A fatigued Randy Disher walked into the hospital around quarter after midnight, immediately searching for his wife and hugging her tightly the moment he saw her. To have said the day was difficult did not do it justice. It seemed to the captain to be the worst day of his career and the hardest. Poking his head briefly into Leland's room, he received an update from Jared, and then stopped by the couch where Monk and Natalie sat quietly.

Their eyes lifted expectantly as they hoped to hear some news, any news, to indicate that Leland was improving.

"Um…he's…he's pretty much the same." Randy said, causing their eyes and hope to drop just as quickly as they had risen. "But…I may have some good news."

Natalie and Adrian looked back up at him eager to hear anything good.

"Okay…um, it's about Julie and her case." He said. "I called Judge Henderson's office and guess what they said."

Natalie looked at Monk and then back at Randy. "Guess?"

"Yeah…guess." Randy smiled slightly. "I think you'll like it." He looked over at Monk who shrugged.

"I don't know, Randy. What did they say?" he replied.

"Sure you don't want to guess?" he replied.

"Just tell us, Randy!" Natalie huffed.

"Alright, Alright. Well, we haven't heard officially… at least not officially, officially, like from the judge or anything, but his chief assistant seems to think that he can meet with us and Powell in the morning. They've all heard what happened and the assistant said that none of them are happy to have Julie in chains one more moment longer than she has to be, so be expecting an early call." he responded

"That's wonderful." Monk replied.

"Yes, Finally! Some movement!" Natalie said. "Did they say how long it would take to get her released? I mean, after the hearing?"

Disher nodded. "If all goes well, which I'm sure it will…I mean, why wouldn't it? I would say it's highly likely she's set free right then and there. Powell is calling Melody to the stand."

"But I thought she was shot too." Natalie noted.

"Flesh wound. She's already out and has been arrested. County Jail." Randy replied.

"Serves her right." Monk mumbled.

"Yeah, we should sell tickets to that. Maybe make up for some of the cost of her defense." He quipped.

"Couldn't happen to a nicer girl." Natalie said, sarcastically.

"For sure. I will drop by here tomorrow morning and maybe the three of us can go together, pick up Julie?"

Natalie paused and looked over at Adrian. "No. I think it should just be you and me. We'll go get Julie. Adrian needs to be with Leland right now."

"But..." Monk began to say.

"No, Adrian. It's okay. Julie knows you love her and she would want this too. You don't have to protect us here. We're all okay. Just stay here. We will stop by as soon as it is over." she replied.


Just as Disher said, Natalie's cell phone rang at 6:45 AM letting her know that there would be an emergency hearing at the courthouse at 9:00 AM to decide Julie's fate. Thanks to the fine detective work of Adrian Monk, and the persistence of their team in getting the discovery back from the Port Police, Powell was confident that they would be walking out of the building with smiles - so much so that he arranged for them to exit via a back entrance so that the invasive press would not disturb their egress.

Natalie kissed Adrian goodbye and gave him a hug, telling him that if he needed anything while they were tied up in court, Sharona was just a phone call away. She told him not to worry, that she would be back soon; but of course, that was easier said than done. It had been a full seventeen hours since Leland was shot and thus far, he showed no sign of waking up. Of course, he was going to worry - worry, and think.

As soon as Natalie left, he began to do just that - think, and then to overthink, and then his mind wandered through his time of knowing this man.

He thought about his Trudy, and how Leland was there for him when they turned off her life support and all of the aftermath of that. He thought of later, when he was to go before the review board after 3 years of being psychologically discharged, and how angry he was at the then Captain when he had not recommended him for reinstatement. But now, he knew that Leland had been right. He wasn't ready, not quite yet. And when he finally was, he remembered how Leland was proud to hand him his badge, but then seemed completely unsurprised when Monk soon returned it to him and retired honorably from the force. Being a beat cop was no longer a fit who he had become. He had grown into someone else - and it was largely due to the faithfulness of that one man who had never abandoned him.

He thought of happy times, backyard picnics, birthday parties, and being best man at Leland's own wedding. And he thought of the times Leland had helped him and believed in him and put up with him and his many quirks. He thought of the times they laughed together and the times they cried together and the times they just sat still and shared the same experiences together with no words needing to be said. And, the more he thought about all of these things, the more dark-despair tried to lay its claim to his mind.

