diff --git a/src/IOCoordinator.cpp b/src/IOCoordinator.cpp
index 425751d15..b5782a046 100755
--- a/src/IOCoordinator.cpp
+++ b/src/IOCoordinator.cpp
@@ -476,21 +476,27 @@ void IOCoordinator::deleteMetaFile(const bf::path &file)
         tell cache they were deleted
         tell synchronizer to delete them in cloud storage
     */
+
     Synchronizer *synchronizer = Synchronizer::get();
     ScopedWriteLock lock(this, file.string());
     
-    MetadataFile meta(file.stem().string().c_str());
+    MetadataFile meta(file);
     replicator->remove(file);
     lock.unlock();
     
     vector<metadataObject> objects = meta.metadataRead(0, meta.getLength());
     vector<string> deletedObjects;
-    bf::path journal;
+    bf::path journal, obj;
+    size_t size;
     for (auto &object : objects)
     {
-        size_t size = bf::file_size(object.key);
-        replicator->remove(cachePath/object.key);
-        cache->deletedObject(object.key, size);
+        obj = cachePath/object.key;
+        if (bf::exists(obj))
+        {
+            size = bf::file_size(obj);
+            replicator->remove(obj);
+            cache->deletedObject(object.key, size);
+        }
         journal = journalPath/(object.key + ".journal");
         if (bf::exists(journal))
         {
@@ -505,24 +511,33 @@ void IOCoordinator::deleteMetaFile(const bf::path &file)
 
 void IOCoordinator::remove(const bf::path &p)
 {
+    // recurse on dirs
     if (bf::is_directory(p))
     {
         bf::directory_iterator dend;
         bf::directory_iterator entry(p);
         while (entry != dend) 
         {
-            remove(p/(*entry));     
+            remove(*entry);     
             ++entry;
         }
         bf::remove(p);
         return;
     }
     
-    bf::path possibleMetaFile = p.string() + ".meta";
-    if (bf::is_regular_file(possibleMetaFile))
-        deleteMetaFile(possibleMetaFile);
+    // if p is a metadata file call deleteMetaFile
+    if (p.extension() == ".meta" && bf::is_regular_file(p))
+        deleteMetaFile(p);
     else
-        bf::remove(p);
+    {
+        // if we were passed a 'logical' file, it needs to have the meta extension added
+        bf::path possibleMetaFile = p.string() + ".meta";
+        if (bf::is_regular_file(possibleMetaFile))
+            deleteMetaFile(possibleMetaFile);
+        else
+            bf::remove(p);   // if p.meta doesn't exist, and it's not a dir, then just throw it out
+    }
+    
 }
 
 /* Need to rename this one.  The corresponding fcn in IDBFileSystem specifies that it
@@ -548,6 +563,7 @@ int IOCoordinator::unlink(const char *path)
     }
     catch (bf::filesystem_error &e)
     {
+        cout << "IOC::unlink caught an error: " << e.what() << endl;
         errno = e.code().value();
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/src/MetadataFile.cpp b/src/MetadataFile.cpp
index 3b3f8344b..cbf794578 100755
--- a/src/MetadataFile.cpp
+++ b/src/MetadataFile.cpp
@@ -155,6 +155,39 @@ MetadataFile::MetadataFile(const char* filename, no_create_t)
     }
 }
 
+MetadataFile::MetadataFile(const boost::filesystem::path &path)
+{
+    mpConfig = MetadataConfig::get();
+    mpLogger = SMLogging::get();
+ 
+    mFilename = path.string();
+    if (boost::filesystem::exists(path))
+    {
+        _exists = true;
+        boost::property_tree::ptree jsontree;
+        boost::property_tree::read_json(mFilename, jsontree);
+        metadataObject newObject;
+        //try catch
+        mVersion = jsontree.get<int>("version");
+        mRevision = jsontree.get<int>("revision");
+
+        BOOST_FOREACH(const boost::property_tree::ptree::value_type &v, jsontree.get_child("objects"))
+        {
+            metadataObject newObject;
+            newObject.offset = v.second.get<uint64_t>("offset");
+            newObject.length = v.second.get<uint64_t>("length");
+            newObject.key = v.second.get<string>("key");
+            mObjects.insert(newObject);
+        }
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        mVersion = 1;
+        mRevision = 1;
+        _exists = false;
+    }
+}
+
 MetadataFile::~MetadataFile()
 {
 }
diff --git a/src/MetadataFile.h b/src/MetadataFile.h
index 839656b95..3e376f457 100755
--- a/src/MetadataFile.h
+++ b/src/MetadataFile.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #include <vector>
 #include <iostream>
 #include <set>
+#include <boost/filesystem/path.hpp>
 
