Determination wasn’t something she lacked, and finishing what she’d started was important to her. She’d give it one more try, and if that didn’t work, then she’d resort to magic. She dreaded using her powers. Even if the spell was simple, something a novice witch could invoke by the time they were a teenager, her abilities usually backfired and got her into trouble.

Leaning forward once more, she twisted the picks in a different direction, and heard the tumbler inside the lock click. Finally.

Alex blew out a relieved breath, packed up the set, and opened the door. Once inside, she pulled out her cell phone, and called her best friend and roommate, Paige, who was waiting outside, acting as a lookout.

Alex kept her voice low, barely above a whisper and spoke before Paige had a chance to answer. “I made it into the office.”

“That’s great, but I still think this is a terrible idea.” Paige muttered her annoyance with a nervous quiver. She might have agreed to help, but she’d been against the plan from the beginning. “You know your uncle is going to kill us when he finds out what you’re up to, right?”

“Drake isn’t going to find out because I don’t plan on getting caught.” Alex took a seat at the desk and started the computer. Once the screen lit up, she pulled a miniature drive out of her jacket pocket and inserted it into the USB port.

“You say that now, but he’s a good detective and isn’t going to be happy when he finds out you hacked the dean’s computer to access the coven’s database.”

“Hacking sounds so harsh. I prefer borrowing.” Of course, the borrowing was without permission, but Alex decided to omit that part. “He’s not going to find out.” The words came out a little louder than she’d intended.

Paige was right about one thing. Drake St. Claire was a powerful witch and a damned good detective. The Wicks Hollow coven had recently hired his company, St. Claire Investigations, to find three witches who’d disappeared from campus—the main reason Alex wanted to use the dean’s database.

The database had direct access to the coven’s records. Records with information that might help her solve the case. And prove to Drake she had the skills to be a private investigator, not just his low-level admin person who answered the phones, ran errands, and filed paperwork.

“He always finds out.” Paige had a tendency to ramble and repeat herself whenever she was anxious. “He’ll know I knew and ask me why I didn’t stop you; therefore, my death is imminent.”

Alex frowned and shook her head. She had no idea why her friend was talking about death. Sure, her uncle could be scary, but he didn’t kill people. At least nobody she was aware of. “I think you’re overreacting.”

“I’m not overreacting. Remember prom night?”

“Paige, that was eight years ago, and we’re still alive. Besides, I’m sure Drake’s forgotten all about what happened to his car.”

“Yeah, then explain why he pulls out his handcuffs every time I see him.”

Alex snorted. “He does not.” She pressed the speaker icon, set the phone on the desk, and began typing on the computer keyboard.

“Wait, a minute. Don’t the campus computers have password protection? Please tell me you’re not using magic to access the computer.”

Paige’s you-better-not-be-doing-something-stupid expression manifested in Alex’s mind, and she winced. “No. I’m not using magic.”

“Sorry. You know what I mean.”

Alex understood her friend’s concern. She had to be the only witch in the entire city of Wicks Hollow who couldn’t control her magic, and Paige had been around to witness her failed attempts on more than one occasion.

The first time she’d worked a spell was over fifteen years ago. She’d been thirteen at the time and set the bedroom curtains on fire. After that, she’d practiced for years, and the only spell she could manage with any amount of accuracy was lighting candles without a match.

Alex hated being reminded about her magically challenged abilities or their disqualifying effect on obtaining membership in the local coven. It didn’t matter if she was born a full-blooded witch, the high council elders refused to accept anyone into their community if they couldn’t control their powers. “I do. That’s why I borrowed one of Chance’s hacking devices.”

“You told Chance what you were doing? And he agreed to help?”

“Uh, not really.” If she’d told her uncle’s supernatural expert what she’d planned to do, he would have blackmailed her into letting him come along.

Paige groaned. “That’s just great. What happens when he discovers the device is missing?”

Alex cringed. She hadn’t asked Aidan for permission to use the pick set either. She refused to worry about what her uncle’s employees would do to her if they found out. She’d have to make sure they didn’t.

“Alex, I still think you should get out of there.”

She typed another command, and the device bypassed the computer’s security. “Too late. I’m in. Give me a couple more minutes.” She disconnected the call in the middle of Paige’s grumbled protest.

It didn’t take Alex long to run a search and find the files with the profiles for the missing women. She replaced Chance’s device with another flash drive, then typed the commands to copy the files. Curious to see what else the dean had stored on his computer, she skimmed through the rest of his files while the data saved to the drive. She noticed a file labeled Maine Magical Arts Museum-Stolen.

The coven’s museum sat on the property next to the campus and housed an extensive collection of artifacts, some pieces relating to witchcraft and dating back centuries. A month ago, the museum had a break-in, and she remembered Drake telling her the main display, which was left untouched, was worth a lot of money. At the time, Alex thought it was strange the thieves only stole a few invaluable pieces. The local police thought the theft was a sorority prank or committed by local vandals.

Intrigued by what might be in the file, yet running out of time, she saved a copy to her drive. After the files downloaded, she turned off the computer and grabbed the drive. Luckily, when she peeked into the hallway, it was still empty. She slipped out of the office, locked the door, and headed out of the building. Once outside, Alex turned the corner of the building and found her friend where she’d left her, hiding behind some bushes.

Paige rocked back and forth on her feet and hugged her jacket tight against her chest to keep out the chill in the evening air. As soon as she saw Alex, she blew out a relieved sigh. “Did you get the information?” She stepped away from the building, the light from an overhead lamppost adding a glow to her blonde hair.

Alex grinned and tapped her backpack. “Got it. I told you this would be easy.”

“Great, all-wise and knowing super sleuth. Now, tell me how long it will take you to make it across campus?”