Free Moving Target by J. A. Jance

two sisters had taken ownership of the family home and turned it into a thriving business. As far as Maisie was concerned, she and Daisy were among Bournemouth’s finest hoteliers, and Jordan’s offered the very best in accommodations.
    While Maisie talked, Daisy systematically ate her way through most of the food on the table. It would have been a lot more difficult for Ali to listen to Maisie’s brag-o-rama if she hadn’t been able to see that Leland was enjoying himself immensely. Eventually, Maisie ran out of steam. When she went looking for food, there was precious little left.
    Maisie then returned to grilling Leland about his life in the U.S. Where exactly did he live? Wasn’t Arizona terribly hot? Did Indians live anywhere near where he did, and were they dangerous? Had he ever thought about returning to England to live?
    That last question Leland answered with a definitive shake of the head. “The U.S. is my home now,” he told them. “It’s been very kind to me, and there’s nothing for me back here, not anymore.”
    Maisie pursed her thin lips. Ali could almost see the words “Butwhat about us?” running through her hennaed head, but she didn’t say them aloud.
    “Have you been in touch with that friend of yours? What was his name again? Tom something.”
    Ali saw Leland’s jaw tighten. “Thomas,” he said quietly. “Thomas Blackfield.”
    “That’s the one,” Maisie said with a nod. “He was quite handsome, wasn’t he? Did you know Daisy had a terrible crush on him?”
    Leland shook his head.
    “That was before I met Roger,” Daisy interjected. “My late husband.”
    “Did you let Thomas know you were coming to visit?” Maisie asked.
    “I’m afraid Thomas and I lost touch,” Leland said.
    “Well,” Maisie went on, clearly happy to fill in the blanks, “he spent his entire career at the Kembry Park Academy, first as a teacher and later as headmaster. He was in charge when they closed it down. People can’t afford private schools these days, not the way they used to. He’s still around, though. You should be sure to see him while you’re here. I understand he’s not been doing all that well since his wife died. Sally was such a wonderful person, a local girl, several years younger than we were. One of those people always reaching out to give others a helping hand. You would have loved her.” She smiled confidently at Leland.
    “I’m sure I would have,” Leland murmured.
    “I knew them both from church,” Daisy said. “Sally was utterly delightful. They were never able to have children. That must have been difficult for her since they spent so much time with other people’s children.”
    “What happened to her?” Ali asked.
    Maisie shrugged. “It was at least a year or so ago. First there was an announcement in the paper about celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary with some kind of upscale get-together—I believe it was in the ballroom at the Royal Bath. A few weeks later, poor Sally was dead,just like that. Something quite sudden, I believe. A stroke or something on that order. So sad, really. Terribly sad.”
    It’s sad, all right, Ali thought, glancing at Leland’s stricken face. And for more than one reason.
    At that point, Daisy nudged her sister’s arm and glanced pointedly at her watch. Maisie took the hint. “We should be going,” she said. “It is getting late. I’d hate to think we overstayed our welcome.”
    By the time Leland and Ali walked them to the front entrance and said goodbye, Ali was more than ready to be rid of them. “That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” she said to Leland as the glass doors swung shut behind their departing guests.
    “Wasn’t it?” Leland replied grimly. “The whole thing was their fault, you know. Thomas and I were trying to steer clear of those girls when we ran into Langston and Frances that day. If we hadn’t—if Langston hadn’t been so outraged at being caught with his pants down—who knows how