'Castle' Recap: 'Almost Famous'

Esposito asks if Derek ever took male jobs, but Lloyd tells them he didn’t but he could have had contact with a man at his other job. Derek worked at a strip club called The Package Store a couple nights a week. Lloyd says most of the guys working at the club use steroids. He also tells them that Derek had problems with some of the guys at the club.

Back at the precinct, the teams sans Castle are looking at the website for the package store. None of the men on the website have long blond hair, but it could just be because the pictures are old. Beckett finds Castle and they go to the club, which is full of muscled, oiled up men. Beckett is all fancified for the occasion. When Castle asks why Ryan and Esposito couldn’t cover the club, Beckett tells him they called, "Not it."

Back at the precinct, we find out that Esposito is offended that the agent didn’t want him as stripper.

At the strip club, Castle is surrounded by women until Beckett shows up. He tells the group of girls Beckett is his girlfriend and they clear out quick. Beckett talked to one of the bartenders who told Beckett that Derek was having trouble with a guy named Hans, who was upset that Derek got to be the headliner. Castle wants to go backstage and question him, but Beckett says there is no need because he in the nest act as firemen. Hans just happens to have long blond hair. Beckett tries to get him off the stage but the men surround her and dance. Castle uses a fire extinguisher to get their attention.

Team Castkett questions Hans Von Mannschaft (yes, you read that right) in his dressing room. He says Derek never rehearsed their routines and preferred to pursue acting. Hans is surprised to hear that Derek is dead. He says he had nothing to do with it and that his hair could have gotten on Derek’s clothes in the closet they all shared. He was on stage stripping at the time of the murder. Hans tells them that Derek had a girlfriend who is a cougar and sugar mama, but Hans also said that Derek might have broken up with her because she always sent him flowers but Derek didn’t get any last week.

Back at the precinct, Ryan and Esposito found the flower shop that Derek’s girlfriend used. Turns out the girlfriend is former model/rich widow, Rebecca Dalton. Castle postulates the murder scenario in which Rebecca murders Derek out of jealousy. Beckett is, of course, annoyed and them go home.

Castle returns to his apartment to find his mother and Alexis running lines for Grease. She is up against one other girl for the part of Sandy, so they are doing a dress rehearsal. Martha is wearing skintight black pants and looks fabulous. Castle says that Martha is good with Alexis and dedicated to being an actress. She marvels that her son is paying her a compliment.

Team Castkett goes to Rebecca’s apartment to question her. Castle suggests they cast Aston and Demi in the Lifetime Movie of Derek and Rebecca’s story before they enter her apartment. Rebecca has her lawyer, Michael Grant, present. Rebecca tells Castle and Beckett that she met Derek at an auction party and he later told her that he was hired by the party’s host to mingle and encourage people to bid in the auction. She liked him anyway. She says they broke up because their relationship had run its course. Michael informs them that Rebecca broke off the relationship because Derek asked her for $25,000 but wouldn’t tell her why. She also thought Derek might have been cheating on her. She had Michael hire a private investigator to follow Derek. Michael says the pictures show Derek with a bad crowd.

The team goes through the pictures at the precinct, they see Derek with a biker chick and one of Billy Grimm, the criminal Derek portrayed, in one of the pictures. Grimm’s rap sheet says he is guilty of extortion, armed robbery, etc. and when the episode of America’s Most Dangerous Criminals aired, Grimm was wanted for attempted murder. Grimm chained a guy that owed him money to the back of his bike and dragged him on the highway. Derek’s TV appearance helped bring Grimm to justice but since Grimm’s victim wouldn’t testify, Grimm was released from jail. But he told the press when he was arrested that he was going to take down everyone at the TV show for getting him arrested especially Derek for making him look stupid.