High Stakes

by Kim Robarts

Fandom: Monk

Rating: R

Ted Levine as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
Bitty Schram as Sharona Fleming
Jason Gray-Stanford as Lt. Randall Disher

High Stakes
by Kim Robarts

It was a wet, rainy afternoon when they found her. Beverley Thomas was lying under the San Francisco overpass. She'd been missing for exactly four weeks – her body was already badly
decomposed. But, the clothes she'd been reported missing in were still clinging to her tattered body, there was little doubt – it was murder.

The police force was already there, swarming about the scene like army ants, investigating every hair out of place, every speck of dust, every shred of evidence. Captain Leland Stottlemeyer seemed to be doing his own investigation, as he wandered off a bit from the crime scene – staring off down the road a bit.

Adrian Monk and Sharona Fleming were just trying to stay out of the way, as teams of people moved around them.

Adrian was soaking up the details of the crime, but didn't fail to notice something of the police captain as well in his observations.

"He is having problems with Karen!" Monk mumbled as he looked over at him lost in space.

"Who is?" Sharona asked, stopping to see if he was on to something.

"The captain…" Adrian replied.

Sharona just shook her head in disbelief. "Adrian! We have to concentrate here! We have a job to do!"

He nodded, solemnly – he knew she was right – but, he couldn't help his concern for Captain Stottlemeyer. He'd in all his years of working with him, never seen him in such a state.

His attire was uneven, his socks were mismatched, there were razor nicks all along his chin – a very unhappy man.

"Adrian, I think I found something!" exclaimed Sharona, suddenly. She had inadvertently stumbled over a shiny object on the edge of the highway, several feet from the crime scene.

Like instinct, she reached for one of Monk's moist wipes and bent down to gingerly pick it up in her fingers. She stood proud, as she presented him with what appeared to be a woman's earring with a small garnet stone nestled in the setting. But, she was dismayed to find he had his back to her.

"Adrian?! Adrian! Aren't you even listening to me? Ev – i – dence!!" she hissed, and felt more like kicking her easily distracted boss in his easily distracted butt.

"Hmm – oh, thanks!"

His eyes remained focused on the captain.

Stottlemeyer sensed he was being watched and turned a critical eye to Monk. But, Adrian's intense gaze was unwavering and it unnerved Leland Stottlemeyer, who turned away once more.

Finally, the captain spoke and when he did, he was very terse. "Disher, this is like a three-ring circus. We haven't got all day – what have you found?!"

Randall looked a little nervous to please him, thinking he'd perhaps done something wrong.

"Her name is Beverley Thomas of 19 Carvell Way. We found her ID in an abandoned purse nearby. We're not sure how she died – she's fully clothed, so it doesn't appear to be a sexual assault!"

Adrian intervened with Sharona's evidence, and his analysis thus far. "I think she was simply a hit and run – left to die by the highway. There is no evidence of a struggle or robbery, all her belongings are here and it looks like they've been tossed from her hand as if she had been struck. You can tell she'd not been thrown from a moving vehicle or she would have been clutching her purse in reaction to her fall…"

The captain sniffed in anger. "Did I ask for your verdict?

No! I'll let you know when I need your help, Monk!"

Glaring at him, bitterly, he turned his back to him and signalled Disher to follow. They marched off together.

Sharona looked astounded. "What the hell was that? He asks us to come out here, to help them with the case. You tell him what happened and this is the thanks we get?!"

"It's fine!" Adrian grumbled, he knew the captain wasn't in the best frame of mind today. He began to walk away from Sharona.

Sharona saw him leaving her side and ran after him. "Adrian? Adrian! It's not OK! He doesn't have the right to treat you like that!"

She grabbed his arm and forced him to face her.

"He's just acting out of frustration, it's nothing!" Adrian complained, looking at her with obvious pain in his face.

"He still shouldn't act like you're not here!"

Adrian, though he appreciated Sharona's concern, nodded solemnly and then returned to her stationwagon she'd parked further up the hill. He looked like the loneliest man in the world to her,
it broke her heart.

Sharona refused to let this lie, she'd been through this how many times now? And, each time Stottlemeyer had reprimanded Adrian for some sort of personal failure, the deeper he'd sink into a hole that was harder to pull him out of.

This time, the captain was going to hear what she really thought.

Turning on her heel, she marched past several plain-clothed officers ambling about the crime scene and walked right up to Captain Leland Stottlemeyer himself.

Disher looked at her with a mixture of fear and dismay. He searched over her petite figure for the invisible leash with Adrian Monk on the other end. He was no where to be seen.

"Captain! I want to talk to you!"

Stottlemeyer rolled his eyes at the sound of her voice, `Here we go!' he thought `Sharona on the attack!'. He turned to expect to look into Adrian Monk's rather penetrating eyes, but instead had to look down some to see Sharona Fleming standing there quite alone, but with an equally infuriated stance nevertheless.

She had her hands on the hips of her low-slung jeans. This wasn't good.

He grumbled to himself. `I seem to be making a lot of women angry of late!'

"Yes, Sharona, what is it?" he answered. He tried always to keep a measure of calm and civility when dealing with the opposite sex.

"I think it's unfair the way you treat Adrian! You ask him to work with you and when he gives you the answers you need, you just blow him off!!"

Suddenly, Adrian came running down the road, slightly out of breath and a look of evident panic on his otherwise calm face. "Sharona!!"

"Is that true, Monk?!" snarled the captain, as he looked up to see him approaching, right on cue. Silently he begged Adrian to rein her in.

"No, I mean – whatever she's told you…!" he chimed in, hoping to save face.

She turned to cast him an intimidating look. "Don't do this to me!"

"Listen, sir – I know you're having a hard time with your marriage, but I don't think you should be taking it out on others…"

Adrian said, looking at his superior with sympathy in his face.

Disher looked surprised, this was news to him.

"What are you talking about?" Leland mumbled, nervously. "I'm not having problems!"

Adrian gave a signal that he wished to talk to the captain in private, leaving Disher and Sharona standing next to one another in an awkward silence.

As soon as Monk and Stottlemeyer were well outside of earshot, the captain asked. "How did you know?"

Monk started to explain, but he stopped him.

"It doesn't matter. Yeah, I have been having difficulties with Karen and no, it's not effecting my work!"

Adrian looked deep into Leland's green eyes and instantly knew it was lie. "Captain, we've known one another for twelve years – we even went out a couple of times with Karen and Trudy for dinner. I can tell that it's different this time."

He lowered his gaze with those words, he seemed to shuffle his feet and dig his shoes into the dust. "It is, we've talked of divorce!"

"What? Oh God!" Adrian lamented, as if he'd just heard of a death. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, well, it's just talk! But, I think she'd like it.

She told me she was tired of living as the wife of a cop!"

"I'm sure she's just angry…" Adrian empathized.

Leland cut him off. "Flowers won't cut it this time!"

Adrian didn't know what else to tell him, in the affairs of the heart – he wasn't really an expert.

"Adrian!" The captain addressed him a different tone. "Would you care to go out for a beer after? I could use someone to talk to – we could go to that place up the block from where you live, that way you can walk."

Monk hesitated, but then nodded – he had nothing more important to do tonight. "Sure – umm – sure…"

"And could you please tell Sharona it's nothing personal!"

Stottlemeyer growled, glancing over at his assistant who was still giving him the evil eye.

Monk nodded.

"She is very protective though – she's doing her job," Stottlemeyer replied, smirking briefly at her.

"Sometimes too much so -" Adrian lamented. He craned his head to his shoulder, as a twitch overtook him in response.

"Well, I think she was a good choice."

Adrian grinned at him. "I do too!"

"I'm glad I could help," he answered Monk, briefly forgetting his rules of personal space, the captain patted him on the shoulder. "And I am glad you're here."

