Did you see that tunic Professor Jablonski was wearing Ripped By mstoll
yesterday in Advanced Draping?
I know. It was very sad-cat-lady-meets-David-Bowie.
This is what it's come to.
Dumpster diving to find fabric for our mid-term haute couture project.
You know what they say.
"One man's trash is another man's..."
- (GASPS) I think I found something. - Oh! Me too.
- (STRAINING) - It's stuck.
That's because we're both tugging on it.
- Let go! - I had it first!
(BOTH GRUNTING)
Oh! This fabric is just to die for.
The lace, the decolletage.
This would look stunning on you, just stunning.
Uh, you know, I...
Mother, what are you trying to force on my lovely fiancee?
No, no, no, no, no. I am just trying to
expose Katherine to the glorious world of wedding magazines.
They are all very girly,
with a lot of gauzy photos of love-struck brides looking off into the distance.
Perhaps they're contemplating the 50% divorce rate.
MARTHA: You know what, you need to get beyond
the fairy tale treacle aspect of these magazines
and see them for what they are,
a source of ideas as you plan your wedding.
Yeah, like this place.
The Cordova House?
"A landmark Spanish Revival mansion
"with an elegant carriage house exterior."
"It was built at the turn of the century,
"and remains an enduring legacy of architectural beauty
- "in the heart of Manhattan." - A-ha!
I remember The Cordova House.
It was like a cultural venue for the arts in the '70s.
I think I went to a party there.
Of course it was the '70s, so I can't be sure.
This says it's been refurbished, and they've started to book weddings.
- I love it. - It's gorgeous.
Could it be that we've stumbled upon a venue we actually agree on?
Yeah. I mean, I'm good with it. Are you?
- Mmm! - (MARTHA CHUCKLES)
- (LAUGHS) - Ah.
You're welcome.
- Thank you. - Yeah, sorry.
I'm gonna make some inquiries right now.
(PHONE BEEPS)
Ah, you're gonna have to do it while we're working a case.
Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right.
Apparently we aren't the only ones who read that article.
The event planner at The Cordova House
said they've been swamped with calls.
Okay. When's their next available date?
She said she's gonna call me back.
Hey, Espo. What do we got?
A body, found by two fashion students dumpster diving for fabric.
Victim's name is EIla Hayes. She's 26.
According to her driver's license, she has an apartment in Brooklyn.
What's she doing down here in the Garment District?
Could be something work-related.
Her business card says that she works for Modern Fashion.
She's an assistant to the editor-in-chief.
That would be Matilda King.
- Okay. - Seriously?
You've never heard of Matilda King?
I'm betting that most real men haven't.
Mmm, yes, if by "real" you mean "uninformed."
Whatever.
Matilda King is a legend in the fashion industry.
Or infamous, depends on your point of view.
Yes. Former assistants of hers have written books about how tough she is,
a dragon lady who chews people up and spits them out.
Does she also strangle them?
Because that's how Lanie said our vic died.
- Hey, Lanie. - Hey.
So, the murder weapon was a scarf, a sash, or something.
Okay, when did this happen?
Based on lividity, between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m.
I also recovered some blue hairs on her neck, left by the attacker.
Blue hairs? So, she was killed by a little old lady.
Or Katy Perry.
Animal hairs that were dyed blue, Castle.
Or a Dr. Seuss character.
I don't recall any of them being homicidal.
That's true. I need a new theory.
I've got one. Our killer was strong,
and he or she was able to lift the body into the dumpster.
Espo, can you get uniforms to canvass the area for any witnesses?
Castle and I will go to her work.
You and Ryan head off to her place,
see if there's anything there that'll indicate
- why she was here last night. - Right on.
EIla and I went to Parsons together,
and then we've been roommates for the past two years.
I still can't believe this.
When was the last time you saw her?
Umm... Yesterday morning.
She was up at 5:00, like always.
And then out the door to get Matilda's coffee and cranberry scone
on her way to the office.
What about after work? Did you see her then?
No. I'm a buyer at Saks, so I don't get home till late.
Did EIla have a boyfriend? Or a relationship?
(SCOFFS) No. She was on call for Matilda, 24l7.
So she didn't have time for relationships.
Or for the one thing that she really wanted to do.
Which was what?
