Adrian chanced a quick glance at his wife while waiting at a red light. They were once again on their way to the home of the late Adam Gray, this time to interview his wife and hopefully, the neighbor who made the concerned call. He knew Natalie would have preferred to stay home, but he convinced her to come, knowing women usually responded better to interviews if another woman was present. Besides that, she had a soothing way about her that even those most reluctant to talk would often respond to. This time, however, the joy he usually felt in her presence had given way to concern.

After repeated questions regarding her welfare, she insisted she was "fine", but the smile she forced didn't make it to her eyes. There, the twinkle was missing. He had been staring into those sea-green depths far too long for her to be able to hide her true feelings. He knew she was not fine, as she said, and he knew why. He hoped their conversation on the couch the night before had worked to ease the fear she felt over his safety, but it hadn't had the effect he'd hoped for. She was still worried. He tried again at breakfast to ease her concerns, but she simply retreated into herself and refused to discuss it.

They reached the Grays' house and parked on their wide driveway. Stottlemeyer and Washington pulled in behind them. After gathering in front of the cars, Adrian reached for Natalie's hand, but she walked away before he could take it, mumbling something about getting it over with.

Stottlemeyer knocked on the door, and they were greeted by a thirty-something-year-old woman with short, auburn hair. "Excuse me," he said, "I'm Captain Stottlemeyer of the San Francisco Police Department. Is Victoria Gray home?"

The woman nodded and opened the door wider. "Please come in. She's expecting you. I'm her friend, Crystal."

The team entered and followed her to the great room where they had examined the death of Officer Gray some twenty-four hours earlier. They followed Crystal to the seating area surrounding the towering rock fireplace. They found Victoria Gray on the loveseat, her petite form almost swallowed by the deep, plush cushions. Her feet were curled beside her, and she hugged a smaller, throw pillow in her arms. Picking up the remote resting on the coffee table, Crystal turned off the TV. It took a moment for Victoria to realize what had happened, but then she raised puffy, blood-shot eyes to her friend.

"The detectives are here," Crystal said. She touched Victoria's arm. "Do you need anything?"

Victoria shook her head but remained silent.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," Crystal said. She brushed past the captain but then turned back. "Go ahead and have a seat. She's ready to talk to you."

Monk, Natalie, and Washington all took seats on the large sofa adjacent to the loveseat, and Stottlemeyer took the recliner opposite it.

Stottlemeyer cleared his throat. "Mrs. Gray …"

She moved the throw pillow to rest beside her. "I'm sorry for being rude … it's just still a little overwhelming."

"I'm sorry for your loss," said the captain. "Officer Gray will be missed by the entire department." He motioned to the couch. "This is my team: Adrian and Natalie Monk and Lieutenant Dwayne Washington. Thank you for letting us come out this morning."

"Anything to help find …" She brushed away a tear. "who did this. I don't believe for a minute Adam killed himself. I don't care what it looks like."

Stottlemeyer leaned forward. "We know Adam didn't kill himself, Mrs. Gray."

She brightened. "You do?"

"Yes. Mr. Monk was able to uncover some clues that leave me with little doubt your husband was murdered."

Victoria turned to the other detectives. "Thank you, Mr. Monk. I'm glad you are on this case. Your reputation precedes you."

Monk cleared his throat. "I will do my best. Could I ask you a few questions?"

She uncurled her legs and sat up straighter. "Of course."

"First of all, I want to clarify that you left early the morning of Monday, June 18th."

"Yes, that's right. I had an 8:00 a.m. flight to San Diego to catch." I was supposed to be in court yesterday morning, so my plan was to check into the hotel and have time to prepare for the next day."

"You're a lawyer?"

"I'm a prosecuting attorney." The smallest of smiles tugged at her lips. "Adam and I were a good team. He used to say, 'I catch them. You lock them up." She reached for a tissue to dab a tear.

Monk turned briefly to Natalie. He could tell she too was fighting tears. He wished he could take her in his arms right then and there, but forcing himself to remain professional, he returned his attention to the interview. "Was that the last time you spoke to your husband?"

