"Have a nice night!" Jarod's voice was filled with delight as the heavy door of the freezer slammed shut leaving Adrian Monk and Sam trapped.

"Wait! No, you can't do this! We'll freeze to death or suffocate!" Monk frantically tugged at the handle in vain. Sam roughly pushed Monk out of the way and grabbed the handle with his free hand while waving a *gun* in the other.

"Jarod, let us out now!" He demanded. Jarod pressed his face to the glass of the small window of the door and made faces at them.

"Nope! Don't think so Sam." Jarod laughed .

"Miss Parker isn't going to like this." Sam shouted as he rammed the door with his left shoulder to no avail.

"Well there is a lot Miss Parker isn't going to like." Jarod smiled at them through the glass and checked his watch. "Speaking of Miss Parker, you two will have to excuse me. Gotta run. Have a nice time in there, chill a little, it'll do you good Sam."

"Jarod!" Sam shouted as Jarod disappeared from view. "Damn! "

"Wait! Wait! Come back, you can't leave us here like this!" Monk pushed his way between Sam and the door. "We'll die if you leave us here! Come back!" Monk began to pound on the door as he pressed his face to the small window.

"We're not going to die. Jarod doesn't operate like that, he's not a killer." Sam stepped back to survey the walk-in freezer they were locked in. One light bulb in the center of ceiling shed a eerie light reminiscent of the lower levels of the Centre, reminding Sam of *SL-27*.

"There's no air in here! No air.....no air..." Monk began to tug at his collar and gasp for air. "Take it easy, I told you Jarod's not a killer." Sam barked, his gun still in his right hand.

"I don't want to die like this. No, no. This isn't the way it's suppose to be." Monk moaned as he pressed his back against the *wall* by the door. "Suffocating .... freezing to death...freezing, suffocating in filth. Filth! Look at all this filth. I'm surrounded by filth, garbage. Wipe! Wipe!" Sam stared at the frighten man reaching out to him. "I need a wipe!"

"How about a bottle of water instead?" Sam pulled a plastic bottle of water from a cardboard box marked Sparkletts bottled water and tossed it to Monk. The bottle landed on the floor and Monk peered at the label.

"No thank you. I only drink Sierra Springs. See if there is a Sierra Springs in there." Sam looked through the box and shook his head 'no'. "OK, then here, you drink it." Monk kicked the bottle over to Sam with his foot.

"No thanks. But I could use a *scotch*." The light flickered a bit as Sam poked around some of the boxes on the wire shelving units that lined three of the four walls. A dead rat tumbled to the floor as he pushed one of the boxes aside.

"AY!" Monk yelled and jumped .

"It's only a dead rat. What's your problem?" Sam was clearly annoyed. Monk huddled by the door.

"Dead. That's what we're going to be...dead. Dead like that, that rat! No air, we'll suffocate, that is if we don't freeze to death first." Monk moaned. "I can't die like this. Not this way .... freezing, suffocating. Suffocating, freezing. No air."

"Shut up! We're not going to die. I told you that. And if you don't shut up I'll pull out my *cuffs* and cuff you to the...Forget handcuffing you, I'll just shoot you instead! " Sam's angry voice caught Monk's attention.

"Can't talk. No talking. Talking uses oxygen. No talking OK?" His eyes big with fear as he pleaded with Sam to be quiet. "No talking OK?"

"Look there's a vent on the wall above your head, there must be ventilation system that pumps in outside air. And the thermometer on the wall next to the door, the temperature has climbed 5 degrees since Jarod locked us in here. We're not going to freeze or suffocate, so clam down." Sam holstered his gun.

"I can't calm down, I'm acrophobic, aeroacrophobic, claustrophobic, ..." Monk groaned as a box of powered milk fell to the floor. "I'm also lactophobic...."

"Is there anything you aren't? Are you scared of everything?" Sam snapped.

"Heights, hate heights, germs, milk..."

Sam immediately regretted his question and tried to change the subject. "Never mind. Tell me about yourself. Are you married?"

"I am ... was ... use to be. My wife Trudy was killed by a car bomb. I was working on the San Francisco police department when it happened."

"Car bomb, pretty nasty. Did you ever find who did it?" Sam asked as he rummaged through a box.

"No, I've never been able to find her killer. I'm too close to the case I guess."

