's Amy Morgan. Her sister Leslie's on her way in.
LESLIE: I don't understand. Are you saying
Amy was attacked by some kind of animal?
Do either of you have any idea why she was in the park?
Amy never went there. She didn't have time, she was too busy.
Doing what?
Well, she was an attorney for Sampson-Briggs. In litigation.
They worked her, like, 100 hours a week.
Did she have a boyfriend? Anyone that she would've been with last night?
Amy's single. She lives alone.
She's very driven.
Was, she was.
Do either of you know why she would be wearing this?
What is it? A cape?
It's a Red Riding Hood cloak.
She was wearing that?
Mmm-hmm.
I know Amy's closet. This was not hers.
I mean, even her sweatpants were Prada.
Well, maybe she was going to a party. Did she mention any parties?
I'm telling you, she would never wear a thing like this.
Leslie, did your sister ever tell you
about anything unusual going on at work or in her personal life?
I don't know. I hadn't heard from her all week.
And was that out of the ordinary?
Yes. We usually talked every day and when she didn't call,
I just assumed she was busy with a case or something.
But maybe there was something else going on.
BECKETT: Okay, bye.
Hey, thank you. So, that was Ryan.
He just left animal control,
and there was only one recent report of an animal loose in the park.
A beagle named Fred.
Either Fred is one vicious beagle or this mystery has just deepened.
How does a high-powered lawyer
end up dead in a Red Riding Hood costume?
Amy worked long hours, under high pressure, right?
What if she had a secret way of letting off steam
that even her sister didn't know about?
Like what?
There's this whole adult role playing subculture obsessed with fairy-tales.
No, not that kind of adult role playing, although there is that one, too.
And you know this how?
Did a little research.
Bo Peep.
Anyway, these people get dressed in the outfits, they play the characters.
They even reenact the stories. Maybe that's what Amy was doing
when everything went horribly and tragically wrong.
Castle, that is a surprisingly reasonable and grounded theory.
Yeah.
Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in myself.
We all are, bro.
So, I was going over Amy's financials for any unusual activity.
Four days ago, she took out $50,605 from her savings.
All in cash.
$50,605? That's an odd amount for a withdrawal, especially in cash.
Yeah, not only that, but the 50K,
it's not in her apartment and I can't tie it to any recent purchases.
Contact her bank, see if they know why she made that withdrawal.
- As you wish. -(CELL PHONE BEEPS)
Lanie's got news for us.
I've got news, all right, but I'm not sure you're gonna like it.
I found hairs like this one in a wound on the victim's arm.
It didn't come from her, so I ran DNA.
Did we get a match?
The hair isn't human. It's wolf hair.
(MOCK BAYING)
Simmer down, Castle. I'm not done with the story.
I'm sorry. What's the rest of it?
Well, from the depth and the length of the gashes
it looks like the marks were made by only one claw.
A one-legged wolf?
I don't think it's a wolf at all.
But the hair and the claw.
The killer wanted us to think it was a wolf to throw us off.
LANIE: Which would explain why there are no bite marks on the body.
The gashes were inflicted by a human killer using a wolf claw.
So, then, what's the real cause of death?
Well, I found two fresh needle marks,
both on the victim's back, so she didn't put them there herself.
So she was drugged? Are there any signs of sexual assault?
No, but tox results turned up ketamine and oxycodone.
I'm thinking our guy sedated her with the ketamine,
then dressed her in the costume, but the dose didn't quite knock her out.
So she tried to run away from her killer.
And when he caught her, he dosed her with oxy, and it was lights out.
The drugs, the claw? This is murder, planned and pre-meditated.
I mean, the killer staged the crime scene
to evoke images of Little Red Riding Hood.
Yeah, but why would he do that?
Well, I'm less concerned about "why." What I'm wondering is "who."
So the killer must have lured Amy into the park.
Which means he's someone that she knew and trusted.
Yeah, like Red Riding Hood trusted her cute little granny.
