"Thank you for coming in, Mr. Vance," Lt. Disher said.

"Anything I can do to help. I still can't believe they're dead."

"You knew them well?"

"They were like brothers."

"Do you have any idea who could want them dead?"

"No. They were nice to everybody; always did their work; showed up on time."

"Did you know them outside of work?"

"We hung out sometimes. We went to the same places for dinner and shopping a lot. I saw them a great deal outside of work. Practically everyday. They always stopped to say hi and chat a bit."

"Did they have many friends?"

"They mostly seemed to keep to themselves until recently."

"Could you elaborate?" Randy asked leaning forward.

"Well, they'd hang out with the guys from work sometimes. They've had parties now and then. When I see them outside of work it's usually just the two of them. Well, was. I'm sorry. I just can't believe they're gone." Tucker Vance lowered his head.

"It's ok," Randy said sitting back to give him some space across the table. "Take your time." He pushed the stop button on the tape recorder.

"Thank you. I'm good."

"You sure?"

Vance nodded, and Disher pushed record.

"Lately, they've been hanging around Charlie and Spin."

"Charlie and Spin?"

"Charlie Miller and Spin Cooley. I don't know his real name. Spin was the name on his application and on the background check we ran before hiring him."

"Both of these men work for you?"
"Yes. Charlie's been with me since the beginning. We knew each other growing up. Spin came along about three years ago. He's a good worker. I don't have any complaints about his work."

"What about his character?"

"I can't put my finger it, but there's just something about him that creeps me out."

"Do you think he could have been involved in the Ramone brothers' murders?"

"I don't want to accuse him just because I don't personally like him that much."

"I'm not asking you to do that, Mr. Vance. I'm just asking if you think he may be capable."

"Capable, sure. He got the name Spin because he can apparently send a man spinning into the ground with just one punch."

"We may want to question him."

"Now wait a minute, I told you I don't want to insinuate-."

"We're investigating a crime. That means we need to speak with everyone involved in the lives of the victims. That's why we're talking to you. That's why we'll want to question Charlie and Spin and anyone else on your staff."

"Ok. As long as you make them understand that."

"We won't mention your name."

"I'm not worried about my name being mentioned. I just don't want them thinking that I accused them. Because I truly believe in innocent until proven guilty. And I don't believe someone's past should be held against him."

"We'll make sure they understand that. What do you mean about someone's past? Does one of your workers have a record?"

"Spin's done time for fightin'. To my knowledge, he's never killed anyone. Just before he started working for me, he'd served six months for puttin' somebody in the hospital with a few broken ribs and a concussion."

"Do you know what the fight was about?"
"Didn't ask. Like I said-"

"You don't hold a man's past against him. That's admirable."

"It's decent. We all make mistakes. But I believe we can all change if given a chance."

"There's another reason we asked you to come in, Mr. Vance. We have your name listed as owner of a blue Suburban." He showed Vance a picture of the van and it's license plate. "Is this yours?"

Tucker Vance nodded. "Yes. I use it for work."

"Are you the only one who drives it?"

"No. Charlie drives it a lot. Probably more than me since I had knee surgery a few months ago and have been working out of the office more."

"Does Spin ride with him?"

"Probably. Those two are almost inseparable."

III

"What do we do?" Natalie asked.

"We came to find her," Monk said as he started down the stairs. "We did. Now we have to take her home."

"Wait," Stottlemeyer said grabbing Monk's shoulder. "She may not be able to be moved."

"Yeah," Natalie said. "Who knows what's been done to her."

"Poor woman," Bruce said. "Uh oh," he said turning his head.

"Company?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"Yep."

"We gotta get out of here," Natalie said.

"He comes in through the kitchen," Johnny said.

"Front door," Natalie said.

"Wait a minute. You want to know your connection to her," Johnny said to Monk. "And you want to know what's going on here," he said to Stottlemeyer. "Now's your chance."

"I'm guessing he's not going to be too eager to answer questions," Natalie said.

"Not confronted by five people," Bruce added.

"Unless he only finds one of us," Stottlemeyer said.

"Exactly," Johnny said.

"What about the rest of us?" Natalie asked.

"We've got a warrant," Stottlemeyer said. "We search. We'll be down the hall," he said to Monk as he turned out the basement light and led the others away.

"I-I can't-"

"Yes you can." Stottlemeyer patted Monk's shoulder and left.

"Good luck," Natalie mouthed as she disappeared into one of the rooms.

Monk turned as a man with long, dirty hair came out of the kitchen.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Um. I, uh."

"You Leon's man?"

"Leon?"
The man smiled. "Right. Not supposed to know who he is. I got your stuff down here."

The man turned on the basement light and headed down the stairs.

Monk stayed where he was. He saw that the door to the room the others were in was open slightly and Stottlemeyer was peeking out. He gestured for Monk to follow the man.

Monk descended the stairs, carefully moving around a stain on one step.

The man was pulling boxes out of a closet. He took a briefcase out of one box and another briefcase out of another box. He set the briefcases in front of Monk and started replacing the boxes in the closet.

"It's all here?" Monk asked trying to sound authoritative as he examined the briefcases for imperfections.

"Have I ever stiffed Leon?" the man asked sounding offended.

"No," Monk answered quickly. "No, of course not. Just routine you know." He smiled.

The man smiled back. "In case something is missing, you can say you did your job. So it wouldn't be your fault."

Monk nodded still smiling. "Exactly."

The man's smile left. "Same here. You be sure and tell Leon that."

"I will."

"You can go ahead and double check me if you want. I won't take no offense."

