Leyla Zlatavich is an immigration counselor in Mr. Monk Falls in Love.
Biography[]
Originally from Zemenia, a war-torn country in former Yugoslavia, she moved to San Francisco to live on her own around 1993, only two weeks after her 23rd birthday, following a massacre that left much of her family, as well as her fiancé, dead. It is implied that a car bomb was involved.
Leyla is first contacted by Adrian Monk when a taxi driver, Drazen Mirko, was found dead in his car, with the backseat being littered with clues pointing to a female suspect of Zemenian descent, they visited the immigration office where she works. Monk immediately found himself enthralled by her caring nature, dispelling any suspicion of being involved. He tried questioning her about potential leads, but Leyla instead mistook Monk, due to his nervously induced muteness, strange clothing and odd mannerisms, as a shell-shocked refugee. She later invites Monk to visit the Zemenian district with her to teach him about their culture.
Stottlemeyer continually accused her of being the culprit, due to evidence, such as a matching engraving on a bracelet with her initials, being amongst the items retrieved from the taxi. When it's revealed that the victim was none other than Karsten Emerik, a warlord responsible for the killing of her family, police arrive at her flat to take her into custody. They find Monk there as well, dancing with Leyla, who, as soon as she spots the murder weapon, confesses to the crime. Monk, however, still did not believe she actually did it and went hunting for answers in the Little Zemenia district. In the end, Monk realizes that the killer was not Leyla, but her mother, who had come to see her and that she had made a false admission of guilt to protect her. Leyla and Monk meet for a last time following the arrest, where she confesses that she returned his feelings, but has decided to not pursue a relationship for both their sakes, as she could not forgive Monk for sending her mother to jail when she was willing to take the fall. Leyla points out that Monk, like her, could not let go of his lost loved ones, telling him return to his life/wife, her accent making it difficult to discern which she meant, and bids him goodbye.
It is worth mentioning that although she is said to be from former Yugoslavia, Leyla is speaking Polish. It is probably related to the fact that Zemenia is a fictional country. The actress that played Leyla is of polish origin.