17th-18th May, 1804

Ichabod woke to Katrina's tender fingers caressing his cheek. He slowly opened sleepy eyes and turned his head to focus on her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed leaning over him.

"I'm sorry to wake you, my love, but it's growing late and you ought to eat before you leave for work."

"What time is it?" he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Nine o'clock."

"Nine!" Ichabod started, instantly wide awake now. He sat up. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I'm sorry, I did try to wake you two hours ago but you were sleeping like a log and I couldn't. You wouldn't even move a muscle. And anyway you really were in such a state when you came home today I thought it best to let you sleep after all."

She looked pale, he noticed, even a little haggard, and a sudden sense of deep worry took hold of him.

"Come, my love," she said gently. "You should not go to work on an empty stomach."

"Is everything alright, Katrina? Are you ill?"

"Everything is fine, Ichabod," she answered in her usual serene tone. "But I'm worried about you. You were in such distress earlier. Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Katrina, are you certain you're not ill? You're so pale!" He held her arms and studied her closely with undisguised concern.

"I feel fine other than the fact that I'm sick with worry about you."

He sighed and shook his head morosely. "I should have insisted that you leave the city with Elizabeth and Stephen as soon as this thing started," he muttered.

"Ichabod, we wouldn't leave you. Besides, where would we go? I sold my father's house in Sleepy Hollow. And you are still evading my question and refusing to tell me what's wrong."

"I...I cannot." He shook his head and sighed. Doctor Camden's revelation from earlier that day haunted him still. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

She stared at him quietly.

"Your superiors are making things difficult for you?"

"My superiors, my colleagues. That has always been the case and I doubt it will ever change."

Her eyes probed his face intently, searchingly. No doubt she sensed that it was more than simply his superiors that were troubling him, and was possibly using that suggestion to try to ease him into revealing more; but to Ichabod's relief she didn't press him. She simply leaned in to hug him and he returned her embrace. They sat there in silence for several minutes holding each other.

"We missed you terribly today," she whispered and he tightened his embrace.

"I missed all of you too."

Katrina extricated herself from him and slipped off of the bed.

"It will be time for you to leave soon."

"Alright, love. I don't have much of an appetite but I suppose I should take your advice and eat something."

"There is plenty of food left from supper. I kept it warm for you."

Katrina closed the door behind her as she left the room and Ichabod climbed out of bed. She'd left a basin and water on the night stand for him, and he washed hastily then put on a clean white shirt and his uniform. He made his way downstairs.

There was already a plate set out for him when he reached the kitchen and she joined him at the table.

"I don't have a lot of time," he said, glancing at the kitchen clock.

"Eat at least a little bit. Is there anything else you have to do before you leave?"

He shook his head. "Tomorrow I will attempt to stick to my usual schedule and spend time with all of you," he said, picking up his fork. "Something important came up and it couldn't be helped."

"I understand," she murmured.

But he wasn't certain that she did. He set down the fork and reached out to grasp her hand. "Forgive me, Katrina. I truly am sorry. You must know how much it pains me to be away from all of you."

She nodded. "Of course. I just hate when you are away for so long."

"As do I. But I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I'll look forward to that," she replied, smiling affectionately.

"Did the three of you at least do something enjoyable without me today?" he asked, releasing her hand. He picked up his fork again, beginning to eat.

"I went shopping with Elizabeth in the afternoon and I met a very nice woman. She owns the store where we shopped. Her name is Ilona." She paused for a moment then continued thoughtfully. "Sometimes, rarely, you can have an instant bond with someone. She's quite a lovely person. And Elizabeth was fascinated with her. I'd like to invite her for dinner some time if that's alright."

He looked up, surprised. "Of course it is. Why would…?"

Ichabod trailed off at the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"It's Stephen," she informed him.

"Stephen was out tonight?" Ichabod exclaimed in alarm, his fork dropping from his hand.

"Yes," she answered, surprised at his reaction. "Why shouldn't he go out? He has made friends with Nicholas, a boy his age who recently moved into the house at the end of William Street. They've been meeting after dinner on a regular basis for the past few weeks."

Ichabod sighed. "I shall have to speak with him. I do not want him running about outside at night."