Yeah. Ryan, what did Amy's co-workers tell you?
That she definitely wasn't herself lately.
Said she had been acting agitated
since she missed a mandatory 1:00 staff meeting last Friday.
Said it was for personal reasons.
That's the same time that Amy stopped calling her sister.
Ryan, can you look into her emails and phone calls?
I wanna know what was going on with her.
Yep.
Yo, Beckett, there's something you need to see.
Right over there.
Is that what I think it is, in her hand?
Poisoned apple.
She's Snow White.
Looks like we've got a fairytale killer on our hands.
ESPOSITO: Yo, Beckett.
Excuse me.
ESPOSITO: Her MedicAlert bracelet got us an ID.
She's Kristina Curtis, 25, lives on the Upper East Side.
- Does she have next of kin? - Yeah, her husband.
His name's Noah Curtis.
Okay, I need you guys to take point on the interview.
Find out what he knows about this
and let's see if Kristina was connected to the other victim.
You know, if our killer is dressing his victims in these costumes,
I bet we can ID the manufacturer and find out where he got them.
That's a good idea. You run with it.
Ah. Here it is, "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony."
This guy is quoting directly from Grimm's original Snow White.
So, our victims aren't reenacting the fairy-tales. The killer is.
Only this woman didn't die from a poisoned apple.
She has the same injection marks as Amy Morgan.
Do you have time of death?
Between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. this morning.
So he kills Red Riding Hood, then six hours later, he strikes again?
That's a pretty quick turnaround.
That's all the markings of a serial killer.
Yeah, but technically,
you have to murder three times to be a serial killer.
Yeah, let's make sure he never gets there.
ESPOSITO: When did you last see your wife, Mr. Curtis?
Just before 5:00 a.m. when she left for her jog.
She gave me a kiss goodbye. That was the last time I saw her.
I can't believe she's gone.
Mr. Curtis, this run she took, who else knew she was going?
Other joggers in the park, I guess She went every morning.
Even in the snow, she never missed a day.
She have problems with any of the other joggers?
No. Not that she told me.
Did she ever mention being followed or watched?
You're saying someone was stalking her?
Under the circumstances, this doesn't look like a random attack.
What did your wife do for a living?
She owned an art gallery on 5th Avenue.
It's family owned, she took it over from her dad.
You ever see this woman before?
Or heard the name Amy Morgan?
No, I don't think so. Why? Who is she?
ESPOSITO: She's another victim, Mr. Curtis.
Could she be an acquaintance of Kristina's?
I don't recognize her. I'm sorry.
Did you notice anything unusual about Kristina lately or her state of mind?
Maybe something she said or did?
There was something strange last week.
We were supposed to have lunch on Friday, but she didn't show.
She called later to say
she went to the art gallery for a last-minute emergency.
Last Friday. Was your lunch at 1 :00 p.m.?
Yeah. Yeah, it was. Why?
RYAN: Kristina lied to her husband about why she missed their lunch.
She wasn't at the art gallery last Friday. They don't know where she was.
Okay, so both of our victims were unaccounted for
at exactly the same time, shortly before they got killed.
So where did they go?
Yeah, still working on it. Excuse me. Yeah, Ryan here.
Maybe they knew each other.
No, their families said they didn't know each other.
They had completely different careers
and they lived in different parts of town.
It seems like their lives never really intersected.
Until they both died at the hand of the same killer.
So, why these two women? And why fairy-tales?
Did the killer have some kind of a random obsession?
Or was there a deeper meaning behind all of it?
Well, I think he's trying to tell a story with these bodies.
- I just don't know what it is yet. - Maybe it's about money.
Turns out Kristina raided her trust account.
Guess how much she took out.
$50,605.
So both victims go AWOL on Friday,
and both pull out the exact same amount of cash?
- That's not a coincidence. - That is a connection.
Can you get ahold of Kristina's family?
See if they know why she might have needed that money?
Yeah, I'll reach out to the husband.
Thanks. Ryan, what did you find out?
