The house had been built in 1895 on an open tract of farmland a mile from the center of town. It was a two-story frame construction sitting on a sturdy fieldstone foundation and was finished in clapboard. The house was unique in its appearance and layout, as none of the neighboring houses had been built by the same carpenter. A tall oak tree graced the property, protecting it from the afternoon sun.

A century later, the house was firmly entrenched in the suburbs. The size of its lot had shrunk to an eighth of an acre, the oak tree was gone, and the aluminum siding on many of the surrounding houses gave a sameness to the properties along the street. However, this house sat higher than its neighbors and commanded the view up and down the street.

It was a quiet evening in June. The temperature was mild, there was no humidity, and it was too early in the season for many insects. The supply chain architect and his wife sat on the wide porch of the house drinking beer and watching the taillights of an occasional passing car as it slowed to take the corner turn. The wife was the owner and president of a small corporate education and training service. The fortunes of her service company depended on the spending plans of several local manufacturing firms. There was some house work still to be done this evening, but it was too early and felt too good to get...