Design.
She hoped working at Modern Fashion would open doors for her.
Was EIla having any problems that you know of?
Umm, she had been stressed lately, a little more than usual.
I asked her, she said it was work.
But she didn't go into details.
RYAN: Lilian, if you don't mind,
I'd like to have an officer come by and take your statement.
Of course. Anything I can do to help.
(BEEPS)
Oh, we don't get cell reception in here.
You can use my landline if you like.
Thanks.
Here's my card.
If you can remember anything else, please give me a call. Okay?
- Yeah. Thank you. - (PHONE DIALLING TONES)
(STATIC INTERFERENCE)
(ELEVATOR DINGS)
BECKETT: Well, this is it.
The big leagues for anyone who wants to work in fashion.
Wow! Apparently you have to be a total hottie just to work here.
And I'm saying that as a completely detached, soon-to-be-married observer.
- It's okay, Castle. Stare all you want. - Really?
Actually, no. But it's kind of hard not to.
I mean, Matilda only hires people that fit the magazine's brand.
You have to look the part.
You seem to know a lot about Matilda King.
I've picked up a thing or two.
Hi. NYPD. We need to speak with Matilda King.
Do you have an appointment?
I think you missed the part about the NYPD.
Please. I just took over this desk this morning.
She's going to freak out if I add you to the schedule.
Do you have any idea what happened to the last assistant?
Yes, she's dead.
Dead? What do you mean?
- MATILDA: No, no, no, no. - Oh, God, here she comes.
I won't take no for an answer.
You must join us on the yacht.
Giorgio will show his new collection.
Gordon Ramsay is cooking.
Lady Gaga is performing,
pushing the boundaries of style, no doubt in the wrong direction.
So let me know. Mwah!
- New assistant. - It's Carrie.
I'll learn your name when you've earned it. Here.
These are your messages, and Julian Bruckner is waiting in your office.
And who is this?
BECKETT: Uh...
NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions, Ms. King.
Kate Beckett.
I never could forget those cheekbones.
Wait, you two know each other?
Yeah, yeah. When I was a model, for about 15 minutes.
You modeled for Modern Fashion?
I offered her a spread in the January '99 issue.
Nicole Kidman was on the cover.
And you passed.
To date, you're the only person to ever tell me "no."
I'm wall-to-wall. We'll have to reschedule.
Get ready to be told "no" again.
We need to ask you a few questions about your assistant, EIla Hayes.
It cannot wait.
We'll talk in my office. Hold my calls.
By the way, EIla is my former assistant.
Be right with you, Julian.
Uh, so what do you mean by "former"?
I fired her yesterday afternoon after she made a scheduling mistake
and I showed up to a board meeting late.
And that was after her mistake last week,
when I kept the new owner of our magazine
waiting for 45 minutes.
Matilda. Have you seen the proofs from the Fab Five photo shoot?
They are divine.
MATILDA: They better be, Julian.
So far, everything you've submitted has been rather pedestrian.
(SCOFFS) Matilda, these designers are barely out of diapers.
Excuse me. Sorry.
We're investigating a murder here.
A murder? Of whom?
Your former assistant, EIla.
Oh, EIla's dead? How?
That's what we're trying to figure out.
Now, do you know if she had any problems?
You don't think this had anything to do with that incident with Grace?
What incident?
And who's Grace?
Grace is my other assistant, whom I fired
because she allowed the scheduling mistakes to happen.
And what was the incident?
Well, apparently, yesterday, when EIla and Grace
were escorted out of the building by security,
they literally got into a brawl right in the middle of a photo shoot.
The photographer, Serge, had to break it up.
SERGE: Yeah, the two of them really went at it.
I mean, it was a full-on cat fight.
It was actually kind of sexy.
What exactly was the fight about?
It was about the job. Okay?
I overheard Grace blame EIla for getting her fired.
Serge, how long will this take?
I'm up against a deadline to finish my design.
You'll be here as long as it takes to make Matilda happy.
(SIGHS)
The mantra we all live by.
Do you remember any other details about the fight?
I can do better than that. I can show you some of it.
I was shooting at the time,
and got a few frames with them in the background.
There, check it out.
Can you zoom in on that?
Sure.
CASTLE: Check out Grace's scarf.