I think I might have found a pathway to our killer.
Those Snow White and Red Riding Hood outfits?
They were made by the same manufacturer.
Do you know where they were sold?
No, I'm still waiting for a list of stores that carry the costumes,
both online and brick-and-mortar.
I should have some answers by the morning.
MARTHA: This just doesn't feel right, Marcus.
Move that chair over there.
Oh, Richard, your timing is perfect! We could use your help.
Moving my furniture where I don't want it to go?
Well, it's just temporary.
We're having a staged reading of my one-woman show, here, tomorrow night.
Ah, It's too bad you don't have an acting studio to do this kind of thing in.
Oh, wait, you do.
The little black box theater is not right for this, dear.
It needs something much more intimate.
It'll be very avant-garde.
MARTHA: Exactly. Now, I think this chair should be here,
because I want to create...
Sweetie, couldn't you have done something to discourage this?
I tried, Dad, but she made me stage manager.
Look, it's not as bad as you think.
Just 20 or 30 people. And we'll put everything back.
This play means a lot to Gram. And it's actually really good.
Now I understand things about her I never did before.
About you, too.
About me?
MARTHA: No, no, no, no.
This space needs to be bigger. An actor needs space.
"Richard always had a dark imagination.
"He was destined either to become a serial killer or a mystery writer."
Mother, really?
Oh. It's just a slight exaggeration.
And according to this,
you were responsible for launching my writing career by...
You slept with my first publisher?
Mr. Castle, I'm sure your talent would've gotten you there eventually.
My talent did get me there.
I didn't get published because of her.
Technically, I slept with him after your book was out.
This is just to be more salacious.
Wasn't he practically my age?
Honey, you know I've always loved younger men.
They have so much energy. Enough to keep up with me.
Most of the time.
I'm gonna erase that image from my mind with a bottle of scotch.
Oh. Darling, I invited Beckett to the reading tomorrow night.
So you two might want to make a date of it.
What was I supposed to do? Say no?
Yes.
Why are you so against your mom's play?
Because she's rewriting history. My history.
Trust me, I lived through it.
She's making it sound like it's her own personal fairytale.
Oh, you don't like it when someone writes their own version of your life?
Interesting.
Okay, are you referring to the Nikki Heat books?
Because this is completely different.
How is it different?
Well, for one thing,
I'm not claiming that what I write is actually true.
Well, I don't think she is, either.
Come on, Castle, you said so yourself.
Everyone needs a fairytale.
What's the harm in letting your mom have one of her own?
Okay, let's change the subject
to something less likely to give me an ulcer.
How about that mysterious $50,605?
Okay, well, we talked to pretty much everyone close to Amy and Kristina,
and no one seems to know why they pulled out that money.
What about where they were at 1 :00 p.m. on Friday?
Nothing popped on Amy's email or phone calls.
And the techs are still going through Kristina's computer.
Hey, guys, I think we might have caught a break.
We tracked down that website that sold the costumes.
The Red Riding Hood cloak and the Snow White dress worn by our victims
were shipped out eight days ago.
To whom? Do you have a name?
Yeah, Jamie Isaacson, lives at 11th Street and 7th Avenue.
And he didn't just order two costumes,
there was a third in the shipment as well, for Sleeping Beauty.
CASTLE: Sleeping Beauty?
He's gonna kill again.
Not if we get to him first.
(BANGING ON DOOR)
Jamie Isaacson? NYPD, open up!
- Kick it. - Yeah.
COP 1: Go! Go! Go! Go!
COP 2: Clear.
Room clear.
COP 3: Clear.
All these freaky dolls. Just how I pictured this guy's lair.
Ever since Chucky, I haven't been able to look at a doll.
COP 1: Detectives!
(SCRAPING)
Did you have to knock down my door?
Ma'am, we announced ourselves.
I was coming. I don't move as fast as I used to.
Ma'am, do you know a Jamie Isaacson?
Of course I know a Jamie Isaacson.