She nodded and pulled her cardigan closer around herself. "He … he used to call me during the day, but his unit has been so busy. I tried to call when I knew his shift was over, but he … he never answer …" She couldn't continue because she could no longer hold back the tears falling down her cheeks. She grabbed another tissue from the box beside her and blotted them.

Natalie touched Monk's arm before she stood and stepped away. He wanted to ask her where she was going but didn't. After giving Victoria a minute to compose herself, he continued. "Mrs. Gray, did your husband give any indication that something might be wrong before you left? Did he seem worried or nervous at all?"

She shook her head. "No," came out as a squeak from her tight throat.

"Do you know if he was expecting company or if anyone was planning to stop by while you were gone?"

She shook her head as she blew her nose.

Natalie reappeared by her side with a teacup and saucer, the tag of a teabag hanging from it. She placed it on the coffee table in front of her. "Would you like sugar?"

Victoria looked at the tea, then up to Natalie. "Yes."

Natalie stepped away again and Monk's heart warmed. That was his Natalie, always so thoughtful, even though she was hurting too.

When Natalie returned, Victoria added a spoonful of sugar and stirred before taking a sip. "Thank you," she said as Natalie sat beside her. "Was that all, Mr. Monk?"

"No, I do have a few more questions. First of all, was Adam left-handed?"

She lowered the teacup. "Um, yes. He was."

Monk leaned forward. "Do you or did Adam eat strawberry-filled, hard candies?"

Victoria looked at Natalie. "What?"

Natalie nodded. "You know, the ones where the wrapper is red and green. It looks like a strawberry. Do you have some of those here?"

Victoria frowned, her brows knit together. "I don't understand what this has to do with my husband's murder."

"Please trust us," Natalie said. "My husband found some clues that, as strange as they sound, may lead us to who killed Adam."

Victoria studied her for a moment, then turned back to Monk. "I've eaten them, but I've never bought them, and I doubt Adam ever ate them. He's allergic to strawberries."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gray," Monk said. "Could you also tell me if you own a boat, or if you or your husband are mountain climbers?"

Victoria paused, her brow still wrinkled, but she shook her head. "No to both. Adam went fishing with friends sometimes, but we don't own a boat. We've been on day hikes, but nothing as serious as mountain climbing."

Monk laced his fingers in front of himself. "I noticed you have a nice collection of Snap-on tools in your garage. Do you also own Craftsman brand tools, a hammer in particular?"

"Craftsman? No. Adam hated Craftsman. He would only buy Snap-on."

"Could you tell me what size shoe your husband wore?"

Victoria sighed. "I still don't know where you're going with this, but if it will help, he wore a size twelve."

Monk leaned back against a throw pillow. "Thank you. You have been most helpful."

Stottlemeyer cleared his throat and leaned forward, folding his hands together. "Mrs. Gray, I have a couple more questions for you. You may find these questions difficult, but I just ask you to please be honest with us. I don't have to tell you, as a prosecuting attorney, withholding evidence will not help you or your late husband."

Victoria turned startled eyes to the captain, then to Natalie, who touched her arm in encouragement. "Captain, what's going on?"

"First off, did you know your husband attended an addiction recovery program for gambling?"

"Yes, I was the one who encouraged him to go. One of the partners in my law firm—his wife—attended for alcohol addiction. It worked wonders for her, so I asked him to try it. I knew he had a … a problem, and I was hoping it would help."

"Could you tell me what kind of gambling he participated in?"

Victoria drained her teacup and returned it to its saucer. "It wasn't anything illegal if that's what you're thinking. He bought lottery tickets and played a lot of poker."

Stottlemeyer squinted at Monk who was making a twisting motion with his hands and mouthing a word. Nodding, he continued. "Do you know if Adam ever gambled at the Peppermill Casino in Reno?"

"Not that I know of. Maybe I made too big of a deal out of it, but I was concerned for Adam. It just seemed he was becoming addicted to the gambling. I wanted him to get help before it got out of control."

