Not long after receiving their piece of cake, the guests decided to head home. Leland and T.K. said they had to visit Leland's son Max, who had recently become a father, and Randy and Sharona headed back to New Jersey. They said goodbye to Monk and said that they haven't had a better birthday party in a long time and that they can't wait for his next birthday. Just as Leland was about to open the car door, Leyla walked up to him and stopped him.

"Captain, don't go yet!"

Leland looked at her in confusion and then at Monk, who shook his head vigorously and ran towards her.

"Leyla, I think you should go, right now!" he said and pulled her hand.

"Stop, Monk!" Leland ordered. "Why shouldn't I go? What's going on?"

Monk smiled nervously. "Nothing, Leyla is just..."

"I came to tell the truth!" she retorted, pulling herself out of Monk's grip.

"What truth?" the captain raised an eyebrow.

"The truth about Marie Smith's murder!"

"What are you talking about," Leland snapped. "Do you know who killed that woman?"

"Of course I know, and this man knows too!", she emphasized, pointing her finger at Monk.

Leland shifted his gaze to Monk and he just shrugged.

"What is this woman talking about? You know who the killer is and you keep quiet?"

Now everyone present silently followed the development of events.

"It's not his fault, Captain, he was forced to keep quiet because you didn't believe him," Leyla replied.

"Please?", Leland began to realize, "you're saying that it's…oh, you two are totally crazy!"

Leyla shook her head decisively and took out a small video tape from her bag.

"This is the evidence I want you to look at." Then she turned to Adrian. "This is my birthday present for you, Adrian Monk. You'll thank me later."

Monk buried his head in his hands, but it was all he could do.

Everyone present, on the orders of Captain Stottlemeyer, went inside to look at the tape on which the initials of Maria Smith were taped.

Maria Smith is in a hotel room, in a negligee, talking to a person in the bathroom. He is holding a light blue shirt in his hands.

"Honey, do you want me to iron this shirt for you?"

"I don't think I come here because you're ironing my shirts?" came a cheery male voice, and then Lt. Steven Albright appeared in the doorway, naked to the waist.

"Oh, yes, that's why you have a fiancee?", she replied sarcastically and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Maria.." Steven muttered, struggling to resist her proximity, "we said we wouldn't mention it again, didn't we?"

"You really love her?" she asked, kissing his torso.

"Oh…Maria…when you do this to me, I can't love anyone but you," he growled.

"But you will still marry her?", she insisted.

"I will."

"Why?", Maria pulled away from him abruptly.

"Maria, we talked about it. I'm a naval lieutenant, a man with a high rank, it suits me to have a woman by my side, and Natalie is, you know...she's one of those women that men usually marry."

"But you don't love her, do you?" Maria's voice grew strained.

"Honey," Steven gently ran his hand down her cheek, "love and passion don't go together. I'm good with you, and I want it to stay that way. Why make trouble where there isn't any?"

"I don't want to be your lover!", she protested, and Steven looked at her in surprise.

"Why? You haven't minded it so far?"

"Now it bothers me. I'm worth more than an ordinary model you spend the night with, and who risks her job because of you!"

"Unforgettable nights," he whispered and bit her earlobe.

"Steven, don't!" she protested.

"Why? Didn't you want it yourself?"

"I did, but now I'm not sure that's smart."

"For God's sake, Maria, let go of your mind and let your body work," he grinned and held out his hand to remove her negligee.

"Steven, stop, now!" she ordered and he gave up.

"I don't want to be your lover, I want to be your wife!"

"What?" Steven snapped. "Are you out of your mind? I'm engaged!"

"I want you, Lieutenant," she hissed, "but I want to be Mrs. Albright.

"It's out of the question! I'm going to marry Natalie and I don't want to talk about it!"

"What would happen if she found out about this?"

Hearing those words, Steven grabbed Maria by the hair, so hard that she screamed.

"Don't even think of blackmailing me! I'll ruin your life!"

Then he pushed her to the floor, put on his shirt and left the room. Crying Maria got up and came to the camera, and stopped the recording.

Leland turned off the video and looked at Leyla and Monk, then at Steven Albright, who was standing next to Natalie casually drinking his whiskey.

"What does this mean, Lieutenant?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, nonchalantly.

"Steven...", Natalie burst into tears, "how could you do this to me, how?" Then she started hitting him on the chest.

"Natalie, for God's sake, are you going to believe that woman?"

"Steven, I saw you!"

"This is your crazy boss's plan! He wants to keep you working for him! That's not me!"

"Stop lying, Albright!", Monk finally answered. "I knew this day would come. It's over! Admit defeat!"

Steven drained his drink and glared at Monk.

"Calm down, now!" Leland ordered. "Lieutenant, I'm going to have to take you into custody, you have so much to explain to me, but first Monk and Leyla Zlatavich are going to explain to me where the hell they got this video tape?!"

"We'll tell you everything," Leyla said hurriedly. "Steven Albright had been Maria Smith's lover for several months. They met in a hotel, but Maria got tired of being his lover. We can tell she fell in love with him because she suggested he marry her instead of Natalie. That's why she made this video tape. She wanted him to show her to Natalie, she was desperate for him."

Leyla then stopped and looked at Monk. "Detective, please continue."

Monk closed his eyes and ran a hand over his brow, then shrugged his shoulders like the good old days.

