"How could someone kidnap Randy!" Stottlemeyer said, very worried. "Do you think they knew he was a cop?"
"They had to. He had his badge and his gun on him," Monk said calmly. Natalie held her head in her hands. Julie and her had been sleeping at the station for protection. Natalie still couldn't believe someone had tried to take her daughter.
"Two days, and we haven't heard a word!" Stottlemeyer said to himself, pacing back and forth. "Did Julie tell you anything else?"
"No, Captain," Natalie said, frustrated herself. "You've questioned her a million times. All she knows is that there were three guys in black sweat suits and ski masks. One was really skinny, the others big and tall."
"And you haven't noticed anyone following you lately? Anyone holding a grudge?"
Natalie shook her head, just as confused as they were.
"Well, we have to do something! We can't just wait here like that bum out there!" Stottlemeyer exclaimed, gesturing to a detective sitting out at Randy's desk. He was a special hostage negotiator called in by the chief, despite Stottlemeyer's assertions that they could handle this themselves. Stottlemeyer hated bringing in someone he knew nothing about in on finding Randy, but truthfully, he was too scared not to. 'What could have happened to Randy?' Stottlemeyer thought to himself. He felt so guilty for yelling at him minutes before his kidnapping. He had never told Randy this, but he had always been like a son to Stottlemeyer. He couldn't lose him now.
"Captain," Natalie called. Stottlemeyer turned and saw Natalie pointing to a lady outside the office, who was gesturing for the captain to come over there. Stottlemeyer rushed out of his office with Natalie and Monk, the negotiator detective right behind them.
"What is it?" he asked the Asian-American lady, who was holding a VHS tape in her hands.
"This was dropped off at the mailroom," she replied.
"Do they know who sent it?" the bald negotiator detective asked.
The lady shook her head. "No, it must have been dropped off after hours." Stottlemeyer went to grab the tape but the bald man took it first.
"Do you have a TV and VCR here? It might be from the kidnappers," the bald man asked. Stottlemeyer grabbed the VHS back, glaring at him.
"In my office," he said, Monk, Natalie, and the bald man following him. Stottlemeyer popped the VHS into the VCR, turned on the TV, and pushed play. What he saw made his face turn white.
On the screen was a close-up picture of Randy, his head dangling down by his knees. He was seated in a rusty old wooden chair with his hands tied behind his back. They couldn't see anything else except for a bare wall behind him and his ruffled hair. An evil sounding voice started talking. Immediately, they all recognized it to be a computer voice that muffled the real sound of the talker and made it sound deep and masculine.
"Detectives, you have messed up my plans for too long. I grow tired of your judicial laws. How many cops do I have to kill before you get the hint?" Stottlemeyer's eyes were glued to Randy, Monk desperately trying to listen to the voice. The computer voice continued. "This fellow officer of yours will now relay my demands." Randy sat still. "Tell them!" The voice bellowed. Randy's head dangled, his breathing very shallow. A figure traveled behind him, and his gloved hand pulled Randy's head violently back by his dirty blond hair. Randy let out a painful squeal as his head tipped back. Natalie let out a gasp, her eyes filling with tears. Randy's face was all bruised and bloody. He was sporting a black eye, a deep gash on the side of his right cheek and across his forehead, and a split lip. Blood was on his shirt collar. Randy took a deep breath.
"They…they are demanding you give them one million dollars…" Randy breathing faltered. He looked to be in a lot of pain. The gloved hand pulled his hair roughly back again. Randy let out a gulp. "And have Julie deliver it tonight… alone… at 9:00 at the old railroad station on Hamilton Street," He took another labored breath, "or they'll kill me." The gloved hand released him, and Randy's head fell forward in weakness. The camera cut off into static before the kidnapper's body could be seen walking away. Stottlemeyer stared at the static TV screen for a long while.
"O.K. folks," the bald negotiator said calmly, rewinding the tape. "Tell me what you saw and heard."
Natalie stood, wiping her teary eyes. "This is just so horrible. I love Randy, but I'm not sending my daughter…" Natalie began to cry. The bald negotiator put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.
"Your daughter is NOT going to that drop-off, I assure you. What we need to find out is why they want her before 9:00." He glanced at Stottlemeyer, who was still watching the screen, lost in thought.
"I don't know why they would want her," Natalie cried, not knowing what to think. The tape stopped rewinding and Stottlemeyer immediately played it again. They watched through it again, Natalie looking away as she didn't want to see Randy like that. Monk, Stottlemeyer and the detective studied it, looking for clues.
"We know they are using a computer voice, a standard system, nothing too high tech," the detective said.
Monk looked closely at the blank wall behind Randy. "They must be in a basement."
The detective paused the tape. "How do you know that?" he asked.
Monk pointed to the back wall. "Look closely. The wall is gray and chipped. Walls down in cellars or basements are usually like that because they are damaged from the moisture of the plumping pipes."
