“It was something you said up there. The Last Commandment. How’s that sound?”

Grant thought about it.

And that final moment up there on top of the world.

Rachel had rushed to tend to Frankel, leaving Grant alone with his fallen brother.

Grant had stared down at his younger sibling. It would be hard to remember Everett as anything but like this.

It was then that he had noticed his hand was covered with his sibling’s blood.

Grant took a deep breath.

And then traced an X on his brother’s forehead with Everett’s own blood.

Grant knew the next snowfall would wash it away—long before the Swiss police got themselves up there and took his body off the mountain.

But Grant would always remember it there. It seemed appropriate.

Now, he turned to look across the cable car at his daughter.

“I think that sounds perfect.”

Before she could respond, Frankel groaned and his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey,” said Rachel.

“Hey,” murmured Frankel.

“Welcome back,” said Grant.

Frankel shifted around and groaned again.

“Easy there,” urged Rachel.

But Frankel continued to stare at Grant. “Everett?”

Grant shook his head.

“Good,” said Frankel.

Then the detective’s eyes cleared with the realization of what had transpired thousands of feet above. “And, I’m really sorry,” he told Grant.

“Thank you, John,” replied Grant. “And I mean that.”

Frankel leaned back against Rachel and started to close his eyes. But then he spotted something out the window.

“Look at that . . .”

Rachel and Grant followed his gaze. Fireworks were arcing and bursting over the twinkling lights of Zermatt down below.

“Happy New Year,” said Rachel. She gave the wounded detective a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Happy New Year,” murmured Frankel and managed to gently kiss her back.

Then Rachel leaned across the aisle.

She gave her father a kiss and followed it up with a hug where neither one wanted to let go.

“Happy New Year, Daddy,” she whispered in his ear.

“Happy New Year to you, Rach,” he whispered back.

A moment later, she settled back next to Frankel and they all watched the fireworks for a bit.

Then a smile crossed his daughter’s face and she turned back toward him.

“What?” asked Grant.

“You know what that means, don’t you?” she asked.

Grant nodded.

I’m retired.

And he had no idea what the hell he was going to do.

But in that moment, he realized it didn’t matter. He had everything he could ever want right there.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements