Julie is walking towards her car, parked on parking lot in front of the small store, while talking on her cellphone. She is wearing white T-shirt and red shorts.
-Mom, don't wory-she says.-I'm on summer break. I'll come at your place as soon as I can. OK, bye.-She ends the call and puts cellphone in right pocket od her shorts. She tooks car key from left pocket of her shorts, unlocks car doors, sits on driver's seat, closes the drivers side doors behind, tooks of purse, throws it on back seat, puts on seat belt, turns on the car with key, and drives away.
While she is driving, she suddenly starts driving sloppy and crushes her car in tree in park near by.
#
Monk is on crime scene: usual living room in typical suburbian house. Victim is siting in blue armchair in front of the coffee table. Opened laptop is on coffee table. Victim is male, Caucasian, in mid 40's, about 5'10 tall, average weight, with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing white shirt, black pants and blue sleepers. He has gunshot wound on his right tempel and he is holding .25 calibar gun in his right hand. Natalie and Stottlemeyer are standing few feets away, observing Monk. Amy is near them, interviewing young woman, writing notes in her notebook with her pen in process. Woman is cryng. She is in early 20's, about 5'8 tall, average weight, with long curly black hair and black eyes, she is wearing pink T-shirt, blue jeans and white shoes. Stottlemeyer and Amy have white latex gloves over hands and white plastic shoe covers over shoe bottoms. Natalie is wearing brown T-shirt, blue jeans and black leather purse over her right shoulder. Stottlemeyer, Amy and Monk wear their usual outfits.
-Jon Smith, 45. Died five days ago, between 7 and 10 pm. It looks like suicide. Suicide letter is typed on laptop.
Monk reads the letter: "It's time for me to end this pathetic life. I feel very sorry for all wrong things I done. I am worthless piece of... uhm... s-h-i-t. Tell my daughter and wife that I love them.
Jon River"
Monk starts observing piece of paper on coffee table.
-Letter is types, so we can't examine the handwriting-Monk explains.-But we can use forensic linguistic. This is letter which he was writing to his brother. It seems that he wrote the suicide note. Writing style matches. Lots of slang, adjectives, no grammatical errors... But...
-But what?-Stottlemeyer asks.
-Why would he try writing a letter to his brother if he was planning to kill himself?
-Maybe he started writing it few days before he commited suicide-Natalie suggests.
-No, he wrote date on begining of letter. Date of his death... And I noticed scratches on keyboard, like somebody was typing with pen. Who found the body?
-Daughter, Mary, 20 years old. Came back from college today, an hour ago. Summer break. Wife, Caroline, 42, is on buisness trip. They were very busy this week and couldn't contact him. Gun belongs to his grandfather, who died ten years ago. He shoot in right tempel, he is holding the gun in right hand. Burn marks around the wound confirm that he was shoot from close range. Daughter confirms that he was right handed.
-Julie is coming home from college today-Natalie comments.-I'm very excited.
Monk walks towards the window behind Stottlemeyer and Natalie. He looks at window shelf and notices dirty mark on it, few inches away from potted bonsai window is closed, but not locked. Somebody sneaked through window, somehow managed to took his gun, sneaked up to him, shoot him and placed gun in his hand.
Natalie's cellphone rings. She opens her purse, tooks it and answers.
-Hello? Oh my God! Is she OK? I'll be right there.-She ends the call.
-What happened?-Monk asks.
-Julie had a car accident! She is in hospital 4! We need to go there! Right away! I think I know Where is that!-she says and starts runing outside, towards her car. Monk runs after her.
#
Natalie is siting on bench in hospital near operation hall, cryng. Monk is standing near by. Nurse is also standing near by. She is Caucasian, in early 30's, about 5'9 tall, average weight, with long black hair and black eyes, dressed in her uniform. She has white latex gloves on her hands.
-I'm very sorry-she says.-She is badly injured. She is in operation hall now. We are doing everything we can to help her. She hited big elm tree in that park near city hall.
-I know that place is-Monk says.-For that to happen, she needed to turn her car in left and let it crash in tree. Why?
-I don't know. Blood tests showed no traces of drug or alchohol. Radio was turned off, and cellphone was still in her pocket, so she wasn't using them. Police will investigate this.
Nurse walks away.
-Natalie...-Monk says.-I hate to say this now... Bit I don't think that was an accident.