Head notes: sorry it's taken so long. I started it, then I had serious mental block for two weeks. I finally finished it last night. I am actually quite happy with how it turned out and I hope you all like it too. Enjoy!
Chapter 4
John hadn't really been surprised when Monk decided to go to the station to speak with Stottlemeyer. From what he'd seen Stottlemeyer was the only friend he had besides Natalie. He listened to the conversation but when Stottlemeyer went silent after hearing about the hidden camera, something clicked in John's brain. Stottlemeyer must have caught Finch in Monk's apartment. It was confirmed as He suddenly heard Stottlemeyer's breathing harden. A couple of moments later, He heard a crash and Stottlemeyer's voice, deep and growling, "who are you?"
Abandoning all reason, he charged into the police station looking for the captain.
XxXxXxXx
Harold Finch didn't know how long it had been since Captain Stottlemeyer brought him in. It could have been an hour. Lieutenant Disher was still asking questions and, despite the fact that Harold hadn't answered any of them, still carried on with odd suggestions and wild theories that were way beyond the mark.
"I'm going to ask you again sir," he said, growing angrier. "Who are you?"
Harold still looked him in the eye. Even at his angriest, Lieutenant Disher was less threatening than a five-year-old.
Both Harold and Lieutenant Disher jumped as the door suddenly burst open to reveal Captain Stottlemeyer. Harold's heart stopped as he saw the look in the captain's eyes as they locked onto his. He only had a second to prepare as rough hands suddenly grabbed the front of his vest and yanked him out of the chair, slamming him against the wall.
"Captain, what are you doing?!" Disher demanded. Alongside him a new voice said "Captain, don't!"
"My patience is wearing thin, so I'm going to ask you one more time, who are you? And what do you want with Monk?"
Stottlemeyer's arm was pushing against his chest, rendering Finch completely immobile.
XxXxXxXx
Feuled by adrenaline, John lost track of all five of his senses. He had to stop Stottlemeyer from making a huge mistake. He could barely hear what was going on through Natalie's phone. But he stopped when he heard Monk's voice say "Captain, stop!"
John allowed himself to slow down enough to hear the conversation unfold.
XxXxXxXxXx
Finch stared at the captain as his face quickly grew red and his breathing became quick and shallow, his teeth were clenched so hard they could have shattered. Harold felt his chest constrict a little as Stottlemeyer's arm gradually pressed harder against him.
"Captain, Stop," the voice said, a timid hand appeared on Stottlemeyer's shoulder. It was Mr. Monk.
"Monk, meet the man who's been watching you," Stottlemeyer said. "He hasn't told me who he is or what he wants, but he will."
Finch knew by the look in his eye that that last statement was directed at him.
"Captain, I can't let you do this," Monk said. "You'll lose your badge."
"There are worse things than losing a badge, Monk," Stottlemeyer said.
"Not to me," Monk said after a moment of silence.
Stottlemeyer stopped and slowly turned to look at Monk. Finch didn't have to research anything to guess what was going on between the exchanged looks.
"what do you suggest we do, Monk?" Captain Stottlemeyer asked.
"let me talk to him," Monk suggested after a moment. Stottlemeyer chuckled.
"I've tried that. Heck, I even let Randy try. He is not talking to anybody."
"But, Leland, if he is watching me then that means he's probably interested in me. And if that's the case, then maybe he will talk to me."
Stottlemeyer glanced from Finch to Monk and back.
"on one condition" Natalie said. "I'm staying in here with you, Mr. Monk"
Stottlemeyer looked over at Natalie as she spoke and opened his mouth to object but stopped himself.
"Fine," Stottlemeyer conceded. Turning back to Finch, he said, "if you take this as an opportunity to hurt my friends, there's no law in any country that will protect you from me, Understand?"
"Yes, I understand," Finch answered.
Stottlemeyer gave one more push against his chest before finally letting him go.
"Come on, Randy," he said.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Monk looked back at the man as Leland and Randy walked out of the room. He took a moment to catch his breath before sitting down and looking at Monk and Natalie.
"I imagine you have some questions for me, Mr. Monk. Although, I'm afraid I will not be able to answer many of them. You can call me Harold."
The man looked him right in the eye, with a calm and respectful gaze. His posture indicated that he'd been severely injured and the presence behind his eyes told him that he was incredibly smart. But it still felt like there was even more to him than what he could see. He looked at Natalie who was probably thinking along the same lines. Looking back at the man, he began.
"You built a camera small enough to fit in a clock," he said. "That was you, wasn't " Monk tried to hide the wonder in his voice.
Harold acknowledged Monk's observation with a slight nod.
"So you're obviously very smart. And you went through a lot of effort to hide it well. So you know a little bit about me."
Harold stared at him and after a moment nodded.
"Who are you?" Monk asked cautiously.
"I believe you've seen my associate," The man, Harold, said cryptically.
"You are referring to the Man in the Suit, is that correct?"
"Mr. Monk," he said calmly. "Do you know of anyone with reason to harm you?"
