The Cursed Hollow (Return to Sleepy Hollow Book 1)

by Candace Wondrak

  I crossed my arms, waiting for Bones to look away from the woman beside him and notice me. Fortunately for my sanity, it didn’t take him too long. His blue eyes drifted to me, and his whole face lit up. He was happy to see me, happier to see me than to talk to that woman, which made me feel almost righteous in my misplaced jealousy.

  Bones waved off his coworker, and she tried not to look displeased as she watched him walk to me, meeting me in the maze of office desks. “Kat,” he said, stunning me by holding his coffee out to the side to hug me.

  Yes. Hug me. Like we didn’t see each other yesterday.

  Just when I was about to relax and let myself be hugged, maybe even hug him back, Bones released me, grinning a dimpled smile as he took a small sip of his coffee. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was hoping I could ask for your help,” I said, trying not to focus on the strange feeling inside of me. My nerves about being back in Sleepy Hollow were nothing compared to the swirling emotions trapped inside of me when Bones smiled at me like that. Once you had a huge crush on someone, you never went back, apparently.

  “Sure,” Bones quickly said, gesturing for me to follow him. He brought me to a desk in the back of the office space, sitting me in the seat across from his. He set his coffee on his desk, which was cluttered with a bunch of papers he immediately sought to stack and move aside. It reminded me of the way he was always embarrassed when I came over and saw his room was messy. He always told me to wait in the hall while he straightened up as fast as any human possibly could.

  I let him do it, knowing he wouldn’t stop until he was satisfied with how his desk looked, and a small smile tugged at my lips.

  “What can I help you with?” Bones asked once his desk was clear. Nothing but wood and a computer now. No mess. No disorder. No more embarrassment for seeing his work station messy. His blonde hair was styled to the side with some light gel, and I had the weirdest thought as I glanced at it.

  What would it feel like to run my fingers through that hair?

  Ugh. No.

  Things were too complicated now that we were adults. We were tame as teenagers and kids, because we grew up together, saw each other’s embarrassments constantly. We were friends. But now? We’d spent many years apart. He was now a full-fledged man and I was…I was a woman who was well-aware of his manliness, of his muscles and his dimples and his square jaw.

  “I, uh, was hoping you’d be able to tell me where someone lived,” I said, speaking slowly. Treading carefully was not a strong suit of mine, but after he’d warned me away from Crane yesterday, I had to. Bones didn’t want me near Crane, for whatever reason, but I had to see him.

  Bones still smiled at me, and my traitorous stomach heated up like a solar flare beneath that dimpled smile. “Normally we don’t give out personal information, but you’re coming to me as a friend, right? Not a citizen in need of an officer’s help.”

  I nodded, running my palms over my knees. If I said I wasn’t sweaty, I’d be a liar. My skin was a bit clammy. I blamed Bones for it, and the stupid crush I had on him growing up. Now that I was an adult, I knew what the feelings inside of me were: I wanted to jump Bones’s bones.

  He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. I pretended not to notice the way his sleeves tugged on his muscles, or how large his hands looked. Those hands…I bet they could do a lot. “Who do you need help finding?”

  I bit my bottom lip, and Bones’s gaze fell to my mouth, lingering there for longer than was polite. I didn’t address it though, mostly because I was internally fretting about how to bring Crane into this conversation without making him upset. “Promise you won’t get mad?” I asked.

  His chest rose and fell with soft laughter. It wasn’t the worst sound I’d heard, not by a long shot. “Get mad at you? Kat, I didn’t even get mad at you when you stopped coming. I just missed you.”

  Wow. Way to make me feel guilty about asking for Crane.

  “I need to find Irving Crane,” I muttered, speaking quietly.

  The expression on Bones’s face changed instantly, and he leaned back in his chair, eyeing me up in a way that wasn’t cold or cruel but curious. He did his best to hide his annoyance as he said, “And why would you need to find him? I told you yesterday to stay away from him.”

