Castle Episode 5.03 Secret's Safe with Me

Yes, Castle and Beckett team up to solve another puzzling, perplexing murder mystery. But it's the unexpected, heartfelt, moving moments outside the case that make this one special. Alexis is moving out. Castle and Beckett know their partnership will be kaput if word gets out about their relationship. Oh, and believe it or not, Captain Gates actually starts to warm up to Castle. Seriously!

Alexis is bringing everything she owns to her dorm room at Columbia. At least, that's what it looks like to Castle. Packed in his little girl's mountain of boxes are items like the gold medal he got her when she first rode her bike without training wheels. Martha encourages Castle to tell Alexis about his relationship with Beckett before she moves away. Yes, she knows. A mother always knows. Now, onto the murder mystery.

25-year-old Wendy Dupree was shot dead in the chest. The word "LIE" is written in blood by her body. She had $4,000 in cash in an envelope found in the dumpy hotel where she was staying. That's a lot of cash for a waitress at the best cheesesteak place in Philly according to her boss. Castle believes his statement is a tad presumptuous. We'll reserve judgment until we do some more cheesy research "wit" fried onions.

Castle and Beckett realize that bloody word "LIE" is actually the number "317" upside down. It belongs to a repossessed storage unit that's up for auction. Castle happens to have $2,000 in cash on him so he engages in a bidding war with a mystery man who really wants that unit. It takes some bluffing and a promise to a guy named Big Percy that Castle will use his mom's name in his next book to win the auction.

There's lots of junk in the storage unit including a porcelain Gemini Collectible figurine. Captain Gates has been searching for one of these for years, so she's extremely grateful to Castle when he gives it to her. She even starts reading/loving Castle's books. As for the case, the storage unit belonged to the victim's twin brother, Wendell, who was killed six weeks ago after being hit by a subway train. Wendy was convinced her brother's death was no accident.

Wendell worked for a wealthy socialite named Angelica Henley (the "g" is silent). As it turns out, a $4 million bracelet was stolen from this rich lady's wall safe a few days before Wendell was killed. Castle and Beckett think the bracelet may have been in the storage unit. They believe the mystery bidder at the auction was asked to be a proxy for Wendell's partner, a guy named Marco Vinstrolli, who broke into the storage unit earlier.

The team tracks down Vinstrolli as he's trying to crack the safe he took from the storage unit. The guy's no killer and there's no bracelet in the safe. This leads the team back to Angelica with the silent "g." Castle and Beckett do that banter thing they do so well to deduce that the socialite made up the robbery story as part of an insurance fraud scheme. Still, she insists she wasn't in cahoots with Wendell.

Alexis is nervous about being on her own away from home. She knows that her dad won't be there in the morning when she wakes up anymore. Castle assures her that he'll always be there for her regardless of the geography. He even checks under her dorm bed for monsters one last time. It's a completely moving moment, but Castle holds back the tears until he gets outside. An equally sad Martha promises she'll continue to live with him, rent free of course, so he'll never, ever be alone. She's such a good mom.

As far as the case, Castle believes there's something of value amongst the storage unit junk. He smashes open the Gemini figurine. It's empty. That's because it's the one Captain Gates brought from home. Remember how she was starting to like Castle? Now... not so much. Castle smashes the other figurine to find a glass eye and a USB drive inside.

The thumb drive contains photos from the hit and run accident that killed the mother and father of the twins. Wendell was on a mission to find the driver. That's what led him to work for the lady with the silent "g." Wendell knew the person responsible for the death of his parents was Angelica's live-in servant. He stole the guy's glass eye to prove he was the driver through DNA. This revelation allows Castle make a statement he's been waiting to utter for many, many years. He exclaims, "The butler did it!" Case closed.

Now we said there were a lot of memorable moments outside the case. Beckett getting Castle coffee for a change is one. Castle also wants to kiss Beckett smack dab in the middle of the squad room. They have to settle for the best handshake ever. Finally, Castle finds a little stick man in Beckett's desk. There's a nice story behind it about when her dad took her to Coney Island just after her mom's funeral. The stick man she made with her dad that day serves as a reminder that even on the worst days there's a possibility for joy. Nice.