What would life be like without Leland? Without his friend at his side? He didn't want to know and at that point he didn't want to think any more because his mind was once again becoming his enemy, and he knew he had to fight.

And so, he resolved to do just that. He resolved to fight and to hope and to not give up just as Leland had never given up on him. He left the hospital and went outside, and then began to run. He started out slowly, but soon his pace increased. Through the streets of San Francisco, in the midst of morning traffic, he ran as fast as he could, as far as he could, as hard as he could without stopping, for as long as he could. He wanted to forget, to clear his mind of the memories, of the anxiety, of the dark thoughts.

Running used to be his coping mechanism. It was why he had gotten into track when he was in high school. It helped him deal with the loneliness and the inadequacy he felt nearly every day of his life.

But not today. He couldn't stop the memories, the laughs, the tears, the times of quiet-knowing that he and this man, who was closer than his brother, had shared. He had been there for the best of times and the worst and now it was Adrian's turn to be there for him. He simply could not lose him. Not now.

For a while, the sights and sounds of San Francisco and the pounding of his feet on the pavement looked like they might help; but, a single thought brought it all crashing down.

Everybody leaves.

The moment that thought went through his brain, Monk crumbled. Breathlessly stumbling over to a park bench, he sat down and cried. Dark-despair had aimed its arrow and had hit him in the heart, reminding him of the pain of loss, and it was more than he could stand. For a long time, he sat there, weeping, fearing, dreading what was to come. He didn't care that he was in a public place. He didn't notice people staring or hear business people talking all around him. His mind was in one place and one place only and he couldn't shut it off.

The voice of a child asking for lunch was what finally stirred him. Lunch? Already? How long had he been there? He looked at his watch and it was twelve-fifteen. He had to return. But, where was he? When he succumbed to flagging down a cab, he was surprised to find that he had run all the way to Serramonte, almost ten miles away from the hospital.

Paying the driver to take him back, he walked into the hospital lobby exhausted and defeated, and made his way towards his lonely position in the waiting room near ICU. As he walked, the voices in his head resumed their taunting. He just couldn't shut them off. What was worse, as he moved towards the ICU they seemed to grow louder and darker, and as he passed by the doors just outside the ICU they were deafening. What if he's dead? You left him. What if he died while you were gone and they were just too broken up to call?

"STOP!" he said loudly, getting several people's attention, but that didn't matter. "Just, stop!" he told himself at a lower volume, as he stopped for a moment and leaned against the wall, placing his hands on his face. He felt so helpless and so afraid and so...oh, so alone.

"Sir, are you okay?" a nurse's assistant's voice jolted him to the present and she reached out and touched his arm. He gave no verbal response but looked up at her through bloodshot eyes and nodded. Then ran his hand through his hair and stood up straight, stumbling towards the waiting room with his hands at his side. As he went, he walked a few steps past the chapel and then he stopped. He stood in the hallway for several seconds, and then he turned back around and walked towards that door, and entered in.


Growing up a Davenport, Natalie Teeger was used to seeing men in six-thousand-dollar suits and was therefore not surprised when Harrison Powell came into the courtroom dressed to impress. But it was also the way the man carried himself that spoke volumes. When she had first met him, she would have described him as cocky and obnoxious. Now, he seemed more refined. He wasn't perfect by any stretch, but he had become a bit more-humble since the day he faced Adrian in court. This was a good thing. He was no longer a lawyer that people feared because of the underhanded stunts he would pull or the brutal character assassinations that he would engage in with witnesses on the stand; rather, he was a man of immense talent and professional aptitude who demanded respect because he really was just that good.

As he came into the courtroom with his assistant, the pair greeted Julie and Natalie and Randy with friendly hugs and handshakes. He conferred with them for several minutes and then Julie stepped from behind the divider and took her seat next to Powell at the defense's table.

The court was called to order and Judge Henderson took his seat at the bench.

"Prosecutor Fabian, Mr. Powell, distinguished guests..." Henderson said, looking out at his courtroom and calling the court into session. "I've allowed this emergency hearing as a result of the tragic events of yesterday inside the theatre on Lyon Street and the new and exonerating evidence that was uncovered in that event. Miss Julie Teeger has been incarcerated or under house arrest for around four months now, and according to Mr. Powell, we now have evidence that shows that she was truly innocent of the crime. I am very interested in seeing this evidence, as, I'm sure is Mr. Fabian. and because this is not your normal court proceeding I am willing to allow Mr. Powell a large measure of latitude to prove his case, noting that it appears Miss Melody McKnight, who I understand is waiting in a holding room with her attorney just outside this courtroom, and is a witness in this case, has a pending court proceeding of her own to get through. In order to give her a fair trial the evidence uncovered at this time will not be made publicly available until such time as it is presented at her trial. Is that understood?"

