Publisher's Synopsis
Freelance editor/writer Colin Gunderson is summoned to the family home in Pasadena by his uncle and former guardian, William Benton. When Colin arrives, he finds Bill lying on a couch, weakened by a stroke. In response to a call from Colin, an ambulance carries Bill to the local hospital emergency room. Colin follows and is able to exchange a few words with his uncle before the man is taken to the intensive care ward, where he dies. Bill's last mumbled words include "promise me," "conscience," "gold," "murder," and finally with great clarity, "First learn the truth for yourself. Then decide what you must do. Don't hide from it as I did." These cryptic final words mean nothing to Colin, but he is determined to learn what his uncle was attempting to tell him. Recently Colin's lady friend, Susan Rhodes, a school teacher, agreed to share Colin's Hollywood condominium. Together they set out to uncover the secrets held by the Pasadena home to which Collin has fallen heir. Before long they conclude the key to the mystery is learning more about Colin's other uncle, Gregory Benton, Bill's older brother, deceased ten years earlier. They talk with numerous people and thoroughly explore the house, finally learning the meaning of Uncle Bill's last words, including "gold" and "murder" and how those words relate to Gregory Benton.
