Tom Junod

40 years ago invaded this family's life.

And it had a tragic ending.

Do I presume to do that again?

Because when I first started doing my research into the book, I spoke to the children of my father's best friend in Florida.

His name was Frankie Klein.

He was my dad's wingman.

He was one of my dad's best friends.

And, you know, they had met Peggy Monaghan.

They had seen Peggy Monaghan.

They had seen Peggy Monaghan with my father.

In this secret life he lived in Florida when you all were back up here.

Yeah, one of Frankie's daughters said, I always knew that it was a forbidden love.

And then another of Frankie's daughters called up one day and said, listen, there's something I need to tell you.

And what she needed to tell me was that Peggy had a child by my dad, or was rumored to have had a child by my dad.

I didn't know which one, but I took it upon myself to find out.

It was such a powerful urge.

because I knew what my dad's secret life had done to my family.

And I had an idea what my father's secret life had done to the Monaghan family.

And I was driven by this urge to put it all back together again.

And I took it upon myself to do that.