Both prosecutor Dennis Fabian and Harrison Powell gave their assent and then Henderson nodded towards Powell, giving him the floor.

"Your honor." Powell began. "This case has been a difficult case for me to represent, largely due in part to the fact that I was not afforded the luxury of receiving discovery until very recently. There really is no other way of putting it than that the Port Police drug their feet on the case, and in so doing they allowed my client, Miss Julie Teeger, to be exposed to multiple attempts on her life. It should also be noted that I am encouraging my client to file a personal injury lawsuit against the state for prosecutorial malfeasance, not so that she can gain monetarily, which she is frankly owed due to all she has been through and all that she now owes in medical bills and the like as a result of the fraud perpetrated upon the court, but so that the state can examine its policies and safeguards and make sure that such a thing never happens again.

Now, your honor, I have in the courtroom today Captain Randy Disher of the homicide division who has set up appointments with the police commissioner, the mayor, and the State Attorney General and we will see what happens with that investigation, but sir, I am certain that after I show you what we have discovered that was right there in the evidence that was withheld from us for so long, and you hear the witness testimony, you will agree that Miss Teeger not only deserves to be free, but deserves an apology."

"Mr. Powell, if the evidence is as compelling as you have indicated, you have my word that I will gladly apologize to Miss Teeger and use my influence to see that she is taken care of." Henderson replied. "And I'm sure Mr. Fabian would agree."

Dennis Fabian gave his assent because for him it was just an administration of justice. He had no interest in scoring a checkmark in the win column if the accused was not actually guilty. And besides, a young woman was sitting in the holding room in back of the courtroom with shackles on her arms who very likely was the guilty party. He had just as much of an interest in the truth therefore as did Powell and Henderson.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I would like to call as my first witness, Mr. Lukas Garibaldi." Powell said.

Natalie watched with interest as a young man around Julie's age walked up to the stand and was sworn in. She had never heard of this Lukas and was unsure of his relation to the case until he started talking. Then, she knew. Powell was quick to pull together what they needed.

"Now, Mr. Garibaldi, would you state for the court your full name?" Powell asked.

"Yes, sir. My name is Lukas Armstead Garibaldi III." the young man said.

"And, Mr. Garibaldi, would you state your relationship with the deceased, Mr. Joshua Landrum?" he asked.

"I was his roommate." Garibaldi answered.

"Thank you. And, for how long were you and Josh roommates?" he asked.

"We had been roommates for around a year."

"So, you two knew each other rather well?"

"Yes sir. Very well." he answered.

"And, how would you describe Mr. Landrum? Was he the type of man who would naturally make enemies?"

"Oh, no sir. Joshua was loved. He was friendly and a bit shy. Even though he was in the theater, he never craved the spotlight just for himself. He was generous and he was kind and just an all-around nice guy." Lukas responded.

"What was he like as a student?" Powell asked.

"Average...or sometimes below average. Academics wasn't his thing, not that he was dumb. He was just better at some classes than others." Lukas said.

"Were there any subjects he was doing particularly poorly in?" Powell asked.

"Yeah. Science and Math, but really more Science. That was the class he was failing." Lukas answered.

"And he had a particularly difficult science course last semester, isn't that correct?" Powell asked.

"Yeah. Botany. He really wasn't into plants." Lukas responded.

"What was his final grade that semester in his Botany class?"

"He received a B minus." Lukas said, looking around the courtroom at nothing in particular as he appeared to be restaining some emotion.

"A B minus. Now, remind me since it has been a while since I was at university. That isn't failing, is it, Mr. Garibaldi?" Powell asked.

"No sir. That is passing." Lukas answered.

"I see. Do you have any idea what turned things around for Mr. Landrum? Did he just suddenly get it ?" he asked.

Lukas took a deep breath. "No sir. Joshua didn't do well. Those weren't his grades."

"But I thought you just said that he earned a..."

"I said he received. He earned an F. His grade was changed after grades were handed in for the semester." Lukas noted.

