Adrian's cell phone came alive at 6:45 AM. First, was a text notification, but before he could check the text, the phone rang. It was Grier letting him know that there had been another attack, this time at the University of Chicago. She wanted him in the office as soon as possible.

After hanging up with Grier, he sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes reaching for his reading glasses in order to see who the text was from. He was excited to see that it was from Natalie. He had been texting her at least once a day just to touch base, but she hadn't responded until now.

Anxiously, he tapped through the prompts to get to the text, hoping for a sign that things were improving. He wasn't disappointed.

Good Morning, Adrian. I'm sorry I haven't responded until now, but I've read everything that you've had to say. Say hello to Preacher for me. Things are okay here. Lee is becoming more like you every day. I came in yesterday and he had arranged all the toys in his crib in a perfectly straight line! Not even five months old yet and already showing genius. Abby has been a bit grumpy. I think she misses her daddy. Truthfully, I miss him too. We have things we need to talk about and work out. But not yet. I'm not ready. Anyway, just wanted to tell you to have a good day and to be safe. I love you. Nat.

Like a giddy schoolboy, Adrian ran down the stairs to show Preacher the text.

"Look here! She loves me and she misses me!" he said, showing Preacher the text. "I've got to write her back! What should I say?."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy, friend. Hang back a minute and think this through. Don't show your hand too much right now, you'll just overwhelm her. Play it cool" Preacher advised.

"Play it …cool? Like hard to get?" Adrian asked.

"No. Not hard to get. Don't play games. But tread carefully. The lady is upset. Don't just go gushing out your feelings. You don't want her coming back to you out of guilt. Give her space to think things through on her own. She will come to the right conclusion." Said Preacher.

With this advice in mind, even though his heart wanted to pour forth a tome declaring his undying love, he kept it short and sweet.

Good morning Sweetheart. I was happy to get your text. I think about you all the time. I'm glad to hear things are okay. Tell Abby her daddy misses her too and give Lee a kiss for me. I hope your day goes well. I love you, Sincerely, Adrian Monk.

"Is this good?" Adrian asked, feeling insecure.

"Yeah. I think it sets a good tone. Nice job." Said Preacher.


After texting Natalie, Adrian got ready for work and then came back downstairs for a light breakfast before heading out. As he ate a piece of toast with butter on it and drank black coffee, he was very interested in what the news coverage would be of the attack. According to the anchor, it was a homemade IED placed outside of the library at the University of Chicago, after hours. Nobody had claimed responsibility.

"That's strange." Said Preacher, as he watched along with Adrian.

"What's that?" asked Monk.

"This is the third attack like this, no…make that four. One in DC. One with the President. Orlando, and now here. And yet nobody claims responsibility. What's the point?" he asked.

Adrian knew that the number was actually six, but that part was classified. With Preacher being part of the DC circuit, however, he figured he would see if there was any evidence that he wasn't privy to in the House office building and Motorcade bombings.

"Yeah, that's something." He said. "What do you know about the ones involving DC? You know the one at the Cannon Building and the Motorcade?"

"I was on duty when both happened. Heard about them on the Police scanner." Said Preacher.

"What did they say about them? And, was there, you know, any increased chatter or anything going on prior?" Adrian asked.

"No. Not a peep. Normally we at least get a little heads up that someone is going to do something and to be on the alert. Goes out to the heads of all of the precincts. Nothing this time." Said Preacher.

"So, the FBI or Homeland Security didn't warn you of anything?" Adrian asked.

"Nope. Nothing. I'm surprised too. They have eyes and ears everywhere. This one is a mystery." Preacher said.


At the Hoover Building, Grier held a meeting that morning at 10:00 AM with all of the field agents assigned to the case. One of her assistants, Henry Meadows, ran the projector.

Adrian sat at the front of the table close to the wall where things were being projected, while Grier stood with a pointing stick in hand leading the meeting. She held the pointer like a switch, tapping her left hand with it as she talked.

"Good morning, Gentlemen," she said. "This morning's briefing is going to be very important, so I suggest that you all take notes. We're going to go through the various attacks to date and discuss possible similarities or differences in making our case."

"Meadows. Please pull up the agenda…. Alright, first…" she said, taking the pointer and tapping the wall with it, then dropping it back down in front of her about 2 feet from where Adrian sat. "We will have a brief summary of each incident so that we can have them in mind as we listen to the presentations."

While she talked, all Adrian could do was focus on the pointer. Its tip looked so inviting. Irresistible. He just had to touch it.

Leaning forward, he reached out his index finger just as Grier said, "Next, Director Monk will brief us on what he found during his trip down to Orlando. Adrian is among the greatest investigative minds in the world, so you won't want to miss that. After that, Freeman will give us a briefing of some new information concerning the Cannon Building. And finally, we'll have a brainstorming session to try to ferret out the similarities and various clues received with each bombing.

There is a definite M.O. The hope is that perhaps in our vast experience one of us may pick up on something that others have not and give us what we need to head off the next attack. May I remind you, we've had six attacks out of a promised ten. Stopping the remaining four is our priority."

Adrian raised his hand, interrupting her talk. "Um, Director Grier." He said, staring at the pointer again.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Um…I..uh…." he leaned forward and touched the tip of the pointer with his index finger, and then with relief written on his face he looked up at her. "Would you remind me, how did we know there were going to be ten attacks?"

Grier looked at her pointer and then at him. "Chatter. There was chatter."

"What does that mean? Chatter? Cell phone conversations? Video surveillance?" he asked.

"Yes, that sort of thing." She said.

"Who reported on the chatter?" he asked.

Grier looked at him, "I'm afraid I don't understand, Adrian. What does that matter?"

"Oh, it may not matter a lot, but it's just …it would be nice…" he said, getting distracted by the reflection of someone's watch shining on the wall. "If someone heard something, maybe we interview the witness and maybe pick up new details."

"That sort of information is already in the police report." She said.

"Police report?" he asked. "Which departments were involved?"

"I don't have a listing of them right here, Adrian. Honestly, can't this inquiry wait? We have limited time here today." She said.

"Oh…sure. Go ahead." He said, looking over at the spiral notebook of the man sitting next to him, which had a remnant of torn paper hanging out its side.

"Okay, for our brainstorming, we will divide into groups…" Grier continued, as Adrian reached forward and pinched the piece of paper with his fingers. As he began to pull at the paper, the man's books began to move. The man noticed and slammed his hand down on top of the notebook, just as Grier said "And that's about it. Okay, Adrian your turn."

The entire room watched as Adrian pulled the paper out from the spiraled rings and then wadded it up into a little ball with his fingers. He looked up and then around the room, and then back at the man. "You'll thank me later." He said with a satisfied grin.

The man looked back at Grier with raised brows and Adrian turned to her and grinned, with his hands folded on the table in front of him.

Grier peered down. "Adrian?"

"What?" he replied.

"The report? Will you tell us what happened in Orlando?" she said.

"Oh. Ah yeah. Orlando." He said. Craning his neck he started. "Well, we drove down to Orlando. There was lots of traffic. If the driver would have gone the way I told him, it would have been quicker."

"Adrian, we're not interested in the traffic. What did you see at the scene of the crime?" Grier asked.

"Once we got there we saw that a guy blew up an IED next to the ticket counter." He stopped and looked back at Grier who cocked her head and furrowed her brow. "Um, we knew that. What else did you see?"

"Well, that was about it. There was shrapnel and stuff. Saw one piece made its way almost all the way through a board, so had to be a pretty powerful blast. Nobody was hurt though thank goodness."

Sharon Grier blinked several times, and then shook her head. "Uh. Okay. That's it?"

He nodded with raised eyebrows and a slight grin.

"Ahem. Okay, well thank you for your report, Adrian. Mr. Freeman, what do you have for me?"


The rest of the day, Adrian was left alone in his office. Grier knew something was off and wasn't sure how to read it. Frustrated, she put in a call to Stoddard, complaining Monk had "flipped his lid"; but, Stoddard was out visiting another state and wouldn't be available for non-emergencies until the next morning.

For his part, of course, he had paid attention to every detail in the meeting and took mental notes on all of the various photographic exhibits of each crime scene. Now, in his office, he had the luxury of working alone and unobserved.

First, he charted the various crime scenes and noted their characteristics

- Boston Harbor. Target – US Military Strategic Monitoring System. Device used – Underwater Drone. Destructive capability – High due to power of explosives.

- Missouri. Target – National Guard. Device Used – Rocket Launcher from Libyan Arms – Destructive capability – medium due to arms used and power of explosives.

- D.C. Target- Cannon Building. Device Used – Typical IED made from common chemicals. – Destructive capability – medium due to placement, though there were several casualties. It was deadliest of the attacks.

- D.C. #2. Target – Presidential Motorcade. Device Used – Roadside IED using Libyan weaponry. Destructive capability – medium due to power of explosives.

- Orlando. Target – Disney. Device Used – IED made from some sort of Libyan weaponry, possibly hollowed out mortar shells. Destructive capability, minimal due to placement. Could have been worse.

- Chicago. Target – University Library. Device used – IED. Destructive capability – minimal due to time of day and power of explosive.

Next, he listed the things in common.

- At least three of the events involved weapons, likely purchased on the black market, from the Libyan Revolution

- All were IEDs

- All were listed on the "chatter" list except for the motorcade attack

- All appeared planned so as to result in minimal collateral damage, though the Cannon office building did have casualties

Finally, he listed the differences.

- There was a difference in the sophistication involved in the various devices. For instance, an underwater drone able to carry explosives straight up to a Military Monitoring system was likely much more expensive and sophisticated in terms of technology than an IED in a trash can made of common materials.

- The fact that some made use of Libyan arms and some did not might be of significance.

- At least three of the attacks required some level of sensitive intelligence, indicating at least one contact in the intelligence community.

- Finally, there was the inconsistency in the "chatter" story. Preacher indicated that he routinely received reports if there was chatter within the intelligence community indicating a threat. He didn't receive any this time, so it may have been that intelligence officers had just been told that this was police intelligence, when in reality, it was planted information by someone telling them which cities would be targeted. But why?


Adrian struggled with his thoughts. Laying out the evidence had been easy, but now, analyzing it was proving to be difficult. His thinking seemed muddled. He couldn't concentrate. He knew that there was something in the back of his mind bothering him about the case, but he couldn't pull it up. It was as if he was a computer and one of his memory cards had malfunctioned.

He had been this way before in the past when things weren't quite right. Usually, it was something trivial that would throw off his ability to think. But this wasn't trivial. This was his life. Taking out his cell phone, he texted Natalie.

Good Afternoon, Sweetheart. Just sitting here thinking about you as I review this case. I am a little stuck at present and wish I had my 'assistant' by my side helping me. I know you have your reasons, and I'm not saying this to pressure you. But, I just wanted you to know how much I value having you here. That is all. I love you. Adrian Monk.

Natalie received the text while she and Peggy were picking out meals for a dinner party the following week that the Davenports were having with some foreign clients. She read it and sighed. His world must really feel 'off' without her. Truth is, hers felt off without him as well. Her thoughts drifted, and she briefly considered calling him. Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by Peggy calling for her opinion on which wine to serve. Putting it all at the back of her mind, she returned to her duties and the mundane tasks of a California socialite.

.


Thank you for your comments, particularly the steadfast support of alex hoodle, Dmander 4483, and KittyKat06. I appreciate the encouragement.

I also appreciate the guest reviewer for taking the time to give me the critique as well, though I don't agree with some of the conclusions. For instance, Natalie has changed from the TV show in that she has had another marriage, a severe nervous breakdown and a set of twins. I have written her the way I have in order to tease out the psychological implications of someone with her history coming to the realization that her husband's line of work might put her children in a very undesirable position in the future - a world without daddy. She has to grapple with that.

Second, the only overtly religious character in the series is Preacher, who is in character for who he is. While the characters in the television show were not overtly religious, they were not void of religion either and every so often a line would be dropped here or there. (Example, when the puppies were born, 'what was God thinking?'). Spirituality is very important in many people's lives and it was one aspect of character development I wanted to explore. Plus, it's good to have a positive representation of a Christian in a world where they tend to be portrayed in a negative light or ignored by popular media.

Finally, the charge of misogyny misconstrues what was happening there. I would have had the same pep talk for Adrian if the shoe had been on the other foot, with minor modifications. Peggy's point of view is consistent with something that someone from her age group or someone with a more traditional point of view might give. I believe the Davenports lean more traditional/conservative given that Natalie considered herself a wild child growing up and colored outside the lines of what was expected of her, much to her mother's chagrin.

Bottom line, the message is that relationships take work and self-sacrifice and Peggy was simply giving Natalie her take on what had worked for her and Bobby.

I hesitated writing this response, but felt I owed it to my readers to explain a little of where I was coming from since the review was in many ways the opposite of what I'm trying to convey. Since the review was anonymous, there was no way to private message the person. Currently, my plans are to write 10 of these stories - for obvious reasons to the Monk fan.

I appreciate all feedback, positive or negative. Thank you for your time! Janine.