The next morning in San Francisco, Monk and Natalie had all their bags packed (He had at least 4 bags packed), Natalie's daughter Julie would be staying with her grandparents until her mother returned, they hopped into her car and prepared for their long, 5-hour car ride to Santa Barbra. They would've taken a plane, but atlas, another one of Monk's top 30 phobias is flying. Which triumphs over traveling by 7.

Along the way, Mr. Monk and Natalie tried passing the time by engaging in small talk. Which proved to be less than effective.

Natalie: You know, I hear Santa Barbra is actually quite nice this time of year. Weather wise that is.

Monk: So is the weather back home. We should go back and really appreciate it.

Natalie: Mr. Monk, we can't go back.

Monk: Sure we can. Just turn the wheel all the way around and head straight home.

Natalie: I could, but I won't. We have a case and there's a chief waiting for us, remember?

Monk: Yes. But I'm starting to feel a little homesick.

Natalie: Mr. Monk, we've been on the road for less than an hour. You know what? We don't we just try to focus on something else.

Monk: Like finding the quickest route home?

Natalie: No. I meant like… talking about something else that doesn't involve going home. Like, um… Oh, I did a little research last night and you're not going to believe what I found out. Apparently, Santa Barbra is homed to a famous psychic detective.

Monk: You're right. I don't believe it.

Natalie: Oh, come on, Mr. Monk, aren't you just a little bit curious about this guy? From what I've read, he's solved cases for the police that were just as challenging as the ones you've solved.

Monk: I doubt it. There's no such things as psychics. They don't exist.

Natalie: I'm just saying, Mr. Monk…

Monk: Natalie, I once solved a case where the wife of a commissioner was "supposedly" discovered by a psychic at the bottom of a hill, underneath a mudslide. A very large… filthy… muddy… mudslide. There was no easy way of getting to the body through all that mud, and… more mud.

Natalie: So how did she find the body?

Monk: She didn't. The Victim's husband, who was also her killer, drugged the "psychic" in her sleep, drove her to the crime scene, made her think "the Victim called to her" and then to no surprise, she took the credit. Drawing attention away from the husband and fooling everyone in the process.

Natalie: Let me guess. Until you caught the guy.

Monk: Yep. And do you know why?

Natalie: Because you don't believe in psychics.

Monk: Because no one should believe in psychics. They're all fakes, frauds, charlatans, pretenders, hoaxers, tricksters, swindlers…

Natalie: Okay, okay, I get it, Mr. Monk. You don't believe in psychics. …But I mean, come on. That particular psychic may have been a fake, but that doesn't mean 'all' psychics are fakes.

Monk: Oh, unlike the guy you've been reading about? The so-called "psychic detective?"

Natalie: Well, yeah. I mean, from what I've read, he's solved some pretty interesting cases. Just last year, he and his partner discovered a dinosaur head in the same location where a man was killed. Aren't you just the least bit curious about how this guy solves his cases?

Monk: I'm sure he has a method of sorts. But I'm still a man of fact. So I'm pretty sure whatever method he uses, it has nothing to do with having "psychic abilities." And I'll prove it to you as soon as we arrive in Santa Barbra. Then we'll know for sure if psychics are real or not. Which they're not.

Natalie: Okay, challenge accepted. And if I'm right, I look forward to seeing your surprised face.

Monk: I don't have a surprised face.

Natalie: We'll see.

From there, Natalie began to accelerate (slightly). Anxious to arrive a few minutes early so they could find time to meet the famous psychic detective from Santa Barbra. That and spending a long period of time alone in a car with Adrien Monk is considered excruciating for most people.

Over at the Psych office, Shawn and Gus were sitting at their desks, eating packets of cheese-puffs and researching the famous consultant from San Francisco. Well, Gus was the one doing the research while Shawn sat back eating the cheese-puffs.

Shawn: Okay, Gus, so, what's this guy's deal? Can Adrien Monk be trusted with a high profile case? Is he really the "greatest detective in the country?"

Gus: Nope. He's the greatest Detective in the world.

Shawn: What?! Says who?

Gus: It says so right here on the 'Monk Museum blog.'

Shawn: He has a blog?

Gus: Yep. A blog filled with all of his greatest case solves. Do you remember that astronaut case Jules mentioned earlier?

Shawn: I may recall that conversation.

Gus: Well, apparently Mr. Monk figured out how this astronaut killed his ex-girlfriend while he was in outer space. Using a garage-door opener and a doll.

Shawn: Pfft. So? I'm sure anyone could've figured that out.

Gus: Am I sensing a little bit of jealousy, Shawn?

Shawn: No! I just meant… it doesn't sound as exciting as any of the cases we've solved. Like the time those naked men who thought they were abducted by aliens when really they were the Victims of identity theft that were being committed by an evil leprechaun.