 namespace storagemanager
 {
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@ class MetadataFile
         MetadataFile();
         MetadataFile(const char* filename);
         MetadataFile(const char* filename, no_create_t);   // this one won't create it if it doesn't exist
+        
+        // this ctor is 'special'.  It will take an absolute path, and it will assume it points to a metafile
+        // meaning, that it doesn't need the metadata prefix prepended, or the .meta extension appended.
+        // aside from that, it will behave like the no_create ctor variant above
+        MetadataFile(const boost::filesystem::path &path);
         ~MetadataFile();
 
         bool exists() const;
diff --git a/src/unit_tests.cpp b/src/unit_tests.cpp
index 6e0ab30ab..158caddb2 100755
--- a/src/unit_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/unit_tests.cpp
@@ -1228,12 +1228,68 @@ void IOCReadTest1()
 
 void IOCUnlink()
 {
-    cout << "IOCUnlink not implmemented yet" << endl;
+    IOCoordinator *ioc = IOCoordinator::get();
+    CloudStorage *cs = CloudStorage::get();
+    Cache *cache = Cache::get();
+    Synchronizer *sync = Synchronizer::get();
+    
+    cache->reset();
+    
+    /* 
+        Make a metadata file with a complex path
+        make the test object and test journal
+        delete it at the parent dir level
+        make sure the parent dir was deleted
+        make sure the object and journal were deleted
+    */
+    
+    bf::path metaPath = ioc->getMetadataPath();
+    bf::path cachePath = ioc->getCachePath();
+    bf::path journalPath = ioc->getJournalPath();
+    bf::path cachedObjPath = cachePath/testObjKey;
+    bf::path cachedJournalPath = journalPath/(string(testObjKey) + ".journal");
+    bf::path basedir = "unlinktest";
+    bf::path metadataFile = metaPath/basedir/(string(testFile) + ".meta");
+    bf::create_directories(metaPath/basedir);
+    makeTestMetadata(metadataFile.string().c_str());
+    makeTestObject(cachedObjPath.string().c_str());
+    makeTestJournal(cachedJournalPath.string().c_str());
+    
+    cache->newObject(cachedObjPath.filename().string(), bf::file_size(cachedObjPath));
+    cache->newJournalEntry(bf::file_size(cachedJournalPath));
+    vector<string> keys;
+    keys.push_back(cachedObjPath.filename().string());
+    sync->newObjects(keys);
+    //sync->newJournalEntry(keys[0]);    don't want to end up renaming it
+    sleep(1);
+    
+    // ok, they should be fully 'in the system' now.
+    // verify that they are
+    assert(bf::exists(metaPath/basedir));
+    assert(bf::exists(cachedObjPath));
+    assert(bf::exists(cachedJournalPath));
+    bool exists;
+    cs->exists(cachedObjPath.filename().string(), &exists);
+    assert(exists);
+    
+    int err = ioc->unlink(basedir.string().c_str());
+    assert(err == 0);
+    
+    assert(!bf::exists(metaPath/basedir));
+    assert(!bf::exists(cachedObjPath));
+    assert(!bf::exists(cachedJournalPath));
+    sleep(1);   // stall for sync
+    cs->exists(cachedObjPath.filename().string(), &exists);
+    assert(!exists);
+    assert(cache->getCurrentCacheSize() == 0);
+    
+    cout << "IOC unlink test OK" << endl;
 }
 
 
 int main()
 {
+
     std::size_t sizeKB = 1024;
     cout << "connecting" << endl;
     makeConnection();