Adrian spent the afternoon pouring over the contract that he had signed with the DOJ and found several loopholes within. While it was true that he served at the President's pleasure, there was a clause for 'mutually agreed upon termination' of the contract that would release him from its provisions at an date earlier than the three years of the contract specified. Now, his only challenge was to orchestrate that 'mutual agreement in such a way that he would not be charged with obstructing justice.
He could see how Stoddard could make the demand that he serve in whatever capacity that he was called to serve; but, Monk did not like being forced into doing things that he did not want to do. He was enraged at how they had actually pulled him in, and frankly thought about pressing kidnapping charges against them. But, he knew that this would likely go nowhere and the damage it would do would be worse than any gains realized.
So, he decided on a different tactic. Looking over the contract, it was clear that the expectation was that he had to go to work; but, he saw no indication that he actually had to be productive. It was a gamble on his part because he was playing with very well-connected members of political society; but, if Stoddard insisted on playing hardball, Adrian was prepared to suit up.
Truthfully, he knew his own limitations without Natalie nearby, and with the emotional trauma he in, was fighting the temptation to revert to his former self. So, he thought…why fight it? Work with it.
For the past five years, he had made tremendous strides in being able to control some of his more annoying tendencies and had learned to restrain his drive to do things which irritated others or got in their way. And, sometimes it could be downright exhausting just trying to fit in with social expectations. So, why tax himself? Let go of the restraint and let the inner Monk shine through. It wouldn't be an act, at least not most of it. Go right ahead and wear all of those 312 phobias on his sleeve and go wherever that took him. What were they doing to do? Fire him?
After closing up his house, he arrived at the J Edgar Hoover FBI building in Washington DC in the afternoon of the fourth day since he returned from being taken captive. His late arrival was due to refusing air travel and instead choosing to ride in the front seat of a taxi cab from Swampscott to DC – an 8 hour trip.
Using a handkerchief to open the door to the executive suite of offices, he walked into the central area by the Executive Secretary's desk, and went over and touched the top of a lamp. Next, he walked to the opposite wall and straightened a picture frame, taking the same handkerchief as before and wiping a smudge off its glass.
The Secretary observed this behavior and finally responded in a formal manner, "Sir, may I help you?"
Adrian looked around the rest of the office, shifted his neck and then walked up to her desk.
"Um… yeah. I am Adrian…Monk. Former Detective, and I guess now, the Associate Director." He said, looking everywhere but in the woman's eyes.
"Ah. Mr. Monk! Director Grier has been very concerned about you. I will let her know that you are here." She said, pressing the button to an intercom system.
"Yes, Patricia." Grier said over the speaker.
"Madam Director, Associate Director Monk has arrived." Patricia answered.
Grier sighed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! Please, show him in." she stated.
As Adrian walked through the double doors into a luxurious suite, Grier jumped up from her desk and practically ran, in order to hug him. As her arms wrapped around his torso, he stiffened, not returning the embrace. Next, she kissed him on the cheek, very near his mouth. He visibly jerked away,twitched several times, and then reached into his pocket and grabbed a packet of wipes to wipe his face off with.
She just laughed. "Seriously, Adrian? I don't have cooties."
"Wanna bet?" he said, as he took the wipe and threw it in the trash. "With every kiss you are sharing millions upon millions of bacteria between people, not to mention increasing the risk of transmitting viruses such as Hepatitus B, influenza and the common cold."
Grier raised her eyebrows. "Well, I can assure you that I've just had my yearly physical exam and I'm free from all of the above. I am so glad to see you. I was afraid you weren't going to make it. Are you okay?" she asked.
No, he wasn't okay, but he wasn't about to tell her why. Instead, he found something else to complain about. He grimaced.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Sun." he said.
"Your son? Is there something wrong with the baby?" she asked.
"No. Sun. S-U-N not S-O-N. The Sun…the sun!" he said.
"The sun?" she asked, perplexed looking around. "Oh, the sun coming in the window. Is it bothering you?"
"Nuh…no…nooooo" he answered.
"Oh, okay." She said.
"Baby Leland is fine…Okay…Alright…Yes…yes, it is." He said.
"I can shut the blind." She offered.
"No. That's okay." He said.
"No, really. It's no problem." She said, standing up. Walking over to the window, she grabbed a hold of the cord and began to lower the blind.
"Alright." He replied.
Adrian watched, directing her with his hands. "Down…no..up…down…down….down a little further…up…a little straighter… ah…. Just right!"
Grier let go of the cord.
"Oh, wait…no. The top slat is a little off…would you fix it?" he asked.
Patiently, Grier adjusted the blind until Adrian gave a satisfied smile. Then she sat back down.
He continued to look at the blinds, and cocked his neck to one side, but she chose to ignore him and move on.
"Adrian, a lot has happened since we've last seen each other." She said.
He said nothing.
"Did you hear me, Adrian?" she asked.
"Um, yeah. Could you lift the left side about a quarter of a centimenter?" he asked.
"No. I can't. It's fine, Adrian. Focus." She said.
He stopped what he was doing and finally looked her in the face.
"I'm afraid there has been another attack." She continued.
"Another one?" he asked.
"Yes. Another IED was set up near the ticket counter at Disney in Orlando at around 1:30 PM today. Thankfully, it detonated without anyone getting hurt, but it did a lot of damage to that local area." Grier stated.
"Damage. That's too bad." He said.
