Monk, Season 2

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
All right. It's 12:30, the place is packed. Everybody's having a good time. Then the perp, dressed in black, comes down the fire escape, and leaps down.

Monk:
Wait a minute, he leaps down?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Yep. [points] Now the maitre'd is here, trying to call 911 on his cell phone. He confronts the perp, the perp does a spin move... [spins and lifts up his foot; imitating the killer] Hits the phone out of the maitre'd's hand.

Monk:
Really?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
At this point, pulls a gun, fires one round, right through the guy's heart - killshot. [imitates pulling a gun]

Monk:
From here? What is that, thirty feet?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Thirty-four. I know, that's a hell of a shot. We pulled that slug out of the planter box.

Lt. Disher:
Look at this. [He shows Monk an evidence bag containing the recovered bullet]

Monk:
[incredulous] What did he use? A cannon?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
That's a .454 from a Ruger Casull.

Lt. Disher:
They use it on safaris, to stop elephants.

Monk:
And who was the victim?

Lt. Disher:
[looks at his notes] Uh, his name is Sergei Cluvarias. They're running it now.

Monk:
Table's set for two. Who was his date?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Some broad. She ran off. We'll have a sketch soon. [Monk looks at the table]

Monk:
Uh-huh. Where is the sugar?

Lt. Disher:
Sugar? [We see a close up of the empty sugar bowl, with just a trace of unrefined sugar lining it]

Monk:
The sugar cubes. This bowl's empty. All the other bowls are full.

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
You're right. What's that mean?

Monk:
I don't know. What about the cashier?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
No, showed zero interest. This wasn't about money.

Lt. Disher:
Or it was, and he got scared away. [Monk picks up something off another table with his fingers]

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
What's that?

Monk:
Wood shavings.

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Wood shavings?

Monk:
Sawdust?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Randy! [Randy comes back with an evidence bag]

Monk:
What happened next?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Well, the getaway, which is why you're here. I thought this might be right up your alley.

Lt. Disher:
No pun intended. [Stottlemeyer and Monk shoot a nasty glare at Randy]

Monk:
What pun is that?

Lt. Disher:
Because of the alley.

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Shecky, can I continue? All right. For once, the witnesses are all on the same page: they all saw the perp jump to this table, and then leaped up to this bar [He gestures to show the killer's actions] …and did a somersault, and then over the valet, runs down the street and makes a left turn down the alley.

[Monk looks on]

Monk:
Is there a circus in town?

Lt. Disher:
A circus? [An officer hands something to Randy]

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Ha ha. Circus. That makes a lot of sense. [Randy turns to them]

Lt. Disher:
Sir?

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Yeah?

Lt. Disher:
We just got a positive on the victim. He's the master of ceremony at the Dratch & Denby Traveling Circus.

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
Master of ceremonies?

Lt. Disher:
Yeah, the ringmaster.

Capt. Stottlemeyer:
At the circus?