The Picture Frame

Part 5

I ran so fast just like a poor boy chased by a feral dog. I never thought of the curvy rough land and massive field of bushes. No thorns and stones could stop me from running away. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't want to get back in that prison anymore.

I saw an old shack amidst the field. I sneaked inside and got some clothes. I threw the prisoner's uniform and decided to get away from the old hut. I thought of someone to contact to, but I knew no one at this time could trust me and I could trust either. Atty. Pablo was the only one I thought could understand me. Reaching his house made me feel relieved. I knocked and he was so flabbergasted seeing me at that time.

"What are you doing here? You're just aggravating your case. Come! Get inside! Make sure you were not followed by anyone."

I told him how I was able to flee and my intention why I was out of prison. He couldn't directly tell me that he couldn't help me for I knew, he didn't want his family to get involved. But letting me in for a while was a big help already.

"It would be very tough for you to do this alone, but Mr. Saavedra, you told me before that Tasha pointed something behind you, and what was it again?'

"A gun.... A bloody gun, lying next to a broken picture frame. a picture of Tasha and Peter."

"And you came closer to the gun and took it, right?"

"Yes, I got it because Tasha told me to do so"

"Did you ever think that Tasha was actually pointing to the picture frame not to the gun?"

"I never thought that, my mind was caught by the crimson blood lingering the gun, so I didn't pay much attention to the picture."

"Do you think Tasha want you to hold the gun and be accused of killing her?

"Of course she won't do that...."

"Exactly my point, so she was not pointing the gun but apparently the frame. A picture of her and Peter. Don't you ever think that she was leading you to find the person who killed her?"

"Peter... No! He can't be. He really loves his sister. Only insane can do that. No! Atty. I know him a lot, yes he's sometimes arrogant and conceited but I know he can't. Why would he kill his sister anyway?

"That's the first thing that you should check. Investigate if Peter was involved in the killing of his own sister."

With what Atty. Pablo had told me, I realized that Peter had changed after our promotion. He was not the Peter I used to know. I believed that the truth would come out. Following some instructions and pieces of advice coming from Atty. Pablo I made a decision of going to Peter's house and put an end to what really happened.

The house was so dark and solemn. It seemed that no one was living there. I mounted over the walls and invade the house. I forced the back door to open and secretly hid in Peter's room, inside the walk-in closet. That house had changed a lot after the death of Tasha. It was now gloomy and creepy.

A few hours later, a car was heard and parked. I knew it was Peter. This was the moment I waited for. A moment that the dark past would be uncovered. The door opened and I saw groggy Peter trying to walk straight. He was also drinking a hard drink and saying something out of nowhere.

"I won! I am now the number one, ahahahah.. Cheers! No freaking Nico! Loser Nico. Ahahaha...Congratulations Mr. Peter Benitez, the new Executive Vice-President, good job and well-deserved! Yahoo!!! No stupid Nico... and no nasty Tasha. No more talkative sister! I'm so sorry Tasha.. I'm really sorry! I never meant to do it. Believe me. It was all Nico's fault....I'm so....."

"Sorry for what? Sorry for killing her? Sorry for murdering your own sister? Huh? Pete?"

"Ni..co..llo... Nicollo, how did you get here? You should be dying now in prison."

"What will you do now Pete? Are you going to call a police or are you going to kill me just what like you did to Tasha?"

Peter leaned back to his table and secretly opened the cabinet to get his gun and pointed it to me.

"If I have to do this one more time, why not and in fact Tasha shouldn't be the one who got killed, it's supposed to be you. I really wanted to get rid of you since before."

"Pete, this is not you, don't make the same mistake twice. You can go back and surrender yourself to the police."

"No I wouldn't surrender, so that what? So that you can free yourself and reclaim whatever I have now. All this time I am only number two. Whatever I do, it always falls short. I'm tired of being number two. I'm sick of being a second best. No one believes me that I can also do what you can do. No one thinks that I am as good as you. And when the moment that you get promoted as the VP, it was a really hard slap on my face, before I was just behind you but that time you left me at the bottom. So I thought of something that can destroy you and can drag you down from where you should be. I decided to send the company's secret file to Maxwell Incorporated and you as the sender. That will really put you down in our company. But my clever sister heard and knew my plan. She tried to stop me from doing it. But of course I didn't let her. She tried to call you but I slapped her face. She tried to seek help but I choked her. While she was fighting for her life, she got a flower vase and smashed it into my head then she ran. I hurriedly get my gun and I... I didn't notice that I already shot her. I don't know what to do I throw the gun away and it hit the picture frame and broke into pieces. I came closer to Tasha to help her but my body and hands were stained with Tasha's blood. I decided to escape for I don't want to be put in jail, I got my gun but I heard you calling outside of our house. My heart beat so fast, when you called again I accidentally unhanded the gun. I left the house and went out using the back door. Then I decided to call the police to report the incident."

"Pete, I can never imagine you doing all of those. How did you manage to sleep knowing that you just killed your sister? You were eaten by your nonsense envy. You shouldn't think of where you are or where am I, Pete we are quite different from each other. What was written in my book of life is far different to what was written in yours. Do not compare a bird from a snake, Pete. Likewise, do not compare me from you. C'mon Pete, let's make everything fall into place. Surrender yourself. Justice should be given to your sister. Pete... give me the gun... let's fix this"

"No! You can never fool me again. Only one can live between us. And I am sure, it's me who's going to live, goodbye Nico.. farewell my friend"

Before he totally fired the gun, I briskly tackled him until he got down on the floor. We were battling for the possession of the gun. We rolled over to the left then to the right and Pete took advantage of the moment he's on top of me.

"By this time I make sure that, you can never defeat me anymore! Goodbye old boy"

Bang!!.... a terrifying gunshot was ricocheted in the entire house.

"Hello, I just wanna report an incident, I heard a gunshot in Benitez residence, there might be a casualty."

In a few minutes, the police came and intruded Peter's house and there they found Mr. Peter Benitez, helpless and lifeless.

Now, I am opposing my first testimony for the serenity of the souls of Mr. Peter Benitez and Ms. Tasha Benitez.

"It can be! Yes! Yes! I did that! I'm not innocent! ..it was not a mistake! I killed someone. .. I'm a murderer! I am a murderer"

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