Tags

, ,

We see Ryan pacing in a bathroom with blood on his shirt. He then punches the mirror and we are taken back to six hours earlier. The four of them are just getting done with a crime stat briefing that took three hours. Esposito wants to go out to the Old Haunt but Ryan says that he can’t because he has another security gig with his brother in law. When they ask him who he is guarding this time he says that he can’t say.

Ryan is riding shotgun for his brother in law, Frank who used to work for VICE but has retired. We learn that Ryan will be guarding congressman Alex Lopez at a charity event for Pure Water. Frank introduces Ryan to the congressman. Lopez then introduces his wife, Mia and his chief of staff, Megan Brooks. Lopez says that he mostly needs protection of his image and that he might need guys that he can trust when it comes campaign time. We learn that a woman named Carolyn Decker is the founder of Pure Water.

At the event we see Ryan scoping out the press and recognize a guy from the list. Ryan stops him and see’s that he had a bottle of blood. The security takes him away as Lopez continues to the cocktail party. Lopez talks to a few important people and then heads backstage for his speech. Lopez wants to talk to Carolyn and asks for some space. Frank goes to the front of the stage while Ryan stays in the back. Everything is going fine until Ryan hears gunshots and tackles the both of them to the ground. Frank comes and Ryan see’s a guy fleeing in a grey suit and chases after him. However, Ryan is too slow and the guy gets away as cops come into the building and tell him to drop his gun.

We see Ryan in the bathroom again as he punches the mirror and then leaves. He runs into Frank who tells him that Lopez was hit in his collarbone but will be okay and Decker is in surgery still. Frank and Ryan run through what happened again and remembers that the guy had a press pass on. Ryan then gets a call from Beckett who tells him that Decker is dead and that she’s working the case.

Ryan goes back to the scene and is remembering what happened when a man approaches. Ryan says that the area is off-limits and learns that the man is Deckers dad. Frank tells Ryan that the shooter got his hands on an extra press pass. Beckett and Castle are at the hospital and are on the way to talk to Lopez when they run into Jim Boyce, the state party chair. He tells them that he’s glad that Beckett is on the case because of her reputation.

When they talk to Lopez they learn that he saw the guy in the grey suit as well and gives them a description. They identify him as Eric Chambers, a fringe blogger and political activist. CSU found his hand print on the wall at the scene so they go to pick him up. Ryan and Esposito are waiting in the car until they see Chambers on the street. Chambers see’s them and then makes a run for it. Ryan and Esposito chase after him and catch him as he tries to climb a fence.

Beckett is interrogating Chambers but he refuses to talk. Ryan and Esposito tell them that they found the gun in a storm drain not far from the hotel. They decide to track Chambers movement from photos at the event. They find a five minute window when Chambers was unaccounted for and was last seen by a storage room that was unlocked. They question him and learn that Chamber was talking to Carl Shelton, a billionaire industrialist.

When they bring Shelton in he denies knowing and talking to Chambers. Shelton also funds a grassroots organization that Chambers co-founds. Ryan has a theory and calls Castle in the middle of the night to help him. In the morning, they call Beckett who comes to the scene and see’s lasers and body cutouts that prove that Chambers is not the shooter.

Back at the precinct they tell Gates what they found but she says until there is evidence that Chambers isn’t the shooter he is still the prime suspect. Ryan goes to talk to Chambers again and tells him that someone went through a lot of trouble to set him up and that now he is a loose end. Chambers tells Ryan that he wanted to make a political statement by confronting Lopez during his speech so it would be on the news. We learn that Shelton recognized Chambers and tried to talk him out of making a scene.

Chambers also told Ryan that the press pass was left in his mailbox. Esposito comes back with the ballistics report which proves that Chambers isn’t the guy. The shooter was behind the lighting stanchion. They realize that Decker might be the real target and decide to check out her life. They look at video footage of Chambers mail box and see a figure deliver the press pass three hours before the event. They can’t get a clear picture of his face but Ryan notices that it’s Frank.

Esposito tells them that Frank ran as soon as he saw the patrol car so Gates puts an APB out for him. Ryan goes to find Frank. He stops at his sister, Gwen’s apartment and learns that Frank has been getting close to $50,000 in cash over the past year.

Beckett is looking through Decker’s purse and finds a second phone. Ryan finds Frank and they talk about the money. Frank says that the money was for access to a concert or for a fringe journalist. When Frank tries to leave Ryan pulls his gun out. Frank is arrested as Ryan comes back to the precinct and tells them that someone paid him $5,000 and gave him an address of where to leave the pass. CSU pulled a partial print off the envelope.

They return to the hospital and talk to Mrs. Lopez. It was her print that was on the envelope. She tells them that she knew about the affair and that Alex and her had an agreement. She was in room 717 with someone at the time of the shooting. She says that the envelope came from the stationary that they use and her print could have gotten on there when she went to help send letters to constituents.

They matched the serial number from the bills to Lopez’s campaign travel account. They searched Brooks’ apartment and found the coat she was wearing had gunshot residue on it. Apparently, Decker had misgivings about Brooks and thought that Lopez could go far without her.

We learn that Beckett is studying to take the captains exam. Ryan takes Frank back home when Gwen opens the door and hugs Frank. She says thank you to Ryan and then he leaves.