Castle

Joseph... this is the last time we can do this.

What are you talking about? I'm going back to my husband.

Alfonso? I'm sorry.

Angie, baby, what about us?

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. That's him.

He's arrived.

Are you upstairs?

The closet.

Mi bello!

Alright...

What's going on fellas, the gag getting a little thin.

Oh, my God.

It's Sarah.

They killed Sarah.

I know you aren't cooking breakfast, so...

What is all this?

Spring cleaning.

Oh. Well, mother, I am, I am shocked.

That you even know how to operate a sponge.

Oh, I have cleaned before.

Well, I've supervised cleaning before.

And what has prompted, this sudden burst of domestic devotion?

The space for my acting school

won't be ready for another month,

Alexis is all busy with her A.P. tests,

my lunch date canceled... Oh.

And if I don't do something productive,

I'm gonna tear my hair out, so out my way. Pardon.

Oh.

Speaking of hair.

Hello, Beckett.

Yes. 1777 21st Street.

All right. I'll meet you there.

Did you say 1777 21st Street?

Yeah. There was a murder there. Why?

Oh, I know that address. That's Gemstar Studios.

That's where they film "Temptation Lane."

The soap opera you used to be on?

Oh, I-I hope it's nobody that I know.

Maybe I should go with you.

It's a crime scene, mother. We're trained professionals.

Richard Castle, you are neither trained

nor a professional.

I'll text you with updates.

Victim's name is Sarah Cutler.

Looks like she was killed last night

and stuffed into a closet on set.

- Was she a part of the production? - Yeah.

Let me guess. The diva actress that everyone hated.

Actually, Castle, she was a writer.

- A writer? - Mm-hmm.

Why would anyone want to kill a writer?

Oh, so many reasons.

Or maybe Sarah discovered

that Greek billionaire Mikkos had invented a machine

that could cause blizzards,

that would plunge the entire world into an ice age.

Really? You're gonna go with a

evil weather machine?

It already happened.

On "General Hospital." Look, bear in mind,

we're entering into a world of epic drama

with larger-than-life characters,

each one teeming with twisted secrets

and personal intrigue.

It stands to reason that the motive for this murder

will be worthy of a soap opera.

Castle, even in a world of epic drama,

the motives are usually quite ordinary.

Now does that look ordinary to you?

The victim with an ax in her back

on the set of her own show...

Odds are, the killer walks amongst us,

on this very soundstage.

So what have we got?

Her spinal cord was severed with the ax.

Upon contact, her lungs filled with blood,

'causing her to drown.

I can put the time of death in a 4-hour window,

somewhere between 7:00

and 11:00 P.M last night.

And where did this ax come from?

It's the fire ax from the stage.

Crew members think it might be symbolic.

Symbolic?

Well, when Ms. Cutler took over writing the show,

first thing she did was kill off

one of the main characters with an ax.

Now it saved the show, but some of

the fans were unhappy. You damn right we were unhappy.

Ashley Conrad was the matriarch of "Temptation Lane"

For 30 years, and then all of a sudden - Whap!

Lanie.

Right.

Based on the C.S.U sweep, she was killed right here.

The killer wiped up the blood spatter

and shoved her in the closet.

Which means they knew there was a closet,

to shove her into,

Suggesting someone familiar with the layout.

- An insider, perhaps? - Well, I just checked with security.

They're on high alert now, but as you can tell,

things aren't exactly buttoned up around here.

And what about the cameras?

Only one at the main entrance,

but no one was manning the entrance to this soundstage.

Oh, so it is possible that someone from the outside got in?

Have you talked to next of kin?

Husband was on set when the body was discovered.

Turns out, he's one of the directors. Okay, so why don't you guys

get statements from the actors that found her?

- Castle and I will talk to the husband. - Right.

It's tragic, really. I mean, Sarah was a gem.

Supremely talented too.

It all begins with the words.

- But it's also how you say them. - So true.

My performance brings Angela Cannon to life.

Without Sarah's words, I'd just be

an incredibly gorgeous woman named Mandy Bronson.

She really understood Joseph Fox.

My character.

He's very complicated.

Complicated? A 5 year old could write him.

You know, I'd be insulted

if you actually knew anything about acting.

Ms. Bronson,

What time did you leave the studio last night?

We wrapped at 6:00, and I went straight home.

I, um... I drew a bath, poured a glass of wine,

put on a little John Legend,

Then I slipped out of my silk robe

and let bubbles soak every inch of my body.

Dude.

Dude. Dude.

- I'm just... - Mr. Hastings, how about you?

Ditto. You also drew a bubble bath

and listened to some John Legend?

No, I left right after we wrapped.

- And when did you last see Sarah? - She came down to the set

- right before we shot a love scene. - Ha! More like a torture scene,

with me getting smothered by his bulk.

Why don't you get your ass to the gym?

I'll go to the gym if you pop a tic tac

the next time we have to kiss.

Can we get back to Sarah for just one more moment?

Did she have any enemies in the production?

No, no, Sarah was wonderful.

Everybody loved her.

She treated everyone with respect.

I can't imagine who would do this.

Mr. Powers, when was the last time you heard from your wife?

I, um, spoke with Sarah... last night, right...right here,

right where we're standing right now.

And what did the two of you talk about?

- End of the day, just touching base. - What time was that?

Maybe a little after 6:00. Uh, didn't you find it strange

that Sarah didn't come home last night? I'm used to it.

Sarah's the head writer. Long hours writing scripts

kind of comes with the territory.

She have any trouble with cast or crew?

Well, everybody here has an agenda,

and Sarah had to make a lot of tough decisions,

But nobody here would actually hurt her.

I mean, we're like a family. What about anyone outside the show?

No, not that I... Wait.

What? Fox can lover.

Fox can lover?

About a week ago, Sarah had this crazy, obsessed fan

kicked off the set.

Sh-she writes an unofficial blog about the show.

She's a shipper who goes by the screen name FoxCanLover.

- A shipper? - Uh, yeah, it's a person who invests

in the relationships of a show.

In this case, it would be Joseph Fox and Angela Cannon,

Hence FoxCan.

Exactly, but when she gets here, she loses it,

goes crazy, threatens Sarah.

- Security has to escort her off. - Do you know the lady's name?

No, I-I don't, but Sarah's assistant would.

Reese Harmon.

Is it true? Oh. It's true.

I'm so sorry. My baby's gone.

I'm sorry. This is, um,

this is Sarah's mom, Gloria Chambers.

Detective Beckett is investigating Sarah's murder.

It's so unfair.

I just got her back, and now she's gone.

Mrs. Chambers, were the two of you estranged?

We had been for years.

I gave her up for adoption when I was young.

What kind of monster would do this?

We don't know just yet, but we are gonna do

everything we can to bring them to justice.

You'd better, or I will sue the entire city

for every nickel it's worth.

Well, I understand being upset,

but threatening to sue?

Yeah, well, everybody processes their grief differently.

Yes, unless she's a gold-digging opportunist

who's insinuated herself back into her daughter's life