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“Can I help you?” The gray-haired assistant peered over her glasses at Niko, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Yes, good afternoon. I’m here to see Dean Rollins. I’m?—”

“I’m sorry, the dean is in a meeting right now. And he’s booked up for the rest of the day. You’d be advised to make an appointment,” she said dismissively as she went back to tapping the keys on her computer.

Niko gritted his teeth at the blatant dismissal and then cleared his throat. “As I was trying to say, I’m Agent Morales from the Magical Task Force, and I’m here to speak to the dean.”

That got her attention. Her fingers froze as she peered up at him. “Do you have identification?”

He pulled out his badge and his agent ID and waited.

“One moment please,” she said with a frown as she hurried into the office just beyond her desk.

Niko glanced around at the ornate office. It was filled with dark wood furniture, portraits of stuffy-looking academics, and a smattering of historical witch relics. There was an ornate candelabra on the fireplace mantle and an ancient-looking crystal ball on a pedestal near the velvet curtains that covered the windows. The rug had a large pentagram pattern, and there were dried herbs in a ceramic vase on the assistant’s desk. It was tasteful but more than a little bit predictable.

The door to the dean’s office swung open. The assistant looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon when she said, “Dean Rollins will see you now.”

He gave her a short nod and then swept past her into the musty office. It was nothing like the outer office that was dignified and tasteful. This office was full of stacked books, candle holders with candles that had been burned to stubs, and crystals everywhere. It had the look of a mad scientist who spent more time doing spells and research than someone who actually ran a college.

The one thing that wasn’t there was another person. Nor was there even a computer that he could see. Unless he’d been on a conference call on the phone, Niko didn’t see how it was possible the dean had been in a meeting.

“Agent Morales,” the dean said, steepling his fingertips together. “I hope you are here with good news.”

Niko raised one questioning eyebrow. “What news would that be, Mr. Rollins?”

“It’s Dr. Rollins,” the man said as he stood to his full height. He had to be at least six five, and he towered over Niko by a good four or five inches.

“My apologies, Doctor. If you’re asking if we’ve apprehended the one responsible for compelling Polly Smart, then I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Unfortunately, I’m still trying to determine who would have had opportunity and motive. And that’s what brings me here today.”

“We know who’s responsible,” the dean said with an air of importance. “If you were any good at your job, you’d know that, too.”

“Oh? You’ve known this entire time, have you? Maybe I should take you down to the office and question you for withholding information.” Niko was just messing with the pompous man. There wasn’t any law on the books that said he could be apprehended for withholding information. But Niko sure wished he had grounds to handcuff him and haul him down to the MTF.

The man gave him a flat look as he took his seat again. No doubt he knew that Niko was bluffing.

“Okay, so why don’t you tell me who you think is responsible?” Niko asked, even though he was sure he knew where this was going.

“Indigo Easton of course. She invented that spell. She’s the only one with the power to wield it. And if the MTF hadn’t messed up the case a decade ago, she’d be in prison today. But she’s not, and here we are with students falling prey to her depravity once again. Put her behind bars and all of this will end.”

“What makes you think Ms. Easton is involved in Polly Smart’s case?” Niko asked, doing his best to keep his unmitigated rage in check.

“I just told you, Mr. Morales,” the dean said dryly. “She created that spell. She alone has the power to wield it. Look into her actions over the past couple of weeks, and I’m certain you’ll find the evidence you need for a quick conviction.”

“Why are you so certain that no one else can do that spell?” Niko asked, curious now. The man seemed so sure of his position.

“The only other person who had the knowledge to wield that spell died. Tricia Brighton would be the only other suspect, but she’s no longer with us. It’s not rocket science, Mr. Morales. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more work to do before I leave for the evening.” He gestured to the door, making it open with just a wave of his hand.

Niko ignored the door and the not-so-subtle command. “What makes you think that no one else has figured out how to do that spell?”

The dean sucked in an irritated breath and slowly let it out before he answered. “Those types of spells are not only highly advanced, but they are also closely connected to the creator. Anyone else trying to work that particular spell would likely either be a victim of the spell backfiring, or the spell would be significantly weaker. For Polly to be so thoroughly compelled, that convinces me that Indigo Easton has emerged from wherever she has been hiding all these years. And if you don’t do something about her, this will happen again. Mark my words, Agent Morales. Witches become addicted to that sort of power. They don’t stop until they are either locked up or they flame out.”

Flaming out was the term for when witches used so much magic that it incapacitated them. That rarely happened. But when it did, it brought a horrifying amount of destruction not only to the witch but to those around them. Niko pursed his lips as he studied the dean. “So you’ve decided there’s no need to investigate?”

“It’s a waste of my time and yours, agent. But do what you have to do. Just don’t go looking for trouble where there is none, or I’ll be forced to report you to your superior for harassment.” The dean stared him down, clearly daring Niko to call his bluff.

Niko just nodded once. He’d gotten what he’d come for. He now knew exactly where the administration stood and why. But instead of making him question Indigo, he was now suspicious of not only the dean, but any and all professors who had worked with Polly or with Indigo when she’d been a student. He strode to the door, and just before he left he said, “Thank you for your time, Dean Rollins. This interview has been most insightful.”

The dean grunted and said, “I look forward to Indigo Easton’s trial.”

Niko stared at the old coot for a long moment before he shook his head slightly and left without another word.

He quickly made his way back to the truck, his gut churning with anxiety. After talking to the dean, he was second guessing his decision to leave Indigo alone on the campus. If almost the entire administration had it out for her, there was no telling what could have happened in the thirty minutes he’d been gone.

