Koepp, his nose bandaged and swollen, sat as far from her as possible. His gaze was full of promised menace, though he wisely looked away whenever Cedric turned in his direction.
Marlowe, too, was watching her, though with far less spite or sexual interest. He seemed to be uncertain what to make of her and Li privately wondered if he wasn’t still holding out hope that she would be revealed as a fraud so he could pocket more of the estate.
Myrtle and the lawyer were the only ones who didn’t seem to share a fascination with Li. They were huddled together at a large oak desk, going over papers. To Li’s eyes, Myrtle was merely going through the motions, however. The older woman smiled and looked attentive whenever the lawyer addressed her but the rest of the time, she was casting furtive glances towards the room’s two doors. Was she expecting a late arrival? Li wasn’t sure.
“How about you and I share a nightcap when all this is over?” Cedric whispered. “I brought a bottle of wine with me to celebrate… and I hate to drink alone.”
Li glanced down as Cedric patted her knee. “That’s a very nice invitation,” she said. “But aren’t you counting your chickens a little early? We haven’t even heard the will’s contents yet. Might be a surprise.”
“I think we’re done with those,” Cedric replied. “From this point forward, it’s just a matter of divvying up the loot.” He laughed at his own words. “I sound like a gangster, don’t I?”
Before Li could answer, she heard a series of heavy footsteps out in the hall. She craned her neck to look at the door, beside which Koepp was sitting. He heard the noises, too, because he stood up, lest the door hit him when it swung open.
The footsteps came to a stop just outside the room and for a moment, everyone suddenly became tense. A steady drip of water could be heard and then a small puddle began to flow beneath the door.
Cedric broke the silence, looking towards Myrtle. “So you were expecting someone!”
Myrtle smiled, covering her lips with a pair of bony fingers. “You’re very wise, aren’t you, my dear? Not quite wise enough, though!”
“I’ve had enough of this!” Koepp declared. “I don’t know what game you’re playing but it’s time for the will to be read, by god!” Koepp reached out and yanked open the door, revealing a nightmarish figure.
Dressed in battered, mud-stained clothing, it was The Hessian, given hellish new life. There was no head upon his shoulders, just an awful emptiness from which a terrible stench arose. He held a sword in his gloved right hand and his left was clenched into a fist.
Before Koepp could move, The Headless Horseman had swung his blade, driving it through his victim’s body with such force that Koepp’s feet left the floor. The Horseman tossed the twitching corpse aside without a care and advanced into the room. He raised his sword with both hands and sliced downward, catching Marlowe in the meat of his shoulder. Yanking the blade free, the undead killer then finished off his foe with a stab to the throat.
Li was on her feet now, Cedrick’s hands protectively wrapped around her arm. He was tugging her towards the second of the room’s doors — the one that led to Gravedigger’s death trap. Allowing herself to be pulled with him, Li asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
“If you mean it’s something out of a spook story, then yes!” Cedric found his way barred by Myrtle, who seemed strangely unafraid considering the circumstances.
“Get out of the way, you old bat!” Cedric shouted, trying to push past Myrtle. To his surprise, she resisted with tremendous strength.
“Now, now,” she cooed. “You don’t want to leave before all the fun is to be had! You have to get your just desserts, after all!”
Li pulled away from Cedric as something warm and wet splattered across the back of her dress. She turned and saw that the lawyer was dead, The Horseman having hacked him to pieces. The headless foeman was now turning towards her and Cedric.
While Cedric grappled with the surprisingly strong Myrtle, Li looked around and snatched up a letter opener that had been knocked off the desk. She brandished it like a knife, stabbing at the air in hopes that it would warn away the Horseman.
The Horseman batted away Li’s hand with the side of his blade, causing her to cry out in pain. He then snatched her up by the throat, lifting her high into the air. The young Asian American struggled, kicking and scratching, but to no avail. Just before she blacked out, she saw Cedric slam his shoulder into the Horseman’s side, causing Li to slip from the killer’s grasp. She landed in a heap, grateful once again for Cedric’s assistance.
The Headless Horseman slashed at Cedric, his sword nipping the handsome man’s face. A jagged cut bled down the side of Cedric’s cheek. He wiped at it with the back of his hand and then drove a fist against the Horseman’s midsection. The blow, which looked to Li like it would have rocked a prizefighter, appeared to have zero impact on the ghostly Hessian.
Myrtle was cackling now, her form shifting between male and female. Li looked over at her and saw her clapping her hands above her head. “Kill them all! Kill them all!” she chanted, madness gleaming in her eyes.
And then salvation came, wearing a mask and bearing a blade.
The door that Myrtle had been blocking opened suddenly, revealing Gravedigger. Charity didn’t hesitate, driving the point of her sword straight through Myrtle’s chest. The point of the blade protruded out, pushing a large chunk of the old woman’s heart with it.
As Myrtle hit the floor, a look of stunned amazement on her aged face, Gravedigger stepped over her body and taunted the Horseman. “Headless! Why don’t you face someone more your speed?”
The Horseman turned from Cedric, allowing the businessman the opportunity to snatch up Li and carry her from the room. Charity was grateful for the man’s quick thinking — she didn’t want to worry about her friend while battling this monster.
To her surprise, a deep voice rumbled forth from The Horseman. He spoke with a thick German accent and his tone was cruel. “You have slain the wizard who awakened me.”
Gravedigger crouched in a battle stance, holding her sword above her head. “Does this mean you’re going to drop your weapon and thank me?”
“Thank you?” the Hessian whispered. “Yes, for that, I will give thanks. You have freed me.”
Remembering what Myrtle/Maxwell had said about the Horseman being unleashed without anyone to control him, Charity felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. Facing a talking swordsman who was bereft of a head was strange enough but the quality of his voice was even more unnerving — it was a dark sound, full of hate and fury.
With astonishing speed, the Horseman sprang towards her, his weapon slicing through the air. Gravedigger caught his blow with her own blade and the two of them remained fixed for a moment, each pushing back with all their strength.
Gravedigger broke the tie by spinning away from her foe, allowing his momentum to carry him forward. Now behind him, Gravedigger stabbed her sword into his spine, giving an extra twist with her wrists.
The Horseman, apparently immune to pain, twisted and caught her on the side of the jaw with a gloved fist. The impact was enough to stun Charity and she staggered away in confusion. She was only dimly aware that he was advancing upon her once more but her instincts were such that she raised her hand and fired her mini-crossbow without even realizing it. The bolt caught his wrist as he began to raise it, pinning his limb against the wall.
As her foe yanked his wrist free, leaving behind a trail of gristle, Gravedigger shook her head in hopes of clearing it. She tossed aside her sword, choosing to instead draw two smaller knives. With a cry of rage, she threw herself at the Horseman, wrapping her legs around his torso. She raised both hands high and began slamming them down repeatedly into the Horseman’s shoulders. Black, oil-like fluid oozed from the wounds and the Horseman staggered under the assault, though he did not cry out as a normal man would.