It’s peaceful here, away from the ominous presence of Van Tassel Manor and the whispering tension of the town. I feel lighter, as though the trees themselves breathe new life into me, chasing away thoughts of ghostly figures and chilling stories.
Brom is easy company, his broad-shouldered frame cutting a steady path beside me. I’m glad we reconnected when I moved back to town. Although technically we haven’t known each other for long, there’s still a familiarity in his presence that makes me feel safe, and he reminds me that my childhood here wasn’t all that bad.
“So,” I say, nudging a small pile of leaves with the toe of my boot, “tell me something good that’s going on in your world. Something normal.”
He laughs. “Normal? In Sleepy Hollow? Well, that’s a tall order.”
I laugh with him. Nothing has been normal since I arrived here. The weirdly cold manor house, the deaths in town, my immediate connection to Ichabod.
But then I notice Brom glancing at me sideways, his expression darkening.
“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” he says after a pause. “Have you noticed anything… off, about the music professor?”
I blink at him. “Off? What do you mean?”
He exhales through his nose, choosing his words carefully. “Yeah, you said he comes up to the house to give Toby music lessons. If you’ve spent any more time with him, I was wondering if you’ve seen anything unusual?”
“Um, yeah, we’ve spent some time together. Why?”
“It’s just there’s been some talk around the town, ever since the lawyer was found dead.”
I stop walking. “Talk? What kind of talk?” I don’t like where this is going.
Brom hesitates before answering. “Well, that Ichabod Crane might… have something to do with the deaths.”
The words hit me like a gust of icy wind. I stare at him, stunned. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “It’s just what I’ve heard people saying. I wondered if you’d noticed anything, seeing as he’s at your house so often.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I shake my head, heart pounding. Where has this come from? Why would anyone think Ichabod was behind this?
“I’m just saying what I’ve heard.” Brom shrugs.
“Ichabod wouldn’t hurt anyone,” I say, although as the words leave my mouth, I think back to my father last night, telling me that I didn’t know him.
“What makes you so sure?” Brom studies me, his expression unreadable.
“I just know.” I cross my arms, suddenly feeling defensive. “Ichabod wouldn’t be involved in anything like that,” I say, more firmly than I feel.
“Okay, but Kat…” He pauses. “You’ve only known him, what? A few days? How can you be so certain?”
I want to snap at him and tell him the whole thing is absurd. But he’s only voicing what I’m thinking. How well do I really know Ichabod? I want to believe that he wouldn’t have anything to do with this. But I guess we have only known each other a few days, although it seems longer.
Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that he turned up just as I tripped. What had he been doing that night in the dark? Just out for a walk, like me?
And, of course, I can’t overlook his insistence that the Headless Horseman legend is real, and that he’s returned to stalk the streets of Sleepy Hollow.
I press my lips together, shoving the thought away.
“I just do, okay? I trust him,” I say finally.
Brom exhales, clearly unconvinced. But he doesn’t argue.
“Just be careful around him, all right?” he says, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
We resume walking, both of us lost in our own thoughts, the comfortable ease of the morning replaced by something heavier.
Despite my denial, I can’t help but feel horrified. A feeling of unease settles deep in my stomach. What if I’m wrong?
