Moving Target (43 page)

“Completely,” B. said. “It’ll never see the light of day. Stu made certain of that.”

On Wednesday morning, when they went back to Twin Oaks Drive to say goodbye to the Tuckers, B. and Ali were surprised to find a busy construction crew working at the front door. Richard Hernandez, wearing jeans and a cowboy shirt and carrying a hammer, sauntered down the sidewalk to meet them. “These are some of the dads from the JV basketball team,” he explained. “We’re here to install the wheelchair ramp. We want to have it done in time for him to come home. He may not be here in time for his birthday, but he should be here by Christmas.”

Glancing at B., Ali knew he understood. Richard Hernandez had come here to help right a wrong. That was part of the reason she and B. had come as well.

“LeAnne’s inside, by the way,” Detective Hernandez added. “She and her mother are busy putting up a Christmas tree, a live one. We just brought it home from the store.”

Someone in the crew called for Rich’s help. As he walked away, Ali turned to B. “I notice he’s been hanging around a lot,” she observed. “What do we really know about Detective Richard Hernandez?”

“For one thing,” B. replied, “he’s a fifteen-year veteran of San Leandro PD. He’s divorced; owns his own home; his car is paid for; and he has full custody of his son, who’s Thad’s age.”

“You did a credit check on the guy?” Ali asked.

“I did,” B. said.

“Why?”

“Because I’m thinking that he’s showing more than a professional interest in LeAnne Tucker, and I wanted to know what kind of guy he is.”

Ali shook her head. “You’re hopeless,” she said.

They made their way into the house through the construction zone. When the doorbell rang, Duke and Duchess came scrambling to the door, barking as usual. It could have been the joyful sound of the barking dogs that made Ali smile just then, or it might have been her belief that life was about to get a whole lot better for LeAnne Tucker and her little family.

•  •  •

When it was time to head home, B. didn’t attempt to make connections to Sedona through Austin. Instead, they took a charter directly from San Leandro. They landed at the Sedona airport as the sun was going down behind mountains to the west and while rays of sunlight were still glinting off the red rocks to the east.

As they taxied toward the plane’s scheduled Fixed Base Operator, Leland leaned back in his seat and smiled. “It’s good to be home,” he said.

“It would be better if I had more than ten days to get ready for the wedding,” Ali said. The closer they came to home, the more she worried about that.

“You’ll be fine,” B. said. “We’ll be fine.” He glanced over at Leland. “I noticed you were using the Wi-Fi earlier. Did you hear back from Thomas?”

Leland Brooks nodded happily. “He already has a passport, and he’s working on getting a plane reservation. He says he’s honored to be invited. He’s always wanted to see Las Vegas, and I told him this would be a perfect time.”

“You invited Thomas to the wedding?” Ali asked B.

“I did,” B. admitted. “My gratitude for those clean clothes in the hotel closet that morning knows no bounds. I gave Leland a choice. I told him it was either invite Thomas or accept a raise. He opted for this. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all,” Ali said. As the plane came to a stop, she unfastened her seat belt and then went back to the closet in the rear of the plane to collect her hanging bag. Before exiting the plane, she stopped at the top of the stairs and squared her shoulders. “Okay,” she said. “I have the groom, I have the dress, and I even have a few guests. Now it’s time to go face my mother.”

“Good luck with that,” B. said, grinning. “Good luck to both of us.”

Moving Target
Reading Group Guide

Introduction

Ali Reynolds and her infamous gang are at it again in
Moving Target
, this time solving two cases in two different countries simultaneously. While Ali and Leland Brooks visit England to reconnect with Leland’s long-estranged family, unfortunate details about the death of Leland’s father decades earlier are brought to light, details Ali’s past has taught her not to ignore. Meanwhile, stateside, B. Simpson gets word that a young hacker that he helped put in jail—Lance Tucker—is brutally attacked in his detention center. B. feels guilty about his role in imprisoning Lance, and decides to help protect him from another attack B. believes to be imminent. As the story unfolds, the cases become more complicated and increasingly dangerous on both sides of the Atlantic.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the significance of the title? Who or what is a moving target? In the end, is the target ‘hit’ or not?

