These days, Dummar ekes out a living driving across vast stretches of Utah and Nevada selling packaged meat. "I had to create my own job because nobody would hire me," Dummar said. He welcomes Magnesen's investigation. "It does make me feel a lot better, for what it's worth."

It's not likely to be worth any money at all. The Hughes estate was long ago divided up by 17 Hughes cousins and the tax collector. "As far as any financial gain or anything like that," Dummar says, "I think it's water under the bridge."

Magnesen is keeping most of his new evidence under wraps until later this year when his book will be published. It's tentatively titled "The Investigation: An Ex-FBI Agent Exposes the Secrets of the Howard Hughes Will."

Dummar has heart trouble and survived a recent battle with cancer, but his genial personality survives. And so does his long marriage to Bonnie Dummar. She was thrust into the public eye and viewed with suspicion along with her husband almost 30 years ago.

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E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com