Page 12 of Headless Hollow

“Because I don’t want the killer to find it. Way too easy if it was set up in a spare bedroom. I snooped at the footage from last night and I did catch something that I wanted to show you.”

I grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry. Did you just say you have cameras in your house filming…as in it caught everything we did?”

His cheeks reddened. “I’ll make sure to delete that…maybe,” he said, smiling as I swatted at his arm.

“Branson.”

“What? It’s not like I had time to tell you about them. Here, take a look at this.” Branson hit a button and pulled up an image of the living room. The timestamp said 3:00 am. Of course, it would be the witching hour. I shivered as I watched the tall shadow of a man dressed in all black with an angry Jack-o-lantern mask appear out of nowhere. Branson pressed pause.

“Jesus, is he really a demon or something else?” Branson smiled at me. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s a legitimate question, he just poofed onto the screen.”

“You’re so sexy.”

“Stop, don’t make fun.”

“I’m not. I can’t take my eyes off of you now that I’m allowed to stare.”

It was my turn to blush, and I looked away. Branson tapped the screen. “He’s trying to use a scrambler, but I have devices in the house that combat it. Whatever he is using is strong, so the signal is flickering in and out. It’s making him seem like he is disappearing and reappearing. I haven’t been able to pull anything earlier than this to see how he got in the house. The footage starts in the living room, but this explains the issue with your cameras.”

“That’s not creepy at all,” I mumbled, staring at the frozen image. The mask was unnerving all on its own. “I think he is leaning into this Headless Horseman thing a little too much,” I said. This was our first real look at our killer, and it still gave us nothing other than what I already knew. He was well over six feet and built. “So, what all did he do?”

“You sure you want to see this?”

“I did until you asked me that.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I resolved to treat this like I would any other case. It didn’t matter who was in the video or what I saw. It needed to be as clinical as anything else. “Hit play. I need to know.”

Branson touched the screen again, and just like he said, the image flickered in and out like a deadly spirit was moving through the house. There were only a couple of cameras, and Branson pulled up each one to show the movements once the killer disappeared up the stairs. I couldn’t stop the chill from snaking down my spine or the goosebumps rising all over my body as the man stopped at the door to the bedroom and just stared inside. I swallowed, picturing Branson and I curled up together. What the hell would’ve happened if we’d woken up?

He stood like a statue, the only thing giving away that he was indeed alive was the rise and fall of his chest. I found myself breathing in time with him and blinked when he finally moved. Walking to the bathroom, he stepped out of view, but it wasn’t very long before he returned. He didn’t linger, and once he entered the living room, he once more disappeared. I had the urge to check the spot where he’d been standing to make sure there wasn’t a trap door like in an illusion trick.

“I’ve caught him at a couple of the other locations since I installed the cameras. He’s always wearing the same thing. All black, leather gloves, the Jack-o-lantern mask, and he appears and disappears. I don’t have enough of the devices that keep his scrambler at bay, so some of the footage is just static.”

The cameras in my home were the same. During the time he was there, everything fritzed and then came back on again like a flick of a switch.

“What do you think he wants from us?”

Branson looked at me, his eyes guarded, but he was quiet long enough that I understood the silent message. It wasn’t us he was after, it was me. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Grabbing me, he pulled me into a hug. His arms were warm, and I felt safe as they wrapped around me, but it was obvious that neither of us was truly safe. I needed to get to the Horseman before he got to me, but I had no idea how to do that.

Eight

Izzy

The effects of not sleeping more than a few hours at a time were hitting me hard. Body twinges, foggy mind, and the inability to get warm were just some of the symptoms. It had been three days, and even though we took shifts, I hardly slept a wink. Every little noise had my eyes snapping open. At one point last night, Branson got up and looked outside while I stared at the side of his face until he said it was nothing and came back to bed. When I sat up and let Branson sleep, he was out like a light and didn’t stir at all. Totally not fair. How could he sleep so soundly when the Horseman had been in his house and could walk in again without warning?

It was odd to be living with someone again, and yet Branson and I had a flow to our day and even getting ready for work. We never tripped over one another and seamlessly paired off responsibilities like helping to cook dinner together while chatting about the case. Maybe it was because I’d known him for years or maybe it was the case tossing us together the way that it did, but whatever it was, we worked like we’d always been together.

“Is your latte okay?”

I glanced at Branson and then down at the takeout cup I had in my hand. The rich scent of pumpkin spice floated around the car, but even the delicious drink and aroma couldn’t pull me out of the daze for very long.

“Yeah, it’s perfect. I’m just driving the struggle bus today, but at least it’s not dragging me. The lack of sleep is getting to me. I hadn’t been sleeping great before Christian’s death, but now…now I’m not sure I’ll ever sleep properly again until we catch this guy.”

Branson grabbed my hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss before linking our fingers together.

“I heard from the Tarry Town sheriff. He said that he got confirmation that I was working all week, so I’m no longer a main suspect, but he hinted I shouldn’t travel too far in case he had more questions.”

“Seriously? He likes wasting his time, doesn’t he?”

“I think he just wants to be useful, and let’s face it, there is a lot with this case that makes everyone feel useless. It doesn’t bother me. Now, if he orders me in for more questioning without a good reason…which there isn’t one, then I’ll be annoyed.”