I stared at the photo until my eyes hurt. I kept hoping that if I looked at it long enough, something would change.
My dad was smiling in the picture, standing beside the man I had been taught to fear the most.
They were partners.
But how was that possible?
If they had been so close, why had Dad never mentioned Charles? Why did his voice always change whenever someone talked about Vance Industries? And why had he left the company completely?
I grabbed my jacket and hurried downstairs.
Mom was in the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel. She stopped when she saw my face.
I placed my phone on the table, my hands shaking.
"Mom, look at this. Do you know when this picture was taken?"
She looked at the screen, and all the color left her face. Slowly, she lowered herself into the near
