The next student's dorm was in the building next door, but he was not home. Suddenly, Monk commented.

"Biometrics uses math."

"So you think this professor got killed over his research?"

"No, but it's related somehow." He said.

Quickly, they went to see Charlie, who was glad to see them. He and Amita were looking at a web site in his office.

"I just found out that he consulted for International Biometric Group" the mathematician told them. "Working on some top secret stuff"

"I see you found their home page." Natalie said.

"IBG is the biometric security industry's leading consulting and technology services firm. Since 1996, IBG has provided technology-neutral and vendor-independent biometrics services, strategy, and solutions to financial institutions, integrators, government agencies, and high-tech firms." Amita read to them.

"Look at that" the sleuth pointed to the lower left hand corner of the screen.

"What?"

"There's a spot." Monk got a wipe and took care of it. "Hans' knowledge and experience in this field would be a valuable asset to criminals"

"Like mobsters?" Natalie asked. "Don't they usually just shoot people who get on their bad side?"

"We're talking about sophisticated criminals." Charlie cut in. "I'm calling Don."

Unfortunately, Don was not at his desk.

"Why don't you get a consulting job with the company, see what you can find out." Natalie suggested with a shrug.

"That's a great idea!"

"You're going undercover?" Alan asked Charlie as the latter packed just after the academic year ended. It worried him enough when his eldest, a trained F.B.I. agent, did this sort of thing.

"I need to work in this company as a consultant so I can learn more about it." Charlie said(Monk and his assistant had returned to San Francisco to await new information)

"Couldn't you at least work at their Los Angeles Office?"

"They don't have one."

"Isn't there anything closer?" In Alan's mind, Charlie was getting in over his head.

"The other one is in London."

"Where are you going to live?"

"A friend of mine teaches at NYU."

New York, with its excellent public transportation (as opposed to L.A's), allowed the person without a car great mobility. Charlie was shocked to see how packed the subway was during rush hour. With this brilliant mind, he had quickly figured the system out. The office was in Battery Park Plaza. He had gotten the job by sending his resume, and offering to help with certain things.

" Los marcianos llegaron ya, y llegaron bailando rica-cha…" Someone started to sing using the window as a percussion instrument, as Charlie quickly got into the subway car during his second day of work.. Little did he know that someone was following him.

This came for you" His friend gave him a box addressed to him the next evening. Opening it, he found a nasty surprise: the head of a dead pigeon.

TBC