"You and Jarod have something in common then. He's been looking for his family ever since he escaped. Found his Dad but not his mother." Sam said trying to make conversation.

"Jarod, that's the man who locked us in here?" Sam shook his head yes to Monk's question as he pulled out a can of *lubricant* from a box.

"You said escaped. What do you mean by escaped?" Monk asked.

"Escaped from the Centre in Blue Cove." Taking a hard look at Monk Sam thought there was no harm in telling the truth. Besides who would believe him and it would be a relief to talk to someone besides the Centre shrink about the twisted things he'd seen.

"Centre. What's the Centre? I've never heard of it." Monk asked as he moved away from the door until he stood next to Sam.

"It's a think tank in Blue Cove with the 'projects' or solutions they come up with going to the highest bidder. Jarod was kidnapped as a child and lived all his life in the sub levels working on various projects until he escaped a few years ago."

"Is that why you're after him? And the woman with the dark hair, Miss Parker? " Monk aligned the boxes on the bottom shelf with the toe of his shoe until they were even.

"Yeah, Miss Parker. Her father Mr Parker runs the Centre so she grew up at the Centre. As kids, she and Jarod were close friends from what I understand. They have a *love/hate* relationship now." Sam smiled and leaned towards Monk. "I don't think she really wants to catch him."

"And you? Do you want to catch him?" Monk asked as he peered into the box Sam was going through.

"It's not a matter of what I want, it's what I'm told to do. I'm a *sweeper*, I do what I'm told."

"Sweeper? Sounds more like you're muscle or a enforcer for the Centre. Is that what you really want from life? Why don't you just leave?" Monk asked.

"It's not what I want but it's not something you can just walk away from, it isn't that easy. Like I told Jarod one time we were escorting him back to the Centre, once you're in they won't let you out. " Sam sighed and then flashed Monk a dark look. "Miss Parker tried to leave with Thomas. He was a good man, they were in love but they had him killed to prevent her from leaving. Like I said, the only way out is feet first and I'm not going down until I have to."

"Dr Kroger says we all have choices. You forgot to put that cup back into the box." Monk looked at Sam with expectant eyes as he pointed to the empty slot in the box. "The cup...back into that slot. See? That's where you took it out of."

"Who's Dr. Kroger? Your shrink?" Sam asked as he replaced the cup back into the box where Monk indicated.

"You could say that. He's my therapist. I'm better, I only see him three times a week now. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. When Trudy was killed I didn't leave the house for three years. Captain Stollemeyer hired a nurse. Sharona was my nurse but she left. Everybody leaves me. Now I have Natalie. She's not a nurse, I just tell everyone she's my assistant."

"Well I guess that's another thing you have in common with Jarod. He was raised by Sydney who's a psychiatrist only Jarod didn't leave the Centre until he was in his thirties. Now Sydney's assigned to Miss Parker's team to find him but I don't think he wants Jarod caught anymore then Miss Parker. " Sam watched as Monk put his hand in his coat pocket and pushed the box with the cups back until it was lined up with the box next to it.

"Then why doesn't Sydney leave?" Monk asked.

"Like I told you, no one leaves the Centre unless it's feet first. Sydney's twin brother Jacob found that out. Besides I think he likes being on the team to find him. He seems to enjoy watching Jarod manage in the outside world. He saves things that Jarod's discover like playdoh, bubblegum, cartoons, things we grew up with and take for granted. Jarod didn't have a normal childhood. The Centre does that to people. Take away their lives, a normal life anyways." He opened another box.

"I never had playdoh or bubble gum growing up. So who is on this 'team'?" Monk leaned over Sam's arm to see what was in the box.

"There's Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots. Broots is a computer geek and he can't leave. He has a daughter, he's afraid of what will happen to her if he tries to leave."

"I have a team too." Monk not wanting to be outdone. "But no one has to die if they want to leave. Any one can leave any time they want. Sharona did and she didn't die. She re-married her ex-husband which could be worse then dying. Now it's Natalie, Captain Stollemeyer and Randy Disher and me."

"You mean Captain Stollemeyer of the San Francisco Police Department?" Sam smiled. "We talked with him and Lieutenant Disher when we first arrived here. I didn't know you were still on the department."

