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“Nope. That’s all one huge blank wall. The robbery, the murder, everything.” Eden sighed and shook her head. “The defense attorney heard about my accident and my memory loss and is trying to discredit my testimony. If she succeeds, I don’t know what that’ll do to the prosecution’s case, but I don’t think it’ll be anything good. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t have to, but the DA couldn’t get me out of it, so…”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Lena asked as she walked out front to turn on the neon pink open sign. “I mean, maybe we can go over the facts or something, like studying for a quiz, if you think it might jog memories. Do you have the police report?”
“Yeah. Adam got a hold of it and sent it to me. But the facts aren’t the problem.” Eden straightened from where she’d been leaning over the appointment book, her shoulders tense, and her neck stiff from stress. Her heart felt like it might slam out of her rib cage, and she took another deep breath. She could not lose it. Not now. “I know it happened at a gas station. I know I witnessed a hold-up that went wrong and that I saw the cashier get shot and killed. I believe it happened. But I don’t remember it. To me, it’s just words on a page, not a scene I can replay in my head. I tried looking up more online, like news reports and stuff, and while I get flashes from that night, I can’t place myself there within them.”
“Hmm.” Lean crossed her arms and frowned. “Maybe going back there would help? That station’s not too far from here.”
“Maybe. Dr. Srirani did say visiting familiar places could help the memories return,” Eden said, just as the bells above the front door jangled with the arrival of her first client. Then there was no time to worry about the case because work beckoned.
Kona turned out to be a big, handsome brute, and even though Eden couldn’t remember him or his owner, the dog came right to her like she was his long-lost love. She played along with the owner too, acting like everything was normal and great, and thankfully, the guy didn’t ask her about anything she couldn’t bluff her way through. By the time he left, leaving Kona with her, at tiny pit of dread had opened inside Eden’s gut, and she feared it would only grow bigger as the days went on.
At first it had been terrifying, not being able to remember things. Then it became funny, like when she rewatched a Netflix series and it was all new to her. That was kind of cool, getting to rediscover it all over again. But now, today, it was back to being terrifying again. Because now she knew how much was on the line for her if her memories didn’t come back. Perfect Paws was her pride and joy and she never wanted to do anything to jeopardize her business. If she couldn’t remember client details, like what type of scents they liked for their dog, or what specific cut they preferred, it could lead to major problems. Clients would probably be understanding if she explained about the amnesia…but what if they weren’t? What if they stopped trusting her with their pets? Her business, like many other small ones, thrived on positive word of mouth from clients. It was the personal touch they received when they came to Perfect Paws that kept them coming back over and over. But if Eden couldn’t give that to them because of the accident, then what the hell was she going to do?
And the case. Don’t forget the case. A man is dead, and his killer could just walk away with no justice served if you’re not able to testify. Talk about pressure.
Temples throbbing anew, she led Kona back to the grooming area to start his bath. Stressing about it wouldn’t make things better, but feeling helpless wasn’t an option either. She hated losing control—of anything really—and vowed to do something about it ASAP. What exactly, she wasn’t sure yet, but something.