Lanie said she found blue hairs on EIla's neck, from being strangled.
Looks like Grace was dressed to kill.
GRACE: Look.
I grew up reading Modern Fashion.
Working for Matilda King? That was my dream.
But when Matilda fires someone, people remember,
which means my career in fashion is pretty much done.
Thanks to EIla.
Because you believed it was her fault that you got fired.
It was her fault.
She started making mistakes because she was so busy
sucking up to designers like Yumi, and showing off her sketches.
And I paid the price.
Which is why you killed her.
What are you even talking about?
We got in a fight. That was it.
Okay, okay. Then explain this.
This blue alpaca scarf was found at your apartment.
It's an exact match to the hairs found on EIla's neck
after she was strangled.
Come on. Other people have that scarf.
Yeah. But you're the only one with motive.
It was the Christmas gift from Modern Fashion.
We all got the scarf.
Maybe EIla was wearing hers and someone choked her with it.
Where were you between 12:00 and 2:00 a.m., Grace?
I'd just gotten fired.
Some friends took me out and got me drunk.
- You can ask them. - I will.
In the meantime, let's talk about EIla.
Her roommate thought that she was having trouble at the office.
You worked with her. Do you know what it was?
Actually there was something else.
A few days ago, at lunch time,
I saw her arguing with this guy outside the building.
Did you recognize him?
I'd never seen him before.
But I overheard them and he was threatening her.
He said she had something he wanted
and he wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
And what was her reaction?
She said she was gonna call the police if he didn't leave her the hell alone.
And then he stormed off.
I tried to ask her what it was all about, but she wouldn't tell me.
Do you remember him well enough to help us with a sketch?
I think so.
Okay. This is the guy who threatened EIla.
So you believe Grace's story?
Her alibi checks out
and unis found two witnesses that saw him arguing with EIla.
EIla was basically a glorified assistant.
What could she possibly have had that this man wanted?
Think about it, Castle. Matilda King is the most influential person in fashion.
And EIla had direct access to her world.
So, you're saying this man leveraged EIla
to find out what direction hemlines are going next season?
Oh! I just came up with a new title.
Murder is the New Black.
Does that even make sense?
RYAN: No, it doesn't. And here's something else that doesn't make sense.
Did you guys find something at EIla's apartment?
RYAN: You could say that.
I went to use the landline and I noticed some static when I got near a lamp.
When we popped the lamp open, look what we found inside.
A bug?
Why would someone bug EIla's apartment?
CASTLE: Because
she's La Femme Nikita
and her job at Modern Fashion is just a cover.
She's not La Femme Nikita.
Still, wire-taps? Threats from mysterious men?
Murder? Whatever's going on here, it's bigger than fashion.
Okay. See if you can get a serial number.
Let's figure out who bought that bug.
Yep.
All right. Thank you very much.
Hey.
That was the event planner at The Cordova House,
they said they still have a few spots open in the fall.
She can give us a tour tonight.
Woo-hoo! Let's do it.
So, where are we on Watergate?
So the plot thickens.
The building manager at EIla's apartment
remembers letting an exterminator into her place about a month ago.
Usually exterminators get rid of bugs.
Only, this one didn't.
The company that he worked for doesn't exist.
What is this about, Castle?
Why would someone target EIla?
Well, you already heard and rejected my theory.
Yeah, but your theory doesn't explain the little detail that Lanie just found out.
There's black coral on the sole of EIla's shoe.
And it wasn't from the dumpster.
That doesn't make any sense. Black coral is found in the tropics.
Exactly. So how did this end up on her shoe?
- Yo, Beckett. - And Castle.
Sure.
So no luck on the serial number,
but we got a hit off the canvass of the crime scene.
A seamstress coming off the late shift saw a guy waiting on the corner
right near the alley where EIla was killed.
We get a description?
Yeah. And he matches our sketch.
Yes, that's him.
He was standing by the alley outside the Broadway coffee shop
when I walked by.
And what time was this?
Just after midnight.
Do you recall how tall he was? What he wore?
Fabric is my business. He wore a dark suit.
Nice quality, wool-blend.
Oh, and he had a distinctive striped tie.
Crimson and navy, with gold triangles across the stripes.
That sounds like a club tie.
