Epilogue
Zach
Four years later
The notes peeled across the foggy loch, disappearing into the mist. Zach stood on the cliff playing a song of farewell for Jebediah Alistair Baxter. His grandfather had had such hopes and dreams that never came true.
It had taken six months and the weight of the Whitebark County Sheriff’s personal intervention for Zach to find his grandfather’s remains. The urn at his feet would be interred in a nearby Baxter family cemetery.
The wind whipped around his legs and up his green and red kilt. He hadn’t intended to wear one, but the small town filled with Baxters insisted. He was one of their own now. It was the closest he’d felt to any of his family since Grandpa had died. They’d welcomed him and Colton like lost sons.
This send-off was a year and a half in the making, but it felt right. Playing out all the sadness in his heart left him room to fully embrace Colton’s family as his own.
A second violin joined his, and he lost his place. Turning around, he nearly dropped his Guarneri off the cliff.
“I’m sorry, lad. Didn’t mean to scare you like that,” the man said. “You play with such heart I wanted to join you.”
HolyFuckShitFuckDamn!“You’re Keith Douglas!”
“And you’re Zachariah Baxter.”
Zach wondered if gas had seeped out of the loch, because this had to be a hallucination. “How do you know my name?”
Keith smiled. “I might have my own YouTube channel, and I might see your posts.”
In a life filled with craziness, this was up there at the top. “Oh, my God. This isn’t real.” He looked at Colton, who smiled ear-to-ear. “Do you know who this is?”
“I do. Nice to meet you in person, Mr. Douglas.”
“Good to meet you too, Deputy McAllen.”
“Wait….” He waved his bow back and forth. “How do you know each other?”
“Yer boyfriend wrote me and told me what you’d planned. He said you were a big fan, which I appreciate since you’re damn good.” Keith nodded. “He asked if I could accompany you while you send your granddad off for the final time.”
Zach thought his stomach would empty itself on the grass. Keith Douglas,theKeith Douglas, was here to play for Grandpa?
“Honey, instead of gawking at us—which I need to say isn’t your best look—why don’t you and Mr. Douglas do what you came here to do?”
“With your permission,” Keith said. “I’d like to join you in sending off a friend.”
Zach’s voice deserted him, and all he could do was nod. He was nine years old again, and Jeb told him to go out and play. Instead of looking up, he stared at Keith and waited as he counted off their beat.
Keith played all three songs Zach had prepared, and when they finished, Zach finally wiped the tears from his cheeks. They’d sent Grandpa off in royal fashion.
“Thank you,” he choked out. Before he slammed his eyes shut in a futile attempt to hold back the tears.
Two arms grabbed him, and Keith pulled him in close. “That was so beautiful. You must have loved him very much.”
Zach sniffed and blew out a plume of air. “He was all I had growing up. I wanted… needed to say thank you for getting me here.”
“You did that and more, son.”
He opened his eyes and swallowed the lump. “Thank you.”
Turning to look for Colton, he didn’t expect to find the entire town had turned out. They were planning a big event in town, and he figured no one would pay him much mind. No doubt they’d heard Keith Douglas was coming and decided their setup could wait.
There was a camera crew, and they seemed to still be filming. Keith stepped up beside Zach.