"Understandable. Now, to my knowledge, he only attended a couple of meetings. Why did he quit?"

She shrugged. "He said it was too religious. He was worried they would try to convert him or something."

Stottlemeyer sat up and straightened his tie. "Mrs. Gray, do you know if your husband had gotten into any trouble with gambling debt or angered someone he was involved with?"

Victoria brushed her blonde bangs off her forehead and picked up the throw pillow to hug once again. "The only people I know of that he had any trouble with were those he was trying to arrest—you know, the drug dealers and middlemen out there."

"Did you know your husband had a stash of drugs in the safe in his closet?" Stottlemeyer blew out a breath as he awaited her response. He hadn't given her a warning on that one.

Victoria looked at Natalie, then across to Monk and Washington before narrowing her eyes at the captain. "What drugs? We don't have any drugs in this house. We don't even take prescription drugs."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we confiscated a couple pounds of heroin and cocaine from the safe in your husband's closet yesterday." He nodded to Washington.

Washington took an envelope out of his inner jacket pocket and reached into it. He pulled out a small stack of photos and laid them on the coffee table in front of Victoria. "These are the pictures, Mrs. Gray. Do you have any idea where they came from?"

She lifted the photos one by one before dropping them back to the coffee table all at once. She threw the pillow she was holding and leaped to her feet. She looked to Stottlemeyer, her eyes flashing. "Look, captain, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I don't know how those drugs got into our safe, and I can assure you Adam didn't either." She marched across the living room and stopped, facing the windows overlooking the expanse of green behind their house.

Stottlemeyer stood, his arms outstretched. "Mrs. Gray … Victoria …"

She turned to face him, her arms around herself. "He didn't use drugs or buy them. Why would he? He was a narcotics officer for heaven's sake. It was his job to arrest those who did."

Stottlemeyer took a step towards her. "I'm sorry, but this is what we found. I assure you I will do everything within my power to find out what happened here."

She was sobbing now, and Natalie stepped to her side, her arm around her shoulders. "Please, believe me, Captain. My husband was innocent. Please protect his good name." She fell into Natalie's embrace before Crystal returned and took her, guiding her back to the couch.

The team returned to the driveway. "Man, I hated doing that," Stottlemeyer said.

"Do you believe her?" Washington asked. "Do you believe what she said about the drugs?"

Stottlemeyer tugged at his tie to loosen it. "I believe she didn't know anything about it. As far as her husband, I just don't know. I hate it. I hate this whole case."

Natalie, who had her back to the team, grabbed Monk's arm. "Didn't you want to talk to the neighbors?"

He turned, following the finger she pointed. "Captain, which neighbor made the phone call about the Grays' dog?"

"I think the one directly to the left? Why?"

"He just pulled into the driveway."

Stottlemeyer shielded his eyes as he focused on the house next door. "All right. Let's go."

The team walked to the sidewalk lining the quiet street and followed it to the neighbor's driveway. They approached the van just as its side door opened. They looked up, and an older grey-haired man in a wheelchair lowered the lift he had rolled onto.

"Hello, I'm Captain Stottlemeyer with the San Francisco Police Department. This is Lieutenant Washington, and Adrian and Natalie Monk. May we speak with you for a moment?"

He rolled off the lowered lift, then turned to raise it and close the door. "Just a moment." He motioned for them to follow him. He took the ramp and they took the stairs, meeting him on his wide, covered porch. He turned and locked his wheels into place. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Are you Ron Griffin?" Washington asked.

"Yes," he said, "that's me."

"Did you make a 911 call yesterday morning regarding your neighbors, the Grays?"

He smoothed out his pants, then rested his elbows on the armrests. "Me again. You investigating Adam's murder?"

The detectives all looked to each other. "Where did you hear he was murdered?" Stottlemeyer asked.

Griffin clasped his hands. "Everybody's saying it was suicide, but Adam's not the type. He wouldn't have done it."