Crimson and navy. Yes, I know that one.
Gold triangles...
That's the Carlton Club tie.
If we can match that sketch to one of its members, we got our ID.
Yeah, except clubs like that
are notoriously protective of keeping their members' privacy.
They're not just gonna hand over that information.
The club won't, no, but one of its members might.
After a tough negotiation that involved my Knicks tickets
and naming a character in my next book after his nana,
my friend came up with a name. Marcus Conway.
Okay. So what do we know about him?
He is a lawyer at Kellerman Goodfriend.
That's one of the city's biggest law firms.
Why is a high-powered lawyer going after EIla?
Maybe it has to do with her work.
Turns out that Marcus Conway
is general counsel for Couture Chick magazine.
That's "chic." And not that you would know,
but they are Modern Fashion's biggest competitor.
Call Conway's firm. I want to know where he is.
Detective, I would think very carefully
before making these kinds of accusations.
Mr. Conway, I am not making any accusations.
I'm simply stating fact.
We have a witness that heard you threatening EIla Hayes.
And another one that saw you near where she was killed.
Right about the same time she ended up that way.
- You need to explain yourself. - (DOOR OPENS)
Marcus, I heard the police are here.
What's going on?
- Who are you? - Gloria Robbins.
I'm editor-in-chief of Couture Chic.
They think I murdered EIla Hayes.
What? That's ridiculous.
So you know who she is?
This is obviously one huge misunderstanding.
Then clear it up, tell me what you know about EIla Hayes.
We approached EIla and attempted to engage her services.
So basically, you tried to hire her
to get inside information on Modern Fashion.
- I wouldn't put it that way. - Well, I'm pretty sure she would,
which is why she turned you down.
And you wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
This is a competitive business with everyone looking to get an edge.
Yes, I was aggressive in trying to make a deal,
but when she refused, I accepted that and I never contacted her again.
Then why were you less than a block away from where she was killed
at about the time she died?
Because she called me.
She asked me to meet her last night.
Why would she do that?
Probably because Matilda just fired her.
The bottom line is,
she said she had bombshell information on Modern Fashion.
Information that, if it got out, it would destroy the magazine.
Mr. Conway, I took a look at EIla's cell phone records.
She never called you last night.
She did call, and I can prove it. She left me a message.
(BEEPS) Hey, it's Ella.
I changed my mind about your offer.
I found out something, something that'll ruin Modern Fashion,
take down the whole operation.
Meet me at the Broadway coffee shop
in an hour. I'll see you there.
I waited around for two hours but she never showed.
What information did she want to share?
Believe me, I would love to know.
But I don't have the faintest idea.
What were you trying to hire her to find out?
As you may have heard, a tech venture capitalist named Glen Carter
bought Modern Fashion last month.
Glen has big plans
to drag Matilda's precious little magazine into the digital age.
- Which are? - That's what we wanted to know,
since our website has failed to generate new subscription business.
If we could get Modern Fashion's new playbook,
it could help us strategize and stay one step ahead.
So you wanted to hire EIla so that she could tell you
about the new direction the magazine was taking,
and when she turned you down, that was the extent of your contact?
Until she called last night.
And what about the eavesdropping?
What are you talking about?
We found a listening device in EIla's apartment.
That wasn't us. We had nothing to do with that.
BECKETT: So, these records explained
why we missed EIla's phone calls to Marcus Conway.
She phoned him using her roommate's landline.
So she told Conway to meet her in the coffee shop in an hour.
It would take her about 20 minutes to get there from her apartment.
So she must have been killed on the way there.
It's a real shame.
Looking at her designs, EIla actually had talent.
Yeah, well, the question is, what did she know?
And did someone kill her to keep her quiet?
Can't help you out there, but I can tell you that
Marcus Conway was telling the truth about not planting that bug.
Yeah, the serial number led us to a distributer
named Alternate Intelligence, in Queens.
Do they know who bought it?
James Kavanaugh paid for that listening device
with a credit card a month ago.
And when does it get interesting?
When we found out he was former Special Forces.
And, not to mention, the head of security at Modern Fashion.
Wait a minute. EIla was being spied on by her own magazine?
- (PHONE CHIMES) - Uh...
Oh, Beckett, we have that appointment at The Cordova House.