"Here's what happened. Steven found out about the tape somehow - maybe Maria told him during an argument, or he found the camera and decided to find the footage, but because he couldn't do it, he had to kill Maria. We didn't find the weapon, but I found his ring in the hotel room bathroom."

Now all eyes were on Steven, who looked like a fox caught in a trap. Natalie stared in disbelief at the man she was about to marry.

"This is definitely the craziest birthday party I've ever been to," Randy quipped, and Sharona elbowed him lightly.

Monk glanced briefly at Randy, then continued:

"Leland, I told you that I found a coat button and blonde hair at the crime scene, which led me to conclude that the killer was a blond man who wore expensive coats and wore DIOR Sauvage perfume. When Steven Albright came to pick up Natalie the next day, I realized that he's missing a button from his coat. That's when I started to understand."

"You told me that, and I didn't believe you," Leland said softly. "But where did you get the video?"

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without Molly's help," Leyla looked at her gratefully. "Maria was sure Steven was going to ask for the tape, so she gave it to her friend and said not to give it to anyone. She kept quiet during the interrogation, but Molly's boyfriend James managed to find out the truth."

"Molly, you knew about this too?" Natalie's voice was almost broken.

She nodded her head. "I just wanted to help Adrian."

Natalie wiped away her tears and approached Monk, who was looking at her sadly.

"I didn't believe you either, but why didn't you tell me all that? I...", then she cried again.

"Natalie, please don't cry," he said and pulled her into a hug, much to Steven's astonishment.

"I was going to tell you, actually, I was a little afraid of your reaction, but that wretch was blackmailing me!"

"What? How?"

"Forgive me, Natalie…I didn't do it because he said he was going to hurt Molly."

"And I will do it!" Steven hissed furiously, then grabbed a nearby knife and placed it under Molly's neck. A scream spread through the room, and Leland and Randy drew their weapons.

"Albright, put down your knife and surrender, don't do something stupid!" Leland demanded harshly.

Steven squeezed Molly tighter and she cried. Monk started towards him, but Randy stopped him.

"Are you scared, Detective Monk? Why don't you continue with your story?"

Adrian clenched his fists tightly and gave Albright a hateful look.

"Let her go, now, or you'll regret it!"

Steven burst into maniacal laughter, his hands shaking.

"What are you going to do? You're going to take my knife? You're going to kill me? You, who are afraid of ladybugs!"

"Albright, I swear to you, if you hurt her, you'll pay for it!"

Leland and Randy got a little closer, but Albright noticed, and said he would kill Molly if they took another step.

"Steven," Natalie finally spoke, her voice soft and pleasant, "please let her go, she has nothing to do with this."

"She has!" snapped Steven, "she's as much to blame for this as bloody Adrian Monk! If it weren't for them, we'd be happy. Just you and me."

"Steven..."

"Natalie, I love you, I really do. Let's forget all this and get out of here, together. Will you?"

Natalie shot Leland a brief glance and he nodded.

"Okay," she replied. "We'll do it, but you have to let Molly go."

Steven paused for a moment, as if thinking.

"You would really do that?"

Natalie nodded decisively.

"Okay," he agreed, "I'll only let this stupid girl go if the police promise not to try anything."

"They won't, I promise you," said Natalie, looking at Leland and Monk.

Steven's insane stare stopped being so aggressive as he looked at Natalie.

"I love you, you have no idea how much. I want us to go somewhere far away, where no one can find us, where we will be happy, just you and me. Do you want that too?"

She nodded again, tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched Molly tremble with fear.

"Just let her go, I'm begging you."

"Natalie, honey, come here," he called and she came over. Her steps were slow and labored and she felt like she had a pit in her stomach.

"Mom!", Julie's voice was suddenly heard coming from afar. She did not attend the start of the tense event, but she was more than upset when she saw her future stepfather in a previously unseen appearance.

"Mom!", she said again and impulsively ran towards her, but Adrian stopped her in time and hugged her tightly.

Realizing that he was in danger, Steven quickly let go of Molly, then grabbed Natalie and put the knife under her neck. Julie screamed and Adrian's icy gaze fell on him.

"Let her go, you bastard!"

"Not a step further!" he hissed, brandishing the knife.

"Steven..." Natalie stammered, gasping for air, "please..."

"Don't worry, love," he whispered, cutting her off, "we'll be out of here soon. I just need a little more time."

"Lieutenant, are you really going to hurt Natalie"

Everyone turned to see the person who said those words. Leyla Zlatavich walked up to Leland and looked at executioner Steven Albright with complete cold blood.

"I expect the answer."

"Who the hell are you?" Steven frowned.

"A person who knows how to love and who knows that when you truly love someone, you don't want to hurt them."

"What are you talking about? Look, if this is some trick…"

"It's no trick, Lieutenant. You said yourself that you love Natalie. If that's true, then let her go and let her choose."

"What should he choose?"

"When you love someone, you want them to be happy, even if that happiness doesn't include you."

"Shut up, now!"

"Do it. Act like a real man. It might be the only chance you get to show that there's man in you."

"That's enough!" he hissed and let go of Natalie, and walked towards Leyla. A completely reckless move. However, before Leland could react, Monk lunged at Steven in an attempt to take the knife from him. Steven fought back frantically and the fight continued, until suddenly they stopped fighting, looking at each other with wide eyes. Monk finally collapsed next to Steven, who had a blood stain on his shirt...