Lessons of Love
Chapter 6 Braving Uncomfortable Situations
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Monk
Notes: It's Monday in Lake Tahoe -Benji is set to spend the day assisting Mr. Monk while Sharona spends the day with the soon-to-be Mrs. Monk. ;)
Thanks everybody for your continued interest in reading this story—I'm so very sorry for the delay between chapters. 'Real life' is such a pain!
Adrian's first few minutes with his new assistant had been an unexpected surprise. Benji proved to be a careful driver and the drive out towards North Mountain started off relatively stress-free. With his young assistant's hands secured at ten and two and a foot light on the gas pedal, Adrian was spared the terrifying recklessness that Jonathan enjoyed the previous day. His only concern was about the murder. He hoped they would reach the top of the mountain before the sheriff they were meeting inadvertently contaminated the crime scene.
Unfortunately, Adrian's relief was short lived.
When they turned onto the access road and began the climb, Adrian's confidence faded. Not because of any carelessness on Benji's part, but rather because the narrow road became twisting and treacherous. The curves were blind and hairpin and seemed to jut out from the steep mountainside. With jagged rock outcroppings looming above the narrow lane, Adrian half-expected to see mountain goats darting past their vehicle.
And despite all the obstacles, they continued to drive higher and higher. Adrian's anxiety multiplied; so preoccupied with the murder itself, he had disregarded the crime scene's elevation. That is, until now.
They crested the summit and drew up beside the sheriff's SUV near the stone shelter. The stark-blue sky loomed above, wide-open and expansive. Benji turned the car off and said something. But Adrian didn't hear, he was caught in panic's ruthless grip. Staring out the windshield at the sheer drop that was mere steps away, the detective quietly stammered, "I, I can't do it. I can't go out there."
"But we need to look around, Mr. Monk." Benji looked out the window and saw a young female officer emerge from the stone shelter. He gave a wave and hand signal, indicating they would be with her in a moment. Benji undid his seatbelt, declaring loudly, "Come on, Mr. Monk, time to get out of the car."
Adrian didn't respond to Benji's order. He remained frozen, his heart beat so frantic- it obliterated the sound of the whistling winds.
Benji cajoled, "The cop's waiting, we've got to get out now. I'll come around to help you." He exited the car and trotted around to the passenger door, acknowledging the waiting sheriff, "Ma'am, be right with you." He pulled on the door handle just as Adrian engaged the door lock. Benji then depressed the unlock button on the remote but Adrian immediately relocked the door.
For several excruciating seconds, the beep of the remote and click of the door's lock filled the air. Beep. Click. Beep. Click. Beep. Click.
Benji growled and shot Adrian a warning look. He stuck the key in the door and, with his hand on the door's handle, turned and pulled until he wrangled the door open.
The officer approached the car, her piercing green eyes darting between Benji and Adrian. Although she was petite and slender, she held herself in a manner that conveyed her authority. Her voice was clipped, "Is there a problem, young man?"
"Sorry, no Ma'am. Mr. Monk is just a little nervous around heights," Benji apologetically replied.
"Mr. Monk?" she came closer, her eyes lighting up and a hint of a smile crossing her face, "The famous detective from San Francisco?"
Adrian remained staring at the drop-off while Benji placed his hand lightly on Adrian's shoulder, "Yes Ma'am, this is Adrian Monk and I'm his assistant, Benji Flemming."
"Deputy Sheriff Alexander." She touched the brim of her baseball-style cap and addressed Adrian, "Mr. Monk, it's a sincere pleasure to meet you, I've followed you, I mean, your career in law enforcement for years. I wasn't told who I was meeting up here and I, I'm looking forward to working with you on this investigation." She rested her arm along the top of the open door and lowered her voice, "Benji here tells me you have a problem with heights. Let me go get something from my truck that I guarantee will make you feel more secure."
Adrian looked up and shook his head, "I can't, it's too high and, and there's a lot of gravity out there."
"There is, but- Just wait, I'll be right back," She stepped away and opened the back of her SUV.
Benji leaned down into the car, "Mr. Monk, I know it's a little scary but- if a crime occurred, you need to catch the bad guy. You know what Mom would say."
"Yes, I do." Sighing, Adrian took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, "Give me a minute, Benji." He unbuckled his seatbelt but made no move to exit the vehicle.
Deputy Alexander returned, motioning for Benji to move aside. "Okay Mr. Monk, let's get you a little more comfortable with our alleged crime scene." She turned to Benji and handed him a climbing rope, "There's an anchor pin, a large steel eye-hook looking thing, by the shelter's door. Go thread this rope through it and bring both ends back to me."
The deputy then squatted down inside the open door, a mass of nylon straps folded in her hands, "I know this won't completely quell your fears, Mr. Monk- but it will ensure your safety." She placed the webbing on the ground, straightening the straps and buckles. Adrian realized it was a rock climbing harness.
Oh, hell no! Adrian's eyes widened as he panicked over which was worse, his fear of heights or the bizarre bondage device this strange woman intended to secure around his waist and thighs. Benji came back and stood behind the deputy. The young assistant cleared his throat and Adrian looked up to see him mouthing the initials 'S.I.U'.
Suck it up.
Gritting his teeth, Adrian felt a wave of dizziness as he swung one leg then the other from the vehicle, allowing the deputy to slide the loops over his feet. He stood and the deputy tugged the harness into place, her nimble hands working at tightening and buckling and securing the straps. He cringed and wanted to yelp; this was just too uncomfortably close to, to more personal areas. Holding Benji's encouraging gaze, Adrian silently repeated Sharona's saying like a mantra.
"Almost done," Deputy Alexander stood and took one of the rope ends from Benji's hands. Threading it through a D-ring on the front of the harness, she added a carabiner and a belay device. She double checked her knots then began explaining the equipment, "Mr. Monk, you're going to be doing what is known as 'top roping'. This rope is secured to the anchor on the shelter and this little device is a belay." She touched a small, steel disc and then suddenly pulled the rope; it locked in place. She released the tension, "So you see, it acts much like a seat belt; you can move freely but it will automatically lock if the rope jerks unexpectedly. You are perfectly secured, but do you have any questions?"
Giving a barely perceptible shake, the detective's eyes bounced between the cliff and the shelter.
Benji captured Adrian attention, trying to block his view of the ridge and the vast open space. "Mr. Monk, let's go now, okay? Let's keep our focus on the shelter, okay?" The deputy stepped aside as Benji managed to prod Adrian towards the stone building.
Once inside the one-room shelter, Adrian's mind began to unfreeze. Walking around the perimeter, he noticed everything; the hundreds of footprints on the dirt floor, the empty beer cans, fast-food wrappers, the anchor pin on the wall, several paperback books, more trash, and …used condoms!
"I've seen enough, let's go!" Adrian gagged and retreated to just outside the doorway, impatient to return to their vehicle. Pressing his body against the stone wall, he tried to catch his breath.
"Mr. Monk, you barely looked around." Impatience tainted Deputy Alexander's words, "How can you-"
"Why is there an anchor pin inside the building, Deputy? There's already one outside. The one inside seems unnecessary- unless you're waiting to ambush someone. I mean, I would, you know, want to be secure if I planned on pushing someone over a cliff." The deputy nodded silently, a blush coming to her cheeks. Adrian continued, "Also, there wasn't any trash on the floor under the anchor pin."
"What does that mean?" Benji asked.
Adrian pushed off the wall and started toward the car, "It means the anchor pin was installed recently."
Benji opened Adrian's door while the detective clumsily attempted to unbuckle the climbing harness.
"Wait, I'll do it," Deputy Alexander went down on one knee and began unfastening the many buckles.
Adrian rubbed his brow, "God, I'll be happy to get away from all this noise."
"What noise?" The officer looked up, puzzled.
"The wind. It sounds like a freight train." A pained grimace darkened Adrian's face.
"Hmm, I don't even hear it. I guess I'm used to it and tune it out." Getting the last buckle free, she pulled the harness down, freeing Adrian.
Adrian sighed as he sat in his car seat, grateful to be leaving. His eyes flicked up at the deputy, "I bet that wind would make it easy to sneak up on someone." Engaging his seatbelt, he barely gave the deputy time to move before he slammed the car door.
