Dave kind of felt like a fifth wheel when he went into the bookstore these days. Sue had taken over and made changes he'd never thought of. She had consolidated sections that only got seasonal attention, and opened up an area with several lounge chairs and a space for children to sit on big comfy cushions to listen to a story teller read to them. She had taken out advertising in the women's section of the local paper announcing that the story teller would be reading on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Along a twenty foot section of the wall bordering the coffee shop, she set up a magazine rack with its own cash register. To stop pilfering, which was a big problem, every book now had a little magnetic sticker inside the back cover that set off an alarm if not deactivated when purchased. She hired four more employees to wander through the store not only to help where needed, but to patrol.

When she rearranged the office and added another desk for herself, she left Dave's as it was. They both knew he didn't need to be there any more, but Sue could tell he felt left out now, so she did her best to make Dave feel welcome and needed. This morning he was sitting at his desk shuffling papers, attempting to feel useful. Sue was out in the store. There was a light knock on the opened door. Dave looked up to see an elegant little lady. It took him only a moment to place who she was. Bill had introduced her to him at his dad's funeral and later they had taken her to dinner. And she'd approached him at the Bill's grave side as he stood alone staring into the hole at Bill's casket, wondering how he could go on. Everyone else had done his bidding and left him alone. Not her; she'd consoled him, and he'd let her know that he knew it hadn't been that long since the love of her life had died.

"Joan, I haven't seen you since Bill's funeral," he said, rising and walking around the desk.

"Dave, how are you?" she asked holding out a petite hand.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Other than being exhausted, I am doing very well. I took my sister on a tour of Europe. We just got back yesterday."

"Come, sit down." Dave pulled the big winged-back chairs that faced his desk around so they could sit facing each other. The two chairs were the only things besides his desk that Sue hadn't been allowed to change. Bill had placed them in the office and Dave simply wouldn't let them go.

"William always talked about how he wanted to take me on a tour," she lay her head back into the wing of the chair, "so I just decided that I would take the tour to see all of the places he told me about."

Dave smiled, nodded and said, "Good for you, Joan." Her face still lit up when she talked about William.

"William gave me a key." Joan sat up straight, opened her huge purse and started digging in it. "He told me to hold on to it until Edith passed on, and then give it to his son. But Bill is gone and now that she's dead," she held up the key and smiled at Dave, "I guess you are the master of Way Mansion now and I should give it to you."

"Master of Way Mansion?" Dave paled.

"Why, yes. You did inherit Bill's fortune did you not?"

Dave nodded.

"Then surely you're now the master and this is for you," She said, handing him the key.

"What is this key to?" Dave asked, holding it as though it might explode in his hand.

"I don't know," Joan exclaimed with surprise at being asked.

Dave raised his eyebrows in query.

"William never told me, and I never thought to ask. I just put the key into my jewelry box and forgot about it until this morning. I came across it when I took the box out of my safe deposit this morning. I thought I should bring it directly to you.... before I forget it again."

"Well, thank you, Joan, I'm sure that sooner or later it will become apparent what it will unlock. I really must have you up to dinner soon. I would like for you to meet my new partner, Joe Paolini."

"Joe Paolini? I would love to meet him. You know architecture has always been a subject close to my heart."

"I would never have dreamed."

"Yes. And the Paolini Tower is my all time favorite building."

"Well, in that case, you have to join us Saturday evening, a week from this Saturday. We are having a little casual get together. Sue, whom you've met, will be there. And bring your sister Elisa with you."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful Dave. I'm sure I can answer for Elisa. We would love to come."

"Fine. Just tell the doorman at the Tower that you are guests of Dave and Joe. He'll whisk you up to our domicile."

Dave sat in a daze after Joan left. He was still staring into space when the phone rang. Someone answered it before he could pick it up. He sighed, then rose to move back behind his desk. A young man stuck his head through the opened door and smiled at him. "Phone call for you, Sir."

Dave perked up. "Oh, thank you."

He picked up the phone. "This is Dave Gates. May I help you?"

"Good morning, Dave. Clyde here. Your cell phone didn't answer." Dave felt his pocket and realized he'd left it on the charger. "I need to make an appointment with you," Clyde was saying, "to go over all of the holdings you now own. I've just received the keys to the Way Mansion. I thought you would like to go through it, since you are now the owner."

"Oh, my God.... I knew that I had inherited it from Bill, but with Mrs. Way living there, I really never thought of it as being mine. Joan, William Way's mistress, just brought me a key to something in the mansion."

