I'm 90% sure it was Vanity Fair magazine (in the last 5 years)that had
a large article on W.R. Hearst & Marion Davies "love child" Patricia
Van Cleeve Lake.
I'm going crazy trying to find it or at least the month & year of the issue.
Vanity Fair is not helping me.  Can you find this information for me please?

Hello.

As they say, time flies! 

The article did appear in Vanity Fair, but it was 9 years ago.

I searched a public library database of magazine abstracts and found
this reference to the article:

"San Simeon's child. (Patricia Van Cleve Lake, possibly the
illegitimate child of William Randolph Hearst)" by Martha Sherrill
Vanity Fair, April 1995, page 304.

Unfortunately, this article does not appear to be available online. 
You could, of course, obtain it at a public library that has old
issues of Vanity Fair.

Also, the article is reprinted in this book:

Vanity Fair's Hollywood (2000)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/067089141X/

The table of contents of this book indicates that "San Simeon's child"
 by Martha Sherrill appears beginning on page 120.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/067089141X/ref=sib_rdr_toc/?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S003#reader-link

The next article starts on page 148, so "San Simeon's child" probably
runs 26 or 27 pages, which is consistent with your recollection of the
article being lengthy.

-----------
search strategy:
library database: hearst, "patricia van"
google: "san simeon's child"

I hope this helps.  If anything is unclear, please let me know via the
"request clarification" feature. Thanks!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You've made my month! I've been looking for this
for so so long! I have a copy of Vanity Fair's Hollywood and found it
immediately!
You are too kind!
Best Regards,
Laura Hamrick