I'm Jamie Isaacson.
(STAMMERS)
Candy? It's very good.
No, thanks.
Mrs. Isaacson, does anyone else live here?
No, dearie, nobody else lives here. Just me and my friends.
Do you have any family who checks on you? Health care workers?
Other more human friends?
Well, mostly it's just us. Why?
Did you receive a package in the mail last week, Mrs. Isaacson?
Why, I receive packages all the time.
Molly and Abigail are new arrivals. Aren't they gorgeous?
Yes, they are.
What about a delivery of fairytale costumes?
Fairytale costumes?
According to our records, you ordered three from a website last week.
Well, that's just ridiculous.
What would I do with fairytale costumes?
I can't imagine.
So you didn't order any costumes from the Internet?
Do I look like someone who has a habit of wasting money?
I'm on a fixed income.
I happened to notice that you don't have a doorman for this building.
So where are your packages left?
By the mailbox in the lobby.
Mrs. Isaacson, did you notice
any unusual charges on your credit card?
Anyone have access to it?
Well, not unless they're digging for gold.
Can't be too safe these days.
Yeah.
So UPS confirms that a package of costumes
was dropped off at Mrs. Isaacson's lobby, but nobody signed for it.
Per buyer's instructions.
RYAN: Here's some more bad news.
No security cameras inside the lobby or outside.
And from what we could tell, the building's not terribly secure.
Our killer probably knew that, that's why he used it as a delivery drop.
If he knew the old lady's credit card number, maybe he knew her.
Could be.
Could be he just found her credit card statements in the trash.
It's old school, but it's effective.
BECKETT: You guys, for all we know,
he's targeting Sleeping Beauty as we speak.
Yo. I got something.
That missing hour of Kristina's at lunchtime last Friday?
Tech found a map search on her tablet that day at 12:50 p.m.
Walking directions to Glassman's Cafe on the Upper West Side.
Okay, great. You guys go to the cafe.
See if you can figure out who she was meeting with.
On it.
In the meantime, I'm gonna get ahold of uniforms
and ask them to double foot patrols in parks.
Only he's not gonna strike in a park this time.
In the Grimm stories,
Red Riding Hood and Snow White were found in the woods.
But Sleeping Beauty...
Was found in her bedroom.
Right.
Great, so that narrows it down to several million apartments,
and that is just in Manhattan.
It doesn't make sense.
What doesn't make any sense?
His motive.
All serial killers are expressing some psychological impulse.
Somewhere deep down, there's a twisted logic to their insanity.
Okay, keep going.
In the original Grimm's tales,
Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,
they all end up near death, but were saved at the last minute.
It's like he's trying to take away our victims' happy endings.
CASTLE: Right, not only that,
but he could've ordered any costume, but he picked these.
He took great care in the details, the wolf's claw, the apple.
He chose these characters for a reason.
He chose these women for a reason. I just haven't figured it out yet.
Whatever it is, it has to be connected to the cash that they withdrew.
Maybe he's choosing women with healthy bank accounts.
- Bank. - Sorry?
Kristina and Amy both withdrew the same amount of money.
Maybe our Sleeping Beauty did as well.
The IRS requires banks to report any transactions over $10,000.
- So they would have a record of it. - Exactly.
Yeah, she was here. It was last Friday, during the lunch rush.
Right after I spilled ketchup on my new jeans.
They were 70% off. Amazing sale.
Was she by herself?
No. It was a party of three.
Three? Do you remember who else she was with?
Two other women.
I've never been questioned by cops before.
You mind if I tweet about this?
Yeah, yes, we do mind.
This one of the women?
Yeah. Are they criminals or something?
'Cause I was getting more of an Upper East Side vibe.
No, but this third woman may be in danger.
So we need to identify her as soon as possible.
Do you remember if she maybe paid
with a credit card, maybe you caught her name?
Nope, they paid cash.
Was anyone else with them? A man?
No.
Did you notice anyone watching them?
