As night fell, the afterglow of the evening sun shone through the windows into the house, staining the hand-woven Persian carpet that covered the floor.

Mr. and Mrs. White paced nervously in the living room. They had received a phone call from their eldest daughter half an hour ago and learned that she and her husband were coming to visit them tonight.

The old couple was taken aback by the sudden visit, and they racked their brains to figure out what was going on. They wondered what kind of scene Lanny and David would create at home.

Lanny's every move made the couple very wary. Their eldest daughter had been...