Castle, I'm sorry. Duty calls.
Can you go without me?
And see if it's as good as the pictures.
You trust me to make this decision on my own?
Can you go with Martha?
(CHUCKLES)
We have to bring James Kavanaugh in.
Yeah.
I'm in the security business. I buy lots of equipment.
Yeah, well, this equipment
was a listening device that you installed in EIla Hayes' apartment.
If you think that, you're mistaken.
Really?
Because we showed your picture to the super at EIla's building,
and he identified you as the exterminator he let into her apartment.
I had nothing to do with what happened to EIla Hayes.
You broke into her place, you wired it for sound,
and now she's dead.
James. Think about how that looks, bro.
Your best bet is to tell us exactly what you know.
All I did was bug her place, okay?
I mean, once Glen Carter bought the magazine,
home monitoring got to be a common practice.
So Glen Carter ordered the surveillance?
No. No, he didn't know anything about it.
It was ordered by Matilda King.
Matilda King?
You sure about that?
Yes, I'm sure.
She got all freaked out about someone coming after her job.
So she said she didn't know who she could trust anymore.
Okay, so who monitored the audio from EIla's apartment?
Matilda had me set it up so that it fed directly to her computer.
You realize what this means?
Yeah.
EIla called Marcus Conway on the landline,
told him she could take down the magazine,
and Matilda heard the whole thing.
Okay, thank you very much.
So, the guard in the lobby of the Modern Fashion building
saw Matilda leave there last night at 11:30.
And she was in a big hurry.
11:30?
That's right after EIla called Marcus Conway.
Matilda knew that EIla was about to spill the beans
and bring down the magazine.
So Matilda went to stop her.
She's our killer.
Wait, wait, wait! She's on a call.
She can call back.
MATILDA: Glen, this magazine is not about tweets,
or likes on Facebook, for God's sake!
For 57 years, women have been purchasing this magazine
for the fashion!
GLEN: (ON SPEAKERPHONE) Matilda, please...
Whenever they've had a bad day at work or at home,
they've come to us, we are their escape.
We are their fantasy!
It's the clothing that stitches it all together!
That's what matters!
GLEN: We're done here.
Glen!
Glen?
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.
(EXHALES)
You've got a hell of a temper, Ms. King.
It's not temper. It's frustration.
Glen Carter, our new owner, cares more about money than fashion.
Is that why you were paranoid he was gonna replace you?
I don't know what you've heard, but I'm Matilda King.
My name is synonymous with this magazine.
He wouldn't dare replace me.
So then why did you order the monitoring
of all of your employees' conversations
the moment that he bought the magazine?
(HUFFS)
You are quite the detective.
Take a seat.
Yes, since the purchase, rumors have been swirling.
I'd like to think that they're just rumors, but I can't afford to take that chance.
I need to know my people are loyal.
By bugging their homes?
With their permission.
We've had some loyalty issues.
So my lawyers added some fine print to their employment agreements.
Do you actually believe that's going to fly in court?
My lawyers seem to think so.
Now what does this have to do with your investigation?
Look, given the rumors about your job, it must've been disconcerting to find out
EIla was taking damaging information on Modern Fashion
to the competition.
To what are you referring? What information?
We don't know that.
But what we do know is,
moments after she made the arrangements to sell that information,
you were seen running out of here.
You think that I ran out of here to kill EIla?
Your head of security says
that you're set up to listen to these recordings live on your computer.
Something I do on the weekend.
I'm a little busy running a magazine during the week.
Yeah. A position that you're desperate to defend.
That's motive and that's opportunity.
I ran out of my office last night
because I was late for drinks with Oscar de la Renta.
Feel free to check.
Regarding EIla's threat to the magazine,
I never heard her say that.
And you have no idea what EIla was taking to the competition?
None.
But if you find out, I'd be curious to know.
Anything else, Detective?
I'm going to need those recordings.
(SIGHS)
Hey, Beckett.
Matilda's alibi checks out.
She was having drinks with Oscar until about 2:00 a.m.
So Matilda's not our killer?
And we still don't know what explosive information
EIla was taking to the competition.
I think I may have found something on these audio files
that might shed light on that.
So I've been going through about a week
of inane conversations between EIla and her roommate.
