Dreams of Future Past

Chapter 21

Bridesmaid Sophie Ronson will never lead a bride down the aisle. She'll never go anywhere again. She was choked from behind; her windpipe crushed. One of her earrings is missing, torn from her lobe. Why? She was killed between three and five in the morning. She should have been in bed. Was she? Did she quarrel with a lover? But why would a lover choke her from behind? It would be more passionate and personal to do it face to face.

The bride, Kyra Blaine, hadn't seen Sophie since the rehearsal dinner. And she hadn't even talked to her then. Who doesn't speak to her own bridesmaid? Oh. The groom, Greg, says Sophie introduced him to Kyra. Had something been going on between those two?

It's about time Castle showed up. Is that adhesive on his pants leg? She's not even going to ask. But he wants to hear something. He dares her to tell him that she's never torn a picture of a wedding dress out of a magazine. Damn! Of course, she has. She thought about the perfect day. She just never met anyone she wanted to have it with. Until… No. Better to lie to Castle than to let what she's thinking show. But he knows she's lying. The boys do too. She usually has a better poker face than that.

Castle knows Kyra. They a lot more than know each other. She's never seen Castle look at anyone that way. And Kyra is gazing at him just as soulfully. It doesn't look like they can see anyone else. What were they to each other? Was Castle really in love with Kyra? Is he still? Acid is rising in her throat at the thought. Lanie has something, but Castle won't leave Kyra. He just says he'll catch up.

This is getting worse and worse. Lanie thinks Kate shouldn't be OK with Castle's history with Kyra. She isn't, but she can't admit that to Lanie. It would make it too real.

Castle says that Kyra is the one that got away. What does that mean? Were Meredith and Gina consolation for losing the woman he loved? If she and Castle ever did get together, would she be another booby prize? That's not going to happen, is it?

Groomsman Mike Weitz is missing. He was with Sophie at the rehearsal dinner. Could they have had a hookup that went wrong? People hook up at weddings all the time, don't they? The last entry to Mike's room was at 2 a.m. That fits. She tells the boys to pull security, but Castle notices the video cameras the guests at the dinner had been using. At least his head isn't completely in the clouds.

Sophie got a call and left - right in the middle of a speech.

The call came from the hotel lobby. Ryan recognizes the caller as a violent drug dealer. Could Sophie have been trying to make a buy that went wrong?

Why did she have to be alone in an elevator with Kyra? What can she say? Kyra's wedding dress is a safe topic and it is beautiful. Kyra says she feels like she knows Kate a bit from the dedication of Rick's book. She can't think of him as Castle, just Rick. Kyra still reads all of Rick's books. Yes of course she does. But she also says that Rick only dedicates his books to people he really cares about. Really? Does Kyra really think Castle cares about Kate? She seems to read him better than Kate has ever been able to. Damn! She's a cop. She should be better than that.

Sophie bought roofies. Castle can't figure out why a woman would roofie a man. In his opinion, she would just have to ask. Do women ask him to go to bed with them? Does he just do it? That's an image she doesn't want to envision.

Kyra's mother has always disapproved of Castle. Maybe he got away easy not having the bitch as his mother-in-law. But even when he was young, he was well on his way to being a successful author. What did she think was wrong with him?

Mike was drugged and locked in a closet. He's of the same mind as Castle. A woman doesn't have to roofie a guy. All she has to do is ask. But if Sophie didn't want sex, what did she want? Mike isn't missing anything but his key card. Even Castle doesn't have a theory - not even one of his crazy ones.

The boys are stuffing their faces. In her present mood it's like itching powder on her skin. They should be working on finding out what Sophie was up to and solving the case. The sooner Castle is away from Kyra, the better. Oh, God! Is that what she's really worried about?

There Castle and Kyra are, staring into each other's eyes again. What the hell was going on? He offers Kate cake. Sugar won't help.