"Captain, you don't have to explain…"

"No, no! I do! If it wasn't for your help – well – I hate to admit this, a good forty percent of the cases would remain unsolved."

Monk just grinned at him, expectantly.

"Alright, alright – eighty percent!"

Adrian laughed at him. "It's no problem – it gets me out of the house."

Now, both men laughed.

Disher and Sharona looked positively shocked at their change in mood. It was like they were old friends.

"One more thing, Monk. Even though I'm having problems currently with Karen. I never told you, thank you for helping bring us together."

"You're welcome!" He answered him.

With that, the conversation was over. Adrian told Sharona everything had been worked out and they were heading off for the car, when they heard Stottlemeyer shout.

"Adrian!! Seven o'clock at McMarley's Pub on 69th!"

Adrian waved at him to acknowledge receipt of the message.

Sharona at his side, looked up at him questioningly.

"What was that all about?"

"Just going out for a beer with the captain," he explained.

There was a look of glee in her eyes, but Adrian quickly burst her bubble. "No, it's just a drink!"

"You need to be more positive, this could be a big step!" Sharona answered.

Monk only half listened to her, smiling at her concern.

(Later on that evening at 7PM):

Adrian was unsure how to dress for a casual night out with one of the guys, he wasn't used to this sort of thing. He was about to put on some rather musky-smelling cologne that Sharona's sister, Gail bought for him for Christmas, but as soon as he put it on…he recognized his mistake. His nose began to burn and he wondered just how toxic the stuff really was.

Running for his bathroom to wash the junk off, he heard someone honking their horn outside.

At first, he disregarded it, thinking it was for the people next door – but, when the person wouldn't let up. Adrian could stand it no longer and went to see what was going on.

Peering cautiously out his front window, he could see Captain Stottlemeyer standing out by the curb outside his car, which was still running. He spotted Monk and was signalling for him to come down.

Adrian couldn't understand it, did he change his mind on which pub to go to and decide to instead pick him up?

Gathering up his coat, making sure everything was locked up, he went downstairs to meet him.

"Ah, there you are Monk! We have a little change of plans. I have to go on a stakeout. Remember the Smith case in the news – well, he's meeting Girbaldi tonight. I didn't have enough men out on the field – so I'm going. Care to be my back up?"

Monk stonewalled, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Look, you don't have to, but since you're an ex-cop, you have the experience I need!"

He was nearly begging, and with the look in his eyes, Adrian realized he just needed companionship.

"Alright!" Adrian confirmed. Maybe Sharona was right – maybe this was a step to reinstatement.

"Good – get in!" Stottlemeyer answered and jumped into the driver's side. Monk climbed in next to him. He didn't voice it, but he wasn't too keen on sitting in a car in complete darkness in some sort of out of the way neighbourhood.

But, it was really too late anyhow, soon the car pulled away and they were travelling for the home of Mr. Smith.

(An hour later, on West Havelock Street):

Stottlemeyer was calmly sipping a tall cup of coffee and watching intently the dimly-lit street they sat on. Up and down the cul-de-sac were nothing but rows upon rows of two decker family homes. Typical suburbia. And all the children were already tucked in bed for the night. The street was dead.

Except for 1213 West Havelock, a lovely blue-colored house across the street from the park, there there were a steady stream of cars pulling in and out every half hour. This didn't escape the
captain's attention.

Adrian looked less pleased to be here than his `partner'.

He had begged a half an hour ago for him to turn on the light over their heads, but Stottlemeyer staunchly refused as it would reveal them as clear as day. He also complained that Adrian was missing the whole concept of a `stakeout'!

Now, Adrian clung to the door, a pensive look on his boyish face. Stottlemeyer glanced over at him – without Sharona at his side, he was unsure how well he was handling things.

"So, do you watch any sports, Monk?!" Stottlemeyer asked, attempting to cut through the silence. Besides, the house across the street was quiet for the time being.

"No, I don't really like – things with a lot of blood involved…" Adrian mumbled.

