Chapter 6

Two days earlier Jenny returned from her four month long expedition in the Czech Republic. As usual she was on the hunt for rare and priceless artifacts. Ichabod was more than ecstatic when Jenny finally returned to town. Jenny was always up for a challenge, and Ichabod needed someone to help handle Henri. Ichabod thought it would be best to review the events of the past week with Jenny. In some ways Ichabod felt guilty about having a secret meeting at the cabin without Abbie, but she busy with work anyway. The night before a family of four was murdered in their home and Abbie was sent to lead the investigation.

Jenny poured two cups of coffee and brought them to the living room table. She had spent the past three hours at the cabin being updated on the Henri situation. It was now late afternoon. "So Crane we need to organize our information, it'll make things a lot easier," she said.

"That would be most helpful," Ichabod replied as picked up loose pieces of paper and books off the floor.

"We have to start from the beginning. Let's think of this like a puzzle. We're trying to piece together Henri's identity," Jenny said as she sat on the floor.

"We should start by dividing our information into two piles. Things we know, and things that remain unexplained," Ichabod stated.

"Okay, Abbie met Henri last week. That was the same night the man was found dead near his car. Are these events linked," Jenny asked.

"I believe they are linked. Henri was the only person in the area when the man was killed, it must have been him," Ichabod said as he moved the note into the 'known' pile.

"What about the robbery at the blood bank. Do you have any new information about that case," Jenny asked.

"Leftenant and I reviewed the surveillance footage. What we saw was a hooded figure moving throughout the blood bank. The figure moved so quickly that we could hardly follow his movements," Ichabod explained.

"That's interesting. So right now we know that all sorts of unusual things started happening when Henri appeared. You told me about the amulet earlier. So we know that he can't come outside during the day, that's important. What about the murdered family," Jenny asked.

"It's too early make a decision about the murder. It is possible that it was a random act of violence, unrelated to our situation," Ichabod said.

Jenny shot up from the floor and kicked over the coffee. "Oh my god Crane! I can't believe I didn't realize this before, how could I be so stupid!"

"Miss Jenny what's wrong," Ichabod asked.

"All the signs have been here from the beginning. Crane, Henri is a vampire. He can't be in the sun, a body was found drained of blood, a blood bank was robbed, and he's like 247 years old," Jenny squealed.

Ichabod was astonished. Yes he loved Dracula, but he couldn't imagine that a creature like that could actually exist. "Vampires, in Sleepy Hollow? I honestly shouldn't be surprised, after all we have witches and werewolves."

"We can't tell Abbie about Henri, not yet. Our priority is to find out whether or not Henri is dangerous," Jenny suggested.

"Ms. Jenny of course Henri is dangerous. He's a blood sucking monster, he could seriously harm your sister. I would never forgive myself if she was harmed," Ichabod pleaded.

"Crane, Abbie is my sister. If I thought her life was in immediate danger I would kill Henri myself. Plus, not all vampires are dangerous. Some are actually really kind," Jenny said as she flipped through a notebook.

Ichabod was confused. From what he read about vampires, they were anything but kind. "Ms. Jenny, how do you know so much about vampires?"

"I met two of them while I was in the Czech Republic. They were young vampires, only 60 and 95 years-old. I spent most of my time with them and I never feared for my life. If Henri likes Abbie I don't think she's in danger. Vampires are capable of loving just like we are," Jenny explained.

"I utterly doubt that. What is our plan from here," Ichabod asked.

"The most important thing is to never let Henri trick you into inviting him in the cabin. Vampires cannot enter houses without permission. Next we need to have a talk with Abbie, we have to find out how she feels about Henri," Jenny said.

"We could go to the diner for coffee and pie at 7 pm, Leftenant should be finished at the station by then. This will give us the opportunity to have an open conversation, and not to interrogate her," Ichabod said.

"Wow, my sister is in love with a vampire. I thought crazy stuff like this only happened in books and movies. I think it's kind of romantic, don't you Crane," Jenny teased.

"There is nothing romantic about this situation Ms. Jenny. Truthfully I find it downright disturbing. Think of the age difference, plus he is dead and evil," Ichabod pouted.

