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disturbed in any way?”
    â€œOh, no, no, no. I’m sorry, I should have told you that off the bat. We don’t … This kind of thing is unusual on our grounds. We’re very careful, very security conscious. I can’t tell you how sorry I am this has happened. We’ll get it fixed up for you, no charge, of course. But I did want to let you know, in case you were to come out here, and see the gravestones missing.”
    â€œMissing?”
    â€œWe’ll be sending them off for cleaning—sanding, actually.”
    Lena nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”
    Newcomb grimaced. “Naturally, you’re curious. It’s not necessary, though, if you don’t want to go see. Might be best not to. We’ll get it fixed up for you, just like it was.”
    â€œI want to see it.”
    â€œSure.” Newcomb stood up. “I guess I don’t blame you. Probably feel the same way myself.” He opened the door. “We’ll be back, Carol. Going out to take a look.”
    The white-haired woman nodded and stared at Lena’s face.
    â€œI’ll drive you out,” Newcomb said. He opened the passenger door of the green Volvo.
    He drove slowly along the narrow blacktop lane that wound through the cemetery. Whitney and Kevin were way out, in the newer section. There weren’t as many trees in that area, and the grass was not as lush. But it was well kept, and nearly full. Newcomb pulled the Volvo to the side of the road, and Lena followed him up a small hill, past the deep, green-scummed pond, past the cottonwood tree.
    Whitney’s small headstone had been turned over on its side, the lamb over Kevin’s grave turned upside down. Rough crosses made from sticks banded together had been inverted and thrust deep in the ground. There were letters painted in red in the grass over the graves.
    SIH CINATAS YTSEJAM
    Lena looked at the letters, then back at Newcomb. “You know what it means?”
    He shook his head. “It’s just nonsense, Ms. Padget. Nonsense. Idle hands make the devil’s work.”
    Lena looked at him. He blushed.
    â€œI didn’t mean—”
    â€œAny other grave sites disturbed?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    Lena looked at Whitney’s headstone. Live had been painted across the side.
    â€œLive?” she said.
    Newcomb shrugged.
    â€œYou ever had any kind of problem like this before?”
    He hesitated. “No.”
    â€œYou reported this to the police?”
    â€œYeah, I called this morning. They haven’t been out yet.”
    Lena chewed her bottom lip. She didn’t like it, didn’t like thinking about unfriendly hands on the little marble lamb she had selected so carefully.
    Lena looked at Newcomb. “There’s somebody I’d like to have see this. He’s a cop. Will you leave it be till I can get him out here?”
    Newcomb put a hand on her shoulder. “Ms. Padget, I know you’re upset. But there’s no need jumping on this with both feet. What I mean is, of course it is disturbing, the inverted crosses. It’s offensive to a Christian, and I’m a Christian, I tell you that. But don’t take this personal. What I mean by that is, I been in this business a long time. I was telling you the truth there, when you asked if we’d had this kind of trouble before; we haven’t. But it does happen, I’m afraid a lot more often than people have any idea. I’m very careful here, and I can’t tell you how upset I am about it. But what I’m trying to say is, a cemetery can attract this sort of nonsense without it meaning anything specific to the grave that’s … vandalized. It’s got nothing to do with your poor sister, or your little nephew. The best thing you can do is forget it ever happened, and let me fix this up. I’ll make it pretty here for you, as soon as I can. It’ll be a nice place again, peaceful and pretty