Page 76 of Stockman's Showdown

‘Excuse me?’ Romie blinked as Charlie’s jaw dropped.

Ryder massaged one of his eyebrows, sharing a deep chuckle. It was rare to hear Ryder laugh.

‘I’m serious.’ Sure, it sounded ridiculous now she’d voiced her request, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. ‘Penelope and Harry were lovers, who were going to get married, and they were buried together in a cave for over sixty years. Now they’re going to be separated—it’s wrong.’

‘I agree, kid, but a finger?’

‘I don’t have a set of wedding rings on me, and I bet they took off all her jewellery. Amirite, Romie?’

‘They had to. Its evidence.’ Romie peered at the paperwork. ‘Says here that Penelope Price wasn’t wearing a wedding ring when they found her. But wasn’t she married to that other fella, Jack Price?’

‘It’s complicated.’ Boy, was it ever!

‘Eh?’

‘Look, they were going to get a sort of…’ She shrugged, at a loss for the right word.

‘Annulment,’ said Ryder.

‘That.’ She gave the dark and broody male a nod of thanks. ‘An annulment would have allowed Penelope Price to marry my Great-Uncle Harry, making her Charlie’s sister-in-law.’

‘Too right.’ Charlie’s head bobbed up and down eagerly.

‘That’s why I’m suggesting we swap their finger bones, where they would have worn their wedding bands as a symbol of their love—because they never got that chance to get married.’ Was she making sense? ‘Look, it might not be the most romantic gesture, but if Harry is going to be buried here, and Penelope is going to be shipped down south to be buried in some shoe box next to the pet cemetery—’

‘I bloody well hope not!’ Charlie’s nostrils flared.

‘Okay, Pop, this is the plan I’m proposing.’ Bree held up her naked ring finger. ‘If we swap Harry’s wedding finger with Penelope’s, her family won’t know any different. It’ll just be us and the departed lovers. That way they’ll still have a piece ofeach other with them no matter where they go. They’ll still betogether forever. Just like the words they carved into that cave’s wall.’

‘I get it.’ Charlie nodded. ‘And I like it.’

Romie jabbed his pointer finger at his wrinkled forehead as if wrestling with what was right in the eyes of the law. ‘I can’t allow anyone to tamper with the bodies.’

‘They’re skeletons. How is anyone going to know that it didn’t happen in that cave?’

‘I could lose my job, Bree.’

‘Fine. I’ll give you a case of gin and swear to never tell a soul.’ She looked at the others for confirmation.

Ryder dragged out his wallet and pulled out five crisp hundred-dollar bills. ‘Here, Romie, why don’t you go buy Charlie a coffee or something?’

It didn’t take long for Romie to snatch up the cash. ‘For the record, I know nothing.’

‘You’re a good man, Romie,’ said Charlie, hooking his arm over Romie’s shoulder. ‘Why don’t you show me where that smancy water fountain is?’ asked Charlie, escorting Romie down the corridor. ‘Did you see the footy on the tellie the other night? Didn’t the Saints cop a hiding…’

Ryder closed the door wearing a smug expression.

‘You didn’t have to flash the cash. Romie would have taken the gin.’ She snatched a pair of gloves from the box on the nearby shelf.

‘Done this before, have we?’

‘No. And if you’d told me this morning, I’d be doing this, I would have laughed in your face.’

‘You are unpredictable, I’ll give you that.’

She looked over the paperwork to find the right locker. ‘Please, no icky stuff.’

‘I’ve got you.’ Ryder gently pushed her aside to open the cold storage locker.

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