As planned Ichabod, Abbie, and Jenny met at their favorite diner. They looked over the menu even though they've eaten here multiple times and usually ordered the same thing. Jenny always loved having breakfast for dinner, so she ordered Belgian waffles and an omelet. Ichabod ordered the standard burger and fries. Abbie liked to think about old times and good memories. She ordered a turkey sandwich and for dessert apple pie a la mode. As they waited for their food Jenny and Ichabod exchanged nervous looks, neither wanting to make the first move.

"I hear you've been seeing a new guy. Tell me all about him, you know I live for gossip," Jenny said as she cut her waffle into pieces.

Abbie was glad to have repaired the relationship with her sister. Now she finally has someone she could talk to about personal matters. Sure Ichabod was a great friend, but no bond is stronger than blood. "We're not really seeing each other. We've talked and had dinner a couple of times that's it."

"Leftenant, I have not had the opportunity to speak with Henri in depth. Tell me about him," Ichabod said as he added cream and sugar to his coffee.

"He grew up in Sleepy Hollow and he came back three weeks ago. He has a sister here, that's why he's here," Abbie said.

Henri has a sister? Ichabod and Jenny traded looks of confusion. How could Henri have a living sister in Sleepy Hollow? The last thing this town needed was a vampire infestation. "It's good to have family in town. It is truly lonely without it," Ichabod said as he poured another cup of coffee.

A middle-aged waitress approached the table and asked the group if they wanted desert. All but Jenny declined, she wanted a piece of strawberry cheesecake. For the first time in months they were finally was able sit and eat as friends and not have to worry about a pending apocalypse.

"So Abbie tell me about this case you've been working on," Jenny said with a huge grin on her face.

This was a difficult topic for Abbie. She never really liked talking about work, especially a case as heinous as this one. "It was a family of four. Parents and two small children. They were found this morning in their home," Abbie said quietly. "I'm not sure but it looks like they were stabbed to death. There was blood everywhere."

Ichabod was horrified. If there was any doubt that Henri was dangerous it disappeared. Strange events were common in this town, but nothing this violent typically happened, until Henri appeared. "Do you have any suspects," Ichabod asked.

Abbie shook her head. "Unfortunately no. There were no finger prints, it's weird. Whoever did this is an animal and I can't wait to put them down."

"There was a time when such violence was a rarity in this town. How interesting that all of these cases are occurring so frequently," Ichabod said strategically.

Abbie looked down at her plate, her ice cream was melting. She'd spent the last 12 hours investigating these deaths, and she didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Well I'm full and it's getting late. How about we all head home? Crane me and Jenny will take you home first."

Ichabod nodded in agreement. Suddenly his phone started buzzing, a new text message. Ichabod opened the phone and read the message, it was from Mr. Gray. The text read: Ichabod, the amulet came in early. It's in the safe at the shop. Come by in the morning.

Jenny called the waitress to the table and collected their checks. Ichabod never stopped being traumatized at the prices and rates of taxes in the 21st century. After the bills were paid the group exited the restaurant and walked to the parking lot. It was a cooler night than usual, which Abbie was grateful for, she hated the heat. As they approached the SUV a familiar voice called out from the background.

"Abbie, what a surprise seeing you here," Henri said as he approached. Once again he was wearing his signature black leather jacket and dark denim jeans. Tonight he carried himself with more confidence than usual.

"Henri," Abbie said gleefully. "I want you to meet my sister Jenny. She just got back in town not too long ago."

Henri approached Jenny, took her hand, and kissed it softly. "It's good to finally meet you Jenny. Abbie has told me so many amazing things about you."

Jenny rolled her eyes. She had to admit that Henri was charming. The way he winked at her and the purr of his voice, it was all pretty convincing. Jenny could understand how any woman would be charmed by him. After all, Henri had more than two centuries to perfect his technique.

Ichabod stepped forward, armed with witty insults. "Mr. DuPont, is that your car," Ichabod asked as he pointed to the flashy black BMW that was double parked. "It looks expensive. What do you do for a living?"

"Oh Ichabod you are hysterical! I don't know why he does this," Henri snickered in Abbie's direction. "After all the time we've spent together Ichabod still likes to pretend we're not friends. He knows so much about me and my family, and I know everything about his."

Abbie was surprised and confused. She didn't realize that Henri and Ichabod knew each other so well. She also knew that Ichabod kept the personal details of his life private. "So you two have been talking? That's good. I always knew you two would get along well."

