Monk, Stottlemeyer, Disher, Sharona, and Michelle gathered together in the kitchen with Ira and Sheila. "All right, Monk, lay it on us," Stottlemeyer said.
"Well Captain, Ira's saying he was paying his way through college enabled me to place his face: I arrested him in my early days of the force for breaking and entering. He made the same excuse then." Everyone looked at Ira. "Yeah, it's true," he said. "I was a dumb kid, I served my time, it's ancient history. What does that have to do with what happened tonight?"
"Well, when I arrested you I adjusted an uneven button on my shirt. I did the same thing tonight while you were seating us. That must have triggered your memory. Not knowing I wasn't still a cop, you put us in the smoking section despite Michelle's clear request not to. I can only think of one reason for that: you didn't want me around when Eli was killed. So you knew about it."
Ira interjected, "But you're forgetting one thing. Motive. Why would I kill my own brother?" Monk replied, "I was just coming to that. Here's what I think happened. You've been cheating on your wife with Sheila here since you started working at this place. Your brother caught you, and blackmailed you into giving him a helping hand by getting him a job here despite his lacking the necessary skills. But then you realized it might not end there. So you both decided to get rid of him.
"Once I was safely out of the way, you waited until you were alone with Eli, then one of you stabbed him in the heart. Now, b & e and adultery is one thing, but murder is a step up. So when you realized neither of you were wearing gloves and your fingerprints could be taken off the knife handle, you panicked. You didn't realize you just had to wipe the handle down, so you replaced it with another knife, one you were sure had no prints on it."
Stottlemeyer said, "Well, we can't prove any of that without the murder weapon. Did you happen to figure out where it is?" "Yes," Monk said. "Mr. Jones, you were very quick to stop me when my attention wandered to the improperly sealed crack in the wall. That got me thinking, what if it wasn't always improperly sealed? This is my theory: when the big order came, you took off some of the tape and used it to attach the knife to the bottom of the tray. Once you were outside and had an alibi, you had Sheila scream as if she was discovering the body. You dropped a plate, and once everyone was sufficiently distracted you removed the knife from the tray and attached it beneath the table. You hoped it would be safely hidden until the police had left."
Disher said, "Well, that's easily provable. There's only one spot here where a sizable party could sit." He went over to the largest table in the room and lifted up the tablecloth, revealing the knife. Stottlemeyer swung into action, reading Ira and Sheila their rights and taking them into custody. Michelle said to Monk, "Very impressive." He shrugged and said, "It's what I do."
"Well Captain, Ira's saying he was paying his way through college enabled me to place his face: I arrested him in my early days of the force for breaking and entering. He made the same excuse then." Everyone looked at Ira. "Yeah, it's true," he said. "I was a dumb kid, I served my time, it's ancient history. What does that have to do with what happened tonight?"
"Well, when I arrested you I adjusted an uneven button on my shirt. I did the same thing tonight while you were seating us. That must have triggered your memory. Not knowing I wasn't still a cop, you put us in the smoking section despite Michelle's clear request not to. I can only think of one reason for that: you didn't want me around when Eli was killed. So you knew about it."
Ira interjected, "But you're forgetting one thing. Motive. Why would I kill my own brother?" Monk replied, "I was just coming to that. Here's what I think happened. You've been cheating on your wife with Sheila here since you started working at this place. Your brother caught you, and blackmailed you into giving him a helping hand by getting him a job here despite his lacking the necessary skills. But then you realized it might not end there. So you both decided to get rid of him.
"Once I was safely out of the way, you waited until you were alone with Eli, then one of you stabbed him in the heart. Now, b & e and adultery is one thing, but murder is a step up. So when you realized neither of you were wearing gloves and your fingerprints could be taken off the knife handle, you panicked. You didn't realize you just had to wipe the handle down, so you replaced it with another knife, one you were sure had no prints on it."
Stottlemeyer said, "Well, we can't prove any of that without the murder weapon. Did you happen to figure out where it is?" "Yes," Monk said. "Mr. Jones, you were very quick to stop me when my attention wandered to the improperly sealed crack in the wall. That got me thinking, what if it wasn't always improperly sealed? This is my theory: when the big order came, you took off some of the tape and used it to attach the knife to the bottom of the tray. Once you were outside and had an alibi, you had Sheila scream as if she was discovering the body. You dropped a plate, and once everyone was sufficiently distracted you removed the knife from the tray and attached it beneath the table. You hoped it would be safely hidden until the police had left."
Disher said, "Well, that's easily provable. There's only one spot here where a sizable party could sit." He went over to the largest table in the room and lifted up the tablecloth, revealing the knife. Stottlemeyer swung into action, reading Ira and Sheila their rights and taking them into custody. Michelle said to Monk, "Very impressive." He shrugged and said, "It's what I do."