"I'm not ... anymore. I'm a consultant. Independent consultant. They call me when they have a case they can't solve." Monk was feeling braver by the minute. He knew Sam wasn't a killer, he had relaxed some and talking kept his mind off of his phobias. "Like the case we were working on when your friend Jarod solved it. I'm pretty good at what I do. I'm pretty smart."

"Yeah but I bet Jarod's smarter then you are. I've seen some of the *DSAs* from when he was a kid. I've seen him at work as a adult out in the world he's never known. He's a genius."

"Some people call me a genius too. DSAs? What are those? Some type of movie or *photograph* or something? You aren't going to take those cans out of the box are you?"

"No the cans can stay in the box. DSA's are like a movie on a small disk." Sam laughed and shook his head from side to side as he pushed the box of cans back. "It's a type of DVD that has been used by the Centre for years. They invented the DVD you know."

"Oh. Well Captain Stollemeyer's ex-wife Karen, she did a movie on the oldest man and I was in it. I solved his murder. No one would believe Karen when she said he had been killed but I did and I solved it. I can be a genius too." Monk straighten the box on the shelf with his hand in the coat pocket of his suit.

"That's nice." Sam replied obviously not impressed.

"So who is in charge of this Centre?" Monk asked as he continued to line the box up with the box next to it.

"It depends on who you're talking to. There's Mr Raines a bald oxygen sucking ghoul. He's over most of the projects. Mr. Parker, he's the chairman and seems to be in charge most of the time. And his son Mr Lyle, a twisted psychopath with a missing thumb who would sell his soul to be offered a *chairmanship*. Can't trust any of them. Of course there's the Triumvirate in Africa. Never could figure them out. I guess it depends on which day of the week it is." Sam suppressed a laugh as he watched Monk trying to line up the boxes. "All I really know is that they want Jarod back. Until they get him back and can keep him, they'll stop at nothing. Do you have a obsessive compulsive disorder or something?"

"Why do you ask that?" Monk asked as he pulled his hand that was still in his pocket away from the box.

"Because you keep lining the boxes up. And you insisted I put the cup back into the slot so they were even. That's why."

"I have some...." Monk mumbled as he moved a couple of steps away from Sam. "I almost had this case solved. I was this close ..." Monk put his thumb and forefinger together and held them up so Sam could see. "Well maybe this close." He moved them apart a quarter of a inch. "I knew it was the owner of the Mythos restaurant and night club that was involved in the murder of that dancer. I just needed a few more pieces to tie him to it that's all."

"Well if Broots hadn't seen that news story on it with Jarod in the background during the interview with the owner, we never would have come to San Francisco looking for him. And I wouldn't be locked in this freezer with you right now." Sam shoved a box out of the way. "You would think since they used this old freezer for storage there would be something here we could use to break out with. So why were you here at the Mythos restaurant since the case was already solved?"

"I just wanted to see if there was something I missed. Something I should have seen. I have a good memory for details. Why did you come here?"

"To check it out. Miss Parker thought Jarod may have left something behind. I didn't expect to find him here. Didn't expect you either."

The door of the freezer suddenly opened.

"Sam! Get out here." Miss Parker's voice was sharp and there was a hint of anger.

"Monk! Monk, are you alright?" Captian Stollemyer yelled into the freezer from the doorway.

"Yes Captian, I'm fine." Monk made his way to the door followed by Sam. Once outside, Miss Parker motioned to Sam they needed to leave.

"Captian, if you see this man give me a call." She handed Captian Stollemyer a photo of Jarod and her business card. "Sam we're out of here."

"I'll do that Miss Parker." Captian Stollemyer replied as Miss Parker and Sam turned and walked away.

"Sam, remember choices. Everyone has choices." Monk called out to Sam who briefly looked over his shoulder at Monk and shook his head 'no' as he continued to walk next to Miss Parker.

"What was that all about?" Captian Stollemeyer asked Monk.

"Oh you don't want to know. But for once I'm glad I'm me." He watched Sam and Miss Parker as they disappeared around the corner. "How did you know we were here Captian?"

"Oh that was easy. Someone called into station saying you were locked in the old freezer unit at the Mythos restaurant. They also called Miss Parker." Lieutenant Disher said.

"His name wasn't Jarod was it?" Monk asked.

"As a matter of fact it was!" Lieutenant Disher replied. "Why?"

"Just a guess." Monk smiled. "Just a guess."