"Why? He is only walking a few doors down along the street."

"I know, but the streets are so dangerous after dark, especially now."

Katrina paled visibly and stared at him with enormous eyes. "Then they are dangerous for you, too. And you are out there every night..."

He realized he'd said the wrong thing and groaned inwardly. He wanted to alarm her enough that she would heed his warning, but he did not wish to agitate her and cause her to fret over his safety. Ichabod reached out and took her hand again, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It will be alright, Katrina. I'm only asking that you please take precautions. All of you."

"We will, Ichabod," she answered finally. "I only hope that you are taking your own advice."

oooOooo

It was nearly eight o'clock in the morning, almost the end of his shift, when Ichabod found another body in an alley off of Water Street, that of a woman. He examined the corpse thoroughly in the daylight, noting the two puncture wounds on the neck with a new sense of dread now that he understood the possible ramifications. There was not a drop of blood at the scene, nor on the woman's clothing and no trace of it at the site of the wounds. He rang his bell for assistance and called out to Constables James and Thompson to bring coffin bearers. While he waited for them he hired a messenger who was lounging in the doorway of a tavern nearby and directed him to take a note to Doctor Camden at the medical school. The note was to alert the physician that he was about to bring in another victim.

"What do you think you're doing, Crane?" Thompson demanded after he heard Ichabod order the bearers to take the body to the Columbia College of Medicine. "The Burgomaster isn't going to let you start cutting up bodies and you know it."

"The Burgomaster has given me permission to retain a physician to do so if I could find one who was willing. I have found one who is willing."

Ichabod accompanied the coffin bearers to the school, stopping only to hire a second messenger to deliver a note to Katrina telling her that he would not be home for several hours and to next deliver letters to both the Burgomaster and the High Constable advising them that Doctor Camden had agreed to perform a post-mortem examination and that he was working with him. When they arrived at the school Doctor Camden was standing in front of the building waiting for them. He came forward to help.

Half an hour later Ichabod and Doctor Camden stood on either side of the table in the medical school's laboratory and operating room. Every candle in the room was lit so that they'd have as much light as possible and Ichabod hung his lantern up high on the wall for extra light.

"You might have chosen a more convenient time," Doctor Camden remarked pulling on a white smock. "It's awfully early in the morning to already be dealing with this."

"I apologize, Doctor Camden." Ichabod tied his own smock that the physician had given him closed. "But I thought it important to get to work as soon as possible."

He let out a soft laugh. "I'm joking, Constable. A little. But I do understand the urgency. I'm only surprised that we are already here doing this when a day hasn't passed since we first met and talked about it. Shall we begin?"

Ichabod nodded. Doctor Camden pulled the sheet back to reveal the body and then began to remove the clothing with Ichabod's assistance. For a short time they both stared at the bare corpse.

"No visible outer signs of livor mortis yet," Ichabod said breathlessly.

"There is no way of knowing for certain how long this woman has been dead," Doctor Camden offered, though he didn't sound convinced. "Still…"

They examined the outside of the body thoroughly. There was nothing remarkable to note on the outside of the corpse other than the two holes in the neck and the lack of discoloration of the skin providing evidence of livor mortis, which were the things they were most concerned with naturally.

Finished with the external examination Doctor Camden prepared to make the first incision to open the body up.

"Are you ready, Constable?" he asked quietly.

Ichabod suddenly became aware that he was holding his breath. He exhaled slowly and nodded.

"I should like to take notes."

"Of course. I may ask you to assist at certain points, but for the most part I can do the cutting and removal of the organs and such while you write. I shall take my own notes afterward, as I will have to provide a report to your superiors."

Relieved to have something else to focus on in addition to the body Ichabod took out his ledger and writing implements. He was dreading the results of the examination and he wanted to keep his mind as occupied with more mundane things as he possibly could. Now he watched the doctor work, taking notes and leaning forward to observe when the doctor pointed out something remarkable; the most remarkable thing being that this corpse also did not have a drop of blood in it.

Ichabod groaned and grasped the edge of the table to steady himself.

Doctor Camden paused and observed him closely. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he answered breathlessly. He swallowed with effort then took a few deep breaths. "Fine. Please…continue."

