They all sat at the dining room table, ready to listen to the latest phone
call. Monk was fidgeting with his water bottle. Sharona turned to him with
concern before they listened to it.
"Are you sure you want to listen to it again?" she asked.
"I have to. The clues are in what he said," Monk replied. Stottlemeyer was also reluctant to let him listen. Discovering that you were talking to the man who killed your wife wasn't the easiest thing to deal with, especially for Monk. But Monk insisted. "Play it."
Disher hit play and they sat through the call, all of them listening for something to give their kidnapper away. Sharona watched Monk as they got closer to the end. He just closed his eyes and endured it. After it was over, he sat there, thinking it over.
"Play it again," he said. Disher rewound the recording and hit play. Stottlemeyer was listening to the background noise. He hoped there would be something to give away the kidnapper's location. The call had come from a cell phone so they couldn't trace it. But all he heard was cars and the usual city background noises.
Once they had finished listening to it for the second time, Monk opened his eyes as a thoughtful look spread across his face. He had found something. Now he was just working it out in his head.
"It's the not knowing that kills you," Monk said, quoting the kidnapper.
"Yeah, he said that twice," Sharona said, catching onto the pattern. "And he seemed to think you were lucky because you know that Trudy's dead."
"He said that on purpose," Monk said. "He wants me to work through the clues and find him."
"Why would he want you to find him?" Disher asked.
"He's taunting me. He wants to be caught. I'm not sure why," Monk said. Then it hit him. "Missing persons."
"What?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"He didn't have a record because he wasn't a criminal until he killed Trudy," Monk explained. "He was a victim. Or actually, someone he loved was a victim. A missing person that was never found."
"That's why he said that. Because he doesn't know where the person is," Stottlemeyer said. "He doesn't know if they're alive or dead."
"I need to look at all the missing persons cases I worked on while I was on the force where we didn't find the victim," Monk said. "That's where we'll find the kidnapper."
* * *
The four of them were going through stacks of case files, trying to refresh Monk's memory and hope he could find their kidnapper by digging through the past.
"Melissa Jenkins. Twenty-three, senior in college, missing since 1992. No suspects," Sharona read from a case file. Monk shook his head.
"No, that's not it," he said.
"How do you know?" Stottlemeyer asked. "Any of these cases could be the one."
"No, there has to be something that I did or didn't do that caused this," Monk said. "I'll know it when I hear it."
"Jordan Mueller. Three-years-old, taken from his back yard, no suspects," Stottlemeyer read. Monk shook his head.
"This case had a suspect," he said. Sharona was about to ask him how he knew that, but she knew she wouldn't get a decent answer.
"Casey Ellerbeck. Thirteen-years-old, never came home from school on September 3, 1991, missing ever since," Disher read. He waited for a response from Monk, but he got none. "Suspect identified as Stanley Sharp. Killed in police raid. Victim never found."
"Stanley Sharp," Monk said. "I shot him."
"It was a clean shoot, Monk. He came charging at you with a shotgun," Stottlemeyer said. "I remember that case. Wasn't Casey's father on the force?"
Disher looked through the file and nodded his head. "Michael Ellerbeck. He quit shortly after Sharp died. San Francisco PD." He paused and his eyes widened. "He was on the bomb squad."
"That's him," Monk said confidently. "He's the one."
"Are you sure?" Sharona asked.
"I'm positive," he replied. He looked to Stottlemeyer. "Ellerbeck's fingerprints from his employment file will match up with that fourth set of fingerprints."
"You think he was careless enough to leave his prints?" Disher asked.
"He wasn't careless. He left them on purpose," Monk said. "He wants to be caught."
"Are you sure you want to listen to it again?" she asked.
"I have to. The clues are in what he said," Monk replied. Stottlemeyer was also reluctant to let him listen. Discovering that you were talking to the man who killed your wife wasn't the easiest thing to deal with, especially for Monk. But Monk insisted. "Play it."
Disher hit play and they sat through the call, all of them listening for something to give their kidnapper away. Sharona watched Monk as they got closer to the end. He just closed his eyes and endured it. After it was over, he sat there, thinking it over.
"Play it again," he said. Disher rewound the recording and hit play. Stottlemeyer was listening to the background noise. He hoped there would be something to give away the kidnapper's location. The call had come from a cell phone so they couldn't trace it. But all he heard was cars and the usual city background noises.
Once they had finished listening to it for the second time, Monk opened his eyes as a thoughtful look spread across his face. He had found something. Now he was just working it out in his head.
"It's the not knowing that kills you," Monk said, quoting the kidnapper.
"Yeah, he said that twice," Sharona said, catching onto the pattern. "And he seemed to think you were lucky because you know that Trudy's dead."
"He said that on purpose," Monk said. "He wants me to work through the clues and find him."
"Why would he want you to find him?" Disher asked.
"He's taunting me. He wants to be caught. I'm not sure why," Monk said. Then it hit him. "Missing persons."
"What?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"He didn't have a record because he wasn't a criminal until he killed Trudy," Monk explained. "He was a victim. Or actually, someone he loved was a victim. A missing person that was never found."
"That's why he said that. Because he doesn't know where the person is," Stottlemeyer said. "He doesn't know if they're alive or dead."
"I need to look at all the missing persons cases I worked on while I was on the force where we didn't find the victim," Monk said. "That's where we'll find the kidnapper."
* * *
The four of them were going through stacks of case files, trying to refresh Monk's memory and hope he could find their kidnapper by digging through the past.
"Melissa Jenkins. Twenty-three, senior in college, missing since 1992. No suspects," Sharona read from a case file. Monk shook his head.
"No, that's not it," he said.
"How do you know?" Stottlemeyer asked. "Any of these cases could be the one."
"No, there has to be something that I did or didn't do that caused this," Monk said. "I'll know it when I hear it."
"Jordan Mueller. Three-years-old, taken from his back yard, no suspects," Stottlemeyer read. Monk shook his head.
"This case had a suspect," he said. Sharona was about to ask him how he knew that, but she knew she wouldn't get a decent answer.
"Casey Ellerbeck. Thirteen-years-old, never came home from school on September 3, 1991, missing ever since," Disher read. He waited for a response from Monk, but he got none. "Suspect identified as Stanley Sharp. Killed in police raid. Victim never found."
"Stanley Sharp," Monk said. "I shot him."
"It was a clean shoot, Monk. He came charging at you with a shotgun," Stottlemeyer said. "I remember that case. Wasn't Casey's father on the force?"
Disher looked through the file and nodded his head. "Michael Ellerbeck. He quit shortly after Sharp died. San Francisco PD." He paused and his eyes widened. "He was on the bomb squad."
"That's him," Monk said confidently. "He's the one."
"Are you sure?" Sharona asked.
"I'm positive," he replied. He looked to Stottlemeyer. "Ellerbeck's fingerprints from his employment file will match up with that fourth set of fingerprints."
"You think he was careless enough to leave his prints?" Disher asked.
"He wasn't careless. He left them on purpose," Monk said. "He wants to be caught."
