For six years.

Matt put both palms on the mahogany top. He should have gotten rid of the desk by now. Bernie's side had not been touched in three years, but sometimes Matt still looked across and expected to see him.

The camera phone vibrated again.

One moment Bernie had it all- a terrific wife, two terrific boys, the big house in the burbs, partnership in a big law firm, good health, loved by everyone- the next his family was throwing dirt on his grave and trying to make sense of what happened. A brain aneurysm, the doctor said. You walk around with it for years and then, bam, it ends your life.

The phone was on "Vibrate-Ring." The vibrate ended and the ringer started playing the old TV Batman song, the one with the clever lyrics that basically consisted of going nah-nah-nah for a while and then shouting "Batman!"

Matt pulled the new camera phone off his belt.

His finger hovered over the answer button. This was sort of weird. Olivia, despite being in the computer business, was terrible with all things technical. She'd rarely used the phone and when she did, well, she knew Matt was at the office. She'd call him on his landline.

Matt pressed down on the answer button, but the message appeared telling him that a photograph was "incoming." This, too, was curious. For all her initial excitement, Olivia had not yet learned how to use the camera feature.

His intercom sounded.

Rolanda- Matt would call her a secretary or assistant but then she'd hurt him- cleared her throat. "Matt?"

"Yes."

"Marsha is on line two."

Still looking at the screen, Matt picked up the office phone to talk to his sister-in-law, Bernie's widow.