CHAPTER ONE
RING! RING! RING!
The dark hotel room, shadowed by soft light fluttering in from the dawn, broke its silence with the shrilly ring of a telephone.
Lance stirred, groaning, fumbling for the phone. He managed to knock the cradle to the floor and overturn the clock. �Darn it!�
Ring! Ring!
Hanging halfway off the mattress, Lance answered the irritating call.
�Hello?� he yawned sleepily.
�Morning sunshine. It�s me, Sean. Your 33 year old cousin, the one working for the FBI?�
Lance snapped into full alert. �Hey man! Sorry to be so rude, but it�s 6:00 in the morning. What�s up? Taken any bullets for the president lately?�
�That�s secret service�s job, moron. Actually, I�d be happy to catch a bullet between the ribs, considering the disturbing case my superiors assigned me. A gruesome one at that.�
�Cut to the chase.�
�Ever heard of a quaint little town named Sleepy Hollow?�
�No.�
�It�s nestled deep in upstate country New York. Most folks don�t realize it exists. People in that town keep to themselves.�
�So why act like it holds any significance?�
�Six months ago, the FBI received several anonymous letters stating that a series of brutal murders had been committed and help was needed. Naturally, we sent a team of agents to investigate. Three weeks passed, and no word from the investigators. I traveled to Sleepy Hollow in search of answers.
The townspeople greeted me with suspicion and hostility, especially when they discovered the FBI sent me. I left within 3 days, but I tell you, I saw and heard many things that concerned me. There�s just a feeling of�how do I describe it�evil in the air?�
Lance gulped. �Don�t try scaring me at this ungodly hour. Um, how were the victims murdered?�
�Their heads were chopped off.�
�Oh my gosh!�
�Precisely. We�ve got a genuine psycho on our hands. Something is terribly wrong with Sleepy Hollow.�
�You could say that again. How are you gonna locate this serial killer?�
�I can�t. Those villagers will recognize me, and I�ll only be driven away like before. We take the same risk with sending any other FBI agent. So, I�ve devised a plan, but it�s just as crazy as these murders.�
�Shoot.�
�We have decided to send a civilian into Sleepy Hollow, a tourist if you may. That civilian will dig up enough evidence to unearth a search warrant, then leave.�
�Those letters aren�t enough?�
�Purely circumstantial. The judge will throw those papers out of court.�
�So who do you plan on sending?�
�You.�
�WHAT? EXCUSE ME! ARE YOU NUTS?�
�Calm down buddy. Nothing will happen to you.�
�Oh, of course, nothing at all, but when my head winds up missing��
�I�m not asking you to become Rambo and dive into risky situations. Simply get close to a few of the townspeople, talk to them a little bit, and see if anything slips, you know.�
�Sean, psychotic maniacs tend to resemble normal people.�
�Steer clear of suspicious characters.�
�I said normal people��
�Lance, please. I�m desperate. Give it a week, huh? My sources informed me you�ve been granted some vacation time. Bring along a couple of your brothers if company comforts you.�
Lance chewed his bottom lip nervously. Didn�t vacation time mean relaxation? And he wasn�t a professional P.I. Suppose he botched the job. Or worse, got killed.
Oh boy, I can�t dwell on that stuff right now.
�Lance? Hello? You still with me?�
Lance shook himself out of his reverie. �Sorry. Okay. Fine. One week. That�s it! And if I get so much as one spooky death threat or spot one trace of blood, then I�m gone.�
�Deal. I�ll create arrangements for you to make the journey tomorrow.�
�Tomorrow?! So soon?�
�People�s lives are at stake. Why waste time? Besides, I refuse to give you any time to chicken out.�
�You are such a loving cousin. Uh, have you told my parents?�
�Um,� Sean stammered, �Not yet, but I�m sure Aunt Diane��
�That�s what I thought. Okay.�
�Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m., a red van will be waiting at the intersection at Mockingbird Lane. Hop in, and for the next 9 hours you will ride to New York City. One hour outside town limits, a yellow taxi will take you into upstate New York at Sleepy Hollow and drop you off. Remember, the designated calling hour for me on your cell phone will be 9:00 p.m. Clear?�
�Yeah. Talk to you later. Bye.�
�Adios mi amigo.�
�Oh, and Sean?�
�Yeah?�
�Are you sure you can�t send a better man for the job?�
�Lance��
�Just kidding. Bye.�
Lance hung up the phone, too awake to crawl back under the covers. Gosh, what have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER TWO
�DIE YOU BLOODSUCKING CREATURES! NO! MY BASE EXPLODED! THE WORLD IS ENDING! DON�T EVEN THINK ABOUT SHOOTING GAMARAYS AT ME AGAIN!�
Maybe a cross between Invaders From Mars and Armageddon? No. Chris was playing his gameboy again.
