Death of a Clone by Alex Thomson

Author:Alex Thomson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

NEITHER BROTHER MOVES. I look from one to the other. Juan is affecting a look of nonchalance, but I can see the tension in his bunched fingers.

“I’m just having a private conversation with Leila here. So why don’t you be a good boy and fuck off?”

The word explodes like a firecracker. To publicly insult your Family, to take sides with another, is a gross breach of etiquette.

Jupiter nods, gives a horribly phony smile. “We’re not finished yet, brother.” He walks out and slams the door behind him.

“So,” Juan says after a short silence. “What are we going to do now?”

“What was that about?” I say.

“What are we going to do now?” he repeats pointedly.

He sits down on his cot, looking drained.

“Okay,” I say. “Well, I presume you want to find Lily’s killer?”

“Of course I do.”

“So let’s pool what we know,” I say. It’s gratifying to be in control with a Jay. Normally they are one step ahead, teasing me, but this one is muted. That’s what love does to you, I guess.

“Okay,” I say, “Mr Reynolds. I take it you’ve seen the photos?”

“Of course. Lily talked me round into helping her break into his cabin. She told me about the photos afterwards, and I went in to have a look myself.”

“What do you think?”

“Some of my brothers think there’s a giant conspiracy, run by the Overseers—and it’s all tied in to the photos. The theory is, Lily lets slip she’s seen the photos, so they kill her to keep her mouth shut. You want my opinion? I don’t trust the Overseers either, and something funny is going on, I agree with that. But I don’t think it has anything to do with Lily’s murder.”

“Why not?”

“They’re not fools—not Ortiz and Lee, anyway. If they needed to kill someone, they’re savvy enough to make it look like an accident. And they’d have known Lily’s death would just make the quotas more difficult. This would only be a desperate, last resort, and I don’t see how Lily could have pushed them that far.”

“So?”

“So this was an idiotic, hot-blooded murder. Guess who fits that description? We need to look at the Ays.”

“And Lil had her eye on one Ay in particular, am I right?”

He glances at me sharply. “Yes, how did you know?”

“Ashton,” I say. “I know Lily stole his glasses.”

“You’re right, she was suspicious of him for some reason. Wouldn’t tell me why, but once she asked me to look at him—and see if I could tell the difference between him and his brothers.”

“The difference?”

“Yeah. Which is ridiculous, isn’t it? They’re identical, so how can there be any difference?”

“Whatever it was—you’re saying Ashton killed her because she figured this out?”

“It’s my guess. I’ve got as close as I can to Ashton the last few cycles—shared shifts, struck up conversations, trying to figure him out.”

“And you get anywhere?”

Juan kicks out at a spanner and it skitters across the floor to rest under a cot. “Nope. Ashton’s a big, dumb oaf, just like the rest of them.

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