Pulling a business card from her pocket, she tapped the window and waited for him to lower the glass. She quickly scrawled something on the back of the card before offering it to Adrian, "Mr. Monk, thank you for your insights- Mike Philips' death looks like a murder after all. The sheriff may or may not relieve me of this case, but regardless, take my card. If you think of anything else, you can call me anytime, day or night. My personal cell number is on the back."
Adrian reluctantly took her card, holding it by the edge. He brusquely asked, "So you won't be at the autopsy?" Although the visit to the morgue was unpleasant, it was the victim's last chance to speak and Adrian always felt it was an integral part of police work.
She shook her head no, her hands now busy looping up the rope, "No, I'm going to bag all the trash, in hopes that our killer left some DNA behind. After I get done here, I need to get back to the stationhouse. I wish I could attend but, budget cuts and such-" she gave a small sigh of exasperation then continued, "anyhow, do you need direction to the coroner's office?"
Turning on the GPS, Benji declined, "No thanks, I got it."
"Thank you, Deputy Alexander," Adrian tucked the card in his pocket, understanding her unsaid regret.
"No, thank you Mr. Monk. Be seeing you." Tapping her goodbye on the roof of the car, Deputy Alexander went and placed her equipment in her SUV. Grabbing some large evidence bags, she returned to the shelter, giving a wave before disappearing inside.
Chuckling to himself, Benji backed the car up and turned slowly onto the access road, "Wow, not too obvious."
"Yeah, the killer should have removed the pin and scattered the trash when he left the scene." Adrian closed his eyes and rubbed his temple, at the mercy of a blinding tension headache.
Benji snickered, "Mr. Monk, no I meant… never mind."
They both fell silent as Benji carefully maneuvered the car down the twisty access lane. When they reached the main road, Adrian's stress began to abate. He let out a relieved sigh, "Benji, you did really well up there; I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you."
"Thanks Mr. Monk!" Benji grinned, obviously pleased with himself.
Adrian studied his young assistant. A wave of disbelief rolled over him; it seemed just yesterday Benji was a child. Today, Benji possessed the poise and patience of a man. The realization of this transformation brought a tightness to Adrian's chest and tears to his eyes. This is how a father feels...
Benji glanced over, too quick for Adrian to avert his face. "You okay, Mr. Monk?" Benji asked with concern.
Adrian cleared his throat, "I'm fine, Benji, I-" after his emotions settled, he continued, "I was just thinking. Why don't you drop the 'Mr. Monk' and just call me Adrian?"
"Really? That wouldn't seem weird?" He shot a furtive look at his passenger
"No, you're an adult now. Ha, you were more mature then me on the ridge. It would be weird if you didn't."
"Thanks, A- Adrian. And don't feel bad about your little panic attack; it was kinda scary up there." Benji chuckled in delight.
Before long, they arrived at the county morgue. Benji slowly followed Adrian to the entrance. As he pulled open the door, Benji confessed, "I'm a little nervous about this, M-Adrian. Do you really need me to come inside?"
Adrian knew he could insist and Benji would come with him. And yet, did Benji really need to see a dead stranger? With a twitch, Adrian slipped through the doorway, "Why don't you stay with the car? Maybe, you know, take it to the carwash down the road."
Turning on his heel, Benji jingled the keys, "I'll be back before Quincy gives you cause of death."
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
"Sharona!" Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Natalie's eyes narrowed and she hissed, "I can't believe you just asked that! Julie's on the chaise lounge right next to me!"
Sharona rolled her eyes and pointed to her ears, "Relax, she's listening to her i-pod thingy. She wouldn't hear if a tank rolled through here." They both snuck a look a Julie; she lay bundled in a fluffy robe with a green facial mask on her face and cucumber slices perched on her eyelids. Her slow breathing betrayed that she was fast asleep.
Looking around the hushed spa, Natalie turned on her side to face Sharona, an exasperated smirk on her face, "What if I asked you about Randy, hmm? Would you tell me?"
"Sure, why not," Sharona shrugged, a light blush hidden under her pink facial mask. "Randy is amazing, he -"
"Wait! I don't want to know!" Natalie giggled and hid her face with her hands. She then peeked through her fingers, "Really? Sweet little Randy?"
With a knowing smile, Sharona nodded her head, "I could tell you stories!"