Some of the other customers, but only because they were arguing.
About what?
I don't know, I kind of tried to eavesdrop.
But every time I went over there, they gave me the death stare.
Whatever they were talking about, they didn't want me to hear.
Okay, so, the IRS search reveals 10 different cash transactions
between $50,000 and $60,000 that day.
Two belonged to our Red Riding Hood and Snow White, that leaves us eight.
Five of them were made by males, leaving three women.
Jessica Harper, Charlotte Boyd and Dana Wilson.
Harper and Wilson are in their 50s. They don't fit the profile.
Which leaves us Charlotte Boyd.
(PHONE RINGING)
Beckett.
RYAN: Hey, we were able to confirm that
Kristina was here with Amy Morgan and a third woman last Friday.
We think she might be our killer's third target.
We didn't get an ID, but we did get a pretty good description.
Let me guess. In her 20s, brown hair, brown eyes, exotic-looking.
Yeah. How did you know?
Charlotte isn't answering.
Her name's Charlotte Boyd.
Ryan, I'm gonna text you her address. Just meet us over there.
Beckett!
Castle?
Call an ambulance. She's still alive.
Okay, yeah. Just keep me posted on her status. Thanks.
So that was the ER. Charlotte is stable but still unconscious.
Ketamine and oxycodone?
Yeah, and without treatment, her heart could've stopped.
The doctors say we got there just in time.
Just like in the fairytale.
So, what, you're Prince Charming now?
Well, if the shoe fits.
No, I'm just glad we had a happy ending.
It won't be a happy ending
until evil is vanquished and locked in the dungeon.
We're closing in on him.
Yeah, but he's still a step ahead.
I'm hoping that he left some kind of evidence behind.
Yo, we've done a full sweep. No sign of the $50,605.
A luxury condo, and that much money? What does this girl do for a living?
She worked for a real estate firm as a high-end broker.
If you didn't have 10 mil to plunk down on an apartment, she wasn't your girl.
Okay, so we got three women. All in their 20s, all successful.
All have a secret meeting last Friday,
and then pull the exact same amount of cash at the bank?
Maybe they were going in on something. Pooling their money.
I think we can safely rule out lotto tickets.
No, there's gotta be something that we're missing.
There's something that links the three of them together.
RYAN: Hey, guys. Look at this.
I found it at the bottom of one of Charlotte's drawers.
We got our connection.
Amy, Charlotte and Kristina. Our three victims.
All dressed as fairytale characters.
They're dressed as the same characters that our killer dressed them as.
Check out the date.
"05/06/05." That's seven years ago.
Yeah, it's also the amount of money they withdrew.
Yeah, 50,605 bucks.
Yeah, and check out the back.
"Who's the guiltiest of them all?
"If you pay, you'll live to see another day."
They were being blackmailed?
Okay, so something happened on that date that connects them all.
Something that led to their murders.
So who's the guy taking the photo?
BECKETT: Maybe he can tell us what happened.
CSU only found one set of prints on the photo, Charlotte's.
But they were able to determine
that it was developed within the last two weeks.
How can they do that?
Well, it's machine-processed, like, you know, from a drugstore.
And there's a control code auto-printed on the back.
Can we use the code to figure out where it was processed?
Yeah, already on it.
Hopefully that'll get us who ordered the prints.
This photo was taken seven years ago. Why is it surfacing now?
Yo, you were right about the date.
Something did happen that night. There's even a police report.
I don't suppose the report IDs our Prince Charming.
Sure does. His name's Owen Thomas.
But he can't be our suspect. He's dead.
He was killed seven years ago, May 6th, 2005.
05/06/05.
The night that the photo was taken.
It's also the same night that Owen attended
an underground rave, fairytale themed.
He was last seen alive at 10:45.
But this picture was taken at 11:23.
BECKETT: But how did he die?
Internal bleeding, complicated with high doses of ketamine and oxycodone.
That explains our killer's MO.
Okay, he's high on club drugs, but what caused the internal bleeding?
