“Did she say where she was going?” Cat could here her own heart hammering in her chest, she could feel the lump in her throat trying burst out as she fought it down.

“No idea love she just went.”

“Tess,” the voice on the other end of the phone seemed to be a million miles away to Cat, “Hi Cat,” “Has Frankie called you?” “No why?” “She’s gone Tess she left today, her clothes are gone but she left the rest here.” “Gone? Gone where?” Tess was taken aback. “I don’t know Tess,” Cat was panicking now her voice was anxious and she could feel herself shaking, “I’ll ring Jay at work see if he’s heard anyting.” Cat hung up.  “Hey Cat where are you Alistair’s on the war path here?”  “Have you heard from Frankie today?” “No should I have?” Jay could here the note of anxiety in her voice, “What is it?” “She’s gone Jay all her claothes are gone she told the landlady she was moving elsewhere but never said anything to me.” “Maybe she’s going to turn up on your doorstep and surprise you, you’ve been asking her to move in for over a year.”  “That maybe it, I’ll go home and see.”  Cat stayed in her flat for three days taking sick leave but nothing from Frankie, her mobile was still switched off.

Frankie looked around the apartment it wasn’t a palace but it would do for now, “I’ll take it,” the real estate agent looked relieved, Frankie had seen several apartments but had turned them all down, this was the last one on his books at the price Frankie could afford, she had been in New York nearly two weeks and had landed a job with a glossy magazine doing fashion shoots. She had some savings and enough for a deposit on a modest apartment.

She had not been in touch with anyone back home not yet she couldn’t she had to settle in first.  She signed the papers and paid the deposit pushed the receipt into her bag and took the keys from the agent, “All your’s Miss Alan.” Frankie went back to the hotel picked up her bag of clothes and took a taxi back to her apartment.  She went into work the next day and spent all day in the studio with a number of models, she quite fancied the last one and made a pass at her, she had a night of passion no strings and woke up to fine her bed empty. Frankie smiled, this was the life.  A couple of days later she turned on her mobile, 38 missed calls from Cat and over 70 texts.  Guilt over came her and she rang Cat’s number.  The phone rang once and Cat’s anxious vioce came on, “where are you Frankie I’m out of my mind with worry come home and we can talk please.” Cat’s pleading voicc grated on Frankie and she was kurt in her reply.  “I’m in New York, it was too much I’m not ready Cat so I left, I don’t have the bottle to do it so I’m away,” “New York,” Cat was stunned Frankie rang of switched off her mobile took out the sim and inserted her new American Sim card.

Cat rang and rang eventually she gave up her heart broken, her friends rallied around her but she was no company.  Tess and Ed were her constant companions. Cat began to go out after a few months but she couldn’t get into the mood to enjoy herself, Frankie had taken her whole soul with her or so it felt.

Tess set up a gaydar girls profile calling her Catflap, she didn’t use it much but one evening a message came from a very good looking cop she replied, after all it had been nearly two years since Frankie had run away, she had heard nothing much at all one Christmas card and a Birthday card , she had binned them both.

Frankie spent her days taking photos and shagging the nights away, she thought of Cat often but the thought scared her.  She had downloaded and printed photos of her from Tess’s facebook profile they were stuck to her fridge.  Frankie turned on her answer machine and a message made her stop in her tracks.  The consequences that were about to unfold neither she nor Cat could know just how bad they would be.