Free The Memory Agent & Fool Me Once by Joany Kane

balls,” Riker responds,
impressed.   He looks at his
brother.    “You sure don't got
brains, bringing a fed to my hideout.”
    “She brought me,” Duke quips.
    “Come on in, let's have a drink.   Toast to life and death,” Riker encourages with his gun.
    Riker and Haley lead Claire and Duke into the cabin.   “I’ll get the drinks, Haley offers as
she heads for the bar.  
    Riker pushes his brother towards the couch.   “Have a seat, baby brother.”
    Claire goes to take a seat next to Duke when Riker stops her.   “Not so fast, tough chick.   Let's see if you're packing.”
    Riker gives Claire a body search, a lecherous one.   Duke stands up to stop it.   “Cut it out, Riker.”
    “Just making sure she ain't packing,” Riker
shrugs.
    Riker pushes Claire towards the couch.   She stumbles but Duke steadies her as she takes a seat to
the left of him.
    Haley arrives with two cocktails.   She hands one to Riker.   Haley and Riker each have a gun in one hand and a drink in the other.   They click glasses in a toast, then
down the drinks.
    “Okay, I say we kill them.   I get the fed,” Haley giggles.
    “It's not like you haven't killed before, right Riker?   Twice now, a mother
and a young agent,” Claire states.
    “Three times actually, two mothers and a young agent,” Riker boasts.
    Every word out of Riker's mouth stabs Duke.
    “Why did you kill the jewelry store owner right in front of her
daughter?” Claire wants to know.
    “Because I have mommy issues.   That's why I killed the security guard to make it look like Duke did it,
so he could rot on death row,” Riker snarls as Duke grimaces, his heart
breaking again this day.
    “Oh come on, any idiot knows that just because two guns are the same
make and model doesn't mean they shoot the same.   You learn that in criminal 101.” Claire quips trying to
deflate Riker’s cockiness.
    Haley slugs Claire with the butt of the gun she's holding.   It doesn't razz Claire in the
slightest, but it does allow Claire an opportunity to check out the make and
model of it.
    “I'm betting the gun Trailer Park Tammy here is holding is the murder
weapon.”
    “Safe bet,” Riker replies, quite impressed with Claire, which riles
Haley.
    “Why?”   Duke quietly asks.
    “When mom was dying from cancer she called me in to see her.   She was pretty drugged up and out of
it, but damn she wanted to make a confession.   She apologized for not loving me as much as she loved you.”
    “That's not true,” Duke insists.
    “Oh yeah it is, I always knew something was up, that I was never as good
or worthy as you.   You wanna know why?   Because, baby brother, it turns out we
have different daddy's.”
    “No.”   Duke is finding this
hard to believe.
    “Before mom got married some sick fuck forced himself on her.   And then she had me.   All those years growing up I tried to
please her, never worked.   So I
said screw it, I'm gonna make dad happy.   My
real dad.   My first stab at
pleasing pappy...”
    Riker picks up a throw pillow from a chair.   “I suffocated our mother.”  
    “You killed mom ?!”   Duke is completely horrified.
    “What the fuck, she was going to die anyway.   I just sped things up,” Duke flaunts his unfeeling response
in Duke’s face.
    Claire looks heartbroken for Duke who is devastated by the news.  
    Claire glares at Riker.   “You are one sick prick.”
    “Baby brother, would you like to see how I killed our mommy?”   Riker shoves the pillow in Claire's
face, attempting to suffocate her.
    Duke rises to stop him.   Haley cocks her gun in his face.
    Before Duke can disarm Haley, Claire swift knees Riker in the groin.
    Using the heel of her hand, she shoves it in his throat, nearly
shattering his wind pipe.  
    Claire grabs the pillow from Riker's hands as he stumbles backwards,
coughing.
    She slugs him with the pillow.   In the confusion Duke disarms Haley and shoves her to the floor.
    Riker rises to