"Good for you but, no thank you!" Natalie shuddered and dropped her hands, a melancholy shadow pushing the smile off her bright blue face.
"What's the matter, Natalie?" Sharona caught her sudden mood change, "don't say 'it's nothing' 'cause I can see something's bothering you."
"Well it's not important, but," Natalie pursed her lips and sighed, "Sharona, I love Adrian so much. And he loves me completely. Truly I'm happy, we're happy. And it seems silly to mention this-" she shook her head, an unsaid 'but' handing in the air.
"But what?" Sharona coaxed.
"But," Natalie dropped her voice, "It's just, sometimes I wish he was a little more, ahh, demonstrative, if you know what I mean."
"What? You guys are living together," Sharona sat forward and whispered, "I thought you were already sleeping together."
"Oh," Natalie squirmed and unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach, "we are. It's just that he, he's still fairly shy, reserved. Mind you, he's receptive of my advances. But I just wish, you know, he would be more," she gave a wry smile, "spontaneous without my encouragement."
Sharona snorted, "Spontaneity is not in that man's vocabulary."
Natalie laughed, "Not yet, but I'm working on it."
The women froze when an unseen chime quietly sounded. The door whooshed open and their spa clinicians returned, ready to pamper them with their next treatment. Turning in her chaise, Natalie grinned when she met Sharona's enigmatic smile.
Little did she know, Sharona wasn't thinking about the impending hot stone massage.
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
The irony was not lost on the detective.
After the autopsy, Adrian felt much better. He had identified an important clue during the coroner's exam, bringing him once step closer to solving Mike Philips' murder. Also, the vehicle appeared freshly cleaned, inside and out. And last but definitely not least, the investigation was on hold until tomorrow; he was returning to the lodge to be reunited with Natalie.
During the drive back to the lodge, Benji listened with interest as Adrian meticulously detailed everything that transpired with the coroner. Not surprisingly, the victim had died from injuries sustained in the fall. But even with all that damage, Adrian's eye honed in on one injury, a small crescent-shaped cut on Mike's cheek. The detective pointed it out and, after close examination, the coroner discovered a trace of a waxy substance along the curved wound. Staring at the cut, Adrian's mind flashed back to Julie's ski poles with the metal 'basket' near the tip. The weapon was a ski pole. Not that that would narrow down the field of suspects, but perhaps when a suspect was named, there might be some DNA proof.
"So now that you have the how, all you need now is the 'who'?" Benji asked.
"No, I need the big picture, the 'why'; that will point me at the guy. Hopefully I'll uncover the motive when we visit Mike Philips' office and interview his father Sam tomorrow." Seeing the latch on the glove-box was crooked, Adrian began fiddling with it.
"So what time tomorrow?" Benji flipped the car's blinker and turned onto the road that led to the lodge.
"We'll go to the SAR office at 10AM," The glove-box snapped open, revealing a disorganized mess of papers and odds and ends. Diving in with both hands, Adrian huffed, "Benji, I thought you cleaned the car!"
"Yes, the car," Benji took one hand from the steering wheel and made a broad twirling motion.
"Two hands!" Adrian barked, glaring at Benji.
"Oy vey, relax, we're here!" Benji growled, turning into the lodge's parking lot. Finding a spot, Benji cut the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. Ignoring Benji's prompt, Adrian continued to organize the glove-box. Benji repeated, "Adrian, we're here, err, home."
"One more minute…almost there," Adrian muttered as he continued to rifle through the glove-box. He would definitely call the car rental company for Sharona and complain. How dare they not clean out the-
He suddenly froze, perplexed, when he unearthed a two by six inch strip of foil, perforated in 2 inch squares. Benji's sudden cackle of laughter brought him to his senses. Adrian yelped and flipped away the offending item, "Oh God!" Appalled and disgusted, he took an 'in case of dire emergency' wipe from his pocket and scrubbed his hands vigorously.
Between laughs, Benji choked out his words, "Chillax man, it's just condoms! They're still hermetically sealed." He retrieved the foil packs from the dashboard, tilting his head as he read the label.
'Unlike the used ones up in the shelter!' The association between the unused and used already formed in his mind, Adrian squirmed and gagged. Seeing Benji holding them, Adrian pulled another wipe from his pocket, "Here Benji, you need this."