�Chris, put a sock in it! It�s just a game,� JC complained, smothering his ears with a car pillow. Joey passed around a bag of M&Ms.
The van rumbled through busy New York City, parking in front of the Plaza hotel. Lance tossed Justin and Chris their bags. The driver slid the door open. �Ev�ry un out. I ain�t gots all day ye knowed.�
Justin popped open the trunk and passed out the rest of the suitcases. �Well, hope you three enjoy your vacation, although I can�t imagine why you chose Sleepy Hollow of all places.� Chris frowned. �Sleepy Hollow. I�m not sure if you could even locate it on any maps.�
Lance rolled his eyes. �I�m going because my uncle, a surveyor, asked me to check out the landscaping, and I, being the wonderful gentleman I am, agreed.�
Guilt knawed at him. Lance wasn�t accustomed to lying, but he couldn�t worry them with the grotesque murders.
He watched Chris and Justin enter the revolving glass doors of the Plaza. �Bye!� �Keep in touch!� �Will do!� �Don�t forget to call!�
JC and Joey hoisted their luggage. �Let�s go or will never make it by 6:30.� The trio meandered across the crowded intersection. Several taxis parked on both sides of the street. �Man, which one�s ours?� JC complained.
A cab 5 feet away honked its horn 5 times. �That�s the signal,� Lance chirped as he tossed the bags into the trunk.
Joey elbowed JC. �Is it just me, or has he been acting funny lately?�
�He has been nervous, and the I�m-happy-everything�s-cool act isn�t working.�
�Think there�s more to this sudden trip than he�s letting on?�
�Nah.�
They piled into the taxi and braced themselves for an hour-long ride. Soon after exiting the city, the car traveled down deserted dirt roads dipping into rolling hills and valleys. Looming trees shed their leaves, littering the dry ground with red, brown, and gold autumn colors.
As time wore on, the sun fell low. The cab halted in front of a creaky wooden sign.
WELCOME TO SLEEPY HOLLOW.
�Here ye are,� he drawled, �I�d walk fast if I was ye cuz I ain�t drivin inte no town like this at dusk.�
�What�s he talking about?� Joey wondered.
�Nothing,� Lance replied too quickly. They stood outside as the car sped out of sight. An eerie wind blew a crisp, wood-burning smell to their noses. Black branches reached out like claws, shadowing the woods.
The guys walked past an iron fence. Behind that fence were the old stone church and a rather large cemetery. Owls hooted. �This place gives me the creeps,� JC muttered.
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
Joey stopped. �What was that?�
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
Lance strained his hearing. �Sounds like horse hooves. We�d better move faster.�
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.
The trotting was closer. Was it simply their imagination, or was the forest growing quieter? From far off, deranged laughter sounded, but it echoed throughout the atmosphere.
Joey, Lance, and JC broke into a jog. In the distance they could see closed buildings and a luminescent street. �There�s the town!� Lance cried out joyfully.
Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. A horse snorted menacingly. Lance glanced back, fear rising at tremendous rates. �Where�s the horse? I don�t see anything!�
More deranged laughter. �Where is that weird laughter coming from? Sounds like an axe wielding maniac!�
Manic?! Lance sprinted onto the curve, landing on the left sidewalk of the main street. JC and Joey caught up, out of breath. Immediately all was silent.