"Could be any basement, though. The kidnappers took great lengths to hide any other parts of the room from us," the detective said, continuing to play the tape.
"Except for that," Monk remarked, pointing to the gloved hand pulling Randy's hair back.
"We'll take it to the lab and blow it up," Stottlemeyer said. "Maybe we can find some distinguishing marks on the glove."
An hour later, Stottlemeyer, Monk, and the detective were in the lab, staring at the picture of the black glove.
"It looks just like an ordinary leather glove," the detective said, rubbing his eyes. "Nothing too fancy, maybe a store brand."
"Not TOO ordinary, though. The tips are smooth and genuine leather. It looks new, maybe just bought," Monk replied.
Stottlemeyer's eyes opened widely. "It's a woman," he said, speaking for the first time.
"What?" the detective asked.
"It's a woman!" Stottlemeyer repeated, pointing to the gloved hand. "Look at the long, skinny fingers. Julie said the kidnapper who tried to grab her neck was skinny. Maybe she was a woman." Monk looked down at his hands, lost in thought.
"Where does that leave us then? We still don't know who is after the girl," the detective said to himself. Suddenly, Monk lifted his head and ran towards the door.
"Monk," Stottlemeyer called after him.
Monk turned around. "Captain, get me a picture copy of that glove," he yelled, running out of the room.
"It's going to be O.K., sweetie," Natalie said calmingly to Julie, whom she held in her arms. They were seated on the sofa in one of the offices, eating pop tarts that Natalie had gotten out of the vending machine. "We are completely safe here." Julie leaned her head against her mother, looking sad and shaking slightly.
"It's not that. What about Randy? Is he going to be alright?" Julie asked.
Natalie stroked Julie's hair. "Of course. Mr. Monk and the Captain are going to find Lieutenant Disher and everything is going to be back to normal."
"Can we have a party for him when he gets back?" Julie asked.
Natalie smiled. "That's a good idea. Plus, we never got to finish celebrating your birthday. When Lieutenant Disher gets back, we'll…" The door slamming open interrupted her. Natalie and Julie jumped up as Monk crashed into the room, followed by the captain and the bald detective.
"Julie," Monk said, walking over to her and kneeling down to her level. "I need to ask you some questions about when those bad people tried to take you."
"Mr. Monk, she's told you everything she knows," Natalie said.
"Please, Natalie." Monk said sincerely. Natalie rubbed Julie's arm motherly, and sat down. Julie looked straight at Monk.
"Now Julie, that person who tried to grab you, could she have been a woman?"
Julie shrugged. "I guess so."
Monk nodded. "Now, when she went to grab you, did she put her hands around your neck like she was trying to strangle you?" Monk demonstrated by putting his hands out a few inches from Julie's neck. Julie flinched nervously but didn't move. "Or…" Monk continued, putting his hands lower down by the locket around her neck, "did the person put her hands over here, around your necklace?" Julie thought back, closing her eyes.
"I think she put her hands down here," she said, pointing to the middle of her shoulders, where the necklace lay. Monk half-grinned, looking back at Stottlemeyer, who was beginning to understand.
"Julie, may I please see your necklace?" Monk asked, turning back towards Julie. Julie glanced back at Natalie and then took off her locket and gave it to Monk.
"Mr. Monk, what is going on?" Natalie asked, confused. Monk, Stottlemeyer, and the detective all examined the locket.
"What are we looking for?" the detective asked confused. Monk looked up, his face showing that familiar look of understanding and revelation.
"What?" Stottlemeyer asked, recognizing he was having a break-through.
"They didn't want to kidnap Julie. This isn't even about the ransom money. They want her locket."
"What? Why?" Natalie asked.
Stottlemeyer closed the locket, picking at the diamond studs on the front.
"They're fakes," Natalie said. "They're just for show." Stottlemeyer pushed the left diamond stud quickly away and to all of their amazement, another one lay right behind it, this one shining brightly as it was reflected off the light. Stottlemeyer carefully picked it out of the locket and held it up
"This one's not a fake," Stottlemeyer replied. Natalie gasped.
"It's a diamond," the detective said, astonished.
"But…it's so small. Could it really be worth that much?" Natalie asked. Stottlemeyer smirked.
"If there is more than one, it could." He went searching into the locket, turning it over. Out of the open hole where the old diamond used to be fell over a dozen more of the same. Stottlemeyer quickly caught the small diamonds in his hand.
"My God, I've never seen so many small diamonds fit in such a small container," the detective remarked.
"But…how did they know? I bought this at Macy's. Who could have hid them in there?" Natalie asked, puzzled. Monk suddenly grabbed the picture from Stottlemeyer of the glove. His face lit up again.
"Oh my God," he said with a smirk.
"What?" Stottlemeyer asked.
"I know who did it. I know who kidnapped Randy," he said.