- [Castle and Beckett going through Bracken's hate mail]
- Richard Castle: Man, these people need to get a life. Most of these guys, it seems their only companionship is the space alien that talks to them through their microwave.
- Kate Beckett: Yeah, well, there's a lot of lonely and confused people out there, but so far none of the letters match the handwriting in our the suspect's notebook.
- Richard Castle: Considering what he's capable of, you would think Bracken would have more... formidable enemies.
- Kate Beckett: Oh, obviously you never saw the letter that I sent him.
- Richard Castle: No, I did actually. I liked the way you uh, dotted the 'I' on "kill" with a little heart. It was a nice touch.
- Kate Beckett: Well, I was trying to give it a personal feel.
- [after Beckett saves the Senator from a bomb blast]
- Richard Castle: I wouldn't have done it, you know, what she did... I'd have stood and watched.
- Senator William H. Bracken: Well... Hard to miss the irony of this situation.
- Kate Beckett: Senator Bracken, do you have any enemies? Is there anyone that you can think of that would like to kill you?
- Senator William H. Bracken: I get threatening letters and e-mails all the time, comes with the office. My chief of staff keeps a file.
- Kate Beckett: Anyone with a legitimate claim?
- Senator William H. Bracken: A man doesn't get to my position without upsetting people along the way. Most of them aren't... crazy enough to wanna try to *kill* me... Present company excluded.
- Kate Beckett: You know, Senator... I'm not the one that you should be worried about right now.
- Senator William H. Bracken: It's just us here, Detective. A shooter on the loose, me in the crosshairs. Must be a dream come true for you.
- Kate Beckett: In my dreams, I'm the one that gets to pull the trigger... But you know what? If you're not comfortable with me leading this investigation, you're welcome to step outside and tell everyone why.
- [Bracken leans back in his chair, but doesn't reply]
- Kate Beckett: Well, then I guess we're stuck with each other. So, then let me make one thing clear. This man *killed* Melanie Rogers, and when someone commits murder, whoever he *is*, Senator... I will bring him to justice. No matter how long it takes.
- Kate Beckett: Hi, Robert... I'm Kate.
- [slides key to McManus]
- Kate Beckett: Why don't you take those things off? They look uncomfortable.
- [McManus takes the key and starts to unlock his cuffs]
- Kate Beckett: I know what it's like to lose someone that you love. To live with that pain. To feel the *rage* towards the person responsible for it... Towards Bracken...
- [cut to observation room as Captain Gates joins Castle]
- Kate Beckett: [over speaker] ... He took someone close to me. He killed my mother. And then he went after my friends. Even tried to kill me.
- Captain Victoria Gates: [to Castle] Is she talking about Bracken?
- Richard Castle: She's just trying to get through to him any way he can.
- [cut to back to interrogation room]
- Robert McManus: The man killed my son. No one cared.
- Kate Beckett: I care.
- Robert McManus: He needs to pay.
- Kate Beckett: Not with a *bomb*, Robert. You and me, we're not like him. We don't hurt innocent people.
- [first lines]
- Kate Beckett: So, what makes you so sure that Alexis isn't serious about this guy?
- Richard Castle: Well, I haven't met him or approved of him yet, so it can't be serious. All suitors must be met and intimidated by me, personally, before they can be considered for official boyfriend status.
- Kate Beckett: That's it. Esposito's confirmed it. The number that Melanie was calling was Senator Bracken's cell phone.
- Richard Castle: Late night phone calls, secret hotel meetings. Bracken was having an affair with Melanie. She must've become a liability.
- Kate Beckett: Or she stumbled onto something that he was involved in and became a threat.
- Richard Castle: So he dealt with her, the same way he dealt with your mother and tried to deal with you.
- Kate Beckett: This is it, Castle. This is my chance to finally make him pay.
- Richard Castle: Yeah, but we have to be cautious. We know what happens to people who go after him.
- Kate Beckett: Except this time he doesn't know we're onto him. We've got the advantage here.
- Richard Castle: Do we? What do you think he's gonna do when he sees you coming?
- [sees Bracken enter the precinct]
- Kate Beckett: I was gonna finally put this guy away, Castle. And now I'm protecting the man that murdered my mother.
- Kate Beckett: I'm working on this case where I need to find a suspect. And I came across a piece of evidence. It's a letter that he wrote. And there's... no address, there's no name. Just a postmark from New Jersey. And I know in my gut that this is our big break. One way or another, it's gonna lead us straight to him.
- Dr. Carter Burke: And yet here you are, talking to me.
- Kate Beckett: If we find this suspect, then someone worse, *much* worse, is going to escape justice.
- Dr. Carter Burke: I take it no one else knows about the letter.
- Kate Beckett: No. Not yet.
- Dr. Carter Burke: Well, as a police officer, you must've faced similar dilemmas.
- Kate Beckett: Yeah.
- Dr. Carter Burke: Why is this time different?
- Kate Beckett: Because this time, it feels like there's no right choice.
- Dr. Carter Burke: Maybe the right choice... is the one you can live with.
- Kate Beckett: [McManus blames Bracken for his son's death] McManus' son. Was that you?
- Senator William H. Bracken: If I said no, would you really believe me?
- [last lines]
- Richard Castle: My God... It was Ben Moss?
- Kate Beckett: Biggest kingmaker of 'em all.
- Richard Castle: But... Bracken only had him arrested. The way he was talking, I half expected the guy to die in a "plane crash" or some kind of mysterious "car accident."
- Kate Beckett: No, but this is so much better. Now, Bracken's a folk hero. The rare politician willing to stand up to special interests and fight for what's right, even if it costs him his life.
- Richard Castle: You're right. That's a better story... The kind of story that could make a guy president.
- Kate Beckett: He'll slip up eventually. And when he does, I'll be ready.
- Richard Castle: Hey, just spoke to Ryan. McManus is still out there. But, uh, the boys are going door-to-door in every building nearby.
- Kate Beckett: I had him in my sights... I had him.
- Richard Castle: So you missed. So what? It could happen to any...
- Kate Beckett: No. I didn't miss.
- Richard Castle: What do you mean?
- Kate Beckett: I found a letter... in the threats file... It was from McManus.
- Richard Castle: How long have you known about this?
- Kate Beckett: Since last night. McManus was accusing Bracken of murdering his son. I looked into it. He was a 24-year-old kid. He was an intern for Bracken's re-election campaign. He had a meeting scheduled with a reporter, and the next day they found him hanged.
- Richard Castle: And you think Bracken...
- Kate Beckett: I don't know, Castle. My God... I almost suppressed evidence. I was gonna burn that letter.
- Richard Castle: But you didn't.
- Kate Beckett: I didn't... miss... McManus. I looked him in the eye and I saw his pain. And I couldn't take that shot. What if I wanted him to get away? Wanted him to go through with this? Then what does that make me?
- Javier Esposito: We took a look into his financials. There're a series of large deposits made into his checking account.
- Senator William H. Bracken: Let me guess. Untraceable wire transfers bounced through shadow accounts in Switzerland and the Middle East?
- Richard Castle: Just like you would've done.