A car. His body was found on the side of the road.
ME wrote it up as a hit-and-run.
There were no witnesses, so the trail went cold.
They never solved the case.
It's I Know What You Did Last Summer. "Who's the guiltiest of them all?"
The killer thinks that one of these women is responsible for his death.
ESPOSITO: Maybe they are.
This photo proves that they were the last ones to see him alive,
yet none of them gave statements to the cops.
But why are the murders happening now, seven years later?
Well, maybe after all these years, someone found this photo.
Esposito, can you look into Owen's family and friends?
Someone might be trying to get payback for his death.
- You got it. -(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Beckett. Yeah. We'll be right there.
Sleeping Beauty just woke up.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Charlotte.
I'm Detective Beckett, this is Mr. Castle.
Do you feel well enough to answer a few questions?
Yeah. (CLEARS THROAT)
What can you tell us about the attack?
I was at my computer just listening to music
and the next thing you know I'm being pushed to the floor.
Did you see who did it?
No, but they're saying I was drugged.
Why would someone do this to me?
Charlotte, I think you know why.
All three of you received a copy of this photo.
Amy and Kristina weren't as lucky as you.
They didn't make it.
(SOBBING) Oh, my God!
But we did what he asked. We paid him.
What does he have on you? What happened to Owen that night?
Charlotte?
It was just some stupid fairytale rave.
We were just looking to dance and have fun.
And Owen had scored some Special K.
That hit us pretty hard.
But Kristina had some of her mom's oxy and said it would even us out.
Somehow we ended up in Amy's car and that's where this picture was taken.
How did Owen end up on the side of the road?
He was having some seriously bad hallucinations.
Just screaming and grabbing us.
So we pulled the car over and we made him get out.
We just figured he'd walk back to the rave.
But it was all over the news the next morning
that there'd been a hit-and-run and that he'd been killed.
And why didn't you come forward?
We were just kids then. We were scared out of our minds.
You have to understand, we had a lot to lose.
We came from good families. We'd been accepted into college.
We made a pact and we said
we wouldn't tell anyone what happened that night,
and that we'd never see each other again.
Look, I'm not excusing how we handled it,
we were stupid, but we didn't do anything.
Well, someone thinks you did.
What did you do with the money?
The note said to put it in a dumpster at Bleecker and Thompson.
We didn't want some scandal messing up our lives, so we did it.
We paid.
So why did he come after us?
Okay, the corner of Bleecker and Thompson.
There are no security cameras at the drop site, and so far no witnesses.
He covered his bases.
I know, it's really starting to piss me off.
Yeah, and you get cute when you get angry.
But not when you get angry with me.
Yo, so I took a look at Owen's family.
I think I found someone with motive.
Turns out he has an older brother, and apparently they were close.
Any connection to our victims?
Oh, yeah. See for yourself.
Wait, that's Leslie's husband, Darren.
So Owen's brother is married to our first victim's sister?
ESPOSITO: What are the odds, right?
Maybe Darren somehow found out that
his wife's sister was responsible for his brother Owen's death.
No, maybe the families just knew each other socially.
It doesn't mean that Darren's our killer.
No, that doesn't, but this might.
CSU tracked down where the photo was processed.
It's from a roll of film,
and the guy who dropped it off had three copies made.
And does the guy's description match Darren's?
Even better. They had security cameras.
BECKETT: It's him.
LESLIE: I got here as fast as I could.
So, is there any news? Did you find out who did this to my sister?
First, let me ask,
what was Amy's relationship with your husband's brother, Owen?
They were high school friends. We all were.
What does this have to do with Amy? Owen died years ago.
You ever see this before?
No.
That's Amy, and that's Owen.
These two, I don't know.
It's from the night that he was killed.
Okay.
Your husband Darren had it printed up two weeks ago.
Do you have any idea how he got it?
Last month, we were cleaning out my dad's attic
and found a camera with a roll of film inside.
Darren thought it'd be fun to see what was on it.
