Chapter 3: Murder!
The next morning, a gunshot rang out throughout the town. It woke up most of Sleepy Hollow's residents, including myself.
"Murder!" a man's voice said from outside, "The Horseman's back! And he's killed again!"
Although we were still in the house, my mother and I could hear screams coming from other villagers. I ran into the kitchen where my mother already was. She smiled wickedly at me.
"I told you it would work," she said to me, "Now Van Garrett and his son are dead."
I smiled back at her. "And, the head?" I asked curiously.
"It's in a safe place for now. I know where it is for our next murder," she said. She was about to tell me where the head was hidden (I can read my mother's expression like a book), when Baltus and Katrina came running down.
"Hush now," my mother said to me, giving me one last sly smile before putting her serious face back on, "They're coming down."
Baltus ran down the stairs, followed by his daughter. He had a shocked look on his face. I could tell that he had heard the messenger (everyone could).
"The Hessian Horseman has returned," he said, a grave look on his face, "And he has already struck two victims. Van Garrett and the younger Van Garrett are now dead."
My mother did her best to look shocked. "Oh, the poor things!" my mother said.
I just stood there. Baltus and Katrina both still considered me a naïve, stupid little fifteen year old, though my intelligence was far more superior than that twit Katrina's was at nineteen. They both just ignored me and spoke with my mother.
Baltus looked uneasy. "Maybe we should leave the village."
This time, the look on my mother's face was really and truly a look of shock. "Oh no, we can't! Besides, I'm sure that someone will get rid of him soon," she said quickly. A move would prove disasterous for our plans. Moving from Sleepy Hollow would mean that we wouldn't be able to call upon the Horseman anymore.
I quickly tried to help my mother persuade Baltus. "My mother's right," I said, "Someone will probably get rid of him soon. I heard some of the other villagers talking about lookouts being stationed at night. I'm sure it will be fine," I reassured them.
Katrina and Baltus looked shocked, as if I'd never spoken before, let alone something like that. "Yes, I do suppose the two of you are right," Baltus said, "It will be fine."
My mother sighed a sigh of relief. "Well," she said to Baltus, "Why don't you and Katrina go check out the murder scene. Maybe there are some clues there as to why the Horseman is back." She was saying this to try and get them out of the house so that we could speak alone.
Katrina looked at my mother as if she was mad. "Me? Go to the murder scene?" she said, "I think not. I'll stay here with you and Andi. Maybe we could do some household chores to keep our minds off the murder."
My mother and I looked at each other. I sent her a look that said
What a naïve idiot twit!
My mother practically read my mind. She nodded at me and rolled her eyes. She looked back at her husband and stepdaughter. She tried to think of a way we could get out, just the two of us. I knew she had an idea when her face lit up.
"I just remembered! Miranda and I have to go out today...We have to...Go visit some people and...run some errands...We should be back sometime this afternoon. I'm sorry Katrina," she said. She didn't mean it, but she made it look like she did.
Katrina looked depressed. "That's alright. I'll just stay home today. I'll see you when you get back then!" she said as she walked back upstairs to get changed into her chores clothing.
Baltus looked at my mother. "I'll go to the murder scene. Being one of the head people in town, I feel that it's my job to be there," he said, "I shall see the two of you later." And with that he gave my mother a kiss and left.
Once we knew he was gone, my mother spit into a bucket. "Oh, how I loathe that man!" she said disgustedly. She hated having to play the part of his wife, but she knew it would be worth it in the end. "Now, fetch our horses. We're going for a little ride," she commanded me. I went for the horses and got them ready to ride. My mother came out after a short while and we mounted our horses. I quickly pulled my long hair back so that it wouldn't whip around my face. It was an extremely breezy day out that day.
And then we were off to run our "errands".