“That’s the one,” Kevin said.

“So, big deal!” Melanie commented. “A couple of little fires. With all the lightning around here it’s no wonder.”

“That’s what Bertram Edwards suggested,” Kevin said. “But it can’t be lightning.”

“Who’s Bertram Edwards?” Candace asked.

“Why can’t it be lightning?” Melanie asked, ignoring Candace. “Maybe there’s some metal ore in that rocky ridge.”

“Ever hear the expression lightning never strikes the same place twice?” Kevin questioned. “The fire is not from lightning. Besides, the smoke persisted and has never moved.”

“Maybe some native people live out there,” Candace said.

“GenSys was very sure that was not the case before choosing the island,” Kevin said.

“Maybe some local fishermen visit,” Candace suggested.

“All the locals know it is forbidden,” Kevin said. “Because of the new Equatoguinean law it would be a capital offense. There’s nothing out there that would be worth dying for.”

“Then who started the fires?” Candace asked.

“Good God, Kevin!” Melanie exclaimed suddenly. “I’m beginning to get an idea what you’re thinking. But let me tell you, it’s preposterous.”

“What’s preposterous?” Candace asked. “Will someone clue me in?”

“Let me show you something else,” Kevin said. He turned to his computer terminal and with a few keystrokes called up the graphic of the island. He explained the system to the women, and as a demonstration, brought up the location of Melanie’s double. The little red light blinked just north of the escarpment very close to where his own had the day before.

“You have a double?” Candace asked. She was dumbfounded.

“Kevin and I were the guinea pigs,” Melanie said. “Our doubles were the first. We had to prove that the technology really works.”

“Okay, now that you women know how the locator system operates,” Kevin said, “let me show you what I did an hour ago, and we’ll see if we get the same disturbing result.” Kevin’s fingers played over the keyboard. “What I’m doing is instructing the computer to automatically locate all seventy-three of the doubles sequentially. The creatures’ numbers will occur in the corner followed by the blinking light on the graphic. Now watch.” Kevin clicked to start.

The system worked smoothly with only a short delay between the number appearing and then the red blinking light.

“I thought there were closer to a hundred animals,” Candace said.

“There are,” Kevin said. “But twenty-two of them are less than three years old. They are in the bonobo enclosure at the animal center.”

“Okay,” Melanie said after a few minutes of watching the computer function. “It’s working just as you said. What’s so disturbing?”

“Just hold on,” Kevin said.

All at once the number 37 appeared but no blinking red light. After a few moments, a prompt flashed onto the screen. It said: ANIMAL NOT LOCATED: CLICK TO RECOMMENCE.

Melanie looked at Kevin. “Where’s number thirty-seven?”

Kevin sighed. “What’s left is in the incinerator,” he said. “Number thirty-seven was Mr. Winchester’s double. But that’s not what I wanted to show you.” Kevin clicked and the program restarted. Then it stopped again at forty-two.