A/N:Okay people, tell your friends this fic exists! I need more readers and more reviews. And we're just getting into the mystery! Please read, review and endorse! That being said, I have an annoucement to make. To celebrate my upcoming one year anniversary (and because I really want it) I am having a fan-art contest. No prizes just acclaim. The complete rules are on my profile page, but in short, here's what I want you fan-artists to do. Complete a piece of fan art for ANY of the stories I have written for this website. No smut please, any media as long as I can see it on the computer screen, email it to me with a private message by AUGUST 14th, 2006! The winners (which will probably be anyone who submits something) will be announced on AUGUST 25, 2006. I'm giving you two months to do this people so I hope you enter! Please visit my profile page for the complete rules and hey, I'd appreciate it if you drop me a private message telling me to keep an eye out for your fan-art. : ) So have fun with the contest. I'll try to update on other stories soon to let more people know about the contest.

peace, love and lipgloss,

Mlle.Fox

The ride to the seaside palace should have taken a little over an hour. But with Mr. Adrian Monk in the passenger seat of the town car, the ride took nearly two hours. Captain Stottlemeyer yelled at Monk once they had pulled up to the palace,

"MONK! Why…do you insist on driving so damn slow?"

"I didn't drive." Monk said infuriating the Captain more. Natalie waved them off saying,

"Oh quit it you two. Wow…will you look at this place?" They all took in the castle that rested on a gentle cliff just over the beach. Torrents and towers reached up to the sky, stained glass was in nearly every window. Ivy creped up the stone sides to truly complete the effect of a fairy tale castle. Rose bushes and imported willow trees dotted the front gardens. Randy read aloud from a Genovia tour guide book,

"Built in the year 1679 for Her Majesty Mignonette Amelia, the Virgin Queen, the castle estate named Windrose, is known to the Royal family as the seaside palace and is used as a summer residence. Legend has it Mignonette built the castle for an unknown lover, said to be a merchant sailor of Genovian pears, who never returned her affections and she died of a broken heart waiting for him to return her love. Ghost stories around Windrose claim that the ghost of the Virgin Queen still wanders the halls waiting for her sea captain to return and tell her he loves her."

"Wow…that's so romantic and sad all at the same time." Natalie observed.

"Yeah…I know the feeling." Adrian said thinking of his late, murdered wife Trudy. The Captain forgot his earlier frustration to give his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. They went to the front door only to be greeted by a tall elderly butler, who bowed and said with a heavy French accent,

"Capt. Stottlemeyer? Monsieur Monk?"

"That's us…and this is Ms. Natalie Teeger and Lt. Randy Disher. Her Majesty sent us?" the Captain said shaking the man's hand.

"I am Donald, Monsieur…The Queen asked me to give you a grand tour to help with your investigation."

"That would be excellent…thank you." Monk said.

"If you will follow me please?" Donald said shuffling his way inside. Pages and guards stood at attention as maids and butlers cleaned the high vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, polished the furniture, and mopped the floors.

"We are preparing to open the house for the summer season…since the Royal family likes to holiday here." Donald explained.

"Has the staff been thoroughly checked out?" We have reason to suspect someone might try to break in." Monk asked.

"Yes…yes Monsieur…Everyone has been working here for years. And the guards have been on duty for the past week. No one from outside the Queen's staff could get in here." Donald answered taking them up the grand stair case. Once they had passed, one palace guard followed them with his eyes before slipping away unnoticed. Donald showed them all over the castle, giving them the chance to check out every bed chamber, dining room, kitchen, parlor and the grand ballroom on the third floor. They walked down the hall of the fourth floor with Donald pointing out one grand double door,

"That…was Queen Mignonette's private chambers. Queen Mia shall sleep there when she comes for holiday. And this…" he opened a door to a long room full of portraits and paintings, "…is the Private Gallery…we don't even let the tourists see this." The room was gold marble and tall white columns. A compass design was etched on the floor in dark bronze. On the walls was portrait after portrait of Renaldis. A portrait of Queen Mia and Queen Mother Clarisse was on the far wall. Natalie admired the lifelike painting, when she looked to her left into a pair of blue green eyes. Looking down softly on her with a mysterious knowing smile was Queen Mignonette. She was dressed in a regal red, gold and white gown, with a square cut neckline trimmed with lace, three quarter length sleeves ending in a lace bell, a gold and diamond tiara on her head, framed by high brown curls piled on top.

"Look…its Queen Mignonette again. Wow…she was so beautiful." Natalie said.

"Yeah…all the hot chicks are taken, gay or dead…" Randy said looking at the portrait. Natalie glared at him and said,

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"That portrait…something's…missing…" Monk said looking at it.

"Here we go again. Okay Monk. What's missing?" asked the Captain.

"I don't know…look at the pose…it's like…she's standing to one side so you can see something…but nothing but red curtains are there." Monk said.

"So?" asked Stottlemeyer.

"So….something's missing!" Monk insisted.

"Mr. Monk…nothing is there!" Natalie told him.

"Something's missing…"Monk said quietly.

"Okay here's what we're going to do…Monk…you and Natalie go outside and…I don't know check the family cemetery or something…there is a cemetery right?" The Captain asked Donald.