"That's what we're trying to find out. Could you tell us what prompted you to make the emergency call?"

"Well, like I told the 911 operator, their dog had been barking and whining all night. Now, I knew his wife was going out of town, but if they were both going to be gone overnight, they would have boarded the dog. That's why I called. I couldn't figure out why Adam would let him carry on like that."

Monk stepped closer to him. "Mr. Griffin, do you remember when you first heard the dog bark?"

"Oh, it was about 10:00 I think. I had just started to get ready for bed." He tilted his head. "If you folks are going to be a while, take a seat."

The team looked around and each found a wooden rocker to sit on. Monk chose the one closest to their host. "Did the barking stop anytime between then and when you made the call?"

Griffin took off his eyeglasses and examined them. "He stopped barking for maybe an hour before it started up again."

"Why did you wait until morning to call?" Monk asked.

"That dog of theirs—he's always barking at something. He's some sort of mutt, but I think he has a lot of hound in him." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pants pocket. "I didn't think that much of it until I woke up in the morning and he was still whining and having a fit."

Monk leaned forward. "Did you notice any vehicles parked in the Grays' driveway before you went to bed?"

"Didn't look. It's not that easy for me to get around, so if it's not necessary, I don't tend to do it." He spat on his eyeglasses before wiping them with his handkerchief.

Monk recoiled and put his hand over his mouth before removing his packet of wipes from his pocket. He held it out. "I … I have wipes."

Griffin looked at the package, then shrugged. "No thanks. Been cleaning my glasses this way for forty years."

Monk hitched his shoulder before he continued. "Mr. Griffin, are you aware of any conflicts in the neighborhood? Do you know of anyone who was angry at Adam Gray?"

Griffin returned his eyeglasses to his face, which he scrunched up in thought. "No, not really. Most folks around here get along okay … unless you count that one guy."

"One guy?" Monk asked. "Did Gray have any dealings with him?"

Griffin laughed which caused Monk to pull back in surprise. Griffin pointed a finger at him. "Funny you said 'dealings', because that's exactly what Gray had with him. They played poker together."

Monk turned to catch Stottlemeyer's eyes. "Was this poker player angry at Adam Gray?"

"Meh, he's angry at just about everyone. The man carries a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas."

"Does this man live near here?"

"Go back to the main road. Turn right on the next street. He's at the end of the cul-de-sac."

With no one home at the infamous poker player's house, the team parted ways for the day. They made plans to reconvene the next day.

While returning to his car, Adrian told Natalie, "Go ahead and buckle in. I need to make a couple of phone calls before we leave."

Natalie nodded and took her seat in the car. As he took out his cell phone and flipped it open, he could see she was dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose. The stress of the police department cases was still weighing on her. Adrian finished his phone call and joined her in the car.

Natalie was quiet for most of the ride, but as she looked out her window, her brow began to furrow. She turned to her husband. "Adrian, this isn't the way to the Evans' house."

"No, it isn't."

"It looks like we're heading home."

"We are."

"But, shouldn't we pick up the kids first? I sent Beth a text that we're on our way. She is expecting us."

"You may have sent a text, but I made a call. She's not expecting us."

"What?" Natalie's expression was incredulous.

He couldn't suppress his smile any longer. "I put in a request to my two favorite stepdaughters. They are keeping the kids overnight at Molly's."

Her mouth dropped open. "What about Luke? Is he okay with that?"

Adrian's smile grew wider. "I happen to know from talking to Molly a couple of days ago that Luke went down to L.A. to see his mother. Molly wanted to go, but she had a deadline with the paper, so she and Julie agreed to keep the kids for us."

He was expecting a smile from his lovely wife, but instead, her mouth closed into a frown. "Adrian, you shouldn't have asked them to do that tonight. Molly has her deadline, and this is Julie's last night off before dress rehearsals for her play starts. We are perfectly capable of taking care of our own children, you know."