Gus: He wasn't a real leprechaun, Shawn. Furthermore, there was also the time when a rich woman was killed by a mail-bomb and the prime suspect was her brother who wanted her fortune all to himself. And Adrien Monk was on the case.

Shawn: Oh, come on, Gus, with that kind of motive, the brother was probably the most obvious suspect.

Gus: Mmhmm, he was. Except he was in a coma at the time. Yet, Adrien Monk kept on saying he was the guy. Which he evidently was. And do you know how he figured it out? From the way he tied to the bow on the rigged package.

Shawn: Okay, but that's still not enough to be known worldwide.

Gus: Okay. There was also the time he solved a homicide in Paris, France while he was reading a newspaper right here in the states.

Shawn: That just means he's old. I mean, who still reads a newspaper?

Gus: Face it, Shawn, Adrien Monk is a legit detective. So, it's perfectly understandable for you to feel a little jealous.

Shawn: First off, I'm not jealous. Secondly, me being jealous of Adrien Monk is as crazy as, well, me being jealous of that coco-butter lotion you always wear.

Gus: It tops me up during the day because of it's gorgeous scent.

Shawn: Okay, now you're just quoting the commercials.

Gus: Am not. And I'll have you know that coco-butter comes from a naturally rich phytochemicals. Which improves blood flow to the skin and slows down the aging process. It's why I still look 24.

Shawn: Gus, don't be John Ratzenberger from 'Cheers.' And there's no way that… Wait, why are still talking about coco-butter?! What were we even talking about before?

Gus: About why you're not jealous of Adrien Monk.

Shawn: Oh, right. Thanks, man. And third of all, Adrien Monk can't be that great of a detective because Lassie said he was discharged 8 years ago because he couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

Gus: I thought he said he suffered a psychotic breakdown.

Shawn: I heard it both ways. You know what, Gus, it doesn't matter how it happened. Do you know why? Because Adrien Monk is nothing compared to yours truly.

Gus: And yet, you're the one who insisted on working the case with him and hope we succeed.

Shawn: I did?

Gus: Yes. Mainly so we could stick it to Lassie.

Shawn: Oh, yes, sticking it to Lassie. The one true highlight of our cases.

Gus: Besides catching killers?

Shawn: Yeah, that too. But even so, my fellow compadre, by working this conjoint case, I'll be proving to everyone who the better detective is. Then we'll know who's worthy of having their own blog.

Gus: Yeah… My money's on Mr. Monk.

Shawn: Dude…

Within the next five hours or so, Adrien and Natalie finally arrived in Santa Barbra. Upon their arrival at the local precinct, they were first greeted by Chief Vick.

Chief Vick: Mr. Monk, Miss Teeger. Glad you two could finally make it. I'm Chief Karen Vick, it's a pleasure to have you here. Captain Stottlemyer has told me a lot about you, Mr. Monk.

Monk: Oh… I'm sorry.

When they first met, Chief Vick extended her hand to shake theirs. Although, like every one of his greetings with new people, Monk quickly snapped his fingers and asked Natalie to hand him a wipe after shaking the Chief's hand. Cleansing his hands very thoroughly.

Monk: Natalie, wipe, wipe.

Chief Vick: Um… is he's okay?

Natalie: Define, "okay?"

Wanting to move on, the Chief requested that the two follow her towards the building. From there, Chief Vick escorted them to her office. Along the way, a curious Natalie took a moment to ask the Chief, 'So, how to do you know Captain Stottlemyer?'

Chief: Oh, we've known each other since I was a Detective. At the time, he had just been promoted to captain and we worked a conjoint case that took down a major drug smuggling operation.

Monk: I remember that case. Yeah, a cocoa bean company in South America was being used as a front to smuggle cocaine through customs and the beans themselves were used to draw the scent away from the security dogs.

Chief: That's right. It was the biggest drug busts for both departments. And 10 years later, he calls me up and tells we need to work another conjoint case together. Only this time, I get to work with the famous Adrien Monk.

As they continued walking, Monk and Natalie unknowingly passed Lassie and Jules. When they first saw the famous Adrien Monk in his signature brown suit and white shirt buttoned up all the way to the top and wearing the cleanest pair of loafers, Lassie's first response was…

Lassie: Well, well, well, would you look at that, O'Hara. It's the legendary 'Defective Detective.'

Jules: Carlton…

Lassie: What? That's what they call him. And for good reason too. Look at him. His buttons are done all the way up to the top and he keeps touching every surface in the room.

This was true. During their continued walk through the hallway, Monk couldn't help but poke at the top of every desk lamp and the points on every ceiling light he passed. A habit he was simply unable to control. Even so, Jules still insisted on meeting the genius detective she so admired. Regardless of Lassie's lack of appreciation for Monk's achievements as a consultant.

Luckily, Jules' chance to meet Mr. Monk came to be when the Chief called both her and Lassie into her office. When they entered, Monk and Natalie were sitting across from the Chief, awaiting to discuss the case.