"Oui Monsieur. A small one. Including the remains of Mignonette." Donald replied.

"Right…Randy and I shall look around inside…maybe check the offices…the Queen's room…obviously if we know something about this Queen Mignonette, maybe we can figure out what the thieves are after." Stottlemeyer said. Monk was silent for a moment before his head ticked to the side and he said,

"Okay…"

"Great…Randy…Donald." the Captain said exiting the room.

"Wait Mr. Donald!" Monk said catching the old butler.

"Yes Monsieur?"

"I have a coat of arms here…have you ever seen it before?" Monk asked pulling out a color copy of the emblem. Donald squinted his eyes at it and shook his head,

"No Monsieur Monk."

"What about the numbers 13, 46,29,53,36? Do those sound familiar?" Monk asked.

"No sir…excuse me." Donald said exciting.

"13, 46, 29, 53, 36…"Monk repeated softly.

"Mr. Monk what's wrong?" asked Natalie.

"This case…I feel as if there is something bigger here than a simple thief…something…deeper…more secret…" Monk said looking around the graves and touching each headstone as he passed.

"Yeah this case is so weird…first there was the stolen blueprints to Windrose…" Natalie said.

"A castle the royals don't even keep valuable antiques in…" Monk said.

"Then the weird coat of arms and those numbers…" Natalie said.

"And now Queen Mignonette's portrait." Monk said.

"Are you sure there's a clue in the portrait?" Natalie asked.

"One hundred percent…well…maybe…seventy-five percent…or ninety percent…no seventy five…" Monk said before stopping short before one gravestone.

"What?" Mr. Monk what is it?" Natalie asked watching as his eyes sparkled and a smile lit up his face. He pointed out a craving on the grave,

"Natalie…does this look familiar?" Natalie looked and gasped. It was a colorless version of the mysterious coat of arms! Natalie pulled out the copy and crotched down to compare the two,

"Oh my gosh Mr. Monk you're right! They're the same! 'Sir William Turner: Husband, father, friend, brother, blacksmith…" Natalie pushed away the overgrowth and read with wonder, "…and pirate!' Pirate?"

"Natalie…look over at his wife Elizabeth…" Monk said pointing out the next grave over. "Lady Elizabeth Turner: Wife, mother, friend, sister…pirate…' She has the symbol on her grave too."

"I wonder who they were?" Natalie asked.

"Pirates…" Monk answered.

"No! I know that…but why would two pirates be buried in a ROYAL cemetery?" Natalie asked.

"I don't know…"Monk sighed trying to figure it all out. Just then…Monk heard a shuffling sound against stone. He looked up and to his right where he saw a mysterious shadow rappel down to one of the windows in the balconies.

"Hey!" Monk shouted pointing out the intruder to Natalie, who gasped,

"Oh my god!" They began to run inside, when someone pushed a wheelbarrow in their way making them crash to the ground. Monk looked up just in time to see a guard running inside.

"Come on Natalie hurry!" Monk said helping her up and following the guard. The guard said well ahead of them and led them all the way up to the fourth floor. That was when they heard a shot in the private gallery.

Captain Stottlemeyer sighed throwing some papers on the desk and rubbing his forehead.

"Nothing! We've been searching this study for over an hour now…and nothing!" he said. Randy was about to agree with him, when they heard a loud pop come from upstairs.

"What was that?" asked Randy. The Captain flew from the chair he had been sitting in, pulling out his gun,

"Gunfire!" Randy just pulled out his gun as they passed Donald and a group of terrified maids in the hall, Donald yelling,

"What's going on?"

"Call the police! Have the guards come to the fourth floor!" Stottlemeyer commanded him. He and Randy entered the fourth floor quietly, listening for danger. Seeing the open gallery door, Stottlemeyer nodded and they both cautiously approached the door. Stottlemeyer kicked the door all the way open and he and Randy aimed their guns, ready to shoot if they had too. Instead, they saw Monk and Natalie kneeling over a bleeding guard…obviously been shot. What was curious was the room now had part of its oak paneling open where a secret passage was seen.

"Captain! In here!" Monk called.

"Monk! What the hell happened?" Stottlemeyer asked lowering his gun as he and Randy came in.

"Someone broke into the gallery, this guard tried to stop us from getting here first, he went in after the intruder…and got shot…" Monk explained. The guard, a man in his late forties grunted and groaned trying to speak,

"Save…"

"Shh…don't talk…save your strength." Natalie told him.

"Randy, go downstairs, make sure they called an ambulance." Stottlemeyer told the Lieutenant.

"Right." Randy said running out. The guard ignored Natalie and pulled off a small enamel pin from his gold and red brocade jacket, his white gloves now stained in crimson blood. He palmed the object to Monk and told him in a strained whisper,

"Save...the Pirate Queen…Minnie…" Then, his eyes rolled back in his head and with a sigh he was gone. Natalie shook her head at the Captain grimly.

"Oh crap…" Stottelmeijer said. Monk opened his palm and they all looked in wonder seeing the same red, white, black and gold coat of arms that so mysteriously kept popping up.