Dropping the strip of condoms on the dashboard, Benji took the wipe and hastily cleaned his hands. Adrian sailed another wipe over top of the offending item on the dashboard and Benji snickered, "Boy I think you're more freaked out now than you were this morning on that cliff."
Adrian shrugged and continued to scrub his hands. But silently, he admitted the truth of Benji's observation. Why he was unnerved by sex was a mystery he didn't understand. And a mystery that utterly frustrated him. He longed to be more at ease with Natalie, with showing his love for her. Lord knows his fantasies about possessing her had become more graphic and urgent. And yet something held him back. Adrian glanced up and flinched when he noticed Benji staring at him. Had he been talking aloud? Feeling lightheaded, Adrian blanched, "What?"
The young man was hesitant, "Adrian, I, ah need some advice. Could I ask you something?"
This sounded ominous. Adrian nodded, dread holding his tongue.
Benji started, "It's about a girl-"
"Benji, I am NOT the person to ask about, you know, relationships. Have you tried to talk with your mom or father? Or Randy?" Adrian fumbled, unhooking his seatbelt.
"I can't talk to Mom. She would love it, but it would be too weird for me. But forget about dad….and Randy's cool, but he's kinda goofy, you know?"
Adrian shook his head, "Randy is the opposite of goofy. He's thoughtful and sensitive and, a really good man."
"I know, but, but, never mind." He sighed in disappointment, his hand hovering over the door pull.
Adrian felt a pang of remorse. He folded his hands in his lap and managed a pained smile, "Wait Benji. What did you want to talk about?"
Benji's gaze drifted over to the prophylactics and he stammered, "Well, there's this girl, and I really, really like her. But she goes to college in another state and I don't see her that much…we text and Facebook all the time though." He turned and saw Adrian's confused expression, "On the computer, we email. A lot."
"Oh, okay," Adrian murmured noncommittally.
"Anyway, I've also been spending time with a girl at my college, not really dating, but-" Benji wiped his face in frustration. "I'll be seeing the long-distance girl real soon and I'm nervous. There's a possibility we might, you know-" he paused and looked at Adrian. Adrian stared back blankly. "Sleep toge-"
"Okay, okay!" Adrian rolled his hands in a motion that told Benji to skip that part and move on. Then he noticed Benji had retrieved the condoms from the dash and was studying them more intently than made him comfortable. He blurted, "Wait for Trudy!"
"What?" Benji snapped his head up a look of confusion on his face.
"Your Trudy." Adrian rolled his shoulder as he remembered his fateful talk with Julie. Steeling himself, Adrian continued, "Benji, you said you 'liked' this girl. 'Liked', not 'loved'. It's important to wait until you find the right person, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. The person you love and who loves you. Your heart has to be sure before-" Adrian swallowed hard, "you know."
"Wait? You mean, until marriage?" Benji eyed him suspiciously, "So you and Natalie haven't-"
Adrian cut him off, letting out a groan as if he were going to be sick. He jumped from the car and headed for the door. He shouted back over his shoulder to Benji, who looked thoroughly perplexed, "Wait for Trudy- and get rid of those things."
~~~~~LOL~~~~~~
With Benji's questions still ringing in his ears, Adrian strode into the lodge's grand lobby. It was a massive room with a vaulted ceiling and stretching a hundred feet long. A wall of windows showcased the view and comfortable chairs and couches dotted the room, inviting the guests to linger. But Adrian was blind to his surroundings, finding Natalie his only thought.
As he hurried through the hall, Adrian slowed when he reached a cluster of chairs by the crackling fireplace. Although her back was turned and her head bowed, Adrian easily recognized the long blonde hair. He diverted from his path, "Hi Julie."
The teen looked up from her phone in surprise, "Hey Dad, how's it going? Solve your case yet?"
Adrian stepped around the ski equipment that lay next to her chair and took the loveseat opposite her. He brought his fingertips together, "Getting there. So, you're going to go ski? I thought you were spending the day at the Spa with your mother and Sharona."