They left nothing unstudied. The examination of the internal organs was thorough and took several hours. By the time they were done Ichabod had filled his ledger with notes detailing every aspect of the body, inside and out.

"Thank you for doing this," Ichabod said when the doctor had replaced the organs, closed up the body as best he could and pulled the sheet back over it. "I apologize for keeping you from your classes today."

"A colleague covered my classes today, and this is important. I'm still at a loss to explain the cause. Perhaps after we've had the opportunity to examine several of these bodies something will become clear." He removed his smock and went to a table off to the side and began to jot down his own notes. "Oh, I never had a chance to bring my notes about the other body to the Watch House yesterday evening for you, Constable. If you wish you can accompany me home and I can give those to you now. Or if you don't feel like waiting I'll be sure to send them off to you tonight."

"I don't mind waiting. It would be useful to compare the notes you took on that body to those I've written about this one, and I should like to start doing so as soon as possible. Perhaps there are other similarities that I can discover. Although, I cannot imagine that I will make any discovery as shocking and outlandish as what we are already dealing with."

"Well, we've made progress at least, as dismal as that progress is. Now there are two commonalities instead of just one."

"Yes. The wounds and the lack of blood. Unfortunately the idea of what this possibly points to...if there is indeed an assassin murdering people and then draining the blood out of the victims, as you intimated when you first spoke of this...I can barely credit it, though I've now seen with my own eyes evidence of this result. The thought of this suggestion...it is completely horrific. What kind of a...?" Ichabod shook his head, leaving the question unfinished.

The doctor ceased writing and looked up from his notes. "That is just it, Constable. The culprit would have to be a lunatic. There is no other explanation."

"But the kind of lunatic!" he exclaimed. "In my time working for the constabulary I've seen countless types of vile things that people do to one another, and I've seen many men, and women, who were quite mentally ill, in various different ways. But this...think of the time it would take to drain every drop of blood, especially if they are doing it via two small holes! And what on earth would the assassin be using the blood for?"

"I cannot begin to understand what the motivations of someone this insane would be, I'm afraid."

Ichabod sighed and shook his head. "And I'm afraid I'm not convinced that this would-be culprit is insane. Rather he is simply evil."

They both fell silent. Doctor Camden went back to his writing and Ichabod turned his gaze to look out of the window, noting with dismay that the sun was already beginning to set. The examination had taken many hours and it wouldn't be long before he would have to begin another shift. Once more he'd missed spending precious hours with his family and to make matters worse he wouldn't be able to get very much sleep before he had to be back on duty at this point. It was already nearly twenty-four hours since he'd last slept and he'd been working on a deficit as it was. A weary sigh escaped his lips again.

Doctor Camden finished writing and began to move about the room, putting things in order and beginning to extinguish the candles.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have waited for me. But I won't be much longer," he told him.

"Alright," Ichabod replied absently.

His exhaustion was catching up to him. Overcome with weariness and fatigue Ichabod found himself staring in the direction of the operating table, his gaze fixed, unblinking and unseeing, on the end of the platform where the victim's feet were.

"You must be starting another shift quite soon."

Ichabod didn't answer, continuing to stare vacantly as the doctor made conversation.

"I don't live far from here. It will not take long to retrieve my notes and then perhaps you can have some time to rest at home."

A small movement in front of his line of vision is what finally jolted Ichabod out of his daze; he blinked and came to attention with a start. One of the feet underneath the sheet had appeared to twitch ever so slightly. He stared at it for a long minute then shook his head, disdaining his own foolishness; he was exhausted and his mind was obviously playing tricks on him.

"Are you ready?" Doctor Camden had come up to stand beside him. "What is it?"

Ichabod shook his head again. "Nothing. I…I'm quite fatigued. It's been a very long day. Yes, I'm ready."

"Here," he said, handing him his lantern. "This is yours."

"What about the body...?" Ichabod asked, gesturing toward the table.

"I've given instructions to two of the students to come in here with bearers this evening and take the body away."

oooOooo

Dear Ilona,

Thank you so much for the beautiful gifts for Elizabeth and me. It was truly thoughtful of you and we will wear the necklaces with pleasure.