Monk thought the man's countenance said otherwise. "No, no. I trust you. After all, you and Leon seem to have a good relationship."

The man snorted. "Best relationship I've ever had with somebody I've never met. Never even seen the guy. If Leon is a guy."

"Well, you know Leon. Always secretive. Actually, I guess you don't. Well, you do know about the secretive part."

The man was staring at him.

"I'll just go now."

"Leon needs anything else, tell him just let me know," the man said, all business.

"Ok." Monk grabbed the briefcases and turned to go but turned back. "What about the girl?"

The man glanced at Vera Laney. "He don't get her 'til Friday. That was deal."

Monk nodded. "Right." He turned to go again when the woman started convulsing.

"Oh, not again," the man complained. "Give me a hand." He grabbed a syringe from a file cabinet and went to Vera. "Hold her still."

Monk did his best. Her eyes were open, and she was whimpering. She turned a pleading look on Monk.

"Keep her still!"

Monk didn't know what to do. He wanted to help but didn't know how at the moment. All he could do was hold her.

The man injected the syringe, and she went limp.

"What happened?" Monk asked shakily.

"It's the vitrolsa. We still haven't worked out all the bugs."

"You're testing it on her?" Monk exclaimed.

"Hey, she agreed to it. She wants her husband back unharmed; she's a lab rat."

"That was the deal, all right."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to Leon. You know how he hates things to go behind schedule."

"Ok," Monk said dazedly.

"You can see yourself out? I got stuff to do down here."

"Yeah." Mechanically, Monk retrieved the briefcases and left the basement.

III

Stottlemeyer saw Monk come out of the basement and stop. "Let's go." He went to Monk and guided him gently out of the house as the others followed quietly. "You ok?" he asked Monk when they reached the car in the middle of the field.

"They're testing a drug on her."

"What?" Natalie exclaimed.

"She agreed to let them do it in order to get her husband back. We need to get her out of there. The drug is making her sick," Monk said desperately.

"Ok, ok," Stottlemeyer said soothingly. "We will. Did you find out where her husband is?"

"No. I didn't find out who that man is either. But this stuff is for a guy named Leon. It's probably not his real name though."

Stottlemeyer nodded. "Let's get back to the station. We'll see what we can do."

III

"Mr. Vance was very helpful," Lt. Disher informed Stottlemeyer and the others when they returned to the station. "At least with giving us a lead or two. We're running background checks on two of his employees now. He wasn't much help with the van situation. He had no idea there were two other people who claimed ownership."

"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Ok. Run a search for the name Leon. It's probably an alias but check anyway."

"Yes, sir." Randy turned to leave then turned back. "Oh, did you find the missing woman?"

"Yes, we did."

"Good. Is she ok?"

"We don't know for sure yet."

"Oh." Randy left to run a search for Leon.

"Captain, we are going back to get her, right?" Monk asked.

"Yes. You two will have to stay here this time though," Stottlemeyer said to Johnny and Bruce. "It may be a good idea for you to stay behind as well, Natalie. I've got a phone call to make first, then we'll go."

"Going to get a drug unit out there?" Monk asked.

"Yep."

III

Stottlemeyer, Monk and Natalie arrived at the address on Route 5 along with an ambulance and two cars carrying a drug investigating team comprised of four men and two women.

"We'll go in first," Stottlemeyer informed the team indicating himself, Monk and two EMTs."

"We'll be on your six," Lt. Connors said. He turned to his team and gave instructions on the order they would enter the house.

"This is the San Francisco Police Department," Stottlemeyer announced as he entered the house through the open side door. "Come out with your hands where we can see them."

He and Monk stood in the kitchen with the drug unit behind them.

"Anybody home?" Stottlemeyer shouted.

"His car's still here," Monk said.

"If he's here, he knows we're here," Stottlemeyer said and proceeded to the basement.

Monk and Stottlemeyer stopped at the top of the basement stairs.

"Hello," Stottlemeyer called.

"There," Monk pointed to the file cabinet the man had gotten the syringe from earlier. Poking out from behind the cabinet was the tip of a shoe. It took Stottlemeyer a second to see it. He slowly descended the stairs with Monk and the EMTs behind him.

"Oh!" Monk exclaimed when he saw the body. The man had been stabbed at least five times that Monk could see. Blood caked his shirt and was pooled around him.

Stottlemeyer stepped back to let the EMTs through.

"He's dead, sir," one of the men said.

"All right," Stottlemeyer said with a sigh. "Get him out of here. We'll go tell the drug unit to move in. Then we'll search the rest of the house for Vera Laney."

III

"What do you mean, she wasn't there?" Natalie asked.

"She wasn't in the basement," Monk said. "She wasn't anywhere in the house."

"So where is she?"

"We don't know."

"Who was the man?" Johnny asked.

"Mr. Anthony Malone," Lt. Disher said joining them.

"One of the men claiming to own the van?" Natalie asked.

"Yep. That just leaves one owner still unaccounted for."

"Clint Simms," Monk said.

"Yep," Randy said again certain that Monk was right even though he didn't remember the name himself.

"Have the two employees of Mr. Vance been located yet?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"We've tried to contact them by phone and sent people to their homes when we got no answer but no one was home."

"We'll find them soon," Stottlemeyer said.

"How do you know, sir?" Disher asked.

"I've put out a warrant for Spin Cooley's arrest. His DNA was found on Mr. Malone."

"Do you think Vera Laney's with him?" Monk asked.

"We'll know when we find him," Stottlemeyer said.

AN: Here's the next chapter as promised. The story's almost done. Thanks for the great reviews! Keep 'em coming.