But she did place a call on the day
of the murder that was pretty strange.
- Check it out. - (TAPS KEY)
(PHONE DIALING TONES)
(LINE RINGING)
Hey, it's me, Ella.
Something weird is going on inside Modern Fashion.
I think someone's targeting me.
I need your help. Call me back.
(LINE DISCONNECTS)
Do we know who was on the other end of that call?
Based on the landline phone records,
the call was placed to someone at Modern Fashion.
But it was routed through a switchboard,
so it doesn't show who she was connected to.
This directory lists over 100 people that work there.
Yeah.
Lucky I have crazy good hearing.
- Listen to the beginning again. - (TAPS KEY)
(PHONE DIALING TONES)
I had Tech analyze those beeps
and connect them to the corresponding digits.
The call was placed to this extension.
Armando Montoya.
He's an IT tech at Modern Fashion?
Mmm-hmm.
What was EIla doing calling him for help?
We were friends, you know.
To most of the people here, I'm invisible.
But EIla saw me. She was nice.
Why did she need your help the day she died?
She wanted me to look at Matilda's calendar.
What for?
Because Matilda missed some important meetings.
But EIla was sure she entered them into the calendar correctly.
She wanted to know if the calendar had been tampered with.
And was it?
Yeah.
Several entries had been changed over the past couple of weeks.
All in the middle of the night.
When I showed it to her,
she was convinced that someone was trying to set her up.
Were you able to tell who made those changes?
No.
I tracked them all to an IP address outside Modern Fashion.
That was the best I could do.
I gave her the info,
and she said she was gonna figure out who set her up,
and make them pay.
Next I hear, she's dead.
Do you still have that IP address?
Yeah, okay. I'll have Tech run it down.
But why would anyone want to sabotage a fashion assistant?
I don't know, Espo.
But if EIla went after whoever is behind this, maybe she found them.
All right. I'll give you a call when I get a location.
Okay. Thanks.
More questions, Detective?
Actually, we found evidence
that suggests EIla wasn't responsible for screwing up your appointments.
Someone else changed your calendar. Someone outside of this office.
Are you saying that I fired EIla for no reason?
Do you know why someone would have done this to her?
No.
But I do know why someone would want to do this to me.
What do you mean?
Ever since Glen Carter bought Modern Fashion,
the sharks have been circling.
They smell blood.
So the calendar mistakes made you look bad at a critical time.
- (PHONE CHIMES) - Excuse me.
Oh, this is just what I need.
What's wrong?
I have to make a decision in the next half hour
about a dress this issue, and the model didn't show up.
Detective Beckett,
you said "no" to me years ago when I offered you a job.
Might you do a little favor for me now?
MARTHA: Oh! Richard, look at these beautiful antique chandeliers.
So if you're interested,
I have a couple of slots for fall 2015 still open.
Excuse me, did you say fall 2015?
That's correct.
When we spoke on the phone, I thought we were speaking of this fall.
No way. That's been booked for months.
(PHONE RINGING)
Excuse me, but I have to take this call.
Look around and I'll be right back.
Ugh! Well, it is a beautiful venue.
And it's a long time to wait.
Mmm. And a long time to plan.
I just feel like I've waited long enough, Mother.
I don't want to waste any more time before we take the next step.
Then don't.
I'm sure there's another venue out there
that the two of you will just fall in love with.
Mmm.
Thank you.
Okay, this never happens,
but the Friedmans just called off their wedding,
and we now have an opening for spring.
Spring 2016?
No, this spring!
I have a long list of couples that would snatch this up immediately.
But since you're here...
Do you need any help in there?
BECKETT: No. But you know what, when you asked me
to try on a dress and I said "yes,"
I had no idea it was gonna be this kind of a dress.
What do you think?
It's amazing.
Yeah.
The embroidery.
And the Austrian crystal.
It's just heavenly.
Yeah. It is, isn't it?
Come.
Yeah.
This probably would have looked better on the model that didn't show up.
No, don't be silly, it's perfect on you.
Trust me, I'm an expert.
(CHUCKLES)
In fact, if I had a daughter,
this is exactly the kind of dress I would want for her.
You are going to make a beautiful bride someday.
Thank you.
Matilda, we're ready for the accessories spread in the conference room.
