“Really?” asked Ashley.
“Yes,” answered Fred. “A ring matching this description was reported missing three years ago.”
“Wow,” said Josh. “Imagine, it’s been missing for three years!”
Fred said, “Let me make a quick phone call.” He dialed a number and said, “Mrs. Christensen? This is Officer Fred Beasley from the Donnybrook Police. I think we may have found something that belongs to you. Can we come by your house to get a positive identification?” He waited a few seconds for her response and then said, “O.k., we’ll be over in about ten minutes.” He hung up the phone and said, “How would you kids like to go for a ride and return this ring?”
“Sure,” said Ashley. “What about our bikes?”
Fred said, “We’ll put them in the trunk of my patrol car.”
“Alright,” said Josh. They walked outside of the station to Fred’s patrol car.
Fred put their bicycles and helmets in the trunk and opened up the back door. Ashley and Josh got in the back seat for the ride to Mrs. Christensen’s house. Mrs. Christensen lived on Norgate Drive and Fred pulled up to the red two-story colonial house. They got out of the car and walked up the front walkway to the front door. Fred rang the doorbell and a tall, grey-haired woman opened up the door immediately. “Mrs. Christensen?” asked Fred.
“Yes, you must be Officer Beasley,” said Mrs. Christensen. “Please come in.” She stood back and held the door open.
“Thank you,” said Fred as he entered the house. “This is Ashley Enright and Josh Stewart. Josh, why don’t you show Mrs. Christensen what you found on the beach?”
Josh gulped and took the ring from Fred and held it in his outstretched palm.
“Oh, my,” gasped Mrs. Christensen as her eyes filled with tears and she put her hand to her neck. “I thought I’d never see this again!”
“I take it that this is your ring?” asked Fred.
“Oh, yes,” said Mrs. Christensen as she took the ring from Josh. This is my wedding ring and I thought it was gone forever!” She explained that several years ago, she took a whale-watching excursion with her family. “I leaned over the side of the boat to get a closer look at a pod of whales and my ring slipped off my finger. I’d lost my dear husband, David, the year before and now I’d lost my ring. I was absolutely devastated. My family told me to report the ring as missing, but I never dreamed that it would be found. Where did you find it?”
Ashley said, “We were at the beach this morning when Josh found it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Josh. “I had my father’s metal detector and found it in the sand. Ashley thought it was a dumb idea to bring the metal detector to the beach.”
“Well, Josh,” said Mrs. Christensen. “I am so glad you brought it to the beach. I can’t believe you found my ring!” She reached out and hugged Josh.
Josh was embarrassed and mumbled, “Oh, it was nothing.”
“It certainly was something, young man,” said Mrs. Christensen. “You’ve brought back something so meaningful and special to my life. How can I ever thank you?”
“Thank you is enough,” said Josh.
“That’s right, Mrs. Christensen,” said Ashley. “We’re just so glad you’ve got your ring back!”
“Can’t I give you anything to repay you?” asked Mrs. Christensen. “At least stay and have some chocolate chip cookies.”
Fred laughed and said, “I think you may have found just the perfect thank you for Josh!”
“I love cookies,” said Josh excitedly.
Ashley, Josh and Fred followed Mrs. Christensen into her sunny kitchen. They sat at the kitchen table and had delicious, warm chocolate chip cookies and ice cold milk.
After they finished their snack, Fred stood up and said, “Thank you for the cookies and milk, Mrs. Christensen. We’d better go now.”
Mrs. Christensen walked them to the front door. She hugged Josh and Ashley and shook Fred’s hand. “You’ve made me happier than I’ve been in years,” she said as she looked at the ring that was now back on her finger. “I’m going to call my family right now and tell them that my ring is back!”