If you are available sometime soon I would like to invite you to dine with us one evening. Send word when you are able. I look forward to our next meeting.

Yours sincerely,
Katrina Crane

When the ink was dry Katrina folded the note and sealed it. She left the sitting room and sought out Anna, handing her the note and instructing her to hire a messenger to take it to Ilona. Then she returned to the sitting room and sank down into the armchair by the fire, staring fretfully into the flames.

Katrina had recognized Ichabod's elegant handwriting the moment she opened the note that the messenger had handed her that morning. Going to the sitting room and taking a seat at the writing desk she read it from start to finish then set it aside with a sigh, having discovered with dismay that he would be gone for the entire day. At least he had informed her of his whereabouts so she wouldn't worry and wonder where he was. And despite her disappointment she was genuinely pleased for him. Apparently his superiors had given him approval to hire a physician to conduct a post-mortem examination and he'd found a physician who was not only willing to do it but was also willing to allow him to observe and participate. It was something he'd wished for more than anything and she was happy this opportunity had come to him. Yet she was overcome with a sense of loneliness and despair as she contemplated the added hours that he would be away from them.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it but to try to carry on with her activities for the day. Before she did anything else she had wanted to write a note to Ilona thanking her for the two generous gifts that she'd slipped to her without fuss or fanfare and inviting her to dinner. With that done she was free to go about her usual routine. But she found that she was too anxious and melancholy.

She knew that Ichabod was withholding many things from her. Yesterday he'd been more than simply aggravated the way he was whenever he had to deal with his difficult superiors. No, he was truly shaken up and disturbed and it made her sick with apprehension to see. She hadn't bothered to press him, since it was quite obvious to her that he wasn't going to give in and open up about whatever it was that had happened. Though it was admirable and even somewhat sweet that his instinct was to protect her from unpleasant things it also proved quite maddening at times like these when he was so clearly distressed, and when things were so obviously wrong. She was willing to share the pain and unpleasantness with him, to be his support so he wouldn't have to bear it alone, and yet he didn't seem to trust that she could. He insisted on remaining self-sufficient and independent.

"Mamma?"

Katrina had been absorbed in her thoughts and hadn't heard the door to the sitting room open. She started and turned around at the sound of the little voice and smiled. Elizabeth stood in the doorway with Stephen.

"Are we going to go out soon?"

"Yes, my little love," she said warmly, standing up and moving to the door. She knelt down and embraced her, cradling the little head against her chest. "Thank you for coming to find me. Have you and Stephen been reading together this morning?"

"We were reading the Knights of the Round Table."

"Oh, one of my favorites."

"Me too," she chirped happily.

"And she knows it by heart now," Stephen remarked with a mock-pout. "I don't even get a chance to read it anymore. My entire job has been taken away."

Katrina looked up and smiled at him affectionately.

"Can we go out now, Mamma?" Elizabeth squirmed out of Katrina's arms, restless.

"Of course. Do you want to go to the park today?"

She nodded. "Then can we go back to Ilona's store?"

"You liked her, didn't you."

Elizabeth nodded again.

"I liked her very much, too. I've already written her a note thanking her for the necklaces she gave us, but if we go to see her today you can thank her in person and tell her how much you like yours."

"Yes," she replied with an enthusiastic smile.

"Go on upstairs," she said softly, patting her tenderly and coaxing her along. "I'll be right up to help you get dressed."

"Can I wear my new blue dress today?"

"Certainly. And we'll put pretty matching ribbons in your hair too."

As Elizabeth trotted off Stephen asked quietly if everything was alright with Ichabod. She nodded.

"But he won't be home for several hours," she answered with a sigh, keeping her voice as soft as possible too. "He has an opportunity to perform a post-mortem."

"What's a post-mortem?" Elizabeth called out from halfway up the stairs, as usual not missing a thing despite Katrina's efforts. She hadn't quite pronounced the word correctly but there was no getting around it; Katrina would have to come up with an answer that wasn't a lie but would assuage her curiosity without disturbing her.

Stephen turned his face away, attempting to hide his amused smile.

"It's a special kind of examination that they perform sometimes to solve a puzzle," she answered. "Now…"

"What kind of puzzle?" she persisted.