  “And I’m my own person who can make my own decisions, Bones,” I told him, not having any of his protective attitude. “Besides, it isn’t like I want to see him. It’s something to do with my dad.”

  When I brought up my dead dad, Bones’s face softened. “I never understood why your dad was working with him. The things they were doing…don’t go digging into his research too much, Kat. Bad things tended to happen. You don’t know how many times the fire station got a call about fires your dad claimed he didn’t start—”

  I wasn’t here to learn about the fires, or whatever else had happened while my dad was still alive. “I’m here to find Crane. Please, Bones.”

  His mouth pursed, and he thought about it. I knew an internal war raged in his head. To tell me or not to tell me. It took him a few moments to say, “I’ll do you one better. I’ll take you to him, but on one condition.”

  I agreed without hesitation. “Of course. Anything.” Well, anything that didn’t involve me swearing off of seeing Crane in the future. I hoped Bones understood why I couldn’t go and do that.

  “I take you to Crane, you talk about whatever you have to talk about, and then tonight I take you someplace I want to take you.” His cheeks flushed somewhat. “A date. I’m asking you out on a date, if it wasn’t clear before.”

  There were a few things I could’ve told him. I could’ve asked him why taking me out on a date mattered when he knew I was just going to leave town after I dealt with my dad and his house. I could’ve told him that the last thing I wanted to do was spend a night around the town. Hell, I could’ve told him no, that I’d give Google a try and see what I came up with when it came to Irving Crane.

  All those things I could’ve said, and this was what came out of my mouth: “Sure.”

  Sure. I’d heard cooler things come out of a five-year-old’s mouth.

  The one-word answer was all Bones needed to hear though, for the toothy grin that spread on his face after was unmatchable. “Great,” he said, grabbing his coffee as he got up. “You ready to go now? It’s a slow day in the office.”

  Eh, I bet every day around here was a slow day in the office, but I kept my comments to myself as I got to my feet and followed him out of the station. He took me to his squad car, opening up the passenger’s side for me, holding the door open. A total gentleman. I honestly couldn’t remember if any guy had ever opened a car door for me.

  Bones got in the driver’s seat, setting his coffee in the holder between us. The squad car was complete with its camera, a caged window between the front and the back seats, and also a huge radio.

  As he started driving, pulling us out onto the road the station was on, Bones said, “I take it you didn’t listen to me and burn it all.” He shot me an easy smile, letting me know he was at least somewhat joking.

  Partially joking, but also partially serious.

  “No, but I did start to go through the kitchen stuff,” I said, gazing out the window, watching as the familiar buildings passed us by. “He had a lot of crap, and I don’t think he ever cleaned the house.” But then I remembered how my sheets smelled clean, and I shut right up. Things were…peculiar around here.

  Bones chuckled, one hand on the wheel and the other leaning against the window. An easygoing posture, one that took me back to our teenage years, when I’d first had the stunning realization that this guy was kinda cute.

  Forget the kinda part, though.

  “Your dad was a strange one,” Bones nodded along. “But he was a good guy. Everyone around town loved him.”

  “The town lunatic,” I muttered.

  “The lovable town lunatic,” Bones corrected me. “And you know everyone around here. They love all that
stuff. When there are a lot of tourists in town, sometimes the city council paid your dad to put on a show, talk about his research, the spirits and the Headless Horseman and all that. The tourists loved it.”

  I drew my gaze away from the window, watching as Bones smiled in memory.

  “I remember one time he did it while he was under the weather. I happened to be driving by, just getting off work, and I heard screaming.” Bones laughed. “Turned out your dad had the flu, and he threw up all over a pair of tourists who were in the front row. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disgusted, but it was hilarious. Your dad was ready to keep on going, too.”

  I chuckled softly. That did sound like something my dad would do. Not take his sicknesses seriously. “He never went to the doctors,” I whispered. “He used to say no illness was going to take him.”

  Bones had heard my dad say the same thing many, many times. “But this town would.”

