“What size is Flannery?”
“Nine.”
“I didn’t know grown men had such tiny feet.”
“Because you and your brothers are all giants. But you’re right, it’s not common. Not in a man of Flannery’s height.”
“Okay, so murder. Not a big shocker. I wonder how the knife got there,” he said, having filled Leo in on the detectives’ visit and their interest in the custom knife set. “Did the killer bring it, or did Flannery pick it up during one of his deliveries?”
“That I don’t have insight into. There are fingerprints on it, but while they could be Flannery’s, they are too smudged to be conclusive.”
“Smudged? As if someone wiped them?”
“Or maybe Flannery stole the knife at some point, leaving his prints, and then the person who used it wore gloves, smudging them.”
“What about Weber? Did you find anything on him?” he asked.
Leo chuckled. “Now he’s a walking cliché if I ever met one.”
“His hundred-dollar haircut and compensation car gave that away. What else did you find?”
“Car’s leased. He doesn’t own it.”
“Figures.”
“Still, it’s not cheap. And not an expense your average restaurant manager would be able to afford. Not on top of the six grand he pays per month for rent.”
“What’s his story?”
“Nothing obvious popped up on him except he does have a conviction for assault back in Florida, where he’s originally from. It was twelve years ago, and he hit his girlfriend.”
A growl rumbled up from his chest.
“From the arrest picture, it looks like she got a few good ones in herself,” Leo added.
“Too bad she didn’t finish the job.”
“His mama might miss him, but I doubt many others would,” Leo agreed.
Monk stared at the darkened fireplace. He was willing to concede he might be overreacting to the situation, but the letter found at Flannery’s didn’t fit. Was it possible he’d become obsessed with Helia? Was Weber? And if either of those were true, did it tie into Flannery’s murder?
“Am I reading too much into this?” he asked. He didn’t like not trusting himself, but with Helia in the mix, his thoughts felt jumbled.
Leo hesitated. “I don’t know. As weird as it is, it’s Weber that muddies the water, not the murder. A single murder would be easy to write off. But the fact that both men wanted Helia back at the same timeandWeber is… Well, I don’t know what’s going on yet, but my Spidey senses are telling me to look deeper at him. I focused on Flannery for obvious reasons, but…”
“Do you have the time? Do you make that noise in front of Joey?” he added when Leo snorted.
“She loves me and of course I have time. I’m curious now, and I don’t do well with loose ends.Thatannoys Joey. Despite the fact that she loves me,” he added.
“Smug bastard,” Monk muttered, meaning it despite being happy for the couple.
Leo chuckled again, then promised to check in the next day before disconnecting. Less than a minute passed before Monk’s phone dinged with a text. He smiled when he saw the name.
Helia:You sleep in?
Monk:A bit, you?
Helia:Not as much as I wish I could. I never do, seems like I should give up that ghost at some point, but no, I still hold out hope that someday, I’ll sleep in until ten. What are you up to today?