"Changed? As in the academic record was modified in the system, changed?"

"That is correct." Lukas responded.

"And who would do such a thing as that?" Powell asked.

Lukas answered with a cold tone. "Melody McKnight changed his grade."

"And you know this, how?"

"Melody came over to our apartment one day to deliver a script to Josh. Josh had gotten his grade card in the mail and read it and knew it wasn't right. When Mel came over, she was being rather coy like she knew something and Josh asked her what the triumphant look she had on her face was all about. She admitted right there in front of us, in front of me, that she had changed his grade."

"She admitted to fraud?"

"Yes sir, she did."

"If she would have gotten caught, what would have happened to her?" Powell asked.

Lukas paused. "Expelled for sure. And, if you look at who forged the grades for those basketball players, they are facing some criminal stuff too."

Powell turned and walked to his table and opened up a folder. Taking out a newspaper clipping, he held it up. "The defense would like to submit into evidence this newspaper clipping from the recent college cheating scandal that involve basketball players at the University of California, Berkeley. It indicates that the ones who were involved in that scandal are facing potential jail time for filing false records with the state as the university receives aid from the state and part of that aid is contingent upon said academic records.

"Now, Mr. Garibaldi. Do you have any idea why Miss McKnight would risk potential expulsion and jail time to do such a thing?" Powell asked, turning back to the stand.

Lukas smirked. "Oh yeah. Melody had the hots for Josh. Big time."

"Had the hots for him?" Powell said, tilting his head. "You mean that she had an interest in him romantically?"

"I mean she stalked him and pursued him and wanted to date him and wanted to have his baby. She actually said all of these things. Gave Josh the willies."

"The willies?"

"The creeps. She creeped him out."

"So, Josh had no interest in Melody romantically?"

"None, whatsoever. He felt sorry for her and he tried to be nice. She could sometimes get a bit emotional, but he figured if he was nice to her maybe she'd stay calm and things would eventually work their way out."

"Which, of course, they didn't. Joshua was murdered."

"Yes." Lukas said, looking at the floor. "She killed him."

"Objection, your honor." said Fabian. "Facts not in evidence."

"We'll get there, Dennis." Powell said, looking at his colleague.

"See to it that you do." Henderson stated. "Overruled, for now."

"Okay, Lukas. I have one more question for you. You just stated that it is your belief that Melody McKnight killed Joshua Landrum. A motive could obviously be that he was going to turn her in for the crime of fraud. But, in your opinion, what was her motive for making it look like Julie Teeger did the crime? If she did this, then she clearly would have had to go through great lengths in order to frame her. Why would she do this?"

"Easy one." Lukas said, looking over at Julie. "She was jealous."

"Jealous? Please elaborate."

"Julie is smart and kind and pretty and she had the one thing that Melody wanted but couldn't have. Josh was in love with her."

"Joshua was in love with my client, Miss Julie Teeger?"

"That's right." Lukas said.

"And you know this how?"

"He said so."

"Publicly?"

"No, privately. To me back at our flat."

"To your knowledge, did he ever tell Miss McKnight that?" he asked.

"Yes sir, he did. He told Melody to leave him alone and that he liked Julie. I was there when he said it."

"And how did Miss McKnight take it?" he asked.

"She was angry. And, she refused to take no for an answer. She kept stalking him." Lukas said. "She actually sent Josh roses to the apartment one day. What's a guy going to do with a bunch of roses? That's when Josh wrote her a letter telling her that he couldn't love her when he was in love with another."

"And that was the letter found in Josh's pocket when he was killed?" Powell asked.

"Yes, sir. He planned on delivering it to Melody after the rehearsal." Lukas replied. "He wanted nothing to do with her. He only wanted Julie."

Powell stopped and looked at the young man. "Thank you, Mr. Garibaldi. I have no further questions."

Lukas looked up at Henderson who nodded towards the young man. "You may step down. Counselor,


who is your next witness?"

Powell looked out towards the floor and nodded towards an older man in a suit with glasses.

"Yes sir, the prosecution would like to call Dr. Chester Everett."

Julie looked over at the gentleman entering the scene. She honestly had no idea who he was but had learned to trust her attorney. The man came up to the stand and raised his hand, swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth then sat down.

Powell looked at the man who stated his name and then asked him about his occupation.

"I am a podiatrist." Everett said.

"And how long have you been a podiatrist?" Powell asked.

