Immediately there were kinks in Emersyn's plan. The graveyard did have a map of the grounds, but there were no names associated with the map. So they were going to have to cross-reference the list of names she'd printed out with the map, which was going to take a lot longer than originally planned. And it didn't take long for her to realize that most of the graves were so dirty and weathered that they were very difficult, if not impossible, to read. She made a mental note to look up how to clean gravestones, because she was sure there was a process that involved more than just a scrub brush and bleach water.

That night, after spending a few hours at the graveyard and only crossing off a handful of names on the map, she decided to look up how you clean graves. And she found that she was correct in her assessment. It took a very special kind of chemical cleaner, a brush with soft bristles, and a constant stream of water. Plus, she would have to get permission from the graveyard to clean the stones before she started. That part wouldn't be too hard. The groundskeeper had been friends with her grandpa, so she was sure she could get permission if she asked.

She ordered everything needed to clean the headstones online, and she ordered a ton of it. There were so many headstones they would have to clean. She planned on cleaning them while Zeke was working with Kiel, and then going through the names with him when he was finished. It would speed up the process for sure. Kiel probably wouldn't be too pleased. He was a big advocate of her getting a job. But she felt this was more important, at least for right now. She'd find a job eventually. There was no rush.

A few days went by when she received a large package on her front step full of brushes and the special chemicals for cleaning the stones. Once she got everything she needed together, she threw it in the back of her bike and rode over to the graveyard. Then she talked to the groundskeeper and told him what she wanted to do. He made her promise to be careful, and she swore that she would. She explained to him the process, and even showed him by test cleaning her own family's headstone. It wasn't that dirty yet, as it had just been updated a year ago. But he seemed pleased with how much research she'd put into the process, and even more so when he saw she was confident in it enough that she was willing to do it on her own family headstone. So he granted her permission.

And so her new spring/summer project began. Every morning she would wake up, take a hot shower (she would never take the hot water for granted again), do her hair and makeup, get dressed, eat some breakfast, and ride down to the graveyard. There she would begin cleaning the stones. And there was something so satisfying about it. About seeing something that someone cared so much about get so dirty, and then cleaning it for them so that it looked like new. They'd probably assume it was something the groundskeeper was doing, never knowing that it was being done by some random girl in the town who enjoyed taking pictures of the before and after.

A week into their project, as she was scrubbing the gravestones with Zeke, she was pleasantly surprised to find the new pastor of the church had come out to greet them. Gabriel Henry was a young man in his early thirties, with thick curly black hair and smooth chestnut colored skin. His dark brown eyes were glittering when he approached, and she gave him a friendly smile and wave as she got to her feet. He stretched his arms out wide and said, "Emersyn Collins. My word, when my momma told me you had come back to the island, well, I was shocked. But it's great to see you."

She grinned as he placed both hands on her shoulders. "Hello, Gabe. I mean... Pastor Henry," she said, quickly correcting herself. It was hard, being so formal with him. She'd spent a lot of time with him in the choir when she was a kid, and he'd always been so nice to her and her friends. He even helped tutor her in math when she was ten years old and struggling to understand PEMDAS. "It's great to see you."

He shook his head and waved his hand. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Em. Gabe works fine. I heard you were spending a lot of time out in the graveyard lately. Doing some cleaning?" He gestured to the bucket filled with water and brushes behind her. She nodded her head, and he grinned. "Well, that's mighty kind of you. Your grandpa would've loved that. How have you been? Will I be seeing you on Sunday?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, sir, you will. It's been a while since I've been to church. Didn't go when I was living in the city. But I really have missed it."

"That's great," he said. "Really great. Well, your church family will be happy to have you. You know, Kiel sits next to my momma every Sunday. I'm sure my momma will save you a seat next to her."

"That would be very nice," she said. "Thank you. Oh, and have you met my friend here?" Zeke had been so quiet standing behind her that she had almost forgotten he was there. Gabe shook his head but smiled up at Zeke, who was a few inches taller than he was. "Gabe, this is Zeke. He's Kiel's new hire, and I'm helping him clean the gravestones. He's actually looking for someone specific. Do you happen to have any records of the graves we could use?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zeke," he said, holding his hand out. Zeke smiled and shook his hand. "And as for your question, Em," he said, quirking his lips up in thought, "I'm not sure. But I can do some digging in the old records and see if I can find something for you. Anyone in particular you're looking for?"

Zeke nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm looking for someone who died about 18 to 20 years ago? A young man. Maybe in his early to mid-20s? Or late teens?"

Gabe considered this for a moment before shaking his head. "I can't think of anyone off the top of my head. Well, other than Cader, of course."

Emersyn watched as Zeke's eyes lit up in excitement. But she shook her head. "No, he's not the right guy, I'm afraid," she said, frowning. Zeke looked at her, puzzled, and she could tell he was wondering how she knew Cader wasn't the person they were looking for.

"Darn," Gabe said, snapping his fingers. "Well, as I said, I can do some digging for you to see if I can find any records from that time. Let me know if you need anything else. And I'll let my momma know to save you a seat. She'll be happy to see you. Always said you had a lovely voice. I hope you consider rejoining the choir."