Stottlemeyer rolled his eyes a bit and nodded. "So, what do you do in your spare time?"

"Um sir, you don't have to go on with the little chit-chat.

I know you just hate it when there's no noise…" Adrian spoke up, looking at his superior sitting beside him.

"No, I don't!" replied the captain, looking like he was under surveillance himself. He was flustered.

"Actually, yes you do. That's why when there is a lull in activity, you tend to drum your pencil on the desk at the precinct!" Adrian continued.

Stottlemeyer looked at him in disbelief, grinning. "You don't miss much with me, do you? I mean – you seem to have me pegged!"

Adrian just shrugged and smiled, sheepishly.

"I've known you for a long time – maybe you've grown on me!"

Stottlemeyer laughed outloud at his comment.

"It's true, there's no trick. I'm sure you know as much about me!" Adrian replied. He held his hands out before him.

"Hmm, is that a challenge?!"

Adrian smiled, rather coyly.

"Alright!" Stottlemeyer conceded. "Let's see. I know you were born here, you went to school at Langeville High…"

"No, no – I don't mean that! That information must be still on your files. I mean, about me. You know – stuff!" Adrian interrupted.

"Ah – fine. OK, you like to play clarinet – and you're proud of that. As well, I think that sometimes you do things and excuse it as just something of your illness. But, you're really very conscious of it…"

Adrian seemed disgruntled for a moment, his eyes glaring angrily out the window.

"There is no need to be spiteful!" Adrian growled under breath.

Stottlemeyer was smug as he asked. "What did you just say?!"

"I said – you are being spiteful!" snarled Adrian, turning his dark amber eyes to him. A new confidence boiling up inside of him.

"Oh, is that what it is? I do everything in spite?"

"Yes, you do!" shouted Adrian. "Everytime I've ever worked with you on the force and solved a crime, you act like it's some sort of damned personal slight!"

"You think it's easy having someone show you up all the time?! Having the press laugh at the police's conduct in matters while you're shining in the spotlight?!"

"As I recall, many times you called us!"

"No, Adrian, the mayor's office calls you!"

"That's why I'm really here tonight, isn't it?! You just needed someone to sit there and shut up while you tear a strip off of them! Does that make you feel better?!"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to here, Monk?!" Stottlemeyer bellowed. "Some poor little peon? I'm still your superior!"

"No, you're not!! I don't work for you anymore!" Adrian replied, defiantly. "Leland!!"

"Oh! You're a great detective, you know my first name!"

Monk grumbled something to himself that now Stottlemeyer couldn't hear.

"What was that?" The captain growled.

"Nothing!" Adrian replied, he glared hard out the passenger side window.

The captain was still fuming as he bit down on his bottom lip to steady his nerves. Neither man spoke and the silence between them was chilling. As Stottlemeyer sat drinking his coffee, he
started unconciously to tap his fingers on the dash.

Adrian looked up, momentarily.

When, Stottlemeyer realized what he was doing, he stopped.

He glanced over at Monk quietly and grimaced – he was right again.

" – If you tell her "The summer is the light in your eyes and it makes me feel warm inside. The beauty of the starlit nights and the promise of the day to come", she'll forgive you!" whispers
Adrian, staring back out of the window beside him.

"What?" Leland asked, startled.

"I said, if you tell her -"

"No! No! I heard that. What are you talking about?"

"I wrote it once on a note to her at the Caffee Delle Stelle," Adrian responded, his expression totally flat.

Stottlemeyer looked beside himself. "That's where I met Karen! You were there that night!"

"You seemed to be having a hard time trying to catch her eye – so I sent over an inscripted napkin under a drink that I told the waitress to say you paid for!"

Adrian looked away again.

"I don't know what to say, Monk…" Stottlemeyer stuttered.

Tears were actually escaping his eyes.

Adrian sensed his difficulty in speaking, he glanced back to see him crying.

"God, I'm so sorry – I had no idea," he cried, looking into Adrian's eyes.

