Episode 3 of *Only Murders in the Building* Season 5 opens with Charles delivering a richly detailed narration of the Arconia building’s storied past, tracing its roots back to the bustling 1910s and the era of the Industrial Revolution. He recounts how the basement, originally serving as a stable, was later transformed into glitzy gaming rooms, ultimately becoming a clandestine casino where the mob held sway for years.
Fast-forwarding to the present day, Mabel and Charles are engaged in a hushed conversation about the secret casino lurking within the building’s bowels. Suddenly, their discussion is interrupted by Oliver’s voice echoing through a vent. Following the sound, they uncover the hidden casino tucked away directly beneath the dry cleaner’s shop, owned by the enigmatic Nicky.
In a shocking twist, Oliver reveals that Nicky has met his demise, sending him into a panic over the possibility that his DNA is splattered all over the deceased mobster’s corpse. In a desperate attempt to cover his tracks, Oliver smuggles Nicky’s body into the building and concocts a series of comical excuses whenever Uma’s curiosity gets the better of her.
Gathered in Charles’ apartment, the trio embarks on a macabre mission to scrub away any traces of Oliver’s DNA from Nicky’s decomposing remains. After much deliberation, they ultimately decide to return the body to its original hiding spot. True to form, Charles begins to hallucinate, imagining a bizarre conversation with the lifeless Nicky.
Driven by a mix of curiosity and necessity, the trio resolves to conduct an impromptu autopsy on Nicky’s body, as this marks the first time they’ve encountered a victim about whom they know next to nothing. During their gruesome examination, they discover that Nicky’s fingers are all intact, but his nails bear telltale residues from the casino tables hidden in the basement.
Mabel boldly claims that Lester was also present in the casino room, suggesting a possible link between the deaths of both Nicky and Lester. Charles counters, pointing out that Nicky only passed away recently, weeks after Lester's demise. The trio then set out to examine Nicky's body, looking for signs of rigor mortis, and notice that blood has pooled in his legs. They meticulously photograph Nicky's corpse and assemble a crime board to piece together the puzzle.
Mabel observes that the decomposition of Nicky's body indicates a recent death. As they bond over some leftover Chinese food, the night turns into an intense session of analyzing Nicky's body. Oliver ponders aloud whether Nicky was a narcissist, recalling how he had spoken to Lester in his final moments.
Mabel draws a conclusion that Nicky's body might have been stored in a freezer, which could explain the lack of decomposition. She also discovers a piece of paper lodged in Nicky's mouth that bears a striking resemblance to a page from Lester’s ledger.
The trio transports Nicky’s body back through the main elevator, an act that elicits some questionable and suspicious reactions from the building's residents. Meanwhile, Oliver engages Randall in conversation and attempts to seize Lester’s ledger from him.
In a chance encounter, Mabel runs into her old friend, Althea (affectionately known as Thé), who has since become a renowned musician. Thé reveals that she has bought the penthouse in the building. Mabel feels a twinge of intimidation by Thé's success and declines Thé's offer to be featured on their podcast.
Back at the dry cleaners, Charles finds himself alone, struggling to return the dead body to its place. Just then, the police arrive and take custody of Nicky’s body. Charles, with a keen eye for detail, notices that the cops seem to have prior knowledge of Nicky’s body being there and even fabricate a false time of death. He discreetly snaps a photo of the officers.
At the same moment, Oliver successfully grabs the ledger from Randall and rushes to his apartment, where Mabel and Charles are already waiting. Upon inspection, they discover that a page from the ledger is missing. Mabel, using a crayon, traces the indentations on the paper and uncovers that the missing page from Lester’s ledger contains names of birds. As they attempt to decode the significance of the bird names, Mabel drops a bombshell: the Casino opens every Saturday at midnight.
That very night, the trio made up their minds to head over to the destination. Meanwhile, Oliver made his way back to return the ledger to Randall and, in a kind-hearted gesture, attempted to lift the spirits of the new doorman, who was clearly struggling to step into Lester's rather large shoes.
The trio arrived at the casino just before the stroke of midnight. As they stepped inside, their eyes fell upon three billionaires who seemed to command the very air around them. There was Sebastian, also known as Bash, Steed, a tech mogul with a staggering $53 billion to his name; Jay Pflug, the heir to a pharmaceutical empire worth a cool $19 billion; and Camila While, a hotel magnate whose fortune stood at an impressive $47 billion.
After some observation and quiet discussion among themselves, the trio reached a consensus: these billionaires were, without a doubt, the new faces of the mafia underworld. As the episode drew to a close, the scene shifted to Jay, who was in the process of pouring himself a drink. It was then that the trio's attention was caught by a peculiar detail - Jay was missing a finger, a fact that seemed to add an extra layer of mystery and intrigue to the already enigmatic figure.
