Chapter Three

"Sweetie, I'm wholeheartedly sorry for your loss, please accept my heart felt sympathy. Meanwhile, you just have to take it easy before you hurt yourself the more". Gwen told her friend, Freya. After listening to her ordeal and began to pat her gently on the shoulder. Then a little while later, she took her into her warm embrace, hugging Freya very tightly just to continue with the consolation for the departed souls. She continued. "Hold on a second Freya, are you kinda implying that after all this happened Bob Joker still had the effrontery to frame you, even with all this evidence to prove your innocence? My goodness! What is this world turning into?" she asked rhetorically.

"Absolutely Gwen. Actually he even went as far as declaring me wanted to the neighborhood, and with a cash ransom for anyone that can bring me to him dead or alive just to make it worse." Freya exhaled heavily. Then she continued talking after a brief pause trying to get something out from her jeans pocket. "Here, take a look at this poster with my photograph, my first and last name boldly printed on it too. I mean, all of them have my personal details, Gwen". she added.

"Incredible!" she exclaimed in a suppressed rancour, while she stared at the poster even more harder.

"Yeah Gwen, that's what I'm talking about. Bob is after my life because of a crime I didn't commit."

"Don't be ridiculous Freya. This is really serious and someone has to do something about it before its too late."

Freya stood up spontaneously with her arms folded up pacing back and forth towards the TV set, as it seems she was obviously looking very tired and devastated at the moment. Meanwhile, just as she was still staring at Gwen holding the poster on the sofa, more tears of anxiety welled up in her eyes. Quickly Gwen hurried down to embrace her a second time, as Freya continued to soak up her blouse with her tears.

"It's okay sweetie. Just lie down before you hurt yourself the more. Perhaps we can think of a way out of this whole nightmare and get you back to the place where you belong." Gwen resolved.

"Gwen, but how long will I continue with this pathetic life; running about like a rogue as if I am the real murderer of Barney and my dad. Isn't it weird?" she cried.

"Of course, I totally understand how annoying this is, but you just have to calm down please".

"No, no, Gwen you don't seem to understand, this whole thing is beginning to cause... " Freya tried to reply back but was rudely interrupted by a masculine voice from the room adjacent to the visitor's bedroom. It was Frank, Gwen's fiance who had come to visit from the country side.

"Yeah, I also saw some of these posters early on out there when I went shopping for us. So bad he has framed you up and the posters are everywhere around town ladies. And it's hard to believe that you didn't commit the murder". Frank said sternly.

"Just listen to that Gwen. You see, that's what I'm talking about this whole time. Bob had sold me out after framing his own crime on me". Freya explained abruptly.

"Stop talking like that girl, relax. I've always told you that nothing is gonna happen to you. Com'on sweetie, you gonna be just fine. Maybe we can even harbour you here until the storm is over". Gwen added.

"Don't be ridiculous honey. You and I literally know who Bob is and what he's capable of doing. I mean, we gonna get ourselves implicated if we should decide to keep Freya with us".

"No, Frank you don't have to talk about this right in front of her. For goodness sake, Freya is part of our family and certainly not a stranger at all. . Common Frank, we've got to be there for her as a matter of fact. Freya needs us right now more than you can ever imagine." Gwen explained, dismissing Frank angrily then walked up to meet him immediately and take his hands in hers; she stared into his eyes pensively and continued talking. "Frank, please listen to me, if you truly love me and take me as your fiancee, I don't think you'll refuse all the ideas and suggestions I've been saying to her ever since. Perhaps, she is absolutely helpless and homeless and right now we're Freya's last hope precisely."

Frank heaved a sigh but certainly not of relief or depression either. He spontaneously shifted his gaze from Gwen to Freya, who was still standing dumbfounded with her arms folded up below her breasts region. She was barely listening to all their conversations as it seems like he'd already got her pissed off. But she raised an eyebrow as though all is good and fine with her then looked away, before she closed her eyes just to allow tears roll down freely.

"Well, I've got nothing to say right now but we'll definitely see what's gonna happen next." he said, then took off his hands from Gwen's grip and continued. "Alright, see y'all later, I guess we're done with this conversation." he added, then kissed Gwen on the forehead and walked out of the living room immediately.