You don't think he had anything to do with Amy,
do you?
DARREN: I don't know what you guys are talking about.
I didn't blackmail anybody.
Right, so then you don't recognize this photo?
Absolutely not.
And then this isn't you, is it, Darren?
CASTLE: I can only imagine how you must've felt.
After all these years, realizing your own sister-in-law
might be involved in your brother's death.
We found the cash in your storage locker in Queens.
$151,815.
Which, by wild coincidence, is exactly $50,605 times three.
Owen was high.
He was messed up. They knew that and what did they do?
They left him there.
They left him, and he died like road kill.
You could've gone to the police.
Because they did such a bang-up job the first time around?
I just wanted them to pay something for what they did.
I was even gonna use the money to set up a scholarship fund in Owen's name.
Really? A scholarship fund?
And what's your spin on murder?
The money wasn't enough. You wanted revenge.
You wanted them to die, like your brother.
Dressed in fairytale costumes, ODing on the same drugs he did.
What? No.
I don't know who killed them, but it wasn't me.
That's gonna be tough to believe, Darren.
You had motive. You blamed them for Owen's death.
And you just admitted to blackmailing them.
I want a lawyer.
Of course you do.
Darren doesn't need a lawyer. He needs a miracle.
His wife told Ryan
that he wasn't at the house when the murders were committed.
So that's it, then.
Yeah, for this case, we did everything but tie a bow on it for the DA.
RYAN: Right this way, Ms. Morgan.
Is it true, Darren? Is it true?
Look me in the eyes and tell me it's not true.
Hey, babe! I didn't hurt anyone.
You blackmailed my sister. You lied to me. You...
No, listen, I'm telling you the truth, okay?
I didn't kill anyone. I just wanted them to pay.
Who would do it, then? You had the picture.
- No, no! Babe, I swear, I swear. - Oh, my God, it was you!
You know what? You need to get away from me right now!
DARREN: Listen!
- You just got to stay away. - Les!
Well, murder does more damage to the living than to the dead.
Yeah, all because of a terrible secret.
Well, secrets are like time bombs.
Eventually, they explode.
You know, Castle,
I'm not saying that I condone what Darren did, but I do understand it.
Yeah. I understand wanting revenge.
The way he went about it doesn't add up, though.
What do you mean?
Well, blackmail is revenge from a distance.
Murder's up close and personal.
It doesn't make sense he would do both.
Don't underestimate him. I mean, the only reason
that he copped to blackmail was to avoid murder charges.
And like any psychopath, he's a great actor.
- Speaking of... - Psychopaths or actors?
- I was thinking about your mom. - Oh! So a little of both.
I think we can make the play.
Really? So you wanna venture into the dark, scary woods?
Don't worry, Castle. I got a gun. I'll protect you from the Big Bad Wolf.
You'd use your gun on my mother?
I'm touched. Thank you.
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)
Thank you.
Oh, wow, Castle, this is quite the soirée.
Yeah, it's a family trait. We tend to go big.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- Would you excuse me a moment? - Yeah.
Hey.-
ALEXIS: Hey, you came.
It means so much to me, darling.
ALEXIS: She was worried you wouldn't make it.
- Break a leg, Mother. - We have a schedule to keep.
Curtain in two minutes!
(SIGHS) I can't get this bow straight.
Allow me, allow me.
Maybe I should have Alexis do it.
I mean, how many bows have you tied in your lifetime?
Well, I only tie my shoes every day.
- If you remember, you taught me? - Yeah, yeah. True.
The bow.
The bow was tied incorrectly.
Well, I told you we should have had Alexis do it.
Not your bow. The other bow. The one on her costume.
We arrested the wrong man.
What? I don't understand. So you're saying Darren didn't do it?
Well, he's guilty of blackmail, but that's as far as it goes.
So what if the killer's still out there? What if he comes after me?
He won't. We have officers outside 24/7.
We'll find him, Charlotte, we just... We need a bit of your help.
