Evidence

Lynn looked up from her notes and at the young man sitting opposite her. He had thick glasses and wore a wool sweater with a collar poking out. He was more clean cut than she had expected for someone facing a public nuisance charge.

“So, I requested the video from the prosecutor’s office. I watched it this morning. And I’ve got to say that it looks like you were on something, Gabe.”

“I was,” he responded bluntly.

“What drug?”

“It wasn’t a drug. It was a medicine.”

“As in, a prescription?”

“Well, no. It’s not prescribed. It’s a homemade concoction. A compound that I synthesize.”

She frowned. “So, what makes it a medicine rather than a drug?”

“Because it doesn’t cause hallucinations. In fact, it has no interference with sobriety at all.”

“You didn’t look very sober, wandering through the intersection, carrying on a conversation with yourself. Not to mention the flailing arms. You looked like one of those inflatable tube men that wiggle around in front of car dealerships.”

“That’s because you saw me against the backdrop of this world. It was out of context. It made no sense. If you saw what I was seeing, my actions wouldn’t look strange at all.” “What were you seeing?”

“Another here, like an astral plane or something. It’s similar, but with slight differences. So slight, that it can be hard to catch them at all. Take my brother, for instance. Here is has a mole on his left cheek. There, it’s on his right. Or, the intersection. In that dimension, it’s a park. Which is why I had no idea that I was putting my life in danger when I crossed it.”

Lynn pinched the bridge of her nose. She was badly in need of a cigarette and Gabe’s responses were only making her headache worse. “You know this is going to sound crazy to the judge.”

“Can’t we submit a sample of the drug as evidence?”

“Maybe. The better thing would be to have it tested in a lab and have the lab results entered into evidence.”

The results came back within a week: negative matches to any controlled substances. The compound was identified as a xanthine, which an internet search told her was similar to caffeine. She couldn’t find any information on its effects when consumed.

She gave Gabe a call. “We can submit the results. But, it’s going to be difficult to establish that this is the drug…err, medicine…that you were taking that day. And that it was the cause of your behavior.”

He considered her statement before responding, “what if we could have someone else try it and testify that it produces the effects? You know, seeing the parallel world and all?”

“Ok, do you have any friends that would be willing to try it and testify?”

“They’re all flakes. We can’t rely on them. How about you?”

“I’d rather not.”

“But, you’ll already be in court. And you have credibility. C’mon. You can keep whatever is left over from the retention fee.”

She scoffed.

“I’m serious!” he said.

That weekend, she sat on her couch while Gabe doled-out piles of powder on the coffee table. After weighing them, he scooped them into tiny plastic bags.

“Here, this is for later. You’ll need it to get back, so don’t lose it. And this,” he said, handing her another bag, “is for now.”

She examined the bags before tucking one in her pants pocket.

“If you want to play it safe, just stay in your house. Though I can’t guarantee your house will be your house. But, it’s likely. That way, you’ll avoid wandering through traffic, like I did. Or, worse, a shooting range or something.”

She inverted the bag over her mouth and washed it down with water. Gabe was still talking when he faded out of visibility. Lynn looked around her living room. Everything else remained the same. Same beige couch. Same fat tabby sleeping on the armchair. Same plaid curtains. She had just lit a cigarette when she heard the front door opening. She froze. Footsteps.

“Hello..?” she called. The footsteps stopped.

“Who is that?” asked a deep voice.

She knew it. But, it couldn’t be. “Berndt…?”

A man entered the room. “Lynn…?” His eyes grew large. “It’s you! But, how? You’re…dead.”

She leaped to her feet. “I’m dead? You’re dead!”

He stared in awe. “I must be losing my mind.”

“You’re not. I can explain.”

He seemed to believe her. But, Lynn wasn’t sure. What other option did he have? Apparently the other Lynn had been in a car accident. She told him that the other Berndt had suffered a stroke. But they soon realized that their memories of events before their deaths were largely the same.

“It’s been hard,” Lynn sighed. “Most days I just stay at the office until it’s time to sleep. There’s not really a point in going home to an empty house.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. I used to be that way, too.”

“Did something change?”

“Yeah, I started getting in shape. Eating healthy. I lost 30 pounds just by giving up carbs. Then I took up painting. Watercolors. Turns out I have a knack for it. That’s how I met Leslie.” He gestured towards a picture on the wall. Lynn looked. She hadn’t noticed it before. In it, a smiling Berndt put his arm around a cherubic brunette.

“Oh,” Lynn said, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I’m not bad. But, she’s amazing. Taught me a lot of what I know. We bring our paints to the cabin a lot. The scenery makes for the perfect subject, especially in the fall.”

“Cool,” Lynn said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I’ve told her all about you. I think you’d really like her. She’s a lawyer, too. But environmental. I guess you could say I’ve got a type.” He chuckled. “You know me, I’m a glutton for punishment.”

“Ho-o-o-ney!” a voice called from the foyer.

“Oh, there she is now! You should stay for dinner. You two would have so much to talk about. Just don’t swap any unflattering stories about me!”

“I really think I should be going,” Lynn dug in her pockets for the pouch. “But it was great seeing you, Berndt. Enjoy your dinner.” She tore it open and swallowed its contents.

Berndt disappeared. Gabe reappeared, trying to pull the cat down from the curtains.

“Hey! Did it work?”

“Yeah, it worked.”

“Cool. Hey, you dropped your cigarettes,” he said, handing her the pack.

“Toss those in the garbage for me, will you? I won’t be needing them anymore.”