  We both quieted. This town wasn’t what killed him. His obsession, his need to do whatever it was he did—it wasn’t what ended his life. I wasn’t certain what he died from, but it was something I wanted to talk to his lawyer about, if that blasted Mike would ever call me back.

  I…I didn’t want to talk about my dad anymore.

  “So,” I tried to change the subject, “where are you going to be taking me tonight? What should I wear? Keep in mind, I didn’t think I’d be going on any dates while I was here, so I didn’t pack any fancy clothes.”

  Sleepy Hollow and fancy didn’t belong in the same sentence together, I was aware, and so was Bones. He glanced at what I wore now, and I felt the need to squirm in the seat. “Wear what you’re wearing now.” Sort of a suggestion, sort of a command.

  All I could do was nod.

  Bones drove us to the part of town with the huge, old houses. Most of them had been kept up through the years, their big, spacious yards well-manicured and their driveways long and winding. He stopped his squad car on the curb of the street, turning it off before getting out. He met me on the sidewalk, and for a moment, we both glanced at the house an acre or so back.

  Giant trees lined the driveway, leading to a white, three-story house. It looked like it was taken straight out of a history book, with columns and archways and even a damn fountain. Way too rich and hoity-toity for me. I didn’t even know what you did with a house this big.

  “This is it?” I asked, not sure why I bothered. Of course it was. Bones wouldn’t stop in front of a random house when I’d specifically asked him about Crane.

  “This is it,” Bones muttered, thumbs hooking through his belt, where his gun and a bunch of other things sat. Like a toolbelt for cops. His sapphire eyes were heavy as they moved to me. “Do you want me to go up there with you?” The way he offered, one of his feet already pointed toward the driveway to Crane’s house, I could tell he hoped I’d say yes. He wanted to supervise our meeting, but I was an adult, and I could handle myself.

  Plus, in a house that big, there had to be a frying pan somewhere.

  “No,” I said. “I’ll be fine.” Not knowing what I the hell I was doing, I took a step toward him and set a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. Damn, this man had muscles, nice arms, and he looked amazing in his uniform. I never thought I had a weakness for a man in uniform, but that was before seeing Bones as a cop. “Thank you.” It was much harder to say those two words than it should’ve been. I blamed the muscles, and my stupid need to touch him just now.

  Though Bones wasn’t too thrilled about me heading up to Crane’s house alone, he smiled at me, and I was probably a few seconds too slow in dropping my arm. “I’ll pick you up at six,” he said, “unless you need me to wait here—”

  “No,” I said. “I can find my way home from here.” I knew all of Sleepy Hollow like the back of my hand. I knew how to get home from the rich part of town; I just needed his help to figure out what house belonged to Crane. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Bones nodded, sluggishly returning to his squad car. His eyes met mine across the metal top, and for a moment, we both just stared at each other. Such a ridiculously handsome man, not a thing about him I’d change. He’d make any woman swoon. Hell, he’d make any woman fall to their knees and spread their legs for him.

  Something tugged at my heart when I thought about Bones with any other woman. I couldn’t say why, but it felt like a betrayal, almost—which was ridiculous, because Bones wasn’t mine. He didn’t belong to me. He was a free man, free to go off and sleep with whoever he liked. He wasn’t mine, and he never would be.

  Heaving a sigh, I was the first one to turn away from our staring contest, and I gathered my courage as I headed up the long driveway to the intimidatingly tall house.

  Irving Crane, here I come.

  Chapter Five

  The front door had no doorbell. I stared at the walls around the door for far too long before I realized that a metal knocker was fixed to the middle of the door, unpainted, its bronze color dull. It was a lion, the round knocker in its mouth. My hand went for it and used it to knock a few times.

  Rich people and their useless shit never ceased to amaze me. This was just…old useless shit. I mean, what if you were upstairs and didn’t hear the knocker? How long was a person supposed to knock?

  I needn’t have worried so much, because in less than a minute, Crane was opening the door, his wallet in his hand. “Oh,” he said, studying me behind his glasses. “I thought you were here with cookies.” He flipped his wallet shut and slid it in his back pocket.

