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It was early when Niko left Indigo’s house the next morning. He’d woken just before sunrise and kissed her goodbye, promising to pick her up after work before he went back to The Purple Cauldron to interview Kingsley. In the meantime, she had to open the store and he was going to continue to research his list of people of interest.

He knew he didn’t really have much of a handle on the case. There were far too many questions and hardly any answers. That was likely why the MTF had handed him the case to begin with. He’d made a reputation for himself while dealing with cold cases. The latest was taking down Braxton’s ex for years of crimes.

A light rain fell as Niko drove along the two-lane highway back to his house. He hadn’t spent much time there over the last few days, preferring to stay with Indigo, but he had to get back to his computer and files. Something told him if he looked hard enough, he’d find a connection he’d been missing.

He came to a stop at a traffic light and suddenly felt a sense of dread. An image of Indigo sleeping flashed in his mind. She was curled up in her bed, a small, contented smile on her lips. That sweet expression was exactly the one she’d worn that morning before he’d woken her to kiss her goodbye. But then the vision shifted, and Indigo was sitting straight up in bed, her hand pressed to her barely covered chest as she screamed bloody murder.

Niko grabbed his phone and hit her number. His truck filled with the sound of the phone ringing. The noise echoed around him, making his stomach churn with bile.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

He was just about to run the red light and head back to her apartment when she finally answered in a breathless tone.

“Hello? Niko?” she said, huffing and puffing as if she’d run a marathon.

“Indigo. Are you all right?” he asked as the light turned green.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just… I had a vision, and it wasn’t a good one.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “What are you doing right now?”

“I just got out of the shower. I thought I’d go get coffee and pastries for me and Luke before I opened the store.” Her tone was cautious now. “What kind of vision? Do you get those a lot? How worried should I be?”

The fear that had seized his body eased, but he was still chilled all over. He turned his heater on and decided that he just might be losing his mind. “It was a vision of you waking from a peaceful sleep and suddenly screaming. I didn’t see anything else. And no. I never get visions. That’s why it freaked me out. It felt… very real.”

Indigo was silent for a long moment. “I believe in paying attention to visions. It’s possible that happens in the future.”

“I suppose,” he said as he turned into the driveway of his little blue house. “But it doesn’t make me feel better about leaving you today.”

“What are you going to do? Come back and hang around my shop all day?” she asked, her voice lighter with just a hint of amusement. “I’m pretty sure that won’t do much to help you solve your case.”

“No, but I’d feel better.” He killed the engine and hopped out of the truck, seriously contemplating grabbing his computer and heading back to Befana Bay.

“Me too, honestly, but I’ll be okay.” Her tone was sober now. “I’ve got the power of the Easton witches behind me. Go do your thing and get justice for Polly. I’ll be here tonight, ready to go with you to talk to Kinsley.”

“Yeah, okay. Just be careful, all right?” he said, knowing that she wasn’t a helpless wallflower. The entire reason that Indigo was being blamed for Polly’s compulsion was because she was a powerful witch. She could take care of herself. But he didn’t have to like it.

“I will. You be careful, too, Niko. Just because you’re a badass MTF agent doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you.”

He smiled at that. “You think I’m badass?”

“Don’t get a big head,” she said, and he could practically hear her roll her eyes. “Get to work. Call me if you find out anything.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He found himself smiling when he ended the call, but as much as he wanted to shake that feeling of unease when it came to Indigo’s safety, it was still there, lurking in the back of his mind.

He walked into his stale-smelling house and immediately opened the blinds and windows to let light and fresh air in. Then he went to find coffee before he settled in at his desk to go over his notes.

He stared at his list of people of interest. He’d mentally crossed out Professors Cannon and Mitchell. Neither had given him any reason to think they were involved in spelling Polly. Cannon’s only questionable action was dating an ex-con who’d been caught up in a crime against his will. That was hardly a reason to believe she was spelling students. And Mitchell, while misguided, hadn’t actually done anything illegal. Unethical? Sure. But people fell in love under inconvenient circumstances all the time. That didn’t make them criminals.

That left Dean Rollins, Paul Pitts, and Kinsley Coats on his radar. When it came to Paul Pitts, it appeared to Niko that all he wanted was revenge against Indigo. Would he have waited ten years to frame her for compelling students when she wasn’t even part of that world anymore? That seemed unlikely. Niko was convinced he was just seizing the moment after years of growing resentment.

As for Dean Rollins, Niko still needed to look into his suspicious LLC. He’d planned to go by the address that was listed on the business records the day before, but he’d gotten the call from Indigo and had abandoned that plan. Once he knew what that business entailed, he’d have a better idea if the dean was someone he needed to investigate further.

He typed Kinsley Coats into his list and let out a sigh. He just didn’t know what to make of Kinsley and her sister. Or the fact that they seemed to be good friends with Polly. Was it possible they’d figured out how to wield the compulsion spell and things had just gotten out of control, and now they were trying to cover their tracks? Is that why Kinsley had showed up at Indigo’s shop, to try to get information out of her? But as far as Niko knew, she’d never asked questions about Indigo’s ability to compel people. Though she had been there the day Indigo saved that woman outside the shop, and apparently Kinsley knew the woman since Indigo had spotted them together on campus.