Julie chuckled, "Those two are still at the Spa. I can only lie around for so long before I get antsy. Thankfully Benji texted when you guys were at the morgue. We decided to hit the slopes." Adrian suddenly glanced over her head and Julie turned, waving to her friend, "Hey Benj, get your stuff. I'm ready to go!"
Benji grinned broadly, "Hold your horses, Jules. I need to go change." Fingering his jacket, he smirked, "I need to get out of my assistant outfit."
"Well, hurry up, I can't wait," Julie grinned, playfully slapping at the young man. He caught her wrist and put her into a mock headlock.
Watching the teens banter, Adrian felt a chill down his spine. Benj? Jules? They text? Wait!...Was Julie Benji's long- distance-girl? Too stunned to speak, he stared icily at Benji as the young man released Julie and headed for the elevator.
This morning Adrian would have said he loved Benji like a son and would have done anything for him. But now? Adrian's face clouded darkly and his heart conjured evil thoughts. Julie was his daughter! And to make matters worse, Benji had asked for his advice!
Tearing his venomous gaze from Benji, Adrian turned to Julie. Sweet little Julie. He nervously cleared his throat. "Julie, so ah, you and Benji are going skiing?"
"Yeah, we're going over to South Mountain. Uncle Jonathan says it's less crowded over there."
"Just skiing? Any other, other plans?" He tried to look at her face but ended up studying his hands.
"Not for today," Julie replied.
Adrian leaned forward, "So, ah, not today. Good… But, on this trip, was there, you know, anything special you, ah, planned on doing?"
Julie's face lit up, "I thought I'd try snowboarding! Cool, right?"
"Yes, that's cool, but-" Adrian stammered. Time was running out, Benji would be back soon. His eyes darted to the closed elevator doors then returned to skim over Julie's face. "Anything else that you, you were thinking of, of trying?"
"I want to go snowmobiling, but Mom says I can't," Julie pouted.
Adrian felt sweat come to his brow; this subtle hinting wasn't working. Adrian knew he had to be direct. He wrung his hands together, "Julie? I ah, remembered something today-" Knowing that was an inane thing to say, his voice fell away.
Julie snorted, "You remember everything, Dad!" Her quick smile fell away as she looked at his face, "What's wrong? You're pale as a ghost."
Adrian felt like he had cotton in his mouth. And a weight on his chest. He pulled at his shirt collar and managed to croak, "Today I, I remembered our wait for Trudy talk. I, I just wanted to make sure that you were, you know, still waiting."
She leaned forward and whispered, "Dad! Of course I'm still waiting. You and mom know I don't have a steady boyfriend." She unconsciously twisted a coil of hair, "Why are you asking?"
Adrian rolled a shoulder, his hand shooting up to his brow, "You seem pretty chummy, with Benj."
"Benji? Dad, we're just friends."
Adrian felt a wave of relief, and yet he wondered. Maybe she didn't know Benji's thoughts. He took a breath and forged ahead, "Julie, today Benji told me he likes a girl…from another college….she's far away but he really likes her, and-"
Julie clapped her hands over her mouth in astonishment. "And you thought…me?" Dropping her hands, she whispered, "Her name is Trisha! She's from Jersey but goes to Oxford. He mentioned her in his emails. I guess she's finally coming home for a visit."
"Oh, thank God!" Adrian reached over and took Julie's hands, "I should never have though…I'm sorry Julie." He met her eyes, too preoccupied to see the person approaching their chairs.
"Hey! What's going on?" Skis slung over his shoulder, Benji sat on the arm of Julie's chair.
With one quick squeeze, Adrian released Julie's hands. "Nothing, we're just talking and-" meeting her eyes, they both laughed the next word, "waiting."
~~~~~LOL~~~~~
Although they spent the remainder of the day together, as soon Natalie and Adrian retreated to their separate rooms, Adrian felt the compulsion begin to nag at him. Forcing himself to first take a shower and don his pajamas, Adrian perched on the edge of his bed, his eyes fixed on the nightstand. When the digital clock flipped to exactly twelve midnight, Adrian picked up the phone and dialed room 411.
Hearing the phone's ring across the hall, Adrian's heart danced with excitement. Another day had officially passed. Although just barely, it was Tuesday! Saturday was one day closer.
Only four days until the wedding day…four very long, very complicated days.