Eric reached into the back seat for a bouquet of pale orange flowers that he'd purchased earlier that morning. They were called Juliet Roses, and they were wrapped in vintage brown paper that had been imported from England.

Eric watched Crystal cross the street, and he was about to get out of the car when he saw a van drive up alongside her from the corner of his eye. What the hell is going on here? - he wondered. The van stopped, and for a moment, his view of Crystal was obscured, and ...