"Puzzles that are extra difficult to solve. Go on to your room now, Pumpkin," she said firmly, changing the subject. "I'll be right up."

"Can I do anything to help?" Stephen asked after they'd heard her little footsteps reach the top of the second floor landing and continue along the floor to her bedroom.

Katrina shook her head. "Everything will be fine. It looks like it's a lovely day. Let's go out and enjoy it."

oooOooo

"Ichabod is going to kill you if he finds out you've been venturing into this alley," Stephen remarked softly as they turned off the main street and into the alley where Ilona's shop stood.

"That's why no one is going to say anything to Ichabod," Katrina retorted immediately in a jokingly threatening tone.

"Don't worry," he laughed. "I know better."

Elizabeth was already running ahead of them eagerly and was out of earshot as far as they could tell.

When they entered the store Ilona was helping two women who were shopping there. She smiled in surprise when she saw them and waved. The three of them waited near the counter until she was finished.

"What a wonderful surprise!" she exclaimed warmly. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I wrote you a note earlier today," Katrina said, and Ilona nodded, indicating that she'd received it, "but Elizabeth wanted to come back and say thank you in person."

"Thank you," Elizabeth piped up, smiling shyly at Ilona.

"You're welcome, honey."

Katrina introduced her to Stephen and they shook hands.

"From your note I saw that you live on William Street." Ilona took her seat behind the counter again. "Friends of mine live there, a family named Székely. They have a boy about your age, in fact," she said to Stephen. "His name is Miklós. Or, Nicholas. He likes to use his American name. Perhaps you know him."

"Yes, I know a Nicholas," he answered. "He lives at the end of our street. At the corner of Maiden Lane. I don't know if it's the same…"

"The very same."

Elizabeth was anxious to look about the store again so Stephen agreed to accompany her while Katrina and Ilona talked. They decided that Ilona would come for dinner that Sunday. Ichabod would not have to work that evening and the whole family could be together.

"Did your husband like the gift you bought him?"

"I didn't bring it to his attention, actually. He's been very distressed lately and my…superstitious tendencies, as he still calls them, as well as my magical practices still make him nervous even after almost five years of marriage. I hid it inside the pocket of his uniform, secured as you suggested, but I didn't mention that it was there."

"Then, you simply avoid the topic at all costs?"

"We…skirt the issue," she replied. "There is much in Ichabod's background that has shaped his attitude toward these things. Of course I know that he believes in it, more than he is willing to admit and acknowledge, and he has certainly been aware since we first met that I practice magic; on a certain level he accepts that as par for the course...but he doesn't wish for it to be a conscious part of his life. He prefers to keep it in the background and I'm satisfied to leave it at that if it gives him peace of mind. Besides, I doubt that he would associate a crucifix with protective charms. I don't know what he would think if he knew, actually, but…I do know that he had good reason to reject the faith that he grew up with."

"I understand. But don't worry. As long as he is wearing the crucifix when he is out at night he'll be safe."

Katrina paused. It was on the tip of her tongue to mention to Ilona her fears about Ichabod and to ask her how she could be so certain that he'd be safe with the crucifix charm in his pocket, but Ilona spoke first.

"There has been a rash of deaths in this city…"

"Yes. My husband has been involved in trying to solve them."

Her new friend reached out to grasp her hand, observing her distress, and Katrina opened her heart to her, no longer making an effort to hide her anxiety.

"I worry myself sick about him all the time. Every night I have nightmares. I don't even know what they're about and I never remember them. Ever since his shift changed. He has been working the overnight shift since March and there aren't enough words to express how much I hate it. Especially now that there is this…epidemic. What is to prevent him from contracting the very same illness…?"

Ilona squeezed Katrina's hand comfortingly. "He will be alright. Trust me. But we must talk more about this, Katrina. Not here, not in front of the little one. At your house on Sunday, perhaps, after she has gone to bed."

"Alright. I don't know how you can be so certain...but I do trust you."

If what Ilona had to say concerned the crime he was investigating at all Ichabod would certainly be interested in hearing about it on Sunday as well, even if the discussion did veer into topics of a more magical nature. She would have to prepare him for it though.