�What-what happened back there?� JC trembled. Joey tightly clutched his duffel. �I wanna leave.� So did Lance, yet he had no evidence to suggest anything about the murders. �Relax. Probably a sick prank. The Van Tassels eat at 6:30, and it would be rude to arrive late.�
�Who are the Van Tassels?� His buds questioned as they walked north past shops and houses. Nobody else was out. Not a single peep. Might as well be a ghost town.
�Mayor Van Tassel owns Sleepy Hollow,� Lance explained, �He�s a widower with 3 daughters. There are the 8-year-old twins, Cory and Annie. Then, there is his 20-year old, Kate, supposedly Sleepy Hollow�s prized beauty.�
Joey�s eyes lit up. �Down Joey,� JC admonished playfully. They turned down Peach Cove Street until a long stone driveway came into view. At the end of the driveway was a quaint, 2 story house. The Van Tassels home.
CHAPTER THREE
Kate Van Tassel fingered the fringe of the window seat curtains.
�Kate!� Traci called, �Help get supper on the table and tell those twins to turn down the TV!�
Traci, the Van Tassel�s housemaid, finished roasting the chicken when Kate�s head perked up.
Footsteps crunched the driveway gravel. Three young men headed towards the porch.
�I knew it!� she piped excitedly, �Visitors are coming, and carrying suitcases! When that bee flew into my bedroom, I just knew unexpected people were arriving!�
Traci snorted. �Superstitions are a load of nonsense.� Sleepy Hollow folk were prime believers in superstitions, good luck charms, and spirits. Why? She didn�t understand.
Annie bounced into the dining room. �Cory won�t let me watch my favorite show! I hate cartoons.�
Ding Dong!
Cory absently picked herself up off the rug, left the TV, shuffled into the entrance hall, and slowly opened the door.
Lance gazed at the petite redhead. �Hi,� he began, �We�re��
�Stranger! Stranger!� Cory shouted, slamming the door. JC blew out his cheeks. �O-kay��
Kate opened the door. �I�m sorry. We are not used to strangers, and what with the times it�s�it�s best to stay locked up at night.�
She extended her hand. �I�m Kate Van Tassel. Please make yourselves at home.�
Joey, JC, and Lance entered the house. Kate locked and bolted the door behind them. JC found that a bit odd, considering crime wasn�t usually abundant in small towns.
The house itself presented a homely cottage atmosphere. Wooden beams on the ceiling and colorful hand-woven rungs covering the floorboards. Fire burned in the fireplace hearth, casting delicate shadows along the white walls.
Cory and Annie sprawled across one of the green plush sofas watching TV. To the left of the TV and fireplace was the oak carved staircase. Joey breathed in the delicious smell floating in from the kitchen. �Mm, what�s cooking?�
�Traci will take your bags up to your rooms,� Kate mentioned as a frumpy older woman lugged their baggage upstairs.
JC and Joey collapsed on the couch. Lance retreated into the dining room, seating himself at the long table decorated by pumpkins and candles.
A fleeting shadow caught the corner of his eye. He stared intently at the 3 windows on the opposite wall. The shadow passed by again.
Lance gasped.
A black horse?
***
�We give thanks for the food and the nice visitors we�ve been blessed with. We pray all these things in Jesus�s name, amen.�
The group looked up and started to eat.
At the end of the table sat Mayor Van Tassel, whom earlier had gone to collect the rest of the dinner guests.
Sitting beside Lance was the school principal. He introduced himself as Ichabod Crane. Lance bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the weird name and scarecrow appearance.
Seated possessively beside Kate was the snobbish, fight-loving guy named Brad Bones. According to Traci, he was �engaged� to Kate, although that was 4 years ago.
�So, did my girls behave themselves in their classroom today?�
�Well, Annie��
�Mr. Crane, there�s no need to tell dad is there?�
�Are you going to be my girl for the Halloween dance?�
�Brad.�
While JC and Joey joined in with the chit-chat, Lance remained silent, poking at his chicken.
How do I bring up the subject of the murders? I�ll ruin the cheerful mood.
�So,� he remarked casually, �Anything exciting happen lately?�
Mayor Van Tassel raised his eyebrows. �Not necessarily, besides Halloween coming up.�
�You sure?� Lance persisted, �I heard differently.�
Joey kicked him under the table. �What�s gotten into you?� he whispered.