Clyde smiled to himself; he'd never had a client like Dave who was so laid-back unassuming and...and well, rather naive when it came to money. He enjoyed Dave's freshness. "Well, there is a lot more than just the mansion, Dave. If you can make the time for me, I'd like to go over the list of just what you do own now."

"What time would you like to meet, Clyde? I have nothing but time now that I'm not running the bookstore anymore."

"Well, what would you say to lunch and then I can turn over the keys to you and go through the list."

"I think that would be great. Let me call Joe and have him meet us. Say twelve-thirty at the Cock and Bull. That's downtown near your office and Joe's work site. And then we can just stroll up to your office and go through it all."

"Sounds like a plan, Dave. See you then." Clyde liked Joe Paolini, too. He liked the way he was protective of his partner. He admired his keen creative mind.

Dave set the phone back into its cradle. With the intent of later putting it on his key ring, he shoved the key into his pocket and forgot about it.

Dave's mind was still reeling when they got to the mansion. He had never really thought about all of the holdings that the Wayfortune consisted of. Just the amount of the wealth was mind boggling, but to see it all itemized simply blew him away. He sat in the back seat of Clyde's limo clasping Joe's hand. Clyde and Joe were talking, but Dave wasn't listening to what they were saying.

The limousine pulled up to the heavy wrought iron gates and stopped. The window descended behind the driver. "We have arrived, Sir."

Clyde took a remote control from his jacket pocket leaned forward and handed it to the driver and then touched some controls in a panel above the built in bar. All of the windows in the limo opened so they could see the grounds as the car wound its way up the curved drive. Manicured lawns bordered with bright seasonal flowers flowed by.

Dave stared at the three story, red brick, turn of the century mansion as they approached it. It looked neither friendly nor warm to him. He shuddered recalling that Edith Way had spent most of her adult life in this building. He couldn't think of the huge structure as a house or home.

As they climbed the wide curved steps to the large oak door, Clyde produced a large ring with a number of keys on it. He handed it to Dave who in turn studied the keys as he stepped up to the door. He looked at the large key hole and picked the largest and oldest looking key in the bunch. Sticking it into the hole he twisted it. The key turned easily in the lock. He pushed on the huge door and it silently swung open. Leaning forward without stepping into the foyer both Joe and Dave peeked inside.

"Go on in and look around. Make yourself at home." Clyde grinned.

"Are you sure Edith's ghost isn't going to jump out and grab me?" Dave asked.

Clyde chuckled. "I would never have taken you for a man who believes in ghosts, Dave."

"I'm not, but Edith Way scared the crap out of me. I don't know how you managed to be her lawyer."

"Edith was never friendly, but my dealings with her were always strictly business. She had quite a good head for managing her money and making good investments. I learned a lot from her."

"I only met her three times and each time she was screeching nasty names at me like a banshee."

"Well she'll screech no more. The house has not been entered since her death. So things may be a little dusty. Go ahead, it's yours to explore."

The size of the room was immense. It was at least twenty feet wide and ran the length of the building. The floors were highly polished marble parquetry. The walls were smooth golden travertine with many large exquisite paintings in gold frames. They simultaneously looked up at the vaulted ceiling with its hand carved beams, it was painted to appear as though one were looking at white puffy clouds in a blue sky. Joe chuckled as he pointed out a solitary little angel looking down at them with his elbows on the top of the wall, his hands supporting his chin. Dave had expected to see a crystal chandelier, and was surprised to see a huge wrought iron fixture that looked like something from a 16th century castle. Even though it had been electrified, it still had the long chain and pullies that had once been used to lower it to light the candles. The far end wall was stained glass. As Dave gawked at it, he was certain that it had to have been done by Louis C. Tiffany. It depicted the scene of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone while Merlin observed.

There were several hand carved, high backed, oversized chairs in two semi circles facing each other on each side of a large round table, in the center of which was a large exquisite vase filled with dead flowers. On the right side of the room were four large double doors. Between the doors sat three large demi-lune tables; each held a vase containing a long dead bouquet.

"Mrs. Way refused to have live-in servants. That was why she was dead for three days before the maids found her. We are the first to enter since the house was locked up after the coroner took her away." Clyde explained.

