Brom’s eyes widen. “What? I’ve never seen that in any of the history books.”
“I imagine the family covered it up,” Ichabod volunteers. “The baby would have been, ahem, illegitimate. In those times, they would have been more concerned with their image and the family name.”
“Wait a second.” Brom’s eyes are bulging now. “If they had a kid together and you’re descended from her, does that mean…?” I nod and he lets out a low whistle. “Wow, no wonder you’re wrapped up in this.”
Even though I’ve come to terms with it, it feels weird to talk about it out loud.
“So, where does that leave us now?” Brom asks, frowning.
“I don’t know exactly,” I say truthfully. “But I do have one idea.”
I explain my theory that the Horseman is looking for Katrina and the child he lost. “And I don’t think he can be stopped until they find each other again,” I finish.
“It almost makes you feel for him, really,” Ichabod says wistfully, echoing my earlier thoughts. “Betrayed and beheaded, and then cursed to walk this world searching for his lost love, bound by an unfinished story.”
My eyes start to mist.
“Yeah, I feel terrible for the sword-wielding maniac, really I do,” Brom deadpans. “So again, how do we stop him?”
Ichabod sighs. “If his spirit is still tied to this world because he’s looking for something he lost, perhaps he just needs closure?”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” I nod. “We need to reunite them somehow.”
“Reunite them? Kat, they’ve both been dead for centuries,” Brom interjects.
“So we reunite the only thing that’s left of them. We need to find their bones.”
Brom looks at me like I’ve gone mad.
“If their remains are together, his search will be over. He won’t have any reason to stay in this world,” I explain.
“This is insane.” Brom looks to Ichabod for support but doesn’t find any.
“The whole thing is insane!” I throw my hands up. “But do you have a better idea?”
“Okay,” Broms says, exasperated. “That’s all well and good, but how do we find his bones?”
My stomach drops. “Well, that’s why we’re here. You’re the Horseman buff. I was hoping you’d know where he’s buried.”I’m leaning forward now, my desperate plan hinging on this last piece of information.
But Brom shakes his head.
“Sorry, Van Tassel, I’ve got no idea. Like I say, his name wasn’t even recorded. If he was executed, it’s unlikely he was given a proper burial. I’ve never seen any mentions of it.”
I feel my heart sink. “So we have no way of knowing where he is?”
“I mean,” he starts, scratching the back of his neck, “you mentioned reading your relative’s old diary. Is there anything in there?”
I shake my head. I’d read through it again, cover to cover, but there was nothing else in there.
I really thought I’d been onto something here, but it just seems like another dead end.
“It sounds obvious, but…” Brom trails off.
“But?” I prompt.
“If I had to hazard a guess, I’d start looking in the old cemetery. It’s been there forever. It definitely dates back to before all of this,” he says.
“Looking for a grave… in a cemetery,” Ichabod says, barely hiding his sarcasm. “Yes, that does feel a little obvious. And you just said he was unlikely to have had a proper burial.”