"It will be thirty years in July." the man responded.

"Would you say that you are well respected in the world of podiatry?" he asked.

"I would. I wrote one of the chief text books that they use in California's medical colleges on treatment of foot disorders."

"I see. So, you're an expert." Harrison noted.

"I guess so." Everett said.

"Mr. Everett, if I showed you some photographs of the sole of a shoe, might you be able to tell if there was some sort of foot deformity or malady present just by looking at the print?"

"Yes. We look at electronic prints all the time to see where the weight is being distributed and what might be causing a person's pain." the doctor said.

Powell walked back to his folder and pulled out a couple of photographs from the crime scene and walked back to the witness stand. Laying them on the stand he questioned the witness.

"Now, Dr. Chester Everett, I have before you two photographs from a murder scene that show footprints. The photo on the right is the scene as a whole, and our photo team has enlarged this area here so that you can better see the print. Looking at this print, does it appear, in your expert opinion, that the person whose shoe that was had a problem with her foot? They are women's shoes."

Everett looked at the photograph for the first time and furled his brow. After several seconds he set the photo down and nodded. "Yes. The person appears to have a very distinct problem with supination."

"Please explain to the court what that means."

"Yes. She essentially walks on the outside of the foot. A lot of different things can cause it. One can be born that way. Do it out of bad habit. Injury."

"I see." Powell took a few steps away from the stand then walked back up to him. "When I showed you the photograph, you seemed a little confused. Is your diagnosis of supination not conclusive?" he asked.

"No. Not that." Everett stated. "I wasn't frowning at that. It's the ridges across the ball of the foot. I am not sure what would cause a person's foot to do something like that."

Powell held the photo back up to him. "You mean these? These ridges?"

"Yes. It's odd to say the least." Everett responded.

"In your expert opinion, Dr. Everett, would it be possible that whoever wore the shoe had a smaller foot than the shoe itself? Could those ridges be the impression of the other person's toes?" Powell asked.

Everett looked off into space for a moment and thought. "Yes. I believe that would be possible."

Powell walked away and back to his folder, pulling out three more photographs. "Your honor. I would like to enter those photos into evidence as well as these that were made by my staff."

Powell laid out the photographs on the stand in front of Everett and pointed them out. Each photo had the same impression across the ridge of the foot.

"Dr. Everett, what do you see in these photographs?" he asked.

The doctor took the photograph in his hand and noted "The man has a problem with bunions." he stated, causing a snicker to go throughout the courtroom and even the attorney smirked.

"Yes. He does. What else, Dr. Everett?" Powell asked.

"There is a similar ridge across the ball of the foot." he stated. "Except I can see right here that someone was gripping their toes inside a shoe right there. You can see the separation between the hallux, or great toe, and the second toe. Whoever had the shoe on did not have a bunion." he stated.

"So, it is your expert opinion that this set of footprints was caused by a person with a smaller foot wearing the shoes of a person with a larger foot?"

"I believe the photographic evidence is consistent with that." Everett answered.

"And do you believe that the photographic evidence from the crime scene is consistent with that as well?"

"Yes. I believe so."

"Thank you. Now, Dr. Everett, can you tell us a little more about your job? Where do you work?"

Everett stated. "I have a private practice in Sausalito."

"I see, and before that?"

"I worked in the city, largely serving the prison population of the areas jails." he stated.

"Did you ever treat a patient by the name of Jenna or Annie Ryan?" he asked.

"Jenna Anne Ryan. Yes. I remember her. She came in after being attacked in the jail. They broke her ankle and foot and she needed to have surgery. It never quite healed." Everett stated.

"What never healed? What was her specific malady?" he asked.

"She walked on the outside of her foot. It was worse when she was tired, but it was pretty much always present. Were these her shoes?"

"I believe so, yes." Powell stated. "Unfortunately, that physical evidence has likely been destroyed, but the prints will suffice. I have no further questions for Dr. Everett, but would like to enter into evidence the statement of the coroner who has stated that Jenna Anne Ryan wore a size nine women's shoe. I would also like to note that her sister, Melody, according to their mother, wore a size six and a half. This will become relevant later."

"Duly noted and entered. Do you need a break, counselor or are you okay?"

"I'm fine, your honor. I would very much like to call my next witness."

"And that is?"

"The defense calls Miss Melody McKnight, also known as Melody Ryan."