New Orleans in the past year. We're pretty sure he killed a teenager in Metairie, and we think the girl's father paid for the hit so he could collect insurance, but we can't prove it.'
'How do you know it was Monk?' Theo asked.
'He left his calling card. He always does,' she explained. 'My informant is close to Monk, knows his routine. He told me that Monk leaves a long-stemmed red rose as proof that he did the job. He always makes the murders look like accidents or suicide, and in every case I've been involved in, someone benefits from the death.'
'A father had his child killed so he could get money?' Michelle rubbed her arms as though to ward off a chill. That a father would do such a monstrous thing was staggering. She felt sick to her stomach. That poor child.
'The rose was missing from the girl's bedroom,' Harris continued. 'But there was one petal, still uncurled, half under the dresser. On another case, the crime unit found a thorn stuck in the bedspread. Monk does most of his work at night when his victims are sleeping.'
'Who was the victim in the second case you mentioned?' Theo asked.
'An old man, a wealthy grandfather whose only relative had a heavy drug problem.'
'From what you've told me about this man,' Theo said, 'it doesn't seem his style to work with others. He sounds like a loner.'
'Until now, he has acted alone, but my gut's telling me he was at the doctor's house last night.'
'If he was involved,' Michelle said, 'then he must be after the package. Maybe there's something inside that will incriminate him or the person who hired him.'
'What package?' Harris asked sharply. She looked as if she was about to pounce on Michelle for withholding information.
Michelle explained, and when she was finished, the detective couldn't hide her excitement.
'You're telling me you can ID one of them? You saw his face and you're certain he's the man who came up to you at the stadium?'
'Yes.'
'My God, wouldn't that be a piece of luck if the man you saw was Monk. No one's seen him before, but now with a description…'
'I'd like to talk to your informant,' Theo said.
She shook her head. 'You think I have his phone number? It doesn't work that way. He calls me when he feels like it, and he always uses a pay phone. We've traced the calls, but a car never gets there in time. He's as elusive as the ghost.'
'Okay,' Theo said. 'What about your file on Monk?'
'What about it?'
'I want to see it.'
She ignored his request. 'We've got to find that package,' she said to Michelle. 'No hint of what might be inside?'
'Not yet.'
'I'm going to get Monk this time. I swear it on my mother's grave. He's so close I can almost smell him.'
'I want to see your file,' Theo repeated. This time he made sure she understood he wasn't asking. He was demanding.
She gave him an icy stare without responding.
Michelle hurried to diffuse the antagonism. 'We'll help you any way that we can, Detective.'
Harris was still looking at Theo as she answered. 'The best way to help is to stay out of my way. I'm running this operation. Is that understood?'
When Theo didn't answer, she cleared her throat nervously. 'I'll put a net around the area and start squeezing. You take the doctor home and stay there. If you hear or see anything suspect, you call me.'
She pulled out two cards and handed one to Theo and gave the other one to Michelle.
'You can always get me on my cell phone.'
It didn't take a law degree to know Harris wasn't going to cooperate. She was playing close to the vest, and in retaliation, Theo didn't feel the need to share the information he'd collected with her.
'I'm going to want to see your file, Detective, and I'm going to want to see what's inside that package,' he snapped. He wasn't going to take no for an answer.
'You can see what's in the package,' she said. 'And if it's something unrelated to Monk, then you can investigate to your
heart's content.'
'And if there is information connecting Monk?' Michelle asked.
'Then I'm calling the shots. This is my investigation, and I'm not about to let the Feds mess it up. I've spent three long years chasing Monk's shadow, and I've got too much invested to let the FBI interfere. It's not going to happen.'
Her contempt was palpable. The unfriendly rivalry between the Bureau and local law enforcement agencies was deep-rooted
and a hell of a nuisance, as far as Theo was concerned. He wasn't in the mood to be diplomatic or play games.
'You're worried the FBI will take your case?' Michelle asked.
'Damn right, I'm worried. Three years,' she repeated. 'I'm going to get Monk, and when I do, I'm not going to hand him over to you,' she told Theo.
'Hey, I'm an attorney with the Justice Department. I don't care what you do with him, unless he's one of the shooters who tried
to kill Michelle and me last night. If that's the case, then you and I are going to have to come to an understanding.'
She shook her head and said, 'The police chief told me you are on vacation… that you came here to fish. So go fish and let me do my job.'
'Look, I understand why you want the collar, but-'
'What?' she demanded before he could finish.
'I'm in, like it or not. You think I'm going to sit around and wait? Maybe I didn't make myself clear. He tried to kill us.'
Harris was irate. 'I'm not letting you screw up this investigation.'
Theo wasn't about to get involved in a shouting match. Forcing himself to speak in a level voice, he asked, 'How many times do
I have to say it before you understand? You're not stopping me.'
'The hell I'm-'
He cut her off. 'I can stop you, though, and we both know it. One phone call. That's all it would take.'
He wasn't bluffing. When it came to push and shove, he had the muscle. She didn't. Simple as that.
Harris decided on a more prudent approach. 'Okay, we'll share information. I'll send you copies of what I've got on Monk as
soon as I get back to the station. And I'll let you see what's inside the package.'
'Assuming we can find it,' Michelle interjected.
'We have to find it,' she snapped.
'Now, I want something,' Harris said.
'What?'
'I want forty-eight hours before you start interfering or call in your troops. I guarantee I'll have Monk behind bars before then.
If he's working with the men who came after you and the doctor, I'll get them too.'
'You're pretty sure of yourself. What aren't you telling me, Detective? Do you know where Monk is now?'
'Forty-eight hours,' she insisted.
He didn't waste any time thinking about it. 'No.'
'Twenty-four hours, then,' she demanded. 'That's reasonable.'
Her neck was getting red from anger, but Theo didn't give a damn if he was making her life difficult or
