Synopsis
Dr. Charles Kroger arrives at his office in Pacific Heights like on any other morning. But this will not be another ordinary morning. As he approaches his waiting room, he hears voices coming from inside. Dr. Kroger opens the door to his waiting room to find Adrian Monk and Harold Krenshaw arguing over who should get the 8:00 AM session. He breaks up their argument, and asks them how they got into the waiting room. Monk and Harold admit that the door was unlocked. Dr. Kroger also asks them why the door to his office is open, and he becomes suspicious. Dr. Kroger, Monk, and Harold enter the office, and on the floor of the office, they find the dead body of Teresa Mueller, the building's cleaning lady, stabbed to death with a letter opener.
Apparently, someone walked in on Teresa while she was cleaning the office and scattered around some of the patient files. The time of death has been pinpointed to around 10:00 PM that night, as Teresa ended on the bottom floor. Monk quickly rules himself and Harold Krenshaw out as suspects.
Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher suspect that one of Dr. Kroger's patients was responsible. While being questioned at the police station, Dr. Kroger admits that there is one patient who may fit the profile: a schizophrenic by the name of Joseph Wheeler. According to Dr. Kroger, Wheeler threatened him in the past and demanded to look at his file, because he thought Dr. Kroger was talking about his ex-wife behind his back.
Dr. Kroger takes the blame on himself for not seeing the murder coming, and decides to retire. He reassures Monk that he will refer him to another therapist as soon as possible. This causes Monk to start going through an accelerated version of the five steps of grief (in order denial, anger, compromise, depression and finally overcoming it), which Kroger describes to Natalie as Monk acts out each step. But when Monk goes back through the five steps all over, they find that he has gotten stuck on a recursive loop.
Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher go to the store where Joseph Wheeler works to question him. Wheeler admits that he wasn't thinking straight when he made those threats as he was in the middle of a divorce. He also claims he loved Dr. Kroger and would take a bullet for him, plus he has an alibi that checks out. Wheeler is quickly ruled out as a suspect.
Needing to talk to someone, Monk returns with Natalie to Dr. Kroger's office, with Natalie in the doctor's chair. As they are about to walk out, Monk notices some vacuum marks on the carpet. They can only mean one thing: Teresa didn't walk in on the killer. Rather, the killer walked in on her. Just then, Francis Merrigan (Gordon Clapp), who owns an importing and exporting business based in the same building, walks in on them, since the door was open. He admits that after the death of Teresa, one has to check on the room if the door is slightly open. Monk notices that Merrigan is carrying a milk carton. Merrigan claims that he is utilizing the milk carton for a coffeemaker in his office.
That night, Monk and Harold stake out Dr. Kroger's house. They carefully conceal themselves while spying on the doctor. All of a sudden, someone throws a rock through the window and an SUV is seen speeding away. But neither of the patients, although rivals, could have thrown the rock. It seems obvious to Stottlemeyer and Disher that one of Dr. Kroger's patients is responsible. As they interview the rest of the Kroger family, we learn several facts about them, most especially their rebellious son Troy, among which are the fact that Charles has taken a paternity test three times at Troy's request, and it's always come back positive, and Troy knows Disher from being arrested. Monk, however, believes that whoever killed Teresa might have thrown the rock through the window as a diversion to make everyone believe that one of Dr. Kroger's patients is involved. He even recognizes the rock, though he doesn't know where. Dr. Kroger also tells Monk some other good news: he has found a therapist by the name of Dr. Jonah Sorenson, who can take Monk in, although he isn't normally accepting new patients.
Monk goes to Dr. Sorenson's office the next day. In session, he is rather uncomfortable by the fact that Sorenson is missing his right arm (from a boating accident two years ago). But as he is lamenting about how he remembered every leaf and every rock's location when he was seeing Dr. Kroger, he finally remembers where the rock came from.
Monk rushes back to Dr. Kroger's office just as Dr. Kroger is packing up. It is clear that Dr. Kroger hasn't seen Dr. Sorenson in a very long time, as he doesn't know about Sorenson's amputated arm. Monk shows Dr. Kroger exactly where the rock that was thrown at his house came from: it came from the courtyard. He has a good memory and he's been in the office enough times to know where everything fits. Now Monk has narrowed down the list of possible suspects to the people who have access to the courtyard.
Dr. Kroger mentions that only two people have access to the courtyard: himself and Francis Merrigan. Going to Merrigan's office, they find powdered milk dust on several of his shelves. Monk immediately remembers how when he and Natalie were in Dr. Kroger's office the day before, Merrigan walked in on them and he was carrying a milk carton. He had claimed that he was using the cartons for supplying a coffeemaker, but right now, there is obviously no evidence that Merrigan even has owned a coffeemaker, meaning he must have been lying to them about the carton's use.
Monk explains to Dr. Kroger that powdered milk is made from lactose, and drug dealers use it to cut heroin. Merrigan is trafficking drugs, and he probably also killed Teresa Mueller. Dr. Kroger suggests to Monk that he not talk about Merrigan, for a good reason: Merrigan opens the door, pointing a gun at them. The two are tied to chairs and loaded into the back of Merrigan's box rental truck.
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