It was early on a bright, spring morning in Norristown, Pennsylvania.This particular Monday, David Henderson was inside the custom-builtmansion he had designed himself. He was wearing a white shirt, a loosebluish-red necktie, and rimless eyeglasses. Even though he was forty-five,he looked much younger than his age, with a trim body and thick blackhair tinged with gray. He sat at his kitchen table reading the newspaperwhile having breakfast with his family: his wife of fourteen years, Susan,an attractive woman with blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair; theirtwelve-year-old son Jimmy; and Jimmy's seventeen-year-old stepsisterLisa, who had the same blue eyes and blonde hair as her mother. Lisawas Susan's firstborn child with her husband who had lost his life in anautomobile accident two months before Lisa was born.

Susan was wearing an apron to protect her beautiful blue dress.She eyed David, who was absorbed in the morning newspaper. She wastraveling to Los Angeles to attend her uncle's funeral and thought Davidwas ignoring her. She held her coffee cup tightly in both hands andbrought it slowly to her lips. As she lowered the cup she looked at herwristwatch and stood up quickly.

"Oh God, it's getting late," she said, picking up her dish and placingit inside the dishwasher. In a rush, she began to clear the table. "Let's goguys, or we're all going to be late."

Lisa and Jimmy got up from the table, picked up their dishes andplaced them in the dishwasher, then ran upstairs to get their books. Susanwas disappointed because David wasn't traveling with her to Los Angeles.

A moment later, Lisa and Jimmy, school bags and books in hand,returned to the kitchen. Jimmy approached his father.

"It's Monday, Dad."

David looked at him over the top of his glasses.

"Our allowance," Jimmy prompted.

David found his wallet and took out two twenty-dollar bills. He gaveone to Jimmy and the other to Lisa. Jimmy took his bill and looked at itfor a second. "Twenty dollars," he said sadly. "In this day and age ..."

"Oh, no, you're getting much more than that," David reminded him."You get one hundred and twenty dollars, but one hundred is for yourroom and board."

"All right, Dad!"

"Did you brush your teeth, Jimmy?" Susan asked.

"Mom, I'm thirteen years old!"

"That old, Jimmy?" Lisa teased. "Even I don't believe it."

"Lisa, shut up!" Jimmy shot back.

"Look, guys, I am not going to be here for a few days," Susan toldthem. "That means that everyone here has to do their part."

Lisa went over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't youworry, Mom. We'll be all right. You have a good trip. Ta-ta, Mom. Bye,Dad."

David waved at her as she left the kitchen.

Jimmy walked over to his mother and kissed her. "Good-bye, Mom,"he said, and then looked over at his father. "Bye, Dad."

"Good-bye, Son."

"Bye, guys," said Susan, "see you all soon." She untied the apron,folded it into small squares, and put it away in one of the kitchen drawers.She turned to David. "Look, I know you're trying to ignore me," she saidunhappily, "but I need you to take me to the airport."

"Sure," he answered. "I'd love to be your chauffeur."

"I don't understand why I have to make this trip alone."

David folded the newspaper and put it down on the table. Susan tookthe cup and plate that was in front of him and loaded them into thedishwasher. David got up, readjusted his tie, and moved closer to Susan.He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Caramel, your uncle picked a very bad time to die," he said gently."You know how busy I get during this time of the year. Besides, I have anappointment with the IRS on Wednesday." He kissed her and held her inhis arms, but she was cold and indifferent.

She broke away from him. "We better go before the plane leaveswithout me."

David wanted to go to please his wife, but he had an appointment withthe IRS that week and he needed to make sure that he was prepared for it.It was the second appointment he'd made with the IRS within a month.He had postponed the first appointment because he wasn't prepared—somethinghe was not about to let happen again. Entering to the foyer, hestepped down the three steps to where Susan's suitcase was sitting uprightnext to his briefcase. He took his dark blue suit jacket from the closet andput it on. Susan entered the foyer without saying a word. David picked upthe suitcase and the briefcase and they quietly exited the house.

Kristine Hall, David's secretary, was seated behind her desk whenDavid entered the office. She was in her mid-twenties, brunette, woreBen Franklin-style glasses, and always seemed to flaunt her gold diamondengagement ring.

"Good morning, Kristine."

"Good morning, sir," Kristine said, looking up from her desk as sheglanced at her wristwatch.

"Why you always do that?"

"Do what, sir?"

He dropped his briefcase on the floor next to a small table and checkedthe mail that was lying on top of it.

"Look at your watch whenever I come in," David replied.

"Because many times, sir, your wife calls and asks me what time youcame in."

"See? That's really what I like about you."

"What, sir?"

"Your honesty," David grinned. "She really does that? Well, Iguarantee you that she won't be bothering you today. I just took her to theairport this morning. She's on her way to California."

Kristine looked at him, a little surprised. David noticed her expression.

"Oh, no, no. She's coming back. Her uncle passed away this weekend,so she's flying out there for the funeral."

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that," Kristine said thoughtfully. After abrief moment, "Is that where your wife's from?"

"Originally, yes," David replied, looking at his watch. "Look, I've gotan appointment with Dr. Levine. If you need me, that's where I'm goingto be. I'll probably be tied up with him for most of the afternoon." Davidpicked up his briefcase, went into his private office, and came back outcarrying a roll of blueprints. He smiled and waved goodbye to Kristine onhis way out the door.

David and Dr. Levine were standing in front of the doctor's desklooking at the blueprints David had spread out on top of the desk.

"Make sure this house has all that my wife requires," said Dr. Levine."I'm getting to be too old and tired to keep changing houses." Dr. Levinewas a big man. He was in his mid-sixties and a bit overweight. He was theHenderson's longtime family physician, having treated David's parents aswell as David, Susan, and their children.

"That'll be done, Doctor," David replied, carefully rolling up theprints.

"What are the damages, Mr. Architect?"

"Nothing you can't handle."

"Now that scares me," Dr. Levine said.

David wrote a number on a pad. "Well let's see, Doctor, your billaltogether will amount to twelve thousand, five hundred dollars. However,Doctor, if you pay me in cash I'll gladly be able to save you a good sumof money."

"How is that?"

David wrote on the pad again. "I'll give you a discount of seventeenand a half percent."

Dr. Levine looked at him, surprised. "Seventeen and a half percent?That's a good savings."

"You save exactly two thousand one hundred and eighty-sevendollars," David explained.

"With a discount like that, I have no problem paying you in cash."

David smiled as he gathered the prints into one big roll and took themoff the...