The Lady From Sleepy Hollow

Mary

I awaken to the cold light of late dawn, a yawn escaping my lungs. A soft knock raps against my door. I permit, "Come in."

"Mary, Ichabod has left the house," Katrina voices as she strides in. I sit up and give her a confused look.

"Where did he go? How is he feeling?" I wonder, standing up and grabbing my robe off of a nearby chair, slipping it on.

"Stepmother said he is feeling well. He went to Notary Hardenbrook's for something about the Hessian case. Let's go see what he has discovered this far in his room!" Katrina cheers excitedly in a hushed whisper.

I tie my robe tight and reluctantly following her out. "Katrina, we really shouldn't dig through his notes; that's private and confidential business."

"Oh, hush, sister," she dismisses, taking my hand and leading me down the hall to his room.

________ Ichabod ________

Wagons, horses and townspeople swarm around the town square. A crowd empties the town's general store. Provisions are passed along, man to man, and loaded onto wheelbarrows. These many things I take note of as young Masbath and I ride, passing many angry faces.

All up and down the long straight road, home owners board up windows with lumber. We stop and dismount, tying their horses in front of the Notary. I look off to the distance down the road, where people are heading to the church. There is so much activity...

We both walk inside the Notary to be welcomed with a small, untidy room. Piles of dusty documents in great disorder are strewn across the floors and tables. How in the world are we going to find that will in here?

​​I sigh as I pass my gaze over the disarray of papers, "Hopeless."

Young Masbath and I begin to search the place, for the document I need. I head towards a large ornate armoire and place my hand on the handle to open it just as I hear young Masbath say, "My father's satchel. Why is it here?"

I glance at the boy as he grabs it and brings it to the table. I then turn back to the armoire and open the door to find Hardenbrook within it. I gasp and take a couple steps away from him.

Hardenbrook bitterly grumbles, "Leave me alone."

I gather myself and start to interrogate the old grumpy man. "Notary Hardenbrook—"

"Leave me alone!" he snaps as he steps out of the armoire and strides to the wooden chair behind me.

With a newfound confidence, I demand, "Just as soon as you show me the last will and testament of old man Van Garrett."

Hardenbrook sits in the old wooden chair and says obviously, "The will leaves everything to his son."

I press him for more information, not believing the simple lie. "Who died with him! So the estate passes to the next of kin."

Hardenbrook lifts his weary gaze to me, and nods his head. "Naturally. All legal and above board."

Young Masbath pulls out a slip of paper from his father's satchel and looks at us. "Sir?"

I glance between the document sealed with red wax in young Masbath's hand and Hardenbrook, who looks beyond terrified at the sight of the seeing the parchment.

Hardenbrook lifts his trembling hands to his mouth and murmurs, "I'm a dead man. No..."

Quietly, the old man begins to sob in fear. I take the parchment from the boy and study it. Sure enough, the wax seal states "Van Garrett."

"Van Garrett's seal..." I say, and look down at Hardenbrook, finishing with a euphoric tone, "broken!"

I give an accusing loom the Hardenbrook before I bring my eyes to the parchment in my hand. I open it, and inside appears to be another will. I read it over, and continues to reveal the secret in my hand. "Seems Van Garrett made a new will just before he died. Naming..."

I skim my eyes to the bottom, searching for the recipient of the will. Shock and more confusion settles within my thoughts as I read out loud, "'Widow Winship?'"

Young Masbath digs around in his father's satchel and pulls out another slip of paper. "And here, look. A marriage certificate."

He hands it to me, and I take it, murmuring, "Aha... Old Van Garrett secretly married the widow. Left everything to her and her unborn child. So the new will stood between the Van Garrett fortune, and the person who would have otherwise inherited everything."

I look at Hardenbrook in discern, raising a brow as I await an honest explanation. Hardenbrook sighs and says, "It's true."

His tone saddens as he murmurs, "But we four were drawn in against our will!"

Another will? Why I'm the world—

I ask Hardenbrook incredulously, "Your will?"

Young Masbath the pipes up and explains, "He means—"

"Of course." It all clicks together, the entire puzzle nearly completely, the mystery nearly solved. I tell them my new epiphany, and how the four elderly men are all linked together. "The four town elders. Now I see what parts you had to play. Reverend Steenwyck knew the secret because he performed the marriage. Dr. Lancaster attended the pregnant woman. Magistrate Philipse gave the protection of the law. And Notary Hardenbrook concealed the documents, which has been entrusted by Van Garrett to his faithful servant. The four conspirators drawn into the plot."

Hardenbrook hastily stands up and begins to walk away from us, nearly begging as he admits innocently, "We did not know it was a murdering plot."

He sits in another chair, which I stride up to in confrontation. "But I have not finished, sir! First the Van Garretts, father and son, slain by a horseman raised from the grave to chop heads! Now up pops a widow with a claim on the fortune. Off with her head!"

I make a quick drawing motion across my neck with my thumb to young Masbath, whose eyes widen in fright at the dark truth. Quieter, I walk to young Masbath and say, "But murder begets murder. It was the servant, Jonathon Masbath. The night father and son quarreled over the new will, Jonathon Masbath was summoned upstairs to bear witness. Here is his signature. I'm afraid it was his death warrant, young Masbath."

I point to Jonathon's signature in the will, and say in a sorrowful murmur, "The Horseman came for him."

I stride back to Hardenbrook and detest in a louder voice, "Came for him at the bidding of someone who had power over him. Someone who dug in the earth in the Western Woods and stole the skull! The missing head which must be restored to the Horseman before he will return to hell! Someone who stood to gain or lose a fortune."

Hardenbrook cowers and clasps his trembling, frail fists against his ears as I lean down, announcing loudly and accusingly to the man the truth they do desperately tried to hide.

"None other than Van Garrett's next of kin: Baltus Van Tassel!"