Henri wrapped his arm around Abbie's waist and held her tightly. "Actually Ichabod has agreed to help me find a gift for my sister. Her birthday is this weekend. Abbie I told you about the amulet, remember?"

"Yea, you told me your sister was into Aztec inspired jewelry. Crane is helping you find it? That's really nice Crane," Abbie said enthusiastically.

Immediately the color drained from Ichabod's face. Henri was a snake, but a smart snake. It seems that Henri was one step ahead of him and Jenny. Ichabod couldn't help but wonder what else Henri had told Abbie. Instantly Ichabod noticed Henri staring intensely at him. It's like Henri was trying to peer into his soul. Ichabod found his staring disturbing, yet neither could look away. "I do believe it's getting late. Perhaps we should head home," Ichabod nervously.

"Yea, they're right," Abbie said reluctantly.

Henri gave Abbie an overly passionate kiss on the lips. Of course he wanted to kiss Abbie, but annoying Ichabod was an extra treat. Jenny tugged on her sister's arm to let her know that it was time to leave. Abbie looked back at her sister, but returned her attention to Henri. "I have to go, it's late," Abbie said softly. "Enjoy your dinner."

"Have a good night Abbie. Jenny it was a pleasure meeting you," Henri said kindly. Henri walked up to Ichabod and put his arm around his shoulder. "And Ichabod, please don't forget to give me the amulet. If for some reason you forget, I'll make sure Abbie gives it to me."

Ichabod could tell that Henri was toying with him. Abbie was so charmed by Henri of course she would believe his lies about Ichabod helping find a present for his sister. Ichabod doubted the existence of Henri's much-loved sister. To keep from exploding with rage Ichabod removed Henri's arm from his shoulder and walked quickly to the vehicle. Abbie looked back at Henri as she approached the car. "Something about that kiss didn't feel right, his lips are ice cold," Abbie thought to herself.

After returning home Ichabod spent the night researching everything there was to know about vampires. It was nearly dawn when he finished watching Interview with a Vampire. Unfortunately Ichabod was only able to sleep for three hours before he was awakened by a ringing cell phone. He tossed and turned as he tried to ignore the techno ringtone that Abbie had persuaded him into using. The call was from Mr. Gray. Ichabod knew that he would be picking up the amulet during the day, but he didn't expect a call at 7am. "Good morning," Ichabod said.

"Ichabod something terrible has happened," Mr. Gray said with terror. "My shop has been broken into!"

Ichabod sat up in his bed, trying to comprehend what Mr. Gray was saying. "Were you harmed? Was anything stolen?"

"I am fine, and so is the shop. The thief picked the lock on the door. The only thing that was taken was the amulet, the one I was going to give to you," Mr. Gray said frantically.

Ichabod gasped. There was no doubt that Henri had stolen the amulet. The question that bugged Ichabod was how could Henri have known where the amulet was kept? "We will find the amulet Mr. Gray. I'm just glad that you are safe," Ichabod said as he ended the call. Ichabod leaped from his bed and frantically flipped through the pages of notes and books on his bedroom floor. He immediately spotted a note that he had written last night. It all made sense to Ichabod now. Ichabod read that some vampires have the ability to read people's thoughts and others had extreme powers of persuasion. Apparently Henri was one of the vampires that could read thoughts. The night before Ichabod received a text about the amulet, and which allowed Henri to know where the amulet was located!

Ichabod quickly dialed Jenny's number. Luckily Jenny was an early riser and quickly answered the phone. "Crane is something wrong?"

Ichabod explained the unfortunate situation. "Damn," Jenny shouted.

"I knew there was a reason Henri was staring at me so intensely last night. He was reading my thoughts. He knew that I would never give him the amulet, he only wanted to know its location so he could steal it on his own," Ichabod cried. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ichabod felt embarrassed. Henri had outsmarted him and made him look like a fool. Yes Henri had two centuries worth of tricks up his sleeves, but Ichabod thought he was smarter. With the acquisition of the amulet Henri would no longer be imprisoned by darkness. Now Henri was a bigger threat than Ichabod could've imagined. Abbie had to know about Henri, and Ichabod had no choice but to tell her, now.