A few minutes later, Gwen turned around to face Freya who was still sobbing softly. Her mouth was already half way opened to probably say a word or two before she abruptly gestured a sign to her. They stared at each other again for a while but without talking before she left hurriedly into the kitchen. Freya felt lonely for a brief moment as she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. But when at last she looked through the window, the first thing that caught up her attention, beyond the fringe of vegetations on the valley, was the green mountain peaks, distant once again, with clouds hovering about it's serrated top. It's miracles are magical like some mysterious spell in the absence of sunset. Freya once more did her best to summon up a little bit of enthusiasm as she quietly admired the awesomeness of the ever amazing nature with its stunning beauty. However, she couldn't help herself just to let out the lingering beam in her tender heart.

Now all that beautiful smile and thought of sweet memories in a lonely cold winter soon dwindled away softly, over the next few days as nothing much seemed to happen. Yet still trouble by the powers of those tragic memories of the death of her best friend and dad. Freya now became fixated on the window and could barely walk around the new neighborhood. Unable to cope with her fears and with the coldness that was rapidly spreading inside her fragile body like a living creature, Freya withdrew into her imaginary self shell. Several times she would feel lost in the blue as though she had no knowledge of how to find her way back home from here. She was rarely far from a radio or TV this time, because she hope to find out new update about the recent developments of the murderer, Bob Joker. Who had made her become a fugitive.

Occasionally she wandered around the city streets in her car, scarcely noticing the cold and snowflakes falling down; driving the citizens out of the street into their various domiciles. Apparently, Freya has always been ignoring the calls from her office and from some other colleagues and friends, not knowing what to say after the scenario caught up with her resistance for weeks now.

After forcing herself to eat at least some good portion of the dinner that was prepared by Gwen on one fateful Saturday evening, Freya went back into the visitor's bedroom in the spacious bungalow apartment and lay down quietly on her bed ruminating over the past experience. She thought of staying awake for at least half the night just as her instincts had signaled early on, instead she was swept away with the gentle coldness of the winter breeze and falling into deep sleep almost immediately. But before then, Freya had always made sure that her phone is always safe though it was let with little battery life.

Although Frank had been very mean to her for the past few weeks they've been together and there was no doubt about it that he weren't pleased with Freya living with them. Gwen on the other hand, though she is very nice and appears to be very easy in the eyes, yet her attitude towards her recent time had drastically changed from being nice into nasty, and with a lot of puzzles which seems to piss off Freya. Freya could barely tell whether or not if she was compromising with Frank these days.

Consequently, while Freya sprawled across the bed under the thickness of the duvet cover sleeping, she heard people talking on a low key that is not so far from an ear shot; and the voices were conversing right in front of the visitor's room just by the entrance. She presumed it could be Frank and Gwen probably trying to resolve some differences between themselves, so she didn't bother to check it out or perhaps stand up to listen more. The looming danger soon crack her nut head up when a thick and horrible masculine voice suddenly charged and said, "Where is the girl with the tape belonging to Bob Joker?" the unknown voice questioned impatiently.

Suddenly the wooden door to the visitor's room where she laid was forced open to her utmost perplexity, she sat up abruptly on the edge of the bed frame shaking in fear as everything seems to be happening so fast in a blur. Freya quickly tucked in the phone inside her under pant in the blue jean trouser that she was wearing.

"This isn't a dream." she muttered to herself.

She backed into a corner, trying desperately to see in the darkness because of the power outage inside the room. It took Freya a few seconds to realize that Frank and Gwen were among the four people that barged into the room. The door closed behind them with a barely audible click. She shaded her face with her hands from the ray of torchlight now pointing at her face at where she stood motionless trying to observe very closely. But all her eyes could capture yet in a blur were just four strange humans surrounding her, and it appeared none at all times was even talking about anything, perhaps they must have probably finish with every discussion about her she guessed. Freya supposed they may be hooligans from the trenches around the neighborhood who had come over for some breaking and entering. But at the same time her little worried mind drifted off to wonder about Frank and Gwen almost immediately, even though she heard their voices earlier on still there was no sign of their existence around the house.

Until one of the men shone a torchlight now pointing at her face to closely examine Freya in contrast with the identity on the poster that he was holding. His hair was longer and it didn't curl up at the ends, and that led her to notice other differences as well. Freya could sense something else beyond just intruders now. Also she could vividly distinguish him from Frank; he wasn't quite so tall and he seemed to be thicker through the middle as well unlike the Frank she knew. Confused the more as it may, Freya stood silently in the corner and watched what happens next as the men examined her body then pulled her into the middle, like someone yanking a piece of broken thorn from an ox tail.