I sound like a first class idiot.
�Um,� Lance tried, �Just curious, but why are we locked in so securely?�
�You know how it is,� Ichabod replied nervously, �Safety precautions.�
�Against what?�
�What is this, the third degree?� Brad countered, �Man you are nosy.�
�It�s a normal question,� Kate responded, �Sleepy Hollow closes down at 6:00. We don�t go out at night. That�s important.�
�Why?�
�While Lance continues his game of 20 Questions,� Traci interrupted, �I�ll bring out dessert.�
The dessert was served, chocolate cake and raspberry truffle. Each dinner guest gorged without guilt.
Afterwards they met in the living room for coffee. Mayor Van Tassel nestled in an overstuffed armchair.
�Of course, in honor of my guests,� we can�t retire to bed without a ghost story,� he chuckled. Mayor Van Tassel was famous for his chilling tales. �I�ve decided to entertain using my best tale of all.
�The Headless Horseman�.
Sends chills down your spine, doesn�t it? Centuries ago during the Revolutionary War, a patriot soldier was fighting a battle on Sleepy Hollow grounds. A cannonball blast blew his head off. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow, but his spirit is not at rest. At night, his ghost roams the countryside, still searching for his head.
And,� he added slyly, �If he catches you out after dark, HE�LL CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF TOO!�
Annie and Cory shrieked. Kate laughed.
�Dad you�re terrible!�
Lance chewed his bottom lip. �What does this headless horseman look like?�
�If you hear crazed laughter and the clip-clop of his black stallion, you�re aware his ghost is near.�
JC giggled. �So that explains the episode in the woods. Ha ha guys. Funny joke.�
Ichabod�s eyes widened. Kate stared down at her coffee cup. Brad cleared his throat.
�Well, time to turn in. Good night people.�
One by one the occupants of Van Tassel House bid goodnight.
Kate led JC, Lance, and Joey up the staircase and down the right hallway.
�Joey, you are the 2nd room on the right. JC, you are the 4th room. Lance, you are the 6th room on the right.�
Lance�s room consisted of antique furnishings and a four poster bed. He noticed Traci had already unpacked his suitcase.
Resting on the pillow was a note.
Thank goodness you�re here.
�Huh?� he uttered in bewilderment. �What is that supposed to mean?�
He snatched a pair of boxers and an undershirt and flipped the light switch in the bathroom. He showered.
Lance squirted toothpaste onto the toothbrush bristles. He glanced at the sink mirror, poised to stick the toothbrush in his mouth, when the lights dimmed.
Another face reflected in the glass.
A bluish young boy. His mouth opened in silent horror.
Nobody stood next to Lance.
Lance screamed and stumbled backwards, tripping over the porcelain toilet. The lemon scented soap dispenser and toothbrush clattered into the sink. Lance�s shoulder hit the rim of the bathtub. �Ouch!�
For a few seconds he lay dazed across the tile, stunned by the eerie vision. The lights brightened. A brown bruise spread on his aching shoulder.
Legs quivering, Lance limped out of the bathroom.
He frantically searched the closet and behind the curtains. �Come out kid,� he laughed nervously. The rational part of his brain refused to admit he was the only being standing in front of the mirror.
Suddenly a piercing pain sliced his neck. Lance grabbed his throat, gasping for air.
What�s happening to me?
As quickly as it arrived, the unexplainable pain relented. Lance wiped small beads of sweat from his brow.
�It�s-it�s been a long d-day. Yeah. That�s it. It�s just been a long day.�
CHAPTER THREE
12:00 am
Nightly sounds chorused outside. Sleepy Hollow lay quiet. Every townsperson sleeping warmly in their beds.
He crept around to the back door of the kitchen leading into the Van Tassel home.
His grip tightened around the butcher knife handle. The sharp steel blade glimmered satisfyingly in the moonlight.
The back door was locked, but he�d anticipated this kind of problem. Carefully slapping masking tape onto a square of glass, he rammed his elbow. The shattered glass stuck to the tape, inhibiting any noise.
He peeled the tape, reached inside, and unlocked the door.
