Ginny's Future

Ginny’s Future

The phone rang and it seemed so loud, she thought her head would fall off. 

“Yes, yes, I’m coming; wait a minute.”

Stumbling out of bed, she reached for the phone, but it was a herculean effort just to manage the few steps it took to pick it up. It was 6 am.

“Ginny, is that you? Answer me, Ginny.”

“Yes, I’m here.” she mumbled. “Who is this and why are you screaming? What do you want at this hour?”

“It’s Liz, Ginny, and you’ve got to get out of there right now. The police are on their way. They found Richard’s body. They’re coming for you. Get the hell out of there right now.”

“Who is this, and who is it they found?” 

“They’ve found Richard, and they think you killed him. You’ve got to get out of there quick. Meet me at the diner as soon as you can. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Go, Now.”

“Ok.”

She knew. Somehow, she knew what Liz was going to say. She could see everything that would be said and done in the future, but nothing that happened before this phone call. The past was a blank. What the hell was happening? She didn’t know what to do next. The only thing she was sure of was that this girl named Liz was right. The police were on their way. Somehow, she knew that too. Self preservation kicked in. She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and was out of the house in nanoseconds, but where was she supposed to go? What diner, and where was it? She didn’t remember a diner. She hoped and prayed that Liz’s number would light up on her phone and sure enough, it did.

“What diner, Liz? I don’t know where to go. I can’t remember.”

“To Takis, you fool. Where else? What do ya mean, you don’t remember?”

“I cannot remember anything. Where is it? Where is this diner?”

“Ginny, did you get hit in the head or something? It’s Takis. We’ve been going there for years. It’s on 62^nd and Vine. Grab a cab quickly and I’ll meet you there.”

She did so and was there in fifteen minutes.

“What’s going on? What’s happened to me and who is Richard? I don’t seem to remember anything about myself or anyone else.”

“Well, we were all going to Sanders Beach for the weekend. You’re the one who planned it. There was no need to take two cars, so I agreed to pick up Richard. He left the door unlocked, so I walked in, and that’s when I found him lying there on the floor. I was the one who called 911. You never showed up at the beach, Ginny, and your number was the last call Richard made, so you’re now the main person of interest. Where have you been all night?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do ya mean, you don’t know?”

“I can’t remember anything before your phone call this morning.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Is this your idea of a joke?” 

“No. Heck no. I wish it was just a joke. I know my name is Ginny Shelton; I know from the mailbox that I live on east 56^th street. Who you are, and where our favorite diner is, means nothing to me. What is happening to me? I can’t seem to remember anything at all, much less why the police are looking for me. Who is this Richard?”

“Ok, calm down. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this. Did you fall and hit your head or something? I’ve heard of this happening after a head injury.”

“No, not that I remember. I woke up when the phone rang. I felt real dizzy and off balance, and I have a horrible headache, but that’s all.”

“OK, let’s start at the beginning. Your name is Ginny Shelton and you’re a lawyer. You are thirty-two years old and you are, or rather were, engaged to Richard Gardener, also a lawyer. You were born in New Hampshire and moved to New York after you passed the bar. That was six years ago. Any of that sound familiar?”

“No, none of it. What’s wrong with me?”

“I don‘t know, but right now, I think we should get you to a doctor. We’ll go to the emergency room. Did you bring a hand bag?”

“Yeah, there was a purse on the sofa so I grabbed it.”

“Good. You should have any pertinent info we’ll need in there. Come on, let’s get outta here. We’ll grab a cab.”

“Saint Joseph’s Hospital, on the double.”

In the doctor’s office

“So you have no memory of the past Ms. Shelton? You don’t remember hurting yourself or anyone else hurting you?”

“No, nothing at all till the phone rang earlier this morning. How can this be, what’s wrong with me?”

“Well, there could be many explanations for this, but rather than guess, I’m going to order some tests to see what we can rule out and maybe shed some light on what did happen to you. I’m going to admit you till we get the test results. You don’t appear to have any cuts or bruises. Do you know if you ingested a drug of any kind?”

“Well, my first impression is to say no, but I just don’t know. Please help me! It’s like I was just born this morning.”

“We’ll get to the bottom this. Please try to relax. I’ll know more when I get the test results.” 

Later on in Ginny’s room

“Liz, tell me about the police and why they’re looking for me. Why do they think I had anything to do with this man’s death?”

“This man, Ginny, was your fiancé, not just some man, and they want to talk to you cause you may have been the last person to see Richard alive.”

“But I have no memory of him and they don’t know I’m here or what’s happened to me. What should I do?”

“Well, first things first. Let’s find out what’s wrong with you before we do anything else ok?”

