The next morning, Mills stared at her reflection in the steamed mirror, holding the wand of mascara in midair. She sighed and shook her head then swiped the waxy material over her lashes several times while listening to the rubber duck shaped radio settled into the corner of the bathtub. The unnerving number of decapitations and the rumor of a burnt woman breaking into a well to-do family's house had sent the small town of Sleepy Hollow into a mass panic. The highways were backed up and already three vehicular accidents had occurred. A child was in the emergency room in critical condition and a single mother recently unemployed now had overwhelming hospital bills to contend with.
Irving would soon be demanding to be able to physically see progress. He would want to see at least a suspect in the murders behind bars. He would want to see the burnt woman who had stolen an urn of ashes charged with breaking and entering and theft. She knew that soon enough, being kept in the dark about what she and Crane were up to would no longer make him content.
She could write her reports up. She would most definitely be put under psychiatric observation. Who knows what would happen to Crane. He would be considered much worse off than she was by anyone who listened to his story.
The television in the living room came on and within a moment, the volume was at full tilt. Mills sighed and dropped her head as she imagined Crane struggling to control the remote. She glanced at herself once more in the mirror and wandered out into the living room to find Crane sitting on the edge of the couch, pressing every button he could. She took the remote from him and turned the volume down to an acceptable level.
"It's this button." She showed him patiently as the tension became tangible between them and stepped back from him. She tapped her fingers against her thigh and went into the kitchen. She began making coffee and then went to the refrigerator to scrounge for food. When Crane's boots sounded his arrival, she glanced over the refrigerator door as she stooped to check how many eggs she still had.
"Miss Mills, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I believe it would be best, for the both of us, if I were to find quarters some place else." He held his hands behind his back and watched her expression for a clue as to how to proceed. "Perhaps Corbin's cabin would be acceptable as it is currently unoccupied."
Mills swallowed hard and ducked her head to hide her embarrassment. She regained her composure and closed the door, slowly nodding as she did. "That would be good. Come on. We'll have to go to the store to get you some stuff to last you a while. We should get you some new clothes too. I only had a couple of shirts and a pair of pants. That won't be enough to get you through the week."
"While I appreciate the gesture, I'm perfectly capable of cleaning these. My wife made these for me and they're the only tangible things I have to remember her by." He rubbed his ring finger affectionately. "I lost my wedding ring at some point during the second winter in Morristown. I meant to purchase another one when I arrived in Albany for a mission, however, I did not get the opportunity thanks to our mutual foe, the Headless Horseman."
Mills' stoic face softened as she poured them each a thermos full of coffee. She handed one to Crane and led him out the door. The air burned her skin as she unlocked the doors and paused for a moment, waiting for Crane to open the door for her. She glanced over and saw him drawing the seatbelt across his broad chest. Her heart clenched but she kept her sobriety as she got into the car and started it up. She put the thermos in the cup holder and turned the heater as high as it would go while Crane stared out the window.
"So, how did you and Katrina meet?"
"Miss Mills, my personal life has no bearing on our current conquest. I wish to remain focused until we find a way to cut down the horsemen of the Apocalypse once and for all." He studied the cap of the thermos and ran the pad of his finger over it curiously. "I have a theory I am researching about just how to accomplish that."
"What is it?"
Crane glanced at her then out his window, warming his hands against the thermos as he licked his cherry red lips. "I'm not quite ready to speak of it. I'm sure there are alternatives to my proposal."
"It must be really intense. You sound… sad about it."
"It is not an option I am a proponent of, but it may be the only option. Other avenues must be explored before drastic measures are taken."
Mills looked over to see him stare at his bare finger before looking out the window.
Luke watched Mills' SUV roll into her usual parking spot. He crossed his muscular arms as he watched her step out and alarm the vehicle. He raised a brow as she walked towards him with a fast food sandwich in one hand and her thermos in the other.
"No Captain America?" He smirked at Crane's nickname.
"Nope. No need for him to come in with me this morning. Nothing weird has happened yet." She huffed when Luke opened the door for her. "Alright. Let's get something straight. He does it because he doesn't know how to be a jerk. You do, so drop the act."
"Who peed in your coffee this morning? I'm just trying to be nice." He took in her preoccupied gaze and allowed the door to glide shut. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Who said anything was wrong?"
"Abbie, we were together for three years. I know that look. Just tell me. Maybe I can help." He brushed her hair gently behind her ear, letting his warm hand brush against her chilled skin. He opened the door and put a hand on the small of her back to guide her in. She sighed and stepped into the pleasantly warm building gratefully. She stepped closer to Luke to take in the warmth his body radiated as they walked slowly past the receptionist and to Mills' desk. "So, what's weighing on your mind?"
"It's Crane."
Luke's warm eyes grew hard as his muscular body grew taught. "Did he hurt you? I swear he will regret ever even stepping foot in Sleepy Hollow by the time I'm done if he's hurt you."
Mills' smiled softly at him and put a hand on his fist. "He didn't hurt me. I promise. Something personal happened to him last night and this morning he sounded sad but he wouldn't tell me what happened and it's got me a bit worried about him. That's all."
Luke shook his head and glared at the red brick wall as he rapped his knuckles against her desk he leaned against. "This guy is suspicious. He shows up out of nowhere, is a suspect in Corbin's murder, is just weird in general and now he's… what?... your partner or something? It makes no sense. The town is talking about him and not one person seems to know him. Why is he here? Why are you protecting him?"
"Your jealousy is just one of the reasons we didn't work." Mills' motioned between them. "He's a professor here from Oxford."
"Why Sleepy Hollow? Why does someone from England know about the Hollow when people in… I don't know… New Mexico don't know this place exists?" He fixed his gaze upon her and heaved a sigh. "This guy is up to something. I don't know what it is, but I am going to find out what it is. I've already dug up some interesting dirt on him. I don't want to see you get caught up in whatever it is he's up to. I still care about you a lot, Abbie."
"You wouldn't believe the truth even if it smacked you upside the head." She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer.
Luke nodded as he walked around the desk and crouched beside her despite her ignoring him. He opened his mouth and hesitated a moment before speaking softly to her. "Something personal happened to him? Maybe he found out his girlfriend had his kid."
"What are you talking about?" Mills scowled over to him, turning slightly in her chair. "He's married."
"Face it, Abbie. He lied to us. He lied to us and passed a polygraph while doing it. So, what else is he hiding?" Luke stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here whenever you feel like coming back to the real world."
She watched him walk to his desk then picked up her phone. She dialed a number quickly and glanced towards Irving's darkened office.
"New York State Library. Genealogy department. This is Kimi. How can I assist you today?" A sweet and upbeat voice greeted her.
"Kim, it's Abbie. Can you do me a huge favor? I found an interesting individual and I wanted some information on him. Would you be able to look into it for me?" She glanced over to Luke and pulled up her email to make herself look busy. "His name is Ichabod Crane and he's from England. Born around 1749 or so."
"Sure. Is historical figures a new hobby for you?"
"I recently took an interest in the Revolutionary War."
"Well, yeah. Alright." Kimi's voice became uncertain as she spoke. "Things have been a bit slow around here lately. I'll take a look into it and email you what I find."
"Thanks. I owe you." She hung up and stared at a list of emails on her screen. Many of them concerned Crane, the murders, a conspiracy theory. All of them asked if they were safe or what they could do to remain safe. She pressed her knuckles to her lips as her mind reeled.
"Abbie." Luke's voice brought her back to reality. "Something weird just happened at Constance McCrary's house. Her neighbor is saying the Devil himself is there."