But he needn’t have worried, because he found Indigo sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, vigilantly scanning the grounds.

“What are you looking for?” he asked as he climbed back into the driver’s side.

“Not what, but who. I saw Kinsley and that woman who was compelled right outside of my shop the other day. They were riding brooms together.” She nodded toward the broom rack. “I tried to go talk to them, but they rushed off and I lost them in the crowd.”

“The woman who took off after you cured her?” he asked, astonished. “She’s a student here?”

Indigo turned to look at him, her expression troubled. “I don’t know. Kinsley acted like she didn’t know that woman the day I reversed that spell, so now I’m starting to think they are working together on something nefarious that has to do with Polly or Tricia or both. But I have no idea what it could be or why it’s coming up now. I’ve had zero involvement with any of this since the day Tricia died. And other than the fact that I’ve been… I don’t know, sort of dating you, I have zero connection to Polly other than the fact that you’ve been assigned to her case. So why are these people coming to my town and sniffing around me?”

For the moment, he ignored the fact that she’d admitted that they’d been dating and focused on her question and voiced what he’d been thinking ever since he left the dean’s office. “It feels like someone is freaked out that everyone knows about Polly’s compulsion, and they’re trying to frame you for it.”

Indigo blew out a long breath. “But how are Kinsley and that other woman involved? Do you really think Kinsley has the power to do a compulsion spell?” She didn’t see it. While the young woman had plenty of magical skills, she hadn’t felt Kinsley’s familiar magic when she’d neutralized the compulsion spell. It had to have been done by someone else.

“That’s something for me to investigate,” Niko said as he scanned the campus. His first inclination was to scour the grounds until he found Kinsley, but unless he was prepared to go room by room and drag Indigo with him, that wasn’t going to be very practical. It was better to set up a stakeout operation and wait for her to go home or to any of her other regular haunts.

“But not me?” Indigo asked, looking resigned.

“To be honest, Indigo, I think it was a mistake to bring you here today,” he said. “The dean has it out for you, and there’s no telling who else on the staff is as single-focused as he is in pinning this all on you. We need to find out who compelled Polly and that other woman as soon as possible. If not, there’s likely going to be a lot more internal pressure to pin it on you. And if Kinsley or anyone else is trying to frame you or plant evidence, things could go south quickly.”

“I didn’t want any of this,” she said, staring him in the eye. “I did this because you asked me to.”

“I know.” He hated that he’d put this on her. But he’d thought she might be able to bring some insight. And while that hadn’t happened, he had learned that no one on this campus had forgotten anything about Tricia’s death and the circumstances surrounding it. “I’m sorry for that, but thank you for being willing to help. I’ll take it from here.”

She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “So now that I’m involved, you’re cutting me out?”

“That’s not—” He shook his head. “I’m only trying to protect you.”

She closed her eyes, looking thoroughly done. Finally she said, “I know. I’m just… I thought this was all behind me and here we are again.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand and was mildly surprised when she squeezed his back. “I’ll solve this case. I promise you that.”

She nodded, and Niko put the truck in gear and drove them off the campus.

When they were almost back to Befana Bay, he said, “Everyone at the school seems to think you’re the only one with knowledge of this spell, but it seems to me that your adviser would know the details, too.”

“Professor Mitchell?” she asked, sounding a little surprised. “You think he’s the one behind all this?”

“No,” he said carefully, not wanting to jump to conclusions. “I’m just trying to rule out anybody who’d know how to wield that spell.”

“That makes sense.” She took a deep breath and seemed to think about her answer for a moment before she said, “It’s possible, I guess, but he didn’t have access to my final notes. He’d been advising us on what might be the best way to go about the spell, but he didn’t have my specifics. That’s what I was supposed to turn in at the end of the term. After everything went wrong, I locked everything up in my safe and never showed anyone ever again.”

“Do you think he could have worked out how it was done?” Niko asked.

She shrugged. “I suppose you could say that about anyone, but the thing about creating spells is that they are each unique to the witch who creates them. It’s sort of like writing a story. If you give everyone the same prompt, they’ll all go about it a different way and end up with something unique. But once it’s out in the world, it can be taught and copied. I just think that without the minute details, it would be hard to recreate.”

“But not impossible,” he reiterated, trying to get a sense of how far into the faculty he needed to investigate.

She pursed her lips. “I suppose not, but from my limited experience, I’d say it’s unlikely. The only way would be if Tricia brought the spell to him and then he used it on her.” She grimaced. “I can’t rule that out, but I will say I’d be surprised. Professor Mitchell was never anything other than a complete professional who always rambled on about ethics and how far we should push our magic. This just seems… more than a bridge too far.”

Niko nodded, letting her know he’d heard her. But in his mind, everything she’d just said had only made Professor Mitchell his number-two suspect. The dean was number one with his villain-like reaction. Mitchell was next on the list. What better way to throw off the scent of wrongdoing than acting like the jovial, ethical professor who is liked by everyone? The charismatic person who possessed an evil or greedy streak often spent their entire lives flying under the radar just because they were so well liked. Then there was Kinsley and her broom-riding sidekick. It didn’t make sense why they’d run off when Indigo tried to talk to them. He’d have to find Kinsley sooner rather than later to get a read on her, too.

“You’re going to investigate him, aren’t you?” she asked.

“I’m looking into everyone,” he said. “It’s the only way to do a thorough job.”

“I suppose that’s the most I can ask for,” she said and then turned to stare out the window as they headed back into Befana Bay.