Sleepy Hollow Farmland - Morning
William and a large man ride their horses. Behind them, Spencer rides awkwardly with his horse Gunpowder. He really isn't used to riding a horse. He gets off his horse and faces David Rossi.
"The Van Garretts died first; a man and his son, survived by a wife and two infants. And the Widow Emily Prentiss was next…"
"And now James Morgan." Rossi finishes for him.
Spencer looks back in the direction of where the belltower stood and ponders. "Why would he flee this direction, with so much open ground to cross before he reached cover?"
"He would not have gone into the Western Woods. No sane man would." Rossi drinks from a whiskey flask and offers some to Spencer.
"I don't drink whiskey, but thank you for the offer."
"Van Ripper there…" Rossi points to a man sloppily spitting out tobacco. "…found the body this morning. You do believe now, don't you?"
"Believe?"
"You said yourself. What mere man could have downed the Belltower?" Isabella Archer asks.
"It is a prime tenet of science, Rossi, that because one thing appears improbable does not mean you embrace the utterly fantastical."
"You need less big words, and more common sense." Rossi fingers an Iron Key talisman he wears on a cord.
"What is that you wear?" Spencer asks as he notices the talisman.
"My talisman. It will, protect against the Horseman if I show a brave face. But I cannot run. If I run in fear, it is worthless."
"Well…so much for common sense." Spencer retorts back in a sarcastic tone.
Further on in the forest William and Nathan stand at a horse's corpse amongst jagged boulders. The flesh has been stripped and the guts exposed. Spencer and Rossi arrive on their horses.
"Was this Jame's?" William asked Nathan.
"Yes. Seems he panicked across here and broke two legs."
"Who took the meat?" Spencer asks William.
"Must have been the Redman. A Lenape lndian lives in the Western Woods."
"These woods or yours sound a bit crowded, what with all the witches, ghouls and Indians living there." Spencer tells the men.
Nathan rolls his eyes and climbs up onto his horse, a black beauty. "There's only one Lenape. He eats small animals and lost children…and the occasional constable when he can get it." Nathan leaves the group.
Spencer walks to the dead horse and digs into his satchel for a thin iron tool, which he uses it to pry off one horseshoe. He hears a whistle and everyone looks far ahead to where Van Ripper has ridden. Aaron Hotchner and others are there and Van Ripper waves.
Forest, Morgan Murden Scene – Morning
Doctor Hotchner stands with several armed men and a coffin on a cart is covered by a blanket and Spencer is crouched nearby.
"Why did you move the body, Doctor?"
"To place it inside its coffin." Doctor Hotchner replies.
Spencer nods and is vaguely annoyed by this. He puts the horseshoe into a hoofprint in the dirt and it fits. Spencer stands up, walks and studies the ground by kicking up leaves. Nathan, Van Ripper, William and Rossi watch. Spencer finds a deep hoofprint that is much more bigger than the deceased horse. He compares the horseshoe and the hoofprint is much larger.
Spencer pulls his satchel off his shoulder, takes out a bowl, bottle of water and a bag of brown powder and he begin to mix the water and powder with a fork to make plaster. The others watch, finding this bizarre whisper.
Nathan comes up to stand over Spencer and is obviously irritated. "What the hell are you doing?"
"You are the blacksmith. Ever shod a horse with a hoof this large?" Spencer asks ignoring Nathan's original question.
"Never. A shoe that size I would have remembered."
Spencer starts to fill the print with plaster. "Van Ripper. Can you show where the body lay?"
"I can show you, exactly." Van Ripper dismounts, wiping his tobacco filled drool and Spencer rises to follow with his satchel. "Here…in front of this oak, facing north. Horrible…"
"To the best of your recollection, where did the open would fall?"
Van Ripper points the area and Spencer takes a bottle of white powder from his pocket. He uncorks the bottle, cautiously pouring powder in an X on the dirt there and waits. A chemical reaction causes the powder to bubble a bit. "There was not much blood, was there?"
"I didn't see none."
Spencer stands up and is puzzled. He walks to the coffin cart and rolls up his sleeves. Others come to watch but kept a distance. Spencer removes the blanket and he sees James Morgan's headless corpse.
Rossi can't bare to look at the body.
Spencer takes strange-looking spectacles from his satchel; wire-framed with many lenses and they are magnification spectacles. He examines the gross neck wound and sniffs it. He makes a retching sound and pokes at the flesh and severed spinal cord. "No bleeding."
"What is that?" Doctor Hotchner asks.
"This should have bled by the pint. Yet, no blistering or scorched flesh. How…? Whatever weapon was used…its cauterized somehow…" Spencer straightens and his eyes weirdly big in the spectacles. "It instantly burnt the wound shut."
Churchyard and Cemetery – Day
A coffin in a grave. Headstone reads James Morgan, 1799. The townspeople surround the coffin and Derek broods. Reverend Hankel steps forward to take a handful of newly dug dirt. Men with guns stand at the outskirts of the cemetery. Hankel sprinkles dirt into the grave with prayerful words. Various people whisper and they steal glances at Spencer who stands by the Archers.
Archer House – Day
In the dining room Sarah and two other servants Elle and Penelope collect plates and a few people still eat, including Van Ripper, his wife Jennifer and their son Henry.
In the hallway funeral goers socialize quietly. Further on, in the sitting room and men smoke. Derek is confronting Spencer, who is leaving. "I am not here for revenge. I am here to bring justice."
"Whatever. You still need a second to tend to your things."
"I manage fine along."
"I deserve to help you. Don't you see how much this means? My father…he…he was a good man…"
Spencer faces Derek. "Derek Morgan, I am sorry for your loss. It is a great and sad tragedy. However…I cannot be the one to look after you now."
Derek becomes angry. "I did not ask you to, did I?" Derek leaves and Spencer remains impassive.
Archer House, Front Porch – Day
Spencer walks out to the porch and sees Desiree Killigan with her husband Patrick Killigan and their five year old son, Thomas talk with William Archer. Aaron Hotchner peers off at something through a spyglass.
"Hail, Constable. How are you?"
"Well enough. Your gathering does honor to the deceased."
"We must be a curious sight to him." Aaron says while still looking through the spyglass.
"What are you spying on?" Spencer asks him curiously.
Aaron offers him the spyglass. "The Lenape. He comes to gawk at civilization from time to time."
Spencer puts the spyglass to his eye and searches through a line of trees and foliage far away.
"Do you see the Red-skinned bastard?" Aaron asks him.
Spencer sees the Lenape. He has misshapened features covered in tumors and he ducks away. Spencer lowers the spyglass and is a little awed. "He is a behemoth."
"A diseased monster." Aaron tells him.
Spencer walks over to stand by Patrick.
William Archer walks over to the doctor. "If you gentlemen will excuse the doctor and I…we have financial matters to discuss."
They both nod as William and Aaron head into the house.
"Master Reid, sir. I'm glad we have time alone. You've been told plenty about the Horseman, I'm certain."
"More than enough, actually." He says tiredly and laughs a little. "I beg you, no more, please."
"No, sir, no. If you ask me, I say you just laid eyes on our murderer through that glass."
Spencer ponders and folds the spyglass.
"Tell me something. What becomes of Derek Morgan?"
"We offered to take him in but he wants to stay with you."
"Fine, tell your wife that I'll do a great job taking care of him."
"Alright, thank you sir."
Archer Orchard – Early Evening
Spencer rides to Derek, who is sitting on the ground depressed and does not look up.
"Find yourself a place in the servants' residence and wake me before dawn. Our first task will be an unsavory one."
Spencer rides on and Derek runs to his horse and follows.