"Why do you ask?" Monk asked.
"I have information from a reliable source that tells me you are in grave danger," Harold said. This man was definitely hiding something if he always spoke this cryptically.
"Mr... I'm sorry. What was your name again?"
"You can call me Mr. Robin if you prefer to use honorifics."
You can call me. He didn't say 'my name is,' he said 'you can call me.' Monk was pretty sure he hadn't given his real name. It also told him that Harold was used to giving out fake names.
"Well, Mr. Robin what is this reliable source?" Monk asked.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Mr. Robin said. "But my associate and I are here to help you. I assure you of that."
"And how are we supposed to believe that?" Natalie asked beside him. "You planted a camera in Mr. Monk's apartment and your "associate" has been following us non-stop since we left this morning. You expect us to believe that all that is to protect us?"
"Ms. Teeger, I understand your suspicions regarding our methods, but I assure you, we are not here to hurt anyone."
"You seem reluctant to answer our questions," Monk said carefully.
"I'm a very private person, Mr. Monk " Mr. Robin said.
"Well if I'm going to believe you, I'm going to need answers." he said.
"I'm afraid I can't supply you with any," Mr. Robin said.
"Then I guess we're done with this interview."
"I suppose we are," Harold said."Please bear in mind everything I have told you."
XxXxXxXxXxX
"What do you think?" Natalie asked as she closed the door.
"About what?" Monk asked.
"You know what.. That guy Harold. He was so cryptic."
"He's hiding something." He said. "He doesn't seem like a killer but then why is he working with the Man in the Suit?"
"Well, you're not going home with a camera watching you," Natalie said.
"Natalie-" he objected. but Natalie interrupted.
"Listen! If Robin or, whatever his name is, is working with the Man in the Suit, than it's possible that the Man in the suit also has access to the camera feed, right?"
Monk gave a reluctant nod, knowing where this was going.
"So then, you will still be watched at home. And we have no idea how many cameras he installed or where. There could be some in your bathroom."
"In my bathroom?"he repeated horrified.
Natalie quickly changed gears.
"Okay okay, not your bathroom. In your bedroom maybe." but that was worse.
"What sick person would put a camera in my room?" Monk whimpered.
"Mr. Monk, I'm just saying that it might be smart to spend the next couple of nights at my house."
"I haven't packed," He said. "I don't have Trudy's pillow, or my travel toothbrush, or water."
"There's water at my house, Mr. Monk." She said. "and as for the other things, we can buy a travel toothbrush or whatever else you will need for the next few days at the store."
Mr. Monk looked at her. "Trudy's pillow?" he whispered.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Monk," she said softly.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Julie could never stand the smell of Clorox. She hated the way it felt in her nose and how she could somehow taste it on the air. But if it wasn't Clorox, it wasn't clean enough for Mr. Monk. And when her mom had called with news that Mr. Monk would be staying over for a few days, she knew that the cleaning would have to be deeper than normal. She once again soaked the washcloth with the water/Clorox mixture, wrung it out, and scrubbed the bathroom counter.
A knock at the door offered her temporary reprieve from the strong fumes. Putting the cloth in the bucket, she went to go answer the door.
She opened the door to see a tall dark-haired man in a dark leather jacket. She noticed a scar on his neck just above the collar of his shirt.
"Who are you?" she asked
"You are Julie Teeger, right?" he asked. His voice was hoarse.
Julie hesitated. Normally she wasn't the paranoid type, but the way he was asking creeped her out.
"I don't usually share that information with random people at the door," she said carefully.
"And your mother is Natalie, right?" he pressed.
"Maybe you should come back when she's home," Julie said, closing the door.
The man suddenly stuck his arm out and jammed his foot in the door. He pushed it open with ease despite her effort to push it closed.
"I'm not going anywhere," the man said softly. "After all I can always wait here until your mother gets home, right?"
Adrenaline raced through her blood as she managed to get the door halfway closed. But it wasn't enough. He started to slide himself through the crack between the door and the frame. Suddenly, he jerked the door open with a sudden burst of strength that Julie wasn't prepared for. The momentum of the door pushed her to the ground as the man stepped inside and closed the door behind him, locking it.
He looked down at her with an amused smirk that chilled her blood. He reached down and that gave her the motivation to fight.
She kicked out with her foot, hoping to trip him, but he caught her foot. Using her momentary distraction, he grabbed her arm and yanked her up. She struggled fiercely, trying to pull away. She even tried to jam her elbow into his chest. But none of it had any effect on him. He forcefully pulled her arms behind her back and quickly tied her wrists together with rope. Panicking at the sudden friction against her wrist, she screamed as loud as she could.
"Help! Please!" She shouted for anyone who could hear her.
The man suddenly threw her against the couch and pulled out a knife.
"Shut up," he said evenly. "I know exactly where to cut where it will hurt the most but do the least damage. You scream again, and I will start there. You continue to give me a hard time, and I will slowly kill you one cut at a time."
