All alone within the empty house, Edward Darcouver unpacked his suitcases. The white stucco walls rose high, making it feel far grander than his old house back in Pittsburgh. That house had been a hand-me-down from his parents, who had moved down to Florida after their retirement. It was the house he’d grown up in as a child, and once carried sentimental value to him.

Now, though, all he could think about was his son Vance, the last remaining link he had to his old ...