One Night Changes Everything

Monk knew the address all too well. It was where he got the news that would shatter his world. It was the place where he would learn that Trudy was in a car bombing.

Palgrove Birthing Center.

W.S.

Wendy Stroud.

That was the name of the woman that had gone missing twelve years ago.

Monk's mind was spiraling.

The case he was currently working on was somehow connected to Trudy…his Trudy...everything in him was screaming it.

Stottlemeyer had been shocked mute once Monk was able to verbalize what the address on the paper was.

"This case is connected to Trudy." Randy said slowly as he figured out why both men had suddenly become so quiet, his eyes jumping from both of the male figures.

Leland nodded his head fractionally as his eyes stared at the ground as he tried to make sense of what they learned.

"Monk…" Leland began.

But Adrian's mind was racing. All of the clues that he had acquired…everything…all of it was adding up in his mind for the first time in so many years.

"Trudy found out about the babies being sold…that's why she was concerned about Wendy Stroud disappearing."

"Monk….what are you talking about?" Leland asked as he watched Monk unraveling in front of them.

Monk's eyes weren't focused on anything as he realized exactly what had happened.

"Trudy must have been close to uncovering Biderbeck's trafficking…but how?"

Again, it was Randy that would lead Monk to what he had been so blind to see. And he of course would do it in the form of a confused question.

"Well how would you be able to transport this many people with out going through borders?"

It didn't take long for Monk to answer as his eyes had been staring out the window where a huge storage container sat in the driveway across the street where a family was moving.

Monk turned and stared at Randy before whispering the word.

"Boats. My god…boats."

Leland was trying to figure out what Monk was talking about when it suddenly hit him.

"Oh my god the dockworkers."

Monk nodded fractionally, and Leland was ready to pass out.

"Monk that means…."

"That means that Trudy had been working on this for five years before she figured out what exactly her Pier Pressure article had really uncovered." Monk interrupted Leland.

Leland shook his head trying to find any kind of evidence that could actually prove what they had just said.

"Monk we have no evidence…"

"Brazil." Monk said as his mind was connecting things they should have connected earlier.

"Huh?!" Both Stottlemeyer and Randy said.

"Brazil! Trudy...Miss Bakker said that Carmen's boyfriend had gone to Brazil to help his father with his business!" Monk exclaimed as he tried to make the connection understood.

But the look at the two faces before him let him know he had not succeeded.

"Frank Nunn had been living in Brazil for 8 years before coming back to the states when Biderbeck hired him to kill the governor that wouldn't commute his sentence."

It took a second for the information to sink in before Leland could respond.

"We still have no evidence…"

"Trudy can identify Nunn, she told us that her boyfriend would play soccer with Carmen's boyfriend every Sunday."

The words gave them all a bit of hope.

Natalie and Sharona were finally leaving the ladies room. Natalie too distraught to really notice everyone's eyes on her. Of course she had way to much in her head to pay attention to anything but her crazy thoughts.

The idea of a child, a baby had been terrifying and for a few brief minutes had been the only thing she had wanted more than anything.

It really was absurd the way she had wanted it to be true.

But what kind of life would that be?

They didn't really even have a relationship. How could a baby bring any good to the situation that she found herself in?

Natalie tried to keep the tears from gathering in her eyes as the thought of being in love with him and never having the emotion returned back to her.

All physical things aside, they had so little in common to actually base a relationship off of.

It was a doomed thing from the start.

"Hey..." Sharona bumped Natalie's shoulder to get Natalie out of her inner thoughts, "are you sure you're up for this?"

Natalie looked over at Sharona and didn't even try to put up a pretense.

Natalie shook her head no and tried in vain to not cry again.

Sharona didn't even think twice as she pulled Natalie into a sideways hug, keeping them moving away from the staring police officers around them, and out the door.

"I'm soo sorry sweetie." Sharona said as she leaned her head over to nestle on top of Natalie's.

Natalie sucked in air after some of the silent sobs left her body.

How did things get so complicated so fast?

Sharona helped Natalie into her car, knowing that she didn't trust Natalie to drive at the moment.

Then's when Natalie's cell phone started to ring.

The sound jarred Natalie enough to bring her back to the here and now.

Whipping out the phone she looked down at who was calling.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was Julie. Picking up the phone she quickly answered.

"Julie honey I'm sorry..." But Natalie never got to finish as Julie explained that Benji had been trying to get in contact with his mother.

Natalie looked over at Sharona. "Benji's been trying to call you. He says your cellphone is turned off."

Sharona scrunched up her face and immediately grabbed her purse from the back seat where she had placed it.

Digging into the purse she found the phone.

"It's not turned off...the battery's dead!" Sharona said in exasperation.

"Julie. Sharona's phone died honey. Does Benji need to talk to his mom?" Natalie tried to sound upbeat even as the headache from crying too much started to pound in her ears.

Natalie handed her phone to Sharona.

As Sharona began talking to Benji on the phone, Natalie continued to think about all that was happening in her life.

In the short time she had known him he had come so far. He was getting better.

Somewhere along the way they had become more than friends. More than colleagues. How many people were willing to risk their lives for their colleagues?

Somehow, someway the annoyingly precise and kind man had stolen her heart.

God help her.