Julie's mouth trembled as she stared at the knife but she stopped yelling for help.
"That's better," he commented.
"What do you want with me?" she asked.
The man just smirked and scoffed. Julie did not like where this was going at all.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The sun was starting to set as Natalie pulled the car into her driveway.
"What?" Monk asked as Natalie looked at him.
"I said we could buy what you NEED Mr. Monk. For a week at the most."
"And I did," he said.
"Ten bottles of Clorox is not a necessity, Mr. Monk. And we have food you can eat at my house. Why did you insist on buying almost a hundred dollars worth of groceries."
"There wouldn't be enough, and besides your food has been, you know, touched. Besides you didn't let me buy most of it. Why are you so upset?"
"Ten bottles of Clorox. We have enough Clorox."
"Yeah, but yours is old. It might even be expired. With these at least we know they are at full potency."
Natalie didn't want to hear any more of it and got out of the car.
XxXxXxXx
The man in the leather jacket grinned. Just a few more minutes and Monk would be dead. Things were falling into place nicely. The girl still sat huddled on the couch her arms tied behind her back.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
He didn't answer. His eyes drifted a little ways and he noticed a dark figure. So the bodyguard still showed up, huh? Well, if he could catch Monk off guard, the man wouldn't have a chance to save him.
"Please, don't kill them," the girl begged.
If he could wait for Monk and Natalie to walk into the house he could surprise them both, kill Monk, Kill the man in the suit, and leave to pick up his pay. Slowly, he took out his gun, crouched behind the couch and waited.
XxXxXxXxXx
John watched as Natalie unpacked the car. Having Monk stay with her was a smart move. Though it would do little to hinder him, it would slow down whoever was trying to kill Monk. The only thing he would do differently was have him stay in a hotel. But judging from the fuss he made about staying at Natalie's house, it was probably a good thing she didn't send him to a hotel.
He looked at Natalie's house. The lights were off. Harold said that Natalie had a daughter. And yes, she was going to a party tonight, but, checking his watch he realized it was still 7:15. Julie had said it was at eight. And though it was a possibility she might have left early, he wasn't going to risk anything.
Crossing the street, he saw a dark shadow move inside and quickly pulled out his weapon as a gunshot rang out.
XxXxXxXx
Natalie screamed and dropped onto the ground covering her ears. Monk jerked around looking for the source of the gunshot.
He heard a voice say," Get down!" as he felt strong hands grab him and push him onto the ground getting gravel all over his shirt. He looked up to see the Man in the Suit firing over the car.
"What are doing?" Natalie demanded.
"Right now, I'm shooting back at someone." he said calmly as he crouched behind the car.
He stood back up and fired two rounds toward the gunshots. Natalie peeked under the car to see what was happening.
A man stood in her doorway firing at them. He was quickly losing the advantage and retreated into the house a little.
"Don't shoot!" he ordered as he appeared in the door. Natalie's heart stopped as the man pulled Julie out of the house her arms tied behind her back, fear written on every inch of her face.
"Don't Shoot, unless you want to kill her," he said, pushing Julie in front of him.
The Man in the Suit didn't shoot, but he didn't lower the gun either.
"What do you want?" He said, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Give me Monk," The man ordered.
"I can't do that," the Man in the Suit calmly responded. "Let the girl go."
"Not until I have Monk. And if that's not a good enough trade, I guess I'll just take her with me."
Natalie couldn't take it anymore. Taking a chance, she stood up and bolted to get to Julie.
"Stop," the Man in the Suit said, catching her arm.
"Let me go! that's my daughter!"She ordered.
The Man in the Suit let off a shot that made the other guy duck. Missed, but only barely.
Finding himself at a disadvantage, the man in the dark leather jacket started to back up and walked to the edge of the street..
"No!" Natalie yelled, trying to break free from the Man in the Suit's grip.
"Natalie," he whispered, catching her off guard. "I can save her. But I need you to stay here with Monk."
She reluctantly nodded and the Man in the Suit let go of her arm.
XxXxXxXx
John stood up and came out from behind the car. Rage boiling in him, he tried to sneak closer to the man in the leather jacket, but he didn't dare try for another shot, fearing that it might hit Julie. He quietly began to follow him across the street.
The other man saw what he was doing and fired at him, causing John to momentarily duck behind a car on the street. The man dragged Julie behind him as he spied a car. He fired back at John, trapping him behind the car. After several rounds of continuous fire, John stood up and raced after him.
The man in the leather jacket had already shoved Julie in the backseat of a car and was already in the driver's seat. John raced toward the car as the man in the leather jacket began hotwiring it. The car was running before John could get to it and the man hit the gas.
John fired several rounds hoping to flatten the tire, but he couldn't get an accurate shot. A screech of rubber later and Julie was gone.
"What was that?" Natalie asked. "You said you could save her."
John turned around to face the anger, fear and, confusion on Monk and Natalie's face.
"I'm sorry."
XxXxXxXxXx
End notes: So how was it? And if any of you have any predictions or suggestions I am open to ideas.