Excuse me. I'll be back in five minutes.
Hey.
- How's the venue? - CASTLE: Oh-ho!
Amazing. Yeah. So amazing.
And they didn't have any spots open until fall of 2015.
But a couple just broke up,
and their unfortunate misery can be our lifelong joy.
We can take their spot for this spring!
This spring.
- Wow. - I know.
And there are a lot of couples who want it.
But if I put down the deposit tonight, it's ours.
So what do you say?
Beckett, are you there?
Yeah.
Okay. But I thought we agreed that the venue was amazing.
Yeah, we did. It's just...
I started thinking about all the details and the planning that we have to do.
I don't want to rush any of this.
Okay. If you're sure that's it?
Yeah. Yeah, it is.
I mean, we're gonna find another venue, Castle.
It's gonna be great.
- Look, if... - ESPOSITO: Hey.
So Tech was able to track down that IP address.
Whoever changed that calendar did it from a design studio in Soho.
Is there any connection between the studio and Modern Fashion?
As a matter of fact, there is.
It belongs to one of the designers
being featured in Modern Fashion's Fab Five spread.
- Yumi. - Yumi what?
Just Yumi.
I guess if you don't have a last name you can charge more.
So why would he, or someone from his studio, be changing Matilda's calendar?
I don't know, but I can tell you this.
It looks like EIla may have been there the night she was killed.
- How do you know that? - Yumi's website.
The current design line being produced at his studio
features dresses embellished with coral.
And in addition to the fact that this model is hot,
she's wearing black coral.
The same kind of coral that Lanie found stuck to the bottom of EIla's shoe.
Let's go.
I'm probably gonna have to call her in for an interrogation.
YUMl: No, sweetie. You tell Little Miss All That
Yumi says there's only one diva in this room.
If she doesn't want to wear the pink Louboutins,
she is out of the show!
Models.
The lack of food makes them so very fraught.
- Uh, Mr. Yumi... - Please. Just Yumi.
Okay, Yumi.
When was the last time you saw EIla Hayes?
EIla Hayes?
Matilda's assistant? The girl who was killed?
Yes, of course.
We have reason to believe that she was here last night.
Yes. She was.
Why was she here?
(STAMMERING) She came to ask me for a job.
Really?
I told her I wanted to help,
but there was absolutely nothing I could do.
When Matilda King fires someone, they are radioactive.
Do you have any idea why she was fired?
No.
I think you do.
Someone changed Matilda King's calendar.
Matilda thought it was EIla, but it wasn't EIla.
It was someone from your studio.
We traced the IP address. So did EIla.
That's what she was doing here last night.
She wasn't asking for a job.
She was looking to find who made those changes.
Who ruined her career.
And given the fact that you just lied to us, I am guessing it was you.
Me? (LAUGHS)
Do you have any idea how powerful Matilda King is in the fashion industry?
My design is a Fab Five winner!
Matilda's about to make me famous.
Messing with her would be career suicide.
What could possibly be my motive?
CASTLE: It's simple.
You needed to get her fired. You needed to discredit her.
Why on Earth would I do that?
Because your winning Fab Five design
isn't yours.
CASTLE: From EIla's sketchbook. They're exactly the same.
EIla was an aspiring designer. She must've copied me.
No, EIla's roommate saw her making those sketches months ago.
Okay, then if you found it in her sketchbook, then how did I get it?
Matilda's other assistant, Grace,
confirmed seeing EIla give you copies of her sketches.
Apparently, you had them on you
when you went in on your Fab Five pitch meeting.
CASTLE: And from there the story writes itself.
You showed your designs,
and they just weren't good enough to make the cut.
But then the artistic director sees these in your bag.
The fresh, stunning raw talent. Perfect for the Fab Five.
Except they weren't your designs.
CASTLE: But only two people knew that.
You and EIla.
And being a Fab Five designer could literally make your career.
So you made a choice.
BECKETT: Once you were chosen for the Fab Five,
you realized that EIla would know you had stolen her designs.
You had to discredit her so that no one would believe her.
I want a lawyer.
EIla must've confronted Yumi at his studio.
If she threatened to expose the whole scandal, his career would be over.
He had to kill her to hide the truth.
Yeah, that all makes sense.