Of course. Whatever I can do.
Well, we think that the key to finding the real killer is through
understanding exactly what happened the night of Owen's death.
Can you answer a few questions?
Yeah, I mean, I guess so.
Though I'm pretty sure I told you everything I know.
Well, last time we spoke, you said that everyone was in Amy's car?
Right.
And who was driving?
She was. Why?
Well, we did a little checking.
The day after Owen died, Amy brought her car to a body shop.
She had a broken grill and a dented bumper.
Any idea how she got those dents?
CASTLE: Charlotte, what really happened that night?
Did Owen try to get back into the car? Maybe Amy panicked?
Accidentally hitting him as she drove away?
Charlotte?
I begged Amy to go back.
Kristina and I both did. We begged her, but she just kept driving.
She didn't mean to hurt him. It was just an accident.
That's the truth. That's what really happened.
Is it?
Take a look
at how the bows are tied on the victims' costumes.
What about them?
Well, the killer tied these bows after the victims were drugged.
See how they look? How the loops are pleasingly horizontal?
Now look at the bow on your Sleeping Beauty outfit.
See how the loops are vertical?
It's a little weird.
I mean, if the killer tied all three bows, why would yours be different?
It's because you tied all three bows.
This one is different because you tied it on yourself behind your back.
No. I was attacked. I am a victim.
Yet your doctor said you received
half the dose of oxy that the other girls got, a non-lethal dose.
How soon after we pulled up outside of your building
did you give yourself that shot?
This is crazy. Why would I fake an attack on myself?
So no one would suspect you
of silencing the only two witnesses to your crime.
What are you talking about?
At the time, Kristina and Amy were willing to bury your secret,
but then this photo showed up.
BECKETT: I mean, how long could you expect them to keep the secret,
especially since you were at fault?
All you could think about was the scandal. Jail.
How it would ruin your life.
All because Kristina and Amy knew the truth.
Charlotte, you were behind the wheel in Amy's car.
It was you that hit and killed Owen.
No, Amy was driving. I told you.
Then why did you pay for the car repairs?
We have the receipt.
You don't know what happened that night.
You can't prove that I hit Owen
and you can't prove that I killed Amy or Kristina.
Yes, I can.
Your firm handled the reverse mortgage
of an old woman named Jamie Isaacson.
She paid closing costs with her credit card.
That's the same credit card that you used to pay for all three costumes.
Charlotte Boyd,
you are under arrest for the murders of Amy Morgan, Kristina Curtis,
and the wrongful death of Owen Thomas.
The bows? Seriously?
(EXHALES)
CASTLE: She's actually the perfect fairytale villain.
Like the Big Bad Wolf, she disguised herself as an innocent.
But like Snow White's Evil Stepmother,
she was willing to do anything, even kill, to protect her image.
After all these years,
maybe Owen's family can have some closure about his death.
Yeah, but at what cost?
Two women are dead. Darren's still being charged with blackmail.
And I'm sure his marriage is over.
And that's why we need fairy-tales, in the face of too much reality,
to remind us that happy endings are still possible.
See you in the morning.
Later.
Speaking of fairy-tales,
my mother is ready to give her encore performance.
Time to go back into the woods?
Still got your gun?
It was the opportunity of a lifetime.
The chance to originate the role of the Wicked Witch on Broadway,
but it would mean being away from home six nights a week, two matinees.
What was I to do?
Realize that none of it ever happened.
MARTHA: Francis Bacon once wrote,
"He that hath children hath given hostages to fortune."
Well, if I was a hostage, then my son, Richard, was my captor.
My enslaver.
Hey, I'm right here.
I turned down the role, turned my back on fortune.
And it was the best career move I ever made.
For an even greater role came my way,
a part, perhaps the greatest role that I have ever played.
That of mother.
That's sweet.
You're right. That is sweet.
(SHUSHING)
I'm sorry.
Now, if Richard had only been able
to embrace the role of son with the same level of commitment.
And into the woods we go.