three months. While they are at the bookstore, Natalie buys a few of Ludlow's books, including his latest, Death Is the Last Word. The saleswoman at the bookstore mentions that Ludlow cannot pass a store without doing a book signing. Stumped on who might have killed Cole and increasingly discontent at their exposure to Los Angeles smog, Monk insists on returning to San Francisco. Sharona remains behind in Los Angeles to do some asking around. Joseph Cochran, a firefighter Natalie dated during a different investigation, informs Natalie that someone has stolen his fire company's hydraulic rescue equipment. Natalie recognizes that he is just looking for an excuse to begin seeing her again, and proposes that they not tell Monk about the stolen equipment and instead open a non-committal sexual relationship. That Friday, when Natalie is leaving the house, her car starts leaking oil. Monk and Natalie are called by Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher to Baker Beach. A 37-year-old shoe salesman named Ronald Webster has been found dead, his midsection ripped open. The medical examiner determines the time of death to be sometime the night before, but cannot be more precise, given the body's immersion in water. The wounds on his body are not fatal. Monk concludes he was attacked by an alligator, since the teeth marks reflect uniform teeth and alligators kill their prey by holding them underwater until they drown, not ripping them apart. With Stottlemeyer unable to mobilize a homicide task force until the medical examiner completes his autopsy, Monk and Natalie go to the shoe store where Webster worked, which is in Natalie's neighborhood. They talk to one of Webster's coworkers, who tells them Webster never talked about his background, and that his priest called because he did not appear at morning mass, a rarity for him. Monk and Natalie speak to Father Bowen, Webster's priest. Monk figures that Webster had committed a serious crime that caused him to attend daily mass and avoid talking about his background, and persuades Bowen to break the sanctity of confession. Bowen tells them Webster confessed to a hit and run. Disher identifies Webster's victim as Dr. Paula Dalmas, an orthodontist in Walnut Creek. Even though she has no alibi for the night of the murder and even admits she can recognize Webster, Monk insists Dr. Dalmas is innocent, assured that an orthodontist could not possibly be a murderer. The