A young woman’s body is found burning in a barrel. The victim is Melanie Rogers. Phone records have her making a bunch of calls to a Washington, DC number. Castle and Beckett hear an audio recording of Melanie’s murder on a voicemail message. She was killed in a parking structure as she rattled off part of a license number. Sounds of a lighter being clicked are heard after the gunshot. Castle and Beckett learn that Melanie was dropped at a swanky hotel before she was killed. She was there to meet Senator William Bracken. As we learned in “After the Storm,” this is the man responsible for killing Beckett’s mother.

The Washington number Melanie had been calling is for Bracken’s cell. When Ryan and Esposito interview the shady senator, he says that Melanie was working with him on an important legislation he’s unveiling. Bracken quickly realizes that the boys work with Beckett. He also alibis out. In other news, the team finds the car matching the license plate Melanie mentioned. There’s high-powered rifle in the trunk along with a map of the hotel where Bracken is going to give a speech. The senator isn’t the killer. He’s the target.

Captain Gates recommends that Bracken cancel his big speech. Whoever killed Melanie Rogers is still out there gunning for him. The speech will go on as planned, as the senator is unveiling an environmental initiative that will send his career to the next level. During a private chat, Bracken says that he believes having someone out there trying to kill him must be a dream come true for Beckett. That’s not true at all. Beckett says, “In my dream, I’m the one that gets to pull the trigger.”