Dave stepped up to the first set of double doors and opened them with a flourish. Joe heard his sharp intake of breath and turned to see what had caused it. Neither man had ever seen so much gilt furniture in their lives. The center of the room was a highly polished ballroom dance floor that could easily hold two hundred people. Around the floor were at least that many delicate French Renaissance gilded chairs with small occasional tables dispersed amongst them. Each wall had a large fireplace of white marble. Tall gilt framed mirrors hung between floor to ceiling French windows which opened onto a terrace that surrounded the room. A marble balustrade enclosed it.

Again the ceiling was painted to look like the sky. The cerulean blue was picked up in darker shades on the walls and in the large heavy rugs around the room.

"The windows have shutters on the outside to keep the sun out. I had the grounds keeper open them this morning, so you could see the magnificence of this room. Come look at the dining room."

Clyde led them back across the Hall and opened another set of double doors. The first thing they saw was the long dining table. Dave counted the chairs. Twenty. Still the table did not fill the room.

"The table can be extended to accommodate seventy guests. That door is to a storage room for the rest of the table and the chairs. The door in the middle of the wall is to the kitchen. This door is to the men's smoking room. And the one across from it is the ladies sitting room. Both rooms open onto the Hall and at the back of each is an office. Mrs. Way spent many hours of her life in hers. That is where I would meet with her, to take care of her business dealings. Mr. Way had his own lawyers. I had no contact with him. I've never seen his office."

"Let's take a look at it." Joe suggested, heading into the smoking room.

Dave and Clyde followed him. Joe found that the door was locked and turned looking at Dave expectantly. Dave held out the ring of keys to him. Several keys were tried before Joe found one that worked.

The room was just as Joe had imagined it. Dark rich woods, green leather upholstery on comfortable looking high back arm chairs. One wall was all books. A small fireplace on the back wall was framed with more shelves. These held mementoes of the man's life and as Dave looked more closely, much of it was things from Bill's early life. A lump formed in Dave's throat as he studied them. Here was a small bit of his late lover's childhood that Dave never knew about. His attention was suddenly diverted with an exclamation from Joe.

"I knew it! I just knew there had to be a safe behind a portrait just like in the movies."

Dave looked at the portrait; it was of Bill around the age of sixteen. He was a handsome teenager. The lump in Dave's throat got just a bit bigger. He lost himself in memories of his college days with Bill.

Joe had pulled on the right edge of the painting and it swung out from the wall on hinges. Behind it was a small door with a keyhole. He checked through all the keys on the ring. Nothing fit.

"Damn. Foiled by the lack of one key." Joe looked at Clyde who in turn shrugged. Joe moved the painting back into place.

The movement brought Dave out of his thrall. "Just a minute," he said, fishing in his pocket. He pulled out the key that Joan had given him earlier in the day and handed it to Joe. "Try this one."

Joe's eyebrows went up in surprise as he took it.

"Bill's dad's mistress gave it to me just this morning. Mr. Way had given it to her to give to Bill after Edith's death. But he died before she did. Joan had forgotten about it until she found it this morning and brought it to me."

Joe slid the key into the hole and turned it. The heavy metal door swung open. The three men all craned their necks to see what the vault held. Joe reached in and lifted out a bundle of documents and a stack of six journals. They all looked a little disappointed as though they were expecting a treasure of gold and jewels. Joe handed the stack to Dave who sat down in the comfortable high backed desk chair and set it before him on the desk. Clyde had gone back to perusing the books and Joe stood next to the chair looking at the bundle of documents.

Dave untied the bow in the string that held them rolled and flattened them out. There was a letter on top addressed to Bill. Joe leaned forward to read it with Dave.

"Damn, he makes it sound like Bill would have been a pauper if Edith hadn't willed her fortune to him," Joe commented.

"Yeah, I think most people born into great wealth think differently than the rest of us. That was where Bill was so different. Although, he was born into it, he wasn't raised like a rich kid, so he never thought like one and certainly didn't spend money like one."

"I wonder what he would have been like if his mother had raised him."

"He'd have been an alcoholic probably... or a drug addict."

They started reading again.

"Wow." Dave exclaimed as he sat back with tears in his eyes. "I wish Bill could have read this. It would have made a big difference for him."

"Well, I'm sure that if there really is a Hereafter, he and his dad are together where they can express the love they should have been able to show in life." Joe said, massaging Dave's shoulders.

"Yeah," Dave agreed, "I have this image in my head of Mr. Way waiting at The Pearly Gates for his son to step into his waiting arms."