An elevator again. It might as well be a confessional. She doesn't ask, but Castle tells her anyway. He and Kyra were together for almost three years. It's hard for her to picture it. Kyra isn't at all like Meredith or the women who hang themselves all over him. She's real. Castle liked real. When did he stop? Or did he? Is she real? She doesn't feel that way. When is she straight with him? Almost never. Maybe that's why he's so drawn to Kyra. He wants someone who can open up. But Kate just can't - at least not yet.

Lanie accuses Kate of being jealous of Kyra. As usual, Lanie is right, but Kate's not about to admit that to anyone, not even her best friend.

That's why the name Kyra Blaine was familiar. Castle's second book was dedicated to her. No wonder she said he only dedicates his books to people he really cares for.

Whatever else is going on, case wise, she and Castle are still on the same wavelength. It's almost spooky. They think of the key card at exactly the same time. Sophie needed it to unlock Mike's door so she could get into Greg's adjoining room. And Sophie's earring is there. Was the groom getting in some last licks that went all wrong? Castle likes Greg for the murder way too much. Could he think that if Greg is the killer, it will open the door for him to get back together with Kyra?

That's the way Greg reads it. He wants Castle gone from the interrogation. Castle is asking all the right questions, even if he has an ulterior motive. Castle weaves a good story, but Kate doesn't have enough to hold Greg. Or does she? The earring is pretty damning. Maybe she doesn't want to hold him.

She's beginning to think Kyra's a suspect. What if she discovered Greg was cheating on her, confronted Sophie and killed her? Castle doesn't buy it. In truth, neither does Kate. If Kyra confronted Sophie, why would Sophie have been strangled from behind? There would more likely have been scratches on her face and defensive wounds. And Kyra is tiny. She probably could have curled up in Castle's lap. No! Scratch that image! Could Kyra have crushed Sophie's throat that way? People do strange things in a jealous rage. Kate's going to put surveillance on Kyra anyway. And she tells Castle to stay away from the would-be bride.

Kate stares at the pictures. She was right. Castle does want to get back together with Kyra. He ignored her orders and met his former lover anyway. The way he held Kyra, even before he kissed her; Kate can almost feel the love radiating from the photographs.

He still comes to her with coffee. She has to give him a chance to confess. The metaphor with the chair is lame, but she can't think of anything better. It's enough. He admits he was there but argues that he and Kyra just kissed. Just? They were heating up the night! And the one time he ever kissed Kate was only on the cheek, even if he had been trying to talk her into more.

Castle knows her too well. He points out that if Kyra had killed Sophie, it would have been a crime of passion. She wouldn't have been at risk of committing another murder. Watching her was a waste of police resources. He's right, but if she can't admit she was jealous to Lanie, she's sure as hell not going to admit it to him.

Sophie flew in early for the wedding. Why? What was she doing? She was broke, but being in a wedding is expensive. Kate knows that too well from having been a bridesmaid herself - six times. The dresses alone made a serious dent in her bank account. And Sophie had to pay for an airline flight and $200 worth of roofies. She paid for everything in cash. Where did she get the money?

It was Greg's Uncle Teddy. He'd claimed he hardly knew Sophie, but he'd paid for her dress. He used cash too. The only reason to do that is to avoid having the money traced.

And it was all about money. Teddy had been stealing from Greg, who would have come into a $2 million trust fund when he was married. Teddy enlisted Sophie to sleep with Greg, whom she'd slept with before, to stop the wedding. But it didn't work. Greg really loves Kyra. Even Castle can see that.

Teddy had to find another way to stop the ceremony, so he killed Sophie. The platinum from his tie tack in the wounds on Sophie's back proves it. If Kate had thought more about it, those wounds would have cleared Kyra as well. There is no way they could have resulted from a cat fight, no matter how vicious.

Castle is playing the recording of Greg's declaration of love for Kyra. Kate wishes she could read lips to know what they're saying. Kyra kisses Castle again but on the cheek this time. It's goodbye. Kyra tells Kate that Castle is all hers. Is he really?

The bouquet. How did she catch Kyra's bouquet? She wasn't even trying. Was it a sign?

If it was, she didn't take it for one. She wasn't ready. Now she never would be.