Full Black - Brad Thor [71]
She nodded and they walked along the water’s edge, away from the pier. Ralston seemed to have trouble deciding what to say, and it was Alisa who broke the silence. “I’m billing you for the new clothes, as well as my travel time.”
Ralston smiled. “Fair enough.”
“You want to tell me what happened?”
He did. He wanted to tell her all of it, but he needed to be careful. “Last night would have been Rachael Salomon’s twenty-first birthday. Rachael was Larry’s daughter.”
“Wasn’t she killed on a trip to Israel or Egypt?”
Ralston nodded. “Israel.”
“Did they ever catch who did it?”
“The Israelis had their suspicions, but no, they never did catch who did it.”
“That must have been very painful for him.”
The irony of the two situations wasn’t lost on him. “Rachael was the Salomons’ only child, and it ended up destroying their marriage. Elizabeth left Larry and moved back to Manhattan.”
“That’s very sad,” said Alisa.
“I don’t think she liked L.A. and the movie business much anyway,” replied Ralston. “But it is sad.”
“As my father says, The truest test of gold is fire.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s fine. Still practicing law.”
Ralston smiled again. “I know. I see his name in the papers all the time.”
“Without promotion,” Alisa said with a smile as she quoted him again, “something terrible happens … nothing!”
Ralston chuckled. “Your father has always been a smart guy and he makes sure everyone knows it. I remember that joke he told me the first night I came to the house.”
Alisa rolled her eyes. “The whole It takes at least two Jews to outsmart an Armenian?”
“He’s definitely proud of his heritage.”
“My mother’s Jewish and she absolutely hates that joke.”
“I know,” said Ralston. “Ava told me after we left that night. Your mom puts up with a lot, but deep down she loves your father’s big personality.”
The mention of Ava brought a lull to their conversation. A wave broke and washed up onto the beach. Neither of them moved out of its path. The wet sand was heavy and difficult to walk through.
“You know, my parents liked you a lot,” Alisa said.
“I liked them, too.”
“You were the first person that Ava brought home that my dad didn’t complain about as soon as you were out the door. Everybody else tried to impress him. You didn’t. He liked that.”
“He wasn’t crazy about me being older than Ava, though,” said Ralston.
“True, until my mom reminded him that they had the same age difference.”
Even though it was small talk, the conversation was good for both of them. They both needed to heal. As Ava’s older sister, Alisa had felt partly to blame for Ava’s death. That guilt had been projected onto Ralston for not testifying. She needed to stop blaming him for the pain she felt over Ava’s death, and Ralston needed to stop blaming himself. They both needed to let go and to be let go.
“How’s Brent?” Ralston said, changing the subject to Alisa’s husband.
“He’s fine.”
“The kids?”
“They’re good too,” she replied, “but we could have done the whole How’s your family thing over the phone.”
Ralston knew that wasn’t true. They needed to see each other. They needed to acknowledge together that Ava was gone. They needed to close that chapter and, as painful as it was, put it behind them. It was the only way they could move forward. It was the only way that he could be sure that she would help him.
Alisa noticed that Ralston was limping. “Are you okay?” she asked. “What about Larry? Is he okay?”
“We’re both fine,” he replied.
“But you’re limping.”
Ralston waved it off. “My hip acts up from time to time. Don’t worry about it.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
Alisa pointed down the coastline. “It’s a long beach.”
Ralston looked at the ocean and then back at her. As they walked, he told her everything that had happened.