In Death 21 - Origin in Death

room is under full video and audio. Your observers can sit comfortably in the adjoining lounge. Why aren't you fascinated?"
    "I am, but I have to think. They're tricky. They've been waiting ice this, on some level, all their lives. They're prepared."
    "What they are is unified."
    "Yeah. Maybe they don't have a choice on the unification. I don't know. How can we know? They're not sweating this. She was-the first one. But as soon as she made the call, she smoothed out. Show me observation."
    She went with him into a spacious sitting room, all muted colors and relaxation. Glass doors opened onto one of the many terraces, and an entertainment screen spread out on the connecting wall.
    "Screen on," Roarke instructed. "Observation mode. Engage audio."
    It seemed as though the wall melted. She could see the whole of the meeting room. Peabody stood by the door, her face schooled in professional blankness. The three women sat at one end of the table. Their hands remained linked.
    Eve slid her hands into the pockets of the coat she'd forgotten she had on. "They don't say 'I,' they say 'we.' Is that smart or is it honest?"
    "Maybe it's both. But smart's a factor. Dress, hairstyle identical. That's calculated."
    "Yeah." She nodded. She took out her communicator, buzzed Peabody. "Privacy mode," she ordered, waited. "Leave them there for now, come out, turn right, come in through the first door."
    "Yes, sir."
    "They'll know you're watching," Roarke pointed out. "They're used to being watched."
    "Hey," Peabody said as she came in, saw the observation window. "More frost in a series of frosty events and happenings. Is it just me, or does that have a very high creepy factor?"
    "Imagine how it is for them," Eve countered. "Whitney?"
    "He's coming in, as is Chief Tibble. He's requested Dr. Mira attend."
    Eve felt her back tighten. "Why?"
    "I don't make a habit of questioning the commander." She said it piously. "I like being a detective."
    Eve paced the length of the glass. There wasn't so much as a murmur from inside. And the women sat, relaxed. "We ID them through prints first, request they voluntarily provide DNA samples, test those. We're going to make damn sure what we're dealing with. We can start that before the observation team arrives."
    Putting it into order in her head, Eve shrugged out of her coat. "Let's separate them while we're running the ID. They won't like that."
    As she expected, she saw the first crack in composure when she returned and ordered Peabody to escort one of the women from the room.
    "We want to stay together."
    "Routine. You'll need to be identified and questioned separately at this time." She tapped one of the two remaining on the shoulder. "If you'll come with me."
    "We're here to cooperate. But we want to stay together."
    "This won't take long." She took her Avril out and into a small parlor where she'd placed an ID kit. "I can't question you until I verify your identification. I'm going to ask you to submit to print scan, and to give me a DNA sample."
    "You know who we are. You know what we are."
    "For the record. Do you agree?"
    "Yes."
    "Are you the Avril Icove I spoke with after Wilfred Icove Jr.’s murder?"
    "We're the same. We're one."
    "Right. But one of you was there. One was at the beach. Where was the third?"
    "We can't be together physically often. But we're always together ~
    "That's starting to sound like Free-Ager pap. Prints verified is Icove, Avril. DNA. Hair or spit?" she asked.
    "Wait." Avril closed her eyes, drew a breath. When she opened her eyes again there were tears. She picked up a swab, coated it with her own tears, handed it to Eve.
    "Neat trick." Eve inserted the swab into her portable scanner. "Art all your emotions manufactured?"
    "We feel. We love and hate, laugh and cry. But we're well trained."
    "I bet. We broke Icove's code on his personal logs. This is going to take a few minutes." She let the scanner hum, studied Avril. "What about your children? Did he create them?"
    "No. They're only children." Everything about her softened. "Conceived in our body. They're innocent, and have to be protected. If you give us your word you'll protect our children, we'll believe you."
    "I'll do everything I can to protect the children." She read the scanner. "Avril."
    All three were tested. According to scanners and readouts, all three were the same person.
    Eve joined the observation team, which included Reo. Once again, she had Peabody remain in the room with the reunited