Her unexpected response caught him off guard. "I know we are capable, sweetheart, but I wanted to give you a break. You have been really stressed over this case, and … well, I wanted to pamper you a little this evening."

Natalie closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, she allowed a smile to replace her frown. "Now how can I stay mad when you are so good to me. But, you're sure they don't mind?"

He glanced her way. "They were excited about it. You know Julie loves any chance she gets to spend time with her siblings, and Molly said something about needing the practice. So, no, they don't mind."

"You know, Adrian, those are two lucky kids."

"Why?"

"They have so many people who love them, they're practically fought over."

Adrian had to think about that for a moment, but she was right. They had been very blessed.

While Natalie took off her shoes and relaxed with some tea, Adrian ran a bubble bath for her with scented candles scattered around the bathroom. Then, while she bathed, he ordered her favorite Pad Thai to be delivered from a nearby restaurant. Dinner was served on their good china with more candles lighting the table. While she watched TV, he did the dishes. Then he joined her in the living room.

Natalie followed him with her eyes as he sat on the couch beside her and laid a towel on his lap. He put on a pair of latex gloves. "Are you going to …?

He patted the towel. "Give me your feet."

Natalie turned off the TV and happily obeyed. "Oh, babe, you haven't done this since I was pregnant."

He shrugged. "I remember how much you enjoyed it. I figured you could use it after the last couple of days." He massaged every inch of her bare feet, then removed his gloves and the towel from his lap. He scooted back against a throw pillow and tapped his chest. "Come here."

She giggled in delight as she turned to sit with her back to him. By the time he finished kneading her tense neck and back, she had no more strength than Jell-O. She collapsed against him with a deep sigh of contentment. "You have to be the sweetest man on earth. I love you."

He kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you more than you'll ever know, Natalie. I can't even express how happy you make me …" He turned her shoulders so she could look into his chocolate eyes. "That is why I hate to see you worry as you have. If I have to find another job, I will."

She turned to face him fully, her lips in a firm line. "You will do no such thing, Adrian Monk. You will not quit your job for me."

"But, sweetheart, I can't stand to see you as you've been. It's killing me."

She leaned back into him, her head on his chest. "Oh, babe, I'll be okay. I will. I've been thinking through it a lot today. When I talked to T.K., she reminded me how I once told her I would still marry Mitch, even knowing what would happen. I would, and you know what else—I wouldn't ask him to quit his job either. I wouldn't ask him to be someone he's not, and I'm not going to ask you to either."

Adrian ran his fingers through her silky hair. "You wouldn't?"

"No, I wouldn't." She looked up at him. "It wouldn't have been fair to him, and it wouldn't be fair to you. I knew who I was marrying, and I certainly knew the dangers involved with this job. It's not like I hadn't seen any of it before. I don't know what got into me. I think being married and having children has just made me a little more protective. You're a part of me. You're a part of us, and losing that is … it's unthinkable."

He caressed her cheek. "I know how you feel. That's why I acted as I did after your brush with death. Maybe this sounds old-fashioned, but I really think there's something to the idea of two becoming one through marriage. When the two are separated, by death or divorce, it's never neat and clean. You're left with ragged, torn edges that will always hurt." He placed his finger under her chin and tilted it. "We will stay together, Natalie. If I have any say over it."

A tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it away then lowered his lips to meet hers. She responded with an intensity he wasn't expecting. With her hands at the back of his neck, she pulled him closer and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. He responded, his senses now ablaze.

When they stopped to breathe, he trailed kisses along her jaw and neck. "I love you, Natalie. I love you so much."

She held his face between her hands and kissed him again. Without breaking their kiss, she slid her hands down his arms, took his hands, and stood, guiding him to join her.

He stood and reached around her waist, hungry for more, but before he could kiss her again, she stepped back and removed her robe. It was then he noticed she was wearing his favorite red gown, a satin and lace number that hugged her curves and skimmed her thighs.

He drank in the sight of her with a lopsided grin. "What do you have in mind, Mrs. Monk?"

She reached for his hand. "It's time to cash in that raincheck."