What She Remembered Before Pulling the Trigger

Hands still shaking from pulling the trigger, she walks into the coffee shop and orders the usual seven lattes and a box of muffins.

"Has anyone heard from Stevenson?" she hears as she rushes into the conference room.

As she lays out the steaming drinks, fragments of last night replay in her mind. The family business has always been a hindrance to her future planned career as an attorney. There's no time to study for the bar when you're cleaning up crime scenes.

"He's still alive!" her uncle yelled the night before, just as she turned to see a Glock pointed at her head. In that moment, pleasant memories flashed through her mind, each tied to scent.

• The dusty, powdery smell of Grandma's vacuum as she cleaned the carpet while, warm aromatic bubble bath water filled the jasmine scented bathroom.

  (Orpheon - Diptyque)

• Sitting in front of the fireplace, toasting marshmallows, waiting to open Christmas gifts with her family.

  (By the Fireplace - Maison Margiela)

• Music and laughter rising from the crowd as she eats too much cotton candy and fried sweets, wandering for hours with her high school friends at the LA county fair. Shopping, rides, and freedom.

  (Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar - Kayali)

• The frequent compliments in the elevator of her first job out of college, personalized business cards in hand. "Absolutely Me", she replied when asked what perfume she's wearing. A gift from her first love, long gone but still lingering.

  (Absolutely Me - Escada)

As the dying man turned toward the sound of yelling, she reached behind her waist, pulled the gun, and fired. Trained to hit a mark on the first shot, she never meant to use her skills in real life. Evidence and everyone who knew too much, was now gone.

"I wanted blueberry, not chocolate chip!" the top-billing defense attorney snapped, tossing the bitten muffin onto the floor. Her anger settled, replaced by a newly found confidence.

Careful, she thought, you don't want to end up like Stevenson.