"Yes." She said, now becoming quite uneasy with his demeanor. "The park has been shut down for the day while we investigate."
"That's good." He said, leaning forward and straightening the papers on her desk.
"Adrian. What's the matter. You're not yourself." She said.
"Yes, I am." He said, sitting back in his chair. Looking around he asked, "What wattage are those lightbulbs?"
"What does it matter?" she asked with irritation.
"That one looks brighter than that one over there." He stated.
"It doesn't matter. Do you understand Adrian?" she said slowly and tersely. "The attacks are continuing. People's lives are in danger. We need to be on our A game. Are you with me?"
"What am I supposed to do about it?" he asked.
"Well, for starters, you could act interested." She said.
"Fine. What do you have?" he said.
"Very little. We have video surveillance of a man in black clothing placing an object just under the turnstile at the ticket booth around 9:00 AM." She said.
"9:00 AM, weren't they busy then?" he asked.
"Very. And he was subtle." She stated.
"What was the IED made from?" he asked.
"We don't know yet. Forensics is still studying it." She stated.
"Did they observe where he went after he planted the bomb?" Adrian asked.
"He walked straight out into the parking lot, then disappeared into the tree line." She said.
"Get a good look at his face?" he asked.
"No." she said.
"Any other evidence?" he asked.
"Not that we could see." She said.
"Guess I can't help you then." He said. "I need more information."
"Fine. We'll fly you to Florida so that you can look at the scene." She said.
"Um, no. I…I don't fly." He said.
"What do you mean you don't fly? You fly all the time!" she said.
"Not any more." He said.
"Since when?" she asked.
He did not answer her directly. "I have always had a p-problem with actual flying. And, of course several of the times you refer to me actually flying – I was taken against my will…for instance, when I was taken to an 'undisclosed location.'" He said.
"So, you're saying we would have to kidnap you again to get you to get on a plane to Florida." She asked, irritated.
"There are other modes of transportation." He stated.
"And there is a killer out there on the loose." She said.
"Fine. I'll go to Florida. But, I'm taking a cab." He stated.
"The Associate Director of the FBI does not do cabs, Adrian. It is too dangerous. We'll arrange a driver." She stated.
"Fine." He said.
"Fine, you leave tonight." She said.
Fourteen hours later, Monk arrived at the Magic Kingdom.
The affected area had been cordoned off and the park was back in business with strong security in place. Still, he insisted that the crowd be moved as far away from him as possible, making the line to get into the place very long.
As he walked around the field of debris, he examined each piece of shrapnel, observing the trajectory and the size of the pieces. It was consistent with the Motorcade. Framing out the scene with his hands, he walked the entire area making mental notes of what he saw. It was a miracle that nobody was hurt. Sticking out of a wood frame of an adjacent booth was a one-inch piece of metal. He removed it. It too was consistent with the motorcade.
"Anything else?" he asked one of the investigators on site.
"First responders began bagging evidence before we could get here. We had them place it over in the shed over there under lock and key." Said the agent.
"Would you take me there?" Adrian asked.
Walking over to the shed, he observed much larger pieces, one of which clearly had Arabic writing on it.
"Can I see the police report?" he asked.
"Sure." Said the agent.
Looking over the report, he saw a listing of evidence collected to that point, and the item was clearly catalogued.
"Okay, thanks." He said, putting the report down.
Walking out of the shed, he put his hands down to his side and just looked around.
"So…what do you think?" the man asked.
"I think someone planted an IED." Adrian stated.
"Yeah. Well we know that." The man stated. "Any other insights?"
"I don't have any other insights to share at this time." Adrian answered. "Thanks for your time though." He said, as he walked back to the driver.
"Ready to go?" he asked the man.
"Go? We just got here!" the man asked.
"Yeah, and?" Adrian asked.
"Well, at least we should stay the night. That was a 13 hour drive!" said the driver.
"Oh, you can pull off at a rest stop and rest along the way. It'll be okay." Adrian said. "Let's go."
The driver frowned and walked over to his door as the agent watched Adrian walk back to the car in disbelief.
"Oh, make sure you preserve all of this stuff." Said Adrian.
"Of course. That's standard." Said the man.
As Adrian's car exited the area, the man called back to headquarters to talk to his superior.
"Hey, the Associate Director just left…. Yeah…. How was he? . Weird…That is the great Adrian Monk?...I don't get it. He didn't help us with a single thing."
Back in the car, Adrian used his cell phone to phone a friend. The phone rang for a few rings and then the man picked up.
"Armstrong." He stated.
"Preacher! How are you? This is Adrian…Monk." He said to his police friend.
"Adrian! My man! Oh wow! So happy to hear from you! How's the Mrs?" he asked.
The question stung and felt awkward, making Adrian even more so.
"Um…yeah…well…here's the thing… we can talk about that later. I have something I need for you to do." He said.
"Anything, friend." Said Armstrong.
"It's a big one. I need a listing of government employees who have flown to the Middle East over, say, the last year or so." Adrian said.
"That's not possible to get. Besides, you would need a warrant." Armstrong stated.
"Okay. Then, let's go about this another way. I'm staying in DC. Can you give me some hints of how to look for that kind of information in the public record?" Adrian said.
"That, I can do." Said Preacher. "Hey, you got a place to hang out? If not, you can stay with me."
"Sounds great. I'll be there in about 15 hours." Said Adrian.
"15 hours?" asked Preacher.
"Yeah. We're driving back from Orlando." He said, with a smile.
