She couldn’t help wondering why Cocoa had been targeted instead of George or any of the other dogs. They had several that were about to be paired with their future owners, which made them more valuable than a young pup.
The rest of her day went by without any issues. She even went across the street to a little bodega for lunch. At two thirty in the afternoon, she went to find her boss.
“I need to leave a little early today.”
“Uh?” He looked distracted, and it occurred to her that he’d made it in earlier than she had, which was highly unusual. “Oh, sure, that’s fine.”
“Thanks.” She turned to leave, then glanced back at him. “Is something bothering you?”
He looked startled but then waved a hand. “No. I mean, other than Cocoa being gone. I’ve been fielding phone calls about it all day.”
“Sorry to hear that.” She sensed there was more going on than he was telling her but let it go. She was a trainer and preferred working with the dogs rather than the business side of things. Malina hadn’t been as much of a dog lover but had enjoyed doing the books. Malina had talked about going back to school to take bookkeeping classes, but after learning about her diagnosis, she’d abandoned that dream.
Now her sister was gone.
Eva shook off the painful memories. “Bye, Wade. See you tomorrow.”
“Uh-huh.” Wade was already back at work, shuffling papers.
Heading into the sunshine, Eva decided to walk home. She’d been thrilled when Alecia had invited her to move into her new place, as the location was close to her work. It also wasn’t far from Mercy Medical Center, where Alecia and Julie worked as nurses. Her thoughts returned to Finn, and she wondered what he was doing today, then chastised herself for caring. If he had news about Cocoa or the two men who’d assaulted her, he’d tell her. No sense making up excuses to call him.
The home she shared with her roommates was a narrow two-story building. Feeling safe in the bright daylight, she went up to the front door and used her key to unlock it. Eva had dropped out of nursing school when her sister had been diagnosed, fearing she had the same genetic disorder. And she was right. She’d switched to training guide dogs and loved it. Thankfully, she had a knack with puppies and it was something she might be able to do years from now, even after losing her eyesight.
Currently, Eva had trouble seeing at night and in dim lighting and had already noticed some limitations in her peripheral vision. As the months went on, she knew the loss of peripheral vision would continue to grow more and more noticeable until she could only see straight ahead through a round circle. Eventually the circle would narrow to a pinpoint where she might only be able to see light and dark.
Her eye doctor told her there was a potential treatment that could slow the vision loss but couldn’t cure it completely. She had to go back to see him in another month to find out if she’d qualify.
“Hey, Eva, what are you doing here?” Alecia looked surprised when Eva entered the kitchen. “I thought you were staying at your brother-in-law’s for the week, taking care of your nephew?”
“I am, but I need more clothes.” She eyed Alecia’s scrubs and then glanced at her watch. “I was expecting you to be at work.”
“I’m on my way, running late as usual.” Alecia rolled her eyes and sighed. “I think my boss is getting tired of me, but we’re so short staffed she always ends up letting me off the hook.”
Eva smiled, knowing Alecia’s tardiness all too well. She and Julie had waited many times for Alecia to show when they’d made plans. “Don’t let me keep you,” she said, heading over to the stairs leading up to her second-floor bedroom. “I’ll only be here a few minutes anyway.”
“Okay, see you!” Alecia picked up her stethoscope and dashed out the door.
Eva went to her closet, pulled out a small bag and began packing a few more items, especially tops. Hopefully by the weekend, she’d get some laundry done.
A sudden crash echoed through the room, followed by a distinct thud. Her heart thumped wildly as she instinctively ducked down beside the bed. What was that? A gunshot? She pulled out her phone, intending to dial 911 when she noticed the large object sitting in the center of her hardwood floor, between the window and the bed.