Woman In The Hollow

Two

Ichabod's Pov

The next morning I woke up to someone knocking on my door. "Constable, please pardon my disturbance but I have breakfast downstairs." Y/N said on the other side of the door. "I will be right down." I answered as I saw her shadow under the door disappear. I made up the bed and dressed for the day. I made my way down stairs and was greeted with the door open and a horse with its body halfway through the door.

"Oh my god!" I said jumping back from the animal.

"Sparrow! I told you to wait outside for me. I am so sorry about that Constable he is usually really good about waiting for me." Y/N said as she pushed the horse back outside the doorway. "Um, here is breakfast. I know it's nothing fancy but I usually don't have any guest to be preparing food for." She said as she gestured towards the table which had on it a plate with a fresh slice of bread on it and a mix of cut fruits next to it and a cup of water on the side. I walked over to the table and sat down I noticed Y/N wasn't sure what to do. If she should leave me by myself or sit down and join me.

"So the horse?" I said trying to start a conversation.

"I am so sorry about that Sparrow is always attached to my side. He is just not use to not being the center of attention." Y/N explained.

"He looks alittle slim to be a plow horse. What do you use him for?" I asked.

"I don't really use him for anything. I brought him with me from the city I bought him with the little money I had  at the time and I fixed him up and now he just lives with me." Y/N answered.

"Fixed him up?" I asked unsure of what she ment.

"Yes, he was very thin and weak and his old owner was working him constantly as a taxi horse and when I saw the owner trying to sell him for a better horse I quickly jumped at the opportunity to buy him. That's just another thing that makes me crazy to this town. I spent the money and time to bring a carriage horse down here with me and just have him as a pet and not as a work animal." She said.

As I was about to ask her about living in the city I suddenly remembered I had to meet with Lord Van Tassel and the other members of the town council this morning. "I really must be going to see Lord Van Tassel it would be very rude of me to show up late. Would you mind showing me the way to his house?" I asked.

"Of course I have to be going into town anyway I must visit the shops and pick some food up." Y/N answer.

The walk into town was quite but it gave me time to look around and get familiar with the directions to different locations. Y/N had her horse Sparrow with her but she chose to walk next to me on foot than in the saddle. Sparrow was a standard size horse but he was a slim horse with alot of muscle to him and he has an all black body, mane and tail but he had one back leg with a little bit of white on his lower leg. I wasn't much of an animal person but even I could appreciate the beauty of Sparrow.

"Well here we are." Y/N said pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Thank you for walking me over it is very much appreciate." I said.

"When I am done in town I can come back and walk you back to my house." Y/N said.

I nodded my head to show my gratitude and then  I headed inside to meet with Lord Van Tassel once again. As I walked inside I was met with Katrina.

"Hello, Ichabod was it?" She asked.

"Yes that is correct. I am looking for your father." I said.

"He is in the study it's just down the hall." She said pointing in the direction of the room.

I headed to the room and entered to be greeted with a room full of older men. "Hello Constable Crane. We are joined by Dr. Thomas Lancaster, Reverend  Steenwyck, our magistrate  Samuel Philipse and James Hardenbrook." He said introducing everyone.

"And you sir?" I asked.

"Simply a farmer that has prospered the town looks to me as friend and council." He answered.

"And land lord and banker can we proceed. " Mr. Philipse added.

I opened my notes to look them over quickly before moving forward. "So three persons murdered first Peter Van Garrett and his son Dirk Van Garrett. Both strong able men found together... decapitated. One week later the widow winship  also decapitated. Now I have many questions but first is there anyone we see as suspect?" I said.

"Well other than that crazy woman." Reverend  Steenwyck said in a hushed tone.

"How much have your superiors explained to you Mr. Constable?" Van Tassel asked.

"Only that the three were slain in open ground their heads found severed from their bodies." I explained.

"Their heads were not founded severed. Their heads were not found at all." Reverend Steenwyck said.

"The h-heads..... are gone?" I asked.

"Taken by the headless horseman." Answered Henderbrook.

"Pardon, I don't..." I had started to say.

"Prhaps you should sit down constable, the horseman was a Hessian mersinary sent to these shores by German Prince to keep Americans under control of England. But unlike the other man that came with him only for the money the horseman came for carnage. When battle was joined there you would find him he rode a giant black steed called Daredevil. He was infamous for ridding his horse hard into battle chopping off heads at a full gallop his teeth were shaved down into pointed fangs to add to the ferocity of his appearance. This butcher did finally meet his end in the winter of 79 not far from here in our own Western Woods. They chopped off his head with his own sword even today the Western Woods is a haunted place. Where brave men will not venture for he was planted in the ground that day was a seed of evil. So it's been 20 years now the Hessian wakes he is on a rampage cutting off heads where he finds them. "  Van Tassel explained.

I felt my tea cup starting to tremble in my shaking hands. I quickly put the cup down to avoid them from knowing my fear of the story. "Are you saying that this is what you believe?" I asked.

"Seeing is believing." Said Henderbrook.

"You brought books and tools of scientific investigation  but this is the only book I recommend you read." Said Reverend Seenwyck as he placed the Holy Bible on the table next to me.

"The assassin is a man of flesh and blood and I will discover him. I can assure you men that we have crimes and murders in New York and you don't need a ghost for them to happen." I said as I collected my stuff and the Bible and left the room. As I walked out of the house I saw Y/N waiting for me next to Sparrow.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting to long." I said as we started to walk back through town.

"No I was only standing there for a little bit. To be honest I am a little surprised they didn't keep you longer." She said. But I wasn't fully listening as I suddenly realised the similarly between Sparrow and the horse I was just told about in the story. And Reverend Steenwyck did mention something about a crazy woman. Ghost or no ghost it does seem to me that Y/N might just be our first suspect. But for some reason I feel apart of me wanting to denie all my rational thinking and belive that she has no part in this mystery.

*****
I know that having the horse Sparrow as y/n's pet might not be something any of you care for but I love horses and I own a horse myself and I just couldn't pass the opportunity in this story to add a horse.