"It's alright, captain – you were just venting!" Adrian excused.

"You can call me Leland, Adrian!" the captain announced, quietly. "What I said before…"

"Forgotten!" Monk replied.

"I guess I've been a real sonofabitch of late. To everyone. I just never realized how much I missed her."

As he said those words, he glimpsed up at Adrian to notice he was shifting, uncomfortably in his seat.

"Adrian, I forget sometimes…" Stottlemeyer apologized.

But, Adrian shrugged it off. "It's OK!"

"You remember, the last words Trudy said `bread and butter'?"

"Sir – I mean – Leland!" Adrian warned. He didn't want to revisit those memories.

"There was more!"

Adrian sat bolt upright, he could feel his breath caught in his throat. He nervously looked over into Leland Stottlemeyer's face.

"She said something, it didn't make sense at the time. We tried to write it down, but it got lost. But, I'll never forget it. I thought she was incoherently because she was dying…"

The suspense was killing him.

"'My life – nothing – without – starlit nights'"

Stottlemeyer said, rather cryptically.

Adrian started to cry, he hid his face in his hands.

"I think, Adrian, that she wanted to be here and she was trying to tell you that tomorrow or soon, you'll be together again!"

Adrian nodded, barely able to see through the tears in his eyes. Stottlemeyer laid his hand on the back of Adrian's arm in comfort.

"I think she loved you very much, partner!"

The tears were wetting Adrian's cheeks, so Stottlemeyer tried to locate some kleenex for him. All he could find was an old one in his coat pocket. Adrian took it readily from him and wiped his face with it.

"You feeling OK?" asked Stottlemeyer in surprise.

Monk just laughed, lightly. "I'm feeling great, thanks to you!"

Stottlemeyer smiled at him. "I think you'll find love again someday, Adrian. Just give it some time. And, I promise you one thing – until the day that I die – we'll keep looking for whomever killed Trudy!"

Adrian looked up into Leland's face and his face turned florrid. His eyes were now compassionate. "Karen is a lucky lady!"

"Feel like telling her that?!"

"No, I feel like telling you that!" Adrian replied.

Stottlemeyer turned to face him, he was looking at him with those haunting, soulful eyes. And now he could smell the cologne warming on his skin – something he'd never noticed before.

He was spooked a little by the strange mixture of emotions running through him and the desire that nestled itself in his head.

That he noticed how Adrian Monk really was a handsome man.

Stottlemeyer tried to voice his feelings as he could see Adrian looked clearly as terrified and possibly feeling the same thing.

"Adrian, I have to ask you – do you ever feel like…" he replied, stumbling for the right words. "Reaching out, but you can't? Do you know what I mean?"

"Sometimes," Adrian answered, knowing only too well. "I feel like I want to touch someone or hold them, but then I can't bring myself to do it – I keep worrying about the germs."

"I never realized, I mean, how hard it must be for you!"

Leland's hard-edged eyes seemed to soften and he tried to smile, but it was still difficult.

Adrian just brushed it off.

"I do sort of know what you're going through. You don't know how many people I've seen come in my precinct in a day. People dealing with unbelievable loss. But, I'm a cop and you know what
that's like. Stiff-upper lip, professional at all times…"

He drifted off in conversation a bit and glanced out the window before him.

"When all I really want to do is tell them how Godawful and angry I feel for them! Put my arms around them and tell them everything will be fine. But, I can't!"

Adrian's eyes glistened as he listened to him open up.

"I wanted to do that for you when I found out about Trudy.

I left you alone and look what happened…"

With that, Stottlemeyer couldn't help himself and he collapsed. He began tearing up and hid his eyes in shame.

Adrian trembled as he slowly moved his arm up around Leland's shoulders. The captain said nothing as he placed his face into his shoulder.

The tears that he bottled up over Karen and possibly a lot of other things came out, Adrian closed his eyes – finally able to allow a closeness that he himself needed for a long time. His other arm came up and he put his hand on the back of Leland's neck, smoothing back his thinning auburn hair with his fingers.

