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I set my bag on the counter.

"I'm also trying."

"That wasn't my question."

I sigh.

"I know."

Everly always does that. Cuts through the carefully arranged answers and finds the one underneath. It's probably why people trust her. It's also deeply annoying.

"I need your help."

That gets her attention.

"What happened?"

I pull out my notebook. Then my laptop. Then the printed map. Everly doesn't interrupt once. She studies everything. Every missing person. Every location. Every timestamp. Every strange occurrence. The longer she reads, the quieter she gets.

"What?"

She looks up.

"This isn't new."

The words settle heavily.

"I know."

"No."

She shakes her head.

"You don't."

She taps the map.

"Sleepy Hollow has always had strange events."

"Ghost stories."

"Sometimes."

Her eyes move across the pages.

"Sometimes not."

I wait. Because I know her. If she is choosing her words, there is a reason.

"There are patterns in places like this."

"Places like what?"

"Places where stories collect."

I raise an eyebrow.

"That sounds like something you put on a decorative sign."