Page 18 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
“Didn’t you go into an abandoned house that doesn’t belong to you?” Kit drawled.
Stevie really didn’t have a problem going to a cemetery and doing something the council was against if a ghost needed it to fulfill an important task—it was becausehewas asking her. But… If the Headless Horseman returned to the living, he’d be less dangerous since he wouldn’t be an immortal ghost. He’d be mortal, could bleed, could die, which might turn him right back into a ghost… For now, it was a way to help the dead, not just Kit.
Kit tapped his fingers against his knee, and she couldn’t remove her gaze from his digits, wondering what they looked like beneath his gloves. Why did he wear them anyway? It wasn’t like he had fingerprints to leave behind. But she couldn’t help but notice how his digits were long, graceful, and … what was wrong with her? They werefingersfor witches’ sake.
“Fine,” she relented, “we’ll go to the cemetery.”
Kit’s fingers stopped drumming and he scooted nearer. “Who said anything about us going to the cemetery? You’re rather presumptuous.”
“Then where are they?” she asked. “If they’re at the Sleepy Hollow museum, then fat chance you’re going to get me tobreak in there. Even if we get past the witches’ spells, they have cameraseverywhere. We would be spotted in no time.”
“You said your sister-in-law is a witch? I’m certain she could easily make it so you’re unseen, but we don’t need her for this task.” Kit paused, leaning closer, his voice softer as if telling her a secret. “My bones aren’t there—they are hidden at the abandoned house.”
Stevie wrinkled her nose, recalling how the only bones she’d come across were the chicken ones in the attic. “Where? And why are they there instead of the cemetery?”
Kit sighed. “If I could’ve seen the living before the Eye opened, I could tell you the precise story, but I can only assume someone dug up my remains and hid them there. During the day I used to linger wherever I wished. Then it altered when my bones were disturbed and I was trapped during the day at the house on this road, drawn to my remains. But at night I would ride, searching for my head. That all changed when the Eye of the Hollow opened and I could again leave whenever I wish.”
That made sense somewhat… “So where are the bones buried? In the back or the front yard?”
“Neither.” He stretched his back and adjusted his cape. “They’re in the basement, Pumpkin.”
The way he said it nonchalantly rubbed her the wrong way, and she knew he still wasn’t telling her something. “I swear on every ghost in Sleepy Hollow if you’re lying to me about any of this, I will find a way to rip that invisible head of yours off and make sure you can’t get another one.”
“So violent.” He chuckled before continuing, “I don’t have a reason to lie to you about any of this. A living person,you, is what I need. The only one I’ve come across who can see me.”
“Really, you could’ve waited until the second Eye opened to talk to someone else. But whatever, let’s get this over with,”Stevie said, pushing up from the cushions to help the dead. “I’ll grab flashlights, then you can lead the way.”
The part of Kit’s neck that was there bobbed, signaling a nod of agreement. He then stood from the couch before slipping through the wall.
Roxy, who’d remained silent the entire time, perked up from her place on the floor to follow Kit.
“No, stay here, girl,” Stevie instructed. “The house seemed safe enough when I was there, but keep here just in case. Lucia can feel your presence if she needs to follow you to me.”
Roxy let out a low whine.
“If I’m not back in a few hours, then you can come check on me. Deal?”
The fox barked her agreement and rolled to her back. Stevie left the room to collect two flashlights from the kitchen drawer. One for now, and another for backup in case the batteries went dead.
Kit lingered out front, his back against a tree, his body rigid with what might’ve been impatience. “Took you long enough.”
Stevie rolled her eyes, the cool wind tousling her curls. “Sorry, I don’t easily float through walls and can’t see well in the dark.”
“Come.” Kit started walking ahead, his cape billowing from the breeze, his ethereal white hue aglow. Above, in the night sky, the ruby of the open Eye shone down on Sleepy Hollow. A light fog, maybe an inch tall, swayed against the ground.
“So,” Stevie called, catching up to Kit’s side. “Since you’ve said you take heads for a purpose, do you feel any remorse?” Her mom had once told her that she used to not have shame over what she’d done—it was about survival. But after she met Stevie’s dad, things started to change, and once they’d moved to Sleepy Hollow, her conscience weighed more on her.
“Hmm.” Kit rubbed his invisible jaw. “I don’t think we’re fond enough of one another to have deep conversations just yet.”
“Only having me dig up your bones. Got it.” Stevie gave him a false smile and a sarcastic thumbs-up.
“That’s the first step, yes,” he said, edging ahead of her to cross through the front of the abandoned house before she could argue.
Stevie pushed open the door, a repeat of last time. Flipping the flashlight switch on, she swept the yellow glow around the room to make sure they were alone.
“No one’s here. Dead or living.” A smile was in Kit’s voice as he added, “Unless you consider me.”
“That’s the only good news of this night, it seems.” Stevie’s shoulders relaxed, and he led her toward the basement. She descended the wooden steps, each one creaking louder than the last. Dust pluming around her tickled her nose, the air damp against her skin. A musty odor permeated the basement, much stronger than anything upstairs. She sneezed as her gaze drifted toward the window.