Freya remained motionless in the center of the bedroom for a few seconds, because she could still sense that her eyes were dazzled as if someone laced a drink for her unknowingly. Now she can apparently guess that Frank was also in their midst; but he weren't saying anything and then the fourth person she could barely figure it out that it's a woman as her eyes were already getting used to the darkness.

At a point in time she felt something; a deep sort of humming that seemed to be at the limits of her hearing, but could be felt in her body. Freya could actually tell that there was no means of escape this time that would not be detrimental to her life, hence she ought to play cool otherwise get hurt. Again at where she stood motionless having herself scrutinized by the hands of a stranger moving all over her body. His fingers were already trekking between Freya's thighs up wards and she could feel them getting so close to her vagina when he stopped abruptly. Then she heaved a sigh of relief amidst fear again.

"Where is the tape, young lady?" he asked, in a soft but horrible masculine voice with hostility in his breath, and his pistol pointing at her head.

"I... I've got no tape, please don't hurt me". Freya cried softly, unable to believe that he would simply point a gun at her.

"Hey, Freya just stop wasting our time here. Simply hand the phone over to them at once and you shall be set free. Believe me they're not going to hurt you if you cooperate ok". Frank persuaded.

"Please don't freak out, I bet you gonna be just fine. Give them the tape and let bygones be bygones sweetie". Gwen quarried.

And then her eyes lit up as they scanned to pick out the familiar feminine figure among them, Freya hesitated a little to recover composure in a suppressed rancour; as soon as she recognized the voices of Gwen and Frank the honest betrayals.

"Gwen?" she screamed, and the sound of her voice echoed throughout the room and was followed by a loud wailing subsequently. But her sounds soon subsided when one of the mafia put his gun on trigger warning Freya to remain calm. She continued. "Gwen how could you? How could you betrayme after trusting you with everything?" Freya quickly added.

"We are not here to listen to some piece of shit. Give us the tape now or I blow up your brain". yelled the second mafia, who suddenly gripped her throat very hard and Freya began to choke immediately.

"Calm down, Scorpion. Perhaps Bob knows best how to handle his enemies more perfectly". the first mafia resolved, disengaging his hand from her throat.

But before Freya could say another word they've already blind folded her and were already tying her hands. After tying her hands, Freya was taken from the apartment outside into a black van that was parked outside. Her legs were also tied as she kept struggling helplessly on the broad shoulder of one of the men.

"Hey fella, this is your reward from Bob Joker". said the second mafia to Frank, as he stretched out some money wrapped up in a black nylon to him after Freya had been carried away to the car.

"Please don't hurt my friend I beg you. Just take the tape and set her free please. Freya, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Oh my God, Frank see how you've cajoled me to betray my friend. Why me... why me?" Gwen lamented tearfully, as the man walked away slowly then he stopped abruptly at the doorway for a while. A brief moment later, he came back to where Frank was sitting on a sofa still inside the living room; with Gwen sobbing quietly as she laid on his lap for more consolation. It seems they have no idea what they did to Freya earlier on as they remained silent in a sober reflection, and then they began to feel remorseful at the cruelty they've shown to the young lady.

Frank was frightened and at the same time perplexed to have noticed anything other than the hostile looking mafia, standing right in front of them still holding his pistol with his finger on the trigger.

"What's the point standing here? The girl is all yours now and you are free to take what ever that belongs to your boss". he said, often shifting his gaze towards the gun in his hand; on realizing that they didn't forget anything behind lately.

"Oh, my apologies for disturbing you at all. But you see something, a deal is a deal when you keep your path clean and then I keep mine clean without double crossing each other ". he explained.

"Actually, I don't understand the point you're driving at, please would you mind explaining yourself slowly". Frank replied.

He chuckled. Then brought out his pistol and shot Frank twice on the forehead. Gwen screamed out of shock pleading with tears. "Please don't kill me". she said, then trying to escape; but his index finger was always on the trigger.

He pulled the trigger before she could manage stand up and shot at Gwen twice also at the back, until she fell on her face to the floor. He waited a while to make sure that none of them survived his bullets.

"Done deal! Thanks for the piece of information anyway, but I don't like betrayals". he remarked, as he took the money then slammed the door hastily as they whisked Freya back to Los Bahamas.