“Yeah, but don’t you have to be somewhere? I mean, don’t you have a job? Although, I’m sure glad you’re here. I have no one else right now. Thanks so very much for all your help. Without you, well, I don’t dare to think about it.”

“No worries. Yes, I do have a job. I’m a reporter at the Centinel, and I called in, so there’s no problem. Let’s just worry about you for now.”

The next morning in Ginny’s room

“Well, Ginny”, said Dr. Stanley. “Given the thorough exam and all the tests we ran, there are no broken bones or any other severe injuries that would have caused this situation. The toxicology results, however, show a very different picture. It appears you have ingested a drug called scopolamine. It’s sometimes called ‘Devil’s Breath’. Are you familiar with it?”

“No, what does it do? Is that why I can’t remember anything?”

“Well, for the most part, it’s used to relieve nausea and vomiting. Have you been nauseous or vomiting at all this morning?”

“No, not at all, just very disoriented and dizzy, like I told you.”

“Another side effect of the drug is that if it’s taken in a large enough dosage, it has been found to relieve a person’s inhibitions as well. I mean, it can be given to someone to make that person do whatever another person wants them to do, and that person would be helpless and forced to comply. Do you understand?”

“I don’t know. Do you think that’s what happened to me? Is that what’s causing the memory loss?”

“Well, yes. There was a trace of it in your system, and yes, it does cause memory loss. Many people have experienced hours of lost time and have no memory of prior events. However, the thing about scopolamine is that it doesn’t stay in the blood stream very long, so you would have ingested it sometime within the last twenty-four hours. Where were you last night, and do you know what you ate and drank? It could have been slipped into your drink, for example.”

“I have no clue. Who would do that to me?”

“Perhaps your friend here can shed some light on your whereabouts last night.”

“Well, we were all supposed to meet at a friend’s house and Ginny, here, never showed up. That’s not like her. She’s usually so reliable. We couldn’t get a hold of her at all until I reached her at her apartment this morning, and you know the rest.”

“Well, Ginny, I’d like to call in a few specialists.”

“What can they do that you haven’t done?”

“As I said, the effects of scopolamine do not last that long and although people have lost time and memory for a few hours, permanent memory loss is almost unheard of, however, it has been known to happen. If given enough of it, I mean, a very large amount of it, records show, in some cases, it can eradicate all memory function.”

“You mean I’ll never regain my memory?”

“Frankly, Ginny, we just don’t know that much about the long-term memory loss. That’s why I’m going to put you in touch with specialists in the field. Someone from my office will be in touch.”

“Thank you doctor.”

After Dr. Stanley leaves

“So Liz, what do we do now?”

“For now, let’s head back to my place and figure out what we’re gonna do.”

Later on at Liz’s apartment

“We can’t keep putting this off Liz. I’ve got to call the police. Once they know about the scopolamine, and how maybe I was drugged, it could provide mitigating circumstances that would help my situation.”

“Look at you girl, with all that lawyer talk. I just don’t know if that’s the wise thing to do right now Ginny.” 

“Look, it’s only a matter of time before they figure out where I am. I think I should give myself up and talk to the police. Who knows, they may have info that will help me outta this mess. Someone must know what happened to me!”

While the girls were waiting for the police to arrive, the TV was on – some silly reality show. Half numb and half listening, Ginny sees two people, supposedly meant for each other, announce their engagement.

“He can’t marry her.”

“What? What do ya mean, he can’t marry her. Who can’t? What are you talking about?”

“This couple on TV. He can’t marry that girl; he’s already married.”

“How in the world would you know that?”

“It’s going to be announced on one of those talk shows tonight.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t know how; I just do. Maybe I heard it or read it in the hospital waiting room.”

“No, you would not have; this is live TV. You’re just mixing them up with two other people. There’s the buzzer, it’s the police.”

At the police station

“Ok, Ms. Shelton, we got your story, but you must admit; it’s a pretty convenient memory loss.”

“It is what it is, captain. I can’t tell you anymore, cause I don ‘t know anymore.”

“Your fingerprints are on the gun that killed your fiancé, his neighbor heard you two arguing earlier that evening, the gun is registered in your name, and you can’t account for your whereabouts at the time of the murder. Ms. Shelton, you’re under arrest for the murder of Richard Gardener.”

Later on in the holding cell

“Well, at least you got a good attorney – right outta your own law firm. How could they think you could do such a thing?” asked Liz.

“They not only think so, Liz, they’re gonna convict and send me to jail.”

“You don’t know that, you’re just……..”

“Yes, I do know Liz. The jury will deliberate for three weeks before they find me guilty, and will request Life Without Parole.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“It will be announced on the news all over the country. There will be media frenzy, and one of those jurors will die in a horrible motorcycle accident the day after the trial ends.”