He just didn’t have any answers when it came to Kinsley Coats. All he knew was that he needed to look deeper. He spent the next hour running background checks on Kinsley and Kimber Coats as well as Polly Smart. The results weren’t very informative. All he got back were hits on spotty work history and average credit reports. That wasn’t surprising. They were young college students who didn’t have long paper trails. He’d have to call Polly and see if he could get answers. Then he’d stick to his original plan of hopefully catching Kinsley at the bar that night.

After downing the rest of his coffee, Niko picked up his phone and called the number he had on file for Polly. Predictably, it went straight to voicemail. No one ever answered their phones anymore. He left a message asking if she could call back at her earliest convenience and then sent a text as well. A quick search got him her parents’ number. He’d call them next if he didn’t hear back from Polly that day.

With his leads mostly exhausted, he grabbed his keys and went back out to his truck. It was time to find out what was going on with the dean’s LLC.

Twenty minutes later, he drove by the empty lot that was listed as the address of record for the LLC. It was nothing but a grassy field with a gravel parking lot at one end and one small plastic storage shed. He parked on the street and got out to investigate. There didn’t appear to be any tire tracks or evidence that anyone had been there recently. In fact, the uneven gravel driveway was ripe with weeds and overgrown vegetation. If anyone had been there recently, it would be evident.

He glanced around, looking to see if there were any eyes or cameras around. There was nothing as far as he could see. There were a couple of cars parked at a warehouse a block down, but no one seemed to be watching anything.

Niko hurried over to the shed, and when he found it locked, he used his dagger to gain entry. It was instantly clear that the trip had been a futile one. The only things in the shed were a push mower, weed killer, and rat poison. He quickly closed and locked the shed and headed back to the campus. It was clear that if he wanted answers, the university was the only place he’d find them.

After he parked in the administration parking lot, Niko strode with purpose back to the dean’s office. But when he got there, the stuffy administrative assistant informed him that the dean had just left for lunch.

“Do you mind if I just check to make sure he’s not eating in his office?” Niko asked as he pulled out his badge. Sometimes it was enough to convince people to go along with his suggestions.

The woman behind the desk didn’t take the bait. “No, Agent Morales. That would be highly inappropriate. If you want to talk to the dean, you can make an appointment.”

He should have been expecting that response. “Fine. When’s his next available appointment?”

She tapped a few keys on her computer. “Next Friday at four. But you’ll need to be prompt. He leaves every Friday at 4:15 no matter what.”

“You want me to wait a week to talk to the dean about a high-profile case?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

She shrugged. “I can put you on a waiting list and call if he has an opening.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Niko said and headed for the door.

“Do you want this appointment for Friday?” she called. “It will get filled quickly.”

“No.” He slammed the door on his way out and headed back to his truck, ready for a stakeout.

The first thing he did was verify that the dean’s vehicle was in the parking lot. Then he moved his truck to another location that would give him an unobstructed view. Niko would wait there all day if he had to. If there was one thing he was known for at the agency, it was his patience. One way or another, he’d talk to the dean, even if it meant camping out in that parking lot for twenty-four hours.

It was good that Niko kept his truck stocked with snacks and water, because he’d been in that truck for over five hours before the dean made his appearance. He was just about to jump out of the truck to intercept when the dean pulled out a hat and stuffed it on his head.

It was the same hat he’d seen on the man who’d walked into the bar the night before. A tingling sensation shot down Niko’s spine, and he knew then that he needed to follow the dean and see where he was going. He held back, waited for the dean to pull out of his spot, and then followed from a safe distance.

The dean made a quick stop at the bank and then retraced his route as if he was headed back to campus. But just before he entered the large gates, he took a right and drove past The Purple Cauldron.

Niko was careful to keep his distance but didn’t miss when the dean parked at a house a few doors down from the bar and then backtracked on foot. He once again went to the back of the building, placed his hand in the middle of the back door, and then entered.

There was no doubt in Niko’s mind that the dean was running his LLC operation out of the back room of the bar. He just didn’t have any idea what that business might be. There was only one way to find out.

Niko put on a black hoodie, made sure he had his dagger, and then walked around to the back of the building. Only when he got there, he couldn’t find the back door. He circled the building twice, each time coming up empty.

“What in the world?” he muttered and then felt it. The faint trace of magic. Someone had obscured the back entrance so that he couldn’t find it. But why had he been able to see it from his truck? He quickly went back to his vehicle and squinted. If he tried hard enough, he thought he could see the outline of the door, but he couldn’t be sure.

Then a large man with multiple tattoos and a black ball cap appeared. He placed his hand on the wall, making the back door reappear. It didn’t automatically open like it had for the dean, but a young woman with blond hair answered it, and a moment later, a dolly of plain brown boxes was passed off to the man. The door shut, and the outline faded again.

That explained it. The outline was only visible when someone was using the door.

With his questions answered, it was time to find out exactly what the dean was selling. Niko reached under his seat, grabbed his stun gun and a magical amulet, and went to work.

Once he reached the back of the building, he held up the amulet. Immediately the outline of the door appeared. Niko didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his dagger and stabbed the door right in the middle. The entire door disintegrated, leaving him standing in the opening as he stared in at a man who was fuming with rage.

“I told you to mind your own business, Agent Morales,” the dean sneered.

Niko pointed his dagger at the dean, intending to constrain him with magical ropes, but before he could mutter the command, he was hit in the back with two lightning bolts of magic. As he fell to his knees, he managed to look back and saw the twins staring at him blankly, their arms limp at their sides.

His last thought before he passed out was they’ve been compelled .