  He thought I was a girl scout? That…made no sense, but somehow it didn’t surprise me when it came to Crane. He seemed a bit weird, the perfect match for my dad.

  We stared at each other for a long time, neither one of us saying anything. I was quiet because I didn’t know what to say, while Crane was…just Crane. He was a strange one, a person I wasn’t sure how to handle yet.

  When the silence became overbearing, I asked, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  “Oh, yes,” Crane muttered, almost like he temporarily forgot his manners. “Yes, do come in. I can make us some tea.” He gave me his back, and I trailed him inside.

  I could honestly say this house was the fanciest, most over-the-top rich house I’d ever been in. Granted, it wasn’t much of a competition, but still. Everything was expensive, even the paintings on the walls. Most of them, I noticed, were of Sleepy Hollow.

  The kitchen was in the far back of the house, looking like it was taken straight out of one of those HGTV episodes. White-painted cabinets, subway tile, a darker grey countertop that was either marble or granite, light fixtures that sparkled. I hated standing in it, mostly because I felt like I was going to dirty it up by touching something.

  I slid into one of the barstools on the island, resting a cheek on a hand as I watched Crane fiddle around, making me more tea I wouldn’t drink. I had no clue what to make of this guy. Not once in my entire life growing up had I met him, which was why this whole thing was a bit awkward.

  After a while, he set a warm cup in front of me, standing near the island as he sipped his own mug. Crane observed me like I was some foreign animal, a creature he’d never seen before, something he didn’t even know was real.

  “Is there a reason you’re staring at me like some kind of science experiment?” I questioned, turning my head towards him. My stare caused him to look away; at least he had the decency to look sorry for ogling me like a newly discovered species.

  “Apologies,” Crane said. Today his thin shoulders wore a dark blue dress shirt, every single button buttoned, save for the topmost one. I bet that was his letting loose. His long legs wore black pants that probably cost an arm and a leg. He looked like he was ready for a business meeting, some CEO chilling, lounging about in his million-dollar house. “I didn’t expect to see you here, not after yesterday.”

  I scratched the back of my neck, my auburn hair falling over my shoulders. The whole frying pan incident was not something I was proud of, the more
I thought about it. “I am sorry about that,” I muttered. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. My dad never told me he was working with someone.”

  “That’s because you never called him,” Crane said, and I shot him a glare, to which he flinched.

  “You didn’t happen to see anything yesterday as you were leaving, did you?” I asked, remembering the tossed around office. As Crane shook his head, I added, “It’s funny, because right after you left, I heard a noise upstairs. Someone was in my dad’s office, rifling through this stuff…kind of like what you were doing when I caught you.”

  Crane adjusted his glasses. He was a tall and lanky fellow, but there was a leanness to him. His brown hair was coiffed to the side in a haircut that was not exactly in style. His face was gaunt, refined in the way I imagined royalty to be. In a way, Crane was royalty—royalty of Sleepy Hollow. He was cute, but so not my type. Way too weird for me. Too much like my dad.

  “I suspected as much, but I doubt they found what they were looking for,” Crane said. “I couldn’t find it either, although I hardly had enough time to search.”

  I could only blink in confusion. “What are you talking about? You knew someone went through the office?”

  “I suspected they would try,” Crane clarified, his green eyes meeting mine. “But I would bet they didn’t find it.”

  “Find what?” I watched Crane start to leave the kitchen, and I hopped off the stool and followed him. We headed up the stairs.

  “The journal. Your dad’s journal.”

  That’s what all of this was about? I harrumphed like a ninety-year-old woman who’d just yelled at kids to get off my lawn. “Why would someone want his journal?”

  Crane took me to what had to have been his office, and I was momentarily shocked. The rest of the house was clean, but this wasn’t. Papers, everywhere. Maps of the town. Diagrams of…cemeteries? “Your father’s journal contained the truth. I wanted to find it purely so no one else could get their hands on it.”