Chief Vick: Detectives, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Adrian Monk and his assistant Natalie Teeger. They've come on all the way from San Francisco to help with the Amanda Blue case. Speaking of, your captain assured me you'd bring a copy of the case file.

Natalie: Oh, yes, I have a copy of the case file right here in my purse. Hold on.

At the same time Natalie struggled to find the file in her purse, Monk tapped the top of the desk lamp on the Chief's desk. In addition, Jules finally found the perfect opportunity to officially introduce herself to Mr. Monk.

Jules: Mr. Monk, hi, I'm Detective Juliet O'Hara. It's a real pleasure to meet you. I'm a huge admirer of your work. You're actually one of the reasons why I became a cop.

Monk: Oh, uh… thank you. But I'm sure you've had better role models than me.

Lassie: She has and she does. Carlton Lassiter, I'm the departments head detective. 'Head Detective.'

Monk: Oh, nice to meet you, Detective Lassiter.

Lassie: Oh, no, no. Head Detective.

Monk: Head Detective Lassiter.

Because it was the polite response, Monk allowed himself to stand up and shake hands with Jules and Lassie before asking Natalie for another wipe. Height-wise, Monk stood roughly the same height as Lassie and 7 inches taller than Jules.

Moreover, Jules happily accepted Monk's hand shake. Whereas Lassie kept his arms down and stood with a scowl.

Carlton: Sorry, I only shake hands with real cops I respect.

Jules: Carlton!

Monk: No, it's fine. I'm not one for shaking hands anyway. So, thank you.

Lassie: I'm sorry. You're thanking me?

Monk: Yes. For not letting me shake your hand. I really appreciate it. I also like that you're wearing both guns in your holsters. Keeps you perfectly even.

For once, Carlton Lassiter felt flattered by a compliment. For exactly 10 seconds before reverting back to his distrustful nature and began scolding Mr. Monk.

Lassie: Oh, I see what you're doing. Nice try.

Monk: I'm sorry?

Lassie: I see what you're doing. You're trying to butter me up so I'll let you hijack my cases.

Monk: I thought we were already working a case together. That's why Natalie and I drove out here.

Lassie: Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason why you're here, Mr. Former Detective Monk. If you wanna do this dance, then I say…

Chief Vick: Carlton! Sit down.

Unable to refuse a direct order from the chief, Lassie sat down in one of the chairs beside the door. Once he was in the chair, Natalie turned to Jules and whispered to her, 'Um, is your partner always this…'

Jules: Paranoid? Rude? A little grumpy? Yeah.

Monk: Um… just so you know…. I don't really dance.

At that exact moment, Shawn and Gus finally showed up and as they entered the office, Shawn unintentionally hit Lassie with the door.

Lassie: Ow! Spencer!

Shawn: Oh, sorry, Lassie. I guess the universe didn't see you there. Ergo, I didn't see you there.

Chief Vick: Mr. Spencer, glad you two could finally make it.

Shawn: Sorry for the delay, Chief. We would've been here sooner, but we were in a desperate need to finish our breakfast.

Jules: It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Gus: To us it's actually, 'Brunch-fast.'

Chief: Okay… anyway, Mr. Spencer, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Monk and Miss Teeger. They've just drove in from San Francisco.

Then came the long awaited moment. When two brilliant detectives by the names of Adrien Monk and Shawn Spencer meet and greet each other for the very first time.

Shawn: Mr. Monk, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shawn Spencer, resident psychic detective and this is my partner, Tan-Gus Buttersnaps.

Monk: Oh, no it's not.

Shawn: I'm sorry, what?

Monk: Well, when Natalie and I first entered the building, we were accepting our visitors pass and I happened to notice the two passes you're both wearing right now. So, your partner's name is actually Burton Guster. Nice to meet you, by the way.

And just like that, Mr. Monk managed to spoil the fun out of Shawn and Gus' famous running gag. While also proving his observing skills in the process. Much to Lassie's delight as he's never approved of Shawn and Gus' childlike shenanigans.

Moreover, Gus looked over and noticed Natalie still sitting in her chair, handing the case file over to the Chief and was immediately infatuated by her. He extended his hand to her, she accepted and allowed him to kiss it.

Gus: *In a flirtatious tone* Heeello… Burton Guster, Pharmaceutical Sales rep by day and part-time detective by night. En chante.

Natalie: Hi, I'm Natalie Teeger. I'm Mr. Monk's assistant. All day, everyday.

Gus: Really? Well, he is one lucky man.

Shawn: Gus!

Gus: What?

Chief: Okay…! Now that everyone's present and has had a chance to meet. Let's get to work. Shall we.

From there, Chief Vick opened the Amanda Blue case file and received everyone's direct attention and focus. The conjoint investigation had officially began.