The Shamrock Killer

Chapter Three: And Then There Were Five

After an extremely long and awkward conversation with Mr. Robert about the effects of teamwork and discussion in literature that I had to stay late for after the bell rang, I finally had a taste of freedom. By now, the hallways were long deserted, and after school activities were well in swing.

Time to be morbid, I thought as my next stop involved flowers and then after that a funeral parlor. I really needed to get a better sense of humor as I reprimanded my intrusive thoughts, scrunching up my face and swinging my backpack onto my shoulder. 

I walked out of school as quickly and quietly as I could, longing to be in the safe haven that was my car. Once inside, I wasted no time to lay my head against the cool steering wheel. Thank goodness it was one of the cool September days in Boston. I don't think I would have been able to handle it otherwise. My forehead was still pulsing, my stomach had started revolting, and I didn't understand why. Even though most of my family had consumed alcohol the night before, except for the DD's of course, my lips hadn't touched one drop of alcohol, and yet, here we were.

I hadn't forgotten to get ibuprofen either from the school nurse. Seriously, what was wrong with me? But I had to pick up the flowers at Linda's before I climbed into my nice warm bed and fell asleep. While the sky had stopped raining, dark clouds still hung close to the earth, creating an environment that was appealing and revolting at the same time, and I wanted to get the errand done as quickly as possible.

I checked my phone before starting the car. No missed messages. No chance out. I drove to Linda's with a blistering headache, despite having received pain medication, but I took all the side roads to avoid traffic, which at the same time, cost me more time. The small shop with the hanging flowerpots looked empty as I drove closer to it, so it was easy to find a parking spot on the quiet side-street.

As I opened the flower-shop door, I stopped short, taking in the plethora of colors coming at me from all angles. Blues, purples, oranges, and reds all clambered for a piece of my vision. My vision swam for a moment before I refocused my gaze on a small, gray-haired woman who was weaving her way through the many flower arrangements towards me. Linda was like a grandmother to me. My family had been buying flowers from her shop for years, and at this point, I wasn't sure if we were her only business partners or not. Either way, I was happy to have Linda in my life.

I was momentarily blinded by her hot pink apron before I was enveloped in a hug. "Maureen, dear, how are you today? My, look at you, all so grown up!" I was immediately enveloped by her flowery perfume and relaxed my shoulders.

I smiled fondly at the older, motherly figure because everyone said that to me these days. "It's been a few months since I came for an order, so I suppose it's possible." Her thin lips widened in a smile.

"Your order, of course! I have it right here. I'll help you load the boxes into your car." She gestured to the dozen boxes holding beautiful flower arrangements that were clustered on the many counters.

Whenever my family ordered flowers, we ordered flowers. I couldn't help but widen my eyes as I lifted one box up. It wasn't heavy but was full of snow-white lilies. "Wow, these are beautiful," I said as I let my gaze run over them.

"Aren't they?" Linda murmured. "A new strain. Your Mother told me the family particularly asked for them. They footed the bill so.."

We quickly loaded the flowers into the car as the sky became considerably darker and I shivered. It was almost as if something....ominous...and evil...was gathering on the horizon and heading straight for me.

"Maureen, honey, maybe you should consider heading home instead of going to the funeral parlor tonight. I've heard the power's gone out in some places. It would be safer too," Linda pleaded with me and her motherly concern was almost enough to get me to go straight home.