She'd considered it since she'd come home, but hadn't really had much of a chance to make a decision. Between the water heater, the journal, and just getting her life together, she hadn't had much time to sit down and think about it. "You know what? Let me think about it for a few days, and I'll let you know on Sunday. Is that okay?"

Gabe grinned. "Of course it is. No pressure. Well, I should be getting back in there. I just wanted to come out and say hello. It was a pleasure meeting you, Zeke. I'll let you know if I find any records."

Zeke smiled politely. "Pleasure meeting you too, sir. Um. Pastor?" He winced, and Emersyn could see his cheeks turn slightly pink. "Sorry, I don't... know what to call you. I never really did the church thing growing up."

A small smile broke out on Gabe's lips. "Not a problem. You can call me Pastor Henry, Pastor Gabriel, Pastor Gabe, or just Gabe. I'm not really all that formal about it. Not like Emersyn's grandpa here. He was insistent that everyone call him Pastor Collins. Great man. Inspired me to devote my own life to God. But he was very old fashioned in his ways. I like to think I'm a bit more modern." He winked at Emersyn, and she giggled and shook her head. "Will I be seeing you at church on Sunday as well, Zeke? My momma can save you a seat too, if you'd like?"

Zeke turned to look at Emersyn, and there was something in his eyes that made her cheeks get warm. He grinned and returned his gaze to Gabe. "Sure. Yeah, I'll be there."

Gabe smiled so wide you could count all his teeth. "Great. I'll see you both on Sunday. Have a wonderful day!" And with that, he turned around and shuffled back up to the church, leaving Emersyn and Zeke waving behind him.

Emersyn waited until Gabe had walked back inside the church before getting back on her knees and grabbing hold of a wet scrub brush from the water bucket. She lifted it up and pressed it against the old marble stone, sliding its bristles softly against the filthy words hiding behind years of dirt and grime. Next to her, she could hear Zeke shuffling around, digging in the bucket for a brush of his own.

"So," he began after a few moments, and she could see his lips turned up out of the corner of her eye. "You're a singer?"

It seemed like he was teasing her, but his voice was so soft that she couldn't tell. She just nodded her head, sticking her tongue between her teeth as she continued to scrub off a particularly nasty bit of grime. "Yeah," she replied, relieved as she watched the dirt begin to fade away at last. "A long time ago. My grandpa was the church pastor, and I grew up with him. So the church was a big part of my life. Still is, really. And when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a singer. I'd read about all these celebrities who started by singing in their church choirs, and so I joined our choir."

Zeke nodded. "That's kind of cool. Did you enjoy being in the choir?"

She smiled as the memories of the silly practices and Sunday gatherings of the choir at the church filled her mind. "Yeah, I did. I actually really liked going to church when I was little. I still enjoy it." She paused, wondering if she should ask the question she really wanted to ask. Some people were really touchy about church, and she didn't want to offend him. But he seemed pretty easy-going thus far, so she decided to take the chance. "What about you? You really never went to church before?"

He shook his head, dipping his brush back in the water to loosen some of the debris. "Not once. It wasn't really my mom's thing, you know? But I'm not opposed to trying it out. Especially if you're going to be singing in the choir." She didn't know why, but something about the way he said this made her stomach flip again. "Gotta hear that lovely voice the pastor's mom seems to adore so much."

Now she was blushing. "It's not that lovely. I'm out of practice. And obviously I never went pro. Decided when I was about thirteen that it wasn't really something I wanted to pursue. I'd rather spend my time with a paintbrush in my hand than a microphone. So I choose to save my voice for the house of God. Or the shower."

A bright smile formed on his lips, and she had to turn away so he wouldn't see the blush in her cheeks. What the heck was wrong with her? "I like that," he said, and she could feel his eyes staring into the back of her head as she continued gently scrubbing the gravestone that was already clean. "We should rinse it off now, don't you think?"

"Right," she replied, removing the scrub brush from the stone and dropping it back into the bucket. It splashed in the small bucket of suds, making a small splooshing sound as Zeke grabbed the small hose and turned it on so that a gentle stream of water began pouring out. Then he lifted it up and pointed it at the stone they were working on. This was Emersyn's favorite part. Watching all the dirt and grime wash away so that it looked like new. She felt like she was performing magic every time she did it. It was just so satisfying.

As the dirt slid off the stone, they could finally see what the words beneath it all said. Allan Samuel Crew. Born in 1921 and died in 1999. Zeke's lips quirked into a small frown as the realization hit that this was yet another stone that did not match the age parameters they'd set for the quest. Emersyn wasted no time in pulling her map of the graveyard out of her pocket and using a black sharpie to run a big X through the tiny square representing the stone on the map. Then she slid the map back in her pocket, looked up at Zeke, who had his brow screwed up in frustration, and said, "Well, what do you say? On to the next?"

He turned to look at her, and as he did, she noticed his little frown fade away into a tiny smile. "I'll get the bucket if you drag over the hose," he said, and they got to work on the next filthy stone.

Chapter Nine

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