Admittedly, he trembled as he did.

Finally, after a couple of minutes had passed, Stottlemeyer stopped crying. Raising his face to look at Adrian, he was instantly apologetic.

"Damn, I'm sorry – I don't know what the hell came over me!" He muttered.

Yet, Adrian said nothing, he just stared deeply into his eyes with a disquieting look. His face was so close that he could smell the aroma of coffee on Leland's breath and his lips shivered with an obvious feeling that they both shared. So, Leland did what felt natural, what he'd been curious about since this conversation had started. It's where it seemed to be leading. So he just let it
happen…

He was worried Adrian would panic, but perhaps he wouldn't – perhaps he'd welcome it as his lips gently touched Adrian's. It was like a shock of electricity to Adrian's brain, but he fought it with every fiber of his being as he bundled Leland's jacket in his fist.

He didn't instantly draw away. He had no idea that the captain was terrified as well.

Slowly, tenderly, Leland kissed him once more on the mouth and now Adrian visibly relaxed. It was so giving and so soft.

Adrian's fingers carefully cupped Leland's face in his right hand, sailing over the stubble-texture of his cheek as he turned his face to one side.

Leland's lips turned urgent as he pulled Adrian into his arms and he jumped a bit to feel the captain's hands finding their way under his coat and jacket to the cotton fabric of his shirt.
The warmth was unmistakable. He was even more surprised as Leland pulled the bottom of his shirt out and touched the skin of his lower back with his hand, rubbing it over and over in a circular motion with his hand.

Every voice in Leland's head screamed that this was wrong, but he didn't care anymore. They both needed this. Adrian's kiss turned more insistent as well, having been denied contact for so
long. Leland felt his lips urged apart by Adrian's tongue and enter his mouth. Groaning in response, he dug his fingernails into Adrian's yielding skin. Their tongues seemed to struggle and
wrestle as they explored one another's mouths. Leland's breath was muffled into Adrian's cheek.

`He tastes like mints!' Stottlemeyer thought in his head. `Figures!'

Gliding over the feel of Adrian's lips, he lightly bit down on it. Adrian moaned in a mixture of light pain and evident excitement.

Adrian wrapped his arms around his neck and now felt free, burying his fingers into Stottlemeyer's hair. His lips left Adrian's briefly as he muttered, "Oh shit!" And then kissed him even harder.

Unable to control his feelings – Adrian moved his leg up over Leland's hip and cradled him against him, lying down a bit in the seat with Leland nearly on top of him. This spurred on Leland, who in turn, stroked Adrian's bare belly, a little hair russling under his fingertips as he pulled succulently on Adrian Monk's soft lips.

Suddenly, the police car's CB radio started buzzing.

Startled, both men jumped apart from one another as if a spotlight had just come shining through the windows.

Stottlemeyer struggled to straighten out his ruffled hair that Adrian had messed with when they kissed and Adrian sat up, tucking his shirt back into his pants.

The captain looked around him in alarm and realizing what it actually was, he picked up the radio. He didn't dare look over at Adrian.

Adrian was nervously fidgetting with the car's foot mats which were out of place.

"Captain Stottlemeyer? Lt. Pernell here, we just apprehended Girbaldi!" came the static voice over the speaker.

"What?!" asked Stottlemeyer in astonishment. He now looked over at Monk, but Adrian's attention was elsewhere. If the sting had gone wrong due to his indiscretion with Adrian, his ass would be on the line. "That can't be, Pernell! I'm sitting right across from the Smith house. I haven't seen Girbaldi all night!"

"He never was there, sir. He tried to slip over to the pier to hide the evidence, we got a tip and followed it up. That's how we caught him!" Pernell replied.

"Good work, Pernell!" grumbled the captain, still very flustered and trying to reason what had just transpired between he and Monk.

He prayed Pernell wouldn't turn off his CB.

"Alright, have a good night, sir – I'm sure you're eager to go back to whatever it was we interrupted you from!" Pernell said, rather prophetically.

Adrian and Leland just looked at one another blanche-faced.

"I beg your pardon?!" Barked Stottlemeyer, he was the one fidgeting uncomfortably now.

Adrian, on the other hand, was clutching his forehead. "Oh –my – God!"

"You know, for that drink at the pub…"

"Oh yeah! Yes, I forgot! That's what you meant!"

Stottlemeyer cried, and sat back in his seat.

Adrian was still nursing his raging headache.

"Goodnight, sir – have a nice evening!" Pernell said and hung up his end.

Stottlemeyer swallowed hard as he put down his CB, he reasoned it was much better to divert the topic if he could rather than dealing with it head on.

"Well, then – what in the hell have we been surveilling all this time?" He asked, staring out the windshield at the blue-colored house.

That's when the house, still teaming with activity, erupted even more with the opening of the front door. Several people in fine clothes emerged, singing "Happy Birthday to You!!"

Stottlemeyer's mouth hung open and Adrian peaked through his fingers. As it dawned on them why there had been so many visitors!

Glancing at one another, they both started snickering at how ridiculous it had been. Soon, they were both laughing outloud, more of a release of their anxiety than anything.

As the laughing died down, the captain glanced over at Monk.

"Adrian – " he began to say.

"It happened, there's no use in sugar-coating it – and I'm not sorry!" Adrian answered, cutting him off.

"You finish my sentences just like Karen!" He answered.

Adrian just smiled.

"I'm glad it happened too! Just so you know…"

Again, Adrian interrupted him. "Neither am I!"

"Thank you for tonight, Monk! I owe you one!" Stottlemeyer said, putting his hand on Adrian's upper leg without any fear of an invisible barrier.

Adrian put his hand over Leland's and stroked the back of his hand with his palm.

"No, you don't! You repayed me by telling me about Trudy!"

The captain grinned and then leaned over to kiss Adrian's cheek a couple of times.

"Thank you, sir!"

With that, things were back as they should be.

Stottlemeyer removed his hand from Adrian and started up the engine. Driving down the road and out of sight into the night.

(Two weeks later):

Adrian and Sharona were wrapping up the investigation into Beverley Thomas. It had been solved with ease by the private consultant and this time the reaction by the captain was quite different as he appeared in front of the press gallery.

"Thank you everyone for coming today. We are convinced that the disappearance and death of Beverley Thomas of 19 Carvell Way was of misadventure. She was last seen on May 9th on Interstate 90 east of San Francisco. We will disclose all the details in the press release found in a pamphlet near the exits. Now, we have worked long and hard on recovering evidence, but none of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of private consultant, Adrian Monk. I have decided at this juncture to announce his promotion. Congratulations, Monk! Be forewarned, if you require this man's expertise that his price has just gone up – effective immediately!"

Stottlemeyer turned to face Adrian Monk as he looked on in obvious shock, camera bulbs flashing in his face. Sharona squeeled in excitement over the announcement and grabbed his arm in joy.

The captain walked over to Monk and extended his hand in congratulations. He shook it, warmly in his with a huge smile on his face.

Adrian was still speechless.

"Good work, Adrian!" The captain replied, quietly.

"Thank you, sir!" Adrian said.

"Leland!" Mumured Stottlemeyer, grinning.

Sharona couldn't help but get her two cents in. "Oh, this is so wonderful! I guess you two kissed and made up, huh?"

Both men immediately let go of one another's hands and began coughing loudly in embarrassment.

"Moist wipe! I need a moist wipe!!" Adrian cried, frantically, turning to Sharona in desperation.

"What did I say?" Sharona cried, as she handed Adrian a moist towellette.

Stottlemeyer just turned and rushed off stage as he signalled the press conference was at an abrupt end, he ran from the room.

"What?!" Sharona persisted. But, now Adrian had marched away too, leaving her alone. "I give up!"

THE END!!