Now we just have to connect him to the crime scene.
Only one problem. You can't.
Yumi didn't kill EIla.
How do you know?
Multiple employees saw EIla confront Yumi.
But after she took off, he was at the studio until 3:00 a.m.
He never left.
Are you sure?
His alibi is rock-solid.
But we know someone changed Matilda's calendar from that studio,
he has to be involved somehow.
I think someone else was too.
I went through Yumi's phone records.
And after EIla left, he made half a dozen phone calls
to Modern Fashion.
Such beautiful designs.
After all this time. I had no idea.
If she knew these designs had been stolen,
why didn't she come to me?
Maybe she didn't think you'd listen.
At least, not to someone like her.
Maybe she just wanted revenge.
She would've gotten it.
If Couture Chic exposed that our Fab Five list was corrupt,
it would have cost me my job.
Who else stood to lose?
Everyone involved, I suppose.
Just after EIla left Yumi's studio,
he made a series of phone calls to someone here at Modern Fashion.
Someone who must have known Yumi's secret,
who was helping him cover it up,
someone who knew that if the truth got out, it could destroy them both.
There's only one person it could be.
Who?
We go to print in one week on this issue
and I'm still not happy with the cover options.
And we're still not there with the Fab Five spread.
Now go. Please, make it better.
Julian, a word.
(CLOSES DOOR)
What was your first reaction when you saw Yumi's design submission?
Blown away. That's why I nominated him.
Now is there a reason why you didn't come to me
and tell me when he confessed to you that he stole EIla's design?
What do you mean?
I had a word with Yumi this morning.
He told me you've known for a while.
And he also said it was your idea to change my calendar.
He's lying.
But then I spoke to Mr. Carter and he confirmed my suspicion.
You've been gunning for my job.
What does that prove?
It proves that you tried to kill two birds with one stone.
You changed my calendar in order to discredit EIla and undermine me.
You don't know what you're talking about.
Don't even...
You're fired.
I can walk out of here
and get hired at any magazine I want by the end of the day.
You won't be applying for a new job anytime soon, Julian.
(HUFFS) This is ridiculous.
Matilda King, she takes pleasure in torturing people like this.
Fact is, her story is as crazy as she is.
Except we searched the dumpsters around your apartment
and we found EIla's scarf.
The one that you used to strangle her.
The lab also found two sets of DNA on that scarf,
EIla's and yours.
I'm not gonna say another word until my lawyer is present.
So what did the DA say?
That Julian's going to plead "not guilty," take his chances at trial.
The good news is, Yumi cut a deal to avoid charges.
I guess murder is not his type of accessory.
Yeah. He confessed to telling Julian that EIla figured it all out,
and Julian told him that he would "take care" of her.
So I guess the Fab Five is going to be the Fab Four this year.
I always thought that the fashion industry seemed glamorous.
Turns out, mobsters are more ethical.
Oh, my gosh. Why do you think I quit? I'll take murderers over models any day.
If only murderers were this hot.
- I've got a bit of paperwork to do. - Ugh!
Boring paperwork, that is my cue to leave.
I'll see you later?
Yeah. Yeah, I'll see you when I'm done.
(LOCK CLICKS)
(CHAIN RATTLING)
Hey. Shall I pour you a glass?
Uh, no, not right now.
Everything all right?
We have to talk. (SIGHS)
Wow. That's something people say before they deliver bad news.
Um...
You know, when you called last night about the venue,
I was with Matilda. She wanted me to model a dress.
And it was a wedding dress.
And when I saw myself in it, I started to think about my mom.
She would have loved to have been a part of all of this.
To help pick out the flowers, and try on the dresses and...
When I looked at myself in the mirror,
I halfway expected to see her right behind me.
And she wasn't there.
And just for a moment I thought to myself,
"I don't know if I can do all this without her."
And that's why I said no when you asked about the venue.
I'm so sorry. It was so stupid...
No.
No, not stupid.
Human.
Do you know what else I wish she could experience?
You.
Really?
Yeah. She would've loved you.
You know, Kate,
if you need more time...
No. No, I don't need any more time.
I don't even want us to wait until the fall.
I think we can find a new venue in the spring.
You think we can pull it off?
Yeah.
I mean, I already have the dress. Ripped By mstoll