Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Well, I’m not betrothed to Brom,” she goes on. “I still have free will. And he’s not just another. You were with him. He was your Abe.”
I swallow uneasily. “Yes, well, that certainly complicates all of this, doesn’t it? As if this needed more complications.”
“There is one more thing,” she says.
“Oh Lord, what now?” I say with a sigh, running my hand over my jaw.
“A man was murdered last night,” she says, and my eyes go wide. “Not just any man either and not just any murder. It was Joshua Meeks, a farmhand that I had a little…relationship with last year.”
“How did he die?” I ask cautiously.
She grimaces and runs a finger over her throat.
Head chopped off.
“Run down in his cornfield by a man on a horse,” she says. “And the worst of it is that I had told Brom last night about my time with Joshua. Right after I told him about my time with you.”
Fantastic.
Chapter 24
Kat
Crane runs a hand through his messy black hair and starts pacing back and forth in the stall like a restless horse. I know the information I just gave him is probably overloading his system, his brain working overtime to try to put all the pieces together.
“So you told Brom about your tryst with this Joshua Meeks, and then the next morning, Meeks is dead. Apparently, a victim of the headless horseman. Correct?”
I nod, tugging on the ends of my blouse. “Yes.”
“And you were with Brom when the constable was there?”
“Yes. I looked at Brom, and he seemed surprised by it all, yet he knew what I was thinking. When we rode here together—”
He stops, his eyes fierce. “Just a minute now. You rode with Brom to school?”
“Of course. He had stopped by the house to ride with me.”
“Well?” he asks, coming closer. His hair is wild now from his hands constantly tugging on it. “What did you talk about? And how could you ride with him after everything that happened last night?”
I shrug. “I didn’t want to.”
“You weren’t afraid?”
On one hand, how could I ever be afraid of Brom? I’ve known and trusted him my whole life. On the other hand, I don’t know what the last four years have done to him.
“After finding out about Meeks, I was wary,” I concede. “But I didn’t know what to say or do. And anyway, Brom knew what I was thinking. After we were on our way, he told me he didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“And you believe him?”
“I have to. It’s Brom.”
“People change, Kat. That’s when they’re the most dangerous, because you’re easily fooled.”
I throw out my arms, frustration rolling through me like thunder. “I don’t know what to believe anymore! What does this mean? Is he connected to the Hessian soldier? Is it a coincidence? Why else would Meeks be dead? Is Brom…” The lessons from this morning’s class come into my head. “Are Brom and the Hessian connected like the way you were talking about? Could there have been some blood ritual that bound them together?”
Of course, that only leads to the questions of who and why.
“Maybe,” Crane says, tapping his fingers against his chin. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s more simple than that.” He pauses, his eyes lighting up. “Maybe it’s possession.”
I nearly laugh. “You think Brom is possessed by the ghost of the headless horseman?”
“Do you have a better idea?” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.
“No,” I admit. “And no, I don’t think he’s possessed. When I was riding with Brom earlier, it was Brom.” A bewildered Brom that was adamant that he had nothing to do with Meek’s murder. It was impossible not to take him at his word. I knew he was telling the truth, and I just have to make a decision and trust that, otherwise I’ll go insane.
“You yourself said he’s been different. Violent.” The muscle in his jaw tics. “Cruel.”
“At times, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s possessed. I think he’s confused and angry and…”
“It’s not a coincidence, Kat. Those two are linked. Brom might not even realize it, or perhaps he does now. But if he truly doesn’t remember anything, then I don’t think this can be explained.” He looks away, trapped in his thoughts. “We need a way to reach him. I need to get inside his head.” He glances at me. “Is he still on campus now? I don’t know if he’s in my later classes today, but perhaps…”
“Now that he knows about us, I doubt Brom will want to talk to you again,” I tell him.
He gives me a dry smile. “So I’m not the only one with jealousy issues, then?”
“No,” I say, and I hate the little thrill that runs through me and makes my stomach do summersaults. The fact that Crane is jealous of Brom and Brom is jealous of Crane is both overwhelming and intoxicating. Both men I care about deeply, both men carrying darkness in them. The biggest difference is that one man makes me feel safe, and the other is starting to terrify me. And yet, I want them both the same.