Tiptoeing quietly through the kitchen, past the dining room, and down the living room, he imagined Kate�s angelic face sleeping softly on her mass of golden hair.
Fury raged inside him. To love her so greatly, and in return be betrayed so deeply. Oh, she wouldn�t get away with this! Kate belonged to him. They were one. Soul mates. He�d teach her a lesson.
However, Kate wasn�t his only reason for breaking into the house.
Lance.
He�d show Lance. Lance had to remember. He had too!
He slinked up the staircase, pausing to observe the crackling fireplace illuminating his shadow.
Finally he paced down the hallway until he approached the 6th room on the left.
Lance�s room.
The doorknob twisted. The heavy wood groaned as his feet pattered across the rug.
Lance lay sleeping on his right side, comfortable under the blanket, appearing peaceful.
He fingered the razor edge of the butcher knife blade. A dot of red liquid trickled down his index finger.
Oh how enticing it was to slice the flesh�but that was not his mission.
He skirted around the bed to the desk chair where lance put his t-shirt and jeans for the next day.
Meticulously, the intruder slashed Lance�s shirt into shreds, savoring the sound of fabric tearing. When he finished ripping the jeans, he unzipped the purple backpack he�d carted along.
Inside was his terrifying gift.
He grinned wickedly as the thought of the shock Lance would feel when he saw it entered his mind. True, it was a gruesome present, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
You will remember Lance, he promised silently, I will evoke those memories until they haunt you the way they�ve haunted me for years.
***
Joey could not sleep. His watch read 2 am.
Something seemed to nag him, an unprovoked feeling of worry. Perhaps it was �the Headless Horseman� story. Although he�d never been particularly scared by ghost tales, this one renewed an unfamiliar sense of terror.
Suddenly he heard footsteps down the hall. Elated that somebody else was sharing an attack of insomnia, Joey tied his robe and exited his bedroom.
Below, the front door creaked.
�Who�d be leaving the house?� Joey muttered as he descended the stairs.
The front door stood wide open. Leaves blew into the foyer.
Joey ran outside.
The person he saw cutting across the driveway and into the woods made the lines on his forehead crease with worry.
�Lance,� he shouted as quietly as possible, �Where are you going?�
Lance continued walking robotically. Joey jogged to catch up, trying not to shiver in the night air.
Since when does Lance know how to operate the locks?
He whirled his friend around. �Lance��
Joey stopped. Lance�s eyes were shut. He was muttering something indecipherable.
He�s sleepwalking.
Lance jerked from his grasp. �No,� he murmured groggily, �No I won�t go. You can�t make me. I�m scared. No!�
He began running into the forest. Joey sped up. �Lance? Stop! You must be dreaming!�
Lance disappeared behind the trees. Joey gulped at the strange shadows and darkness in the woods, tempted to crawl back to the Van Tassel House. Still, he couldn�t leave his brother to wake up disoriented and frightened surrounded by the forest.
Joey dodged the aspens, ducked under the oak branches, and brushed aside willow leaves. Lance turned left, all the while screaming, �Don�t let him get me!�
Who? Joey wondered.
Then he heard it.
Clip-clop�clip-clop�clip-clop�
�YYYYEEEEEHAAAHHAAAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!�
A horse materialized behind Joey. He felt the rider kick him to the ground. Gusts of wind rustled the atmosphere.
�YYYYEEEEEHAAAHHAAAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!�
Joey groaned and raised his head. When he saw the rider, he let out the loudest, most blood-curling scream this side of the Mississippi.
The rider�s head was gone!
Lance scrambled onto the bridge. The headless rider followed him, pulling out a sword.
Terror turned the veins in his blood to ice water. Joey ran to the bridge.
Lance stood frozen in front of the headless horseman. His eyeballs bulged. �NO! No! I promise I�ll be good!�
�YYYYEEEEEHAAAHHAAAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!�
The headless horseman raised his sword high in the air, reflecting the moonlight. His horse snorted. Looking into its blood red eyes made Joey grimace in fear.
The sword lowered.
Lance whimpered like a small child.
�NNNOOOOO!� Joey shrieked in horror.
The sword arched down swiftly, poised to make a clean cut across Lance�s neck.