2. The first time we meet Lance Tucker is in the detention center. What was your initial reaction to his character? How does his attack function as an omen for the events that occur in rest of the story? Figuratively, in what other ways is Lance “set on fire?” What about Leland Brooks?

3. “LeAnne hesitated, but for only a moment, but then she settled gratefully into the offered chair. There, and for the second time that morning, she found herself spilling out her tale of woe into the listening ears of a complete stranger” (79). What makes Sister Anselm’s appearance so comforting for LeAnne Tucker? Why do you think LeAnne willingly opens up to Sister Anselm? Would you do the same if you were in LeAnne’s position?

4. Leland Brooks confesses that his reason for wanting to look into the deaths of his parents, particularly his father’s, is to “put a doddering old man’s mind at rest” (95). Does Leland have any other motivation? What is at stake for him?

5. When Sister Anselm advises LeAnne not to take the $50,000.00 check offered by UTI, what is her reason for doing so? Is she acting selflessly or selfishly? Is it possible to be both at the same time? Why or why not?

6. Evaluate Andrew Garfield’s character. Would you consider him mostly kind-hearted or mostly self-absorbed? In the end, do you think he was without blame for what happened to Lance?

7. What role does shame play in the story? Is shame what motivated Leland Brooks to have left home all those years ago? Is Lance ashamed of himself for being a convict without a high school diploma? Is LeAnne ashamed about her finances? Ultimately, do you think these characters are able to overcome their sense of shame? Is it even possible to do so? Name other characters and their relationship to shame in your response.

8. Do you think B. is a moral character? Do you agree with his code of ethics? Why or why not?

9. Discuss the irony of the religious characters in
Moving Target
. How does “the good father”—Father McLaughlin—defy expectations?

10. What do the ‘bad’ characters in
Moving Target
—Jillian Sosa, Langston Brooks—have in common? Do you think it’s true that both characters are motivated by self-interest and greed? If so, what is it that makes Jillian and Langston different from B. Simpson? Are the differences between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ so small?

11. Discuss the shoot-out scene between Ali and Katerina, beginning on page 385. In what way(s) is this scene “a form of controlled chaos” (394)? Was there ever a moment you thought Ali might lose control?

12. Ultimately, whose story is this? Is anyone one character the hero? What makes he or she so?

Additional Activities: Ways of Enhancing Your Book Club

1.
Moving Target
is part of the Ali Reynolds series by J.A. Jance. Read two other books in the series, Edge of Evil and Left for Dead. Compare and contrast the novels. What characters overlap? Which characters are new in
Moving Target
? In what ways does Ali’s life change from book to book? Which book did your group prefer?

2. Host a traditional English tea for your book club (instructions can be found here:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/hosting-a-tea-party2.html
). Over tea and biscuits, revisit the scene beginning on page 60 when Leland meets Aunties Daisy and Maisie again after many years. Why do you think Daisy and Maisie are unable to accept Leland for who he really is? Share with your book club a time when you may have felt similarly betrayed or unfairly judged by family members. Do you think we find it easier to accept a stranger’s flaw rather than a family member’s? Why?

3. Technology is the central motif of
Moving Target
. It is because of technology that Lance finds himself in jail, and it is because of technology that he was attacked and his family is threatened. But technology is also responsible for saving Lance’s life. This double-standard reflects the nature of society’s relationship to technology; changing, unpredictable and very exciting. Watch The Networked Society, a short documentary from 2012, with your book club (A link to the documentary can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wqm6G5DjaI#t=51
). Do the views expressed in the documentary reflect the views of the characters in
Moving Target
? Consider Lance, B. and Jillian Sosa in your response.

J.A. JANCE

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