"Wait, could you read those names again?" A few of the familiar names seemed to have sparked something in Martin, catching his attention. "Just the ones you read a moment ago. Start with the one called... called Lorna."
"Lorna? What Lorna?" Kraft was still unsettled by the unexpected reunion. His eyes had been caught by the smiling cervical vertebra symbol hidden behind the fungal growth, and he hadn't been paying attention to the names.
He'd thought it was someone Martin knew, but then he reconsidered. Lorna was such a common girl's name, with plenty of similar-sounding words. You could call it out on the street and have seven or eight people turn around. There were two recognizable "Lornas" on this sheet alone.
Martin approached the pulpit and tried to read the passage himself, but the page was in such poor condition that there was no time to chase down the fleeting inspiration.
"The most recent Lorna! Start reading from there!" he urged. Not everyone had a photographic memory. If he waited much longer, he might not be able to recall what had come to him.
Kraft followed the list to the "Lorna" and, at Martin's request, read it out again, more slowly and clearly. By the time he reached the fifth name, Martin had reached a firm conclusion.
"I've heard these names before. Let me think... I'm sure I've heard them somewhere." He paced back and forth, pressing a hand to his forehead as he struggled to remember.
"They're all common names. If I remember right, we've got people with the same names in our group. The only difference is that they have surnames."
"But I've seen these names together. These exact names."
Kraft lowered his gaze to the page. "There's one in the middle that I couldn't make out.