“How can you possibly know all these things?”

“And you, Liz, will announce your engagement to one of the lawyers at Bronson & Bronson at a dinner party in your mom’s house tomorrow night.”

“How do you ………..we just planned that at lunch today. Who told you that, Ginny? My cell phone - you played with my cell, right?

“Liz, whatever happened to me that night at Richard’s and robbed me of my past, imparted in me the ability to see the future. I don’t know how or why. At first, I made excuses, and then it couldn’t be denied. There was no explaining it. I can see the future.” 

“What happens? Do you just zero in on someone or something and turn it on?”

“It doesn’t work like that. I don’t turn anything on. It comes like a news flash on the TV. It’s just there, spread out in my mind, for me to see and no one else.”

“Ok Ms. we gotta get you through central booking. Tell your friend here she can visit you at Rikers,” said the officer in charge.

“The bus to Rikers will be delayed officer. It’ll be caught up in a crash coming back off of I-95.”

“What’ya mean, it’ll be caught up in a crash? What’ya got - a crystal ball, or something? This one’s nuts, fellas.” 

Sure enough the bus from Rikers was delayed two hours due to a crash off of I-95. Liz was at the scene, and there to report the crash, as she had the inside scoop, and had now come to believe everything that Ginny said.

“I’ve learned one thing Liz. If you tell someone that you know something bad is going to happen, they either believe you can see into the future, or they think you’re part of the crime.”

The trial only lasted two weeks. Ginny was right. The jury did in fact deliberate for three weeks and found her guilty of first degree manslaughter, recommending ‘Life Without Parole’, and as Ginny had predicted, juror number 11 was killed in a horrible motorcycle accident the day after the verdict was read. Liz’s fiancé, Jeff, was part of Ginny’s legal team and apologized for not doing a better job at defending her. When he and Liz came to visit Ginny at Rikers, they told her about their upcoming nuptials. As they were leaving, Jeff let it slip that Liz had always been infatuated with Richard Gardener and how fortunate he felt that she now chose him.

“Did she tell you that? said Ginny.

“Well, yeah, a long time ago, why?”

“Oh nothing; I just didn’t know that.”

Later that night Jeff got word that Ginny wanted to see him as soon as possible.

The next day

“What’s up, Ginny. I got the feeling it was urgent.”

“Jeff, I need you to pay attention to your fiancé tonight.” 

“What do ya mean? I always pay attention. Did she say that I don’t?”

“No no, nothing like that. I can see things, Jeff, things that haven’t happened yet. I know how this must sound, but I now know who killed Richard Gardener.”

“What do you know? What in the world are you talking about, and what’s it got to do with Liz?”

“Liz knows something, Jeff, and she will tell you tonight.”

 “What will she tell me? Will my incredibly talented future wife tell me she has cracked the case wide open, found the real killer, and will now win the Pulitzer Prize for her efforts?”

“Don’t make jokes, Jeff, just keep your ears wide open and pay attention.”

“Ok, Ginny. I’ll be serious, and I’ll pay attention. Now get some sleep. We’ll be by to see you on Saturday.” Boy she’s really flipped her lid this time.

Later that evening

“I went to see Ginny today and you know, I think it’s finally getting to her,” said Jeff.

“What do you mean?, asked Liz.

“She’s talking crazy and thinks she can see the future.”

“Well, maybe she can, Jeff. What did she say?”

“Oh, never mind, it’s just gibberish. How could anyone think this poor girl was a murderess, is beyond me.”

 “I don’t know either. The coroner said the time of death was around seven. She wasn’t even there at seven.”   

“What do ya mean?”

“I mean, she wasn’t there.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“I don’t know. I musta read it or somebody told me – the neighbor maybe. I don’t remember. I’m sure it came up at the trial.”

“No, it didn’t. The neighbor said he saw Ginny go into Richard’s apartment around seven. So how do YOU know she wasn’t there?”

“I, I…………I don ‘t remember where I heard it, Jeff. Why are you so upset?”

“You could only have known that, Liz, if you were there. Were you there that night?” Oh my God, Ginny was right. Did you see who killed Richard, and if you did, why didn’t you come forward???

The next day

Yes folks, you guessed it; it was Liz all along. She killed Richard Gardener. She had been in love with him for years, fought with him earlier that evening (that’s the argument the neighbor heard) over his impending marriage to Ginny and killed him in a fit of rage. She then met Ginny at her place, put the scopolamine in her drink; made sure that she handled the gun and carried her helplessly back to her bed, all in an effort to frame her, then went back to Richard’s apartment so she would be the one to find the body.

 Ginny Shelton watched on TV the very thing she had predicted days before - Liz’s confession of second degree murder.