“I do detect some change in you,” she said, and a fleeting look of perplexity crossed her face. “There’s something a little bit more, I don’t know, settled. You aren’t as meticulous with your responses to stimuli. I sense more instinct...something different.”

“Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily,” she told him. “But it is a change, and that could be important to the experiment. I also sense a marked increase in your emotional depth, but I think that’s to be expected after the loss of a loved one. A lot of it may be perfectly normal reflection, a period of introspection. That is actually a useful coping mechanism. It means you’re working out your grief in a healthy way. I’m glad to see it, but...” She paused in a manner that made Jeremiah suddenly uncomfortable.

“Was there something else?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, and leaned in to look him hard in the eyes. “Jeremiah, are you absolutely certain there’s no suspicion at home? No one who might be questioning the clone’s authenticity?”

Oh, shit, he thought. Had he let his mind wander? Had she detected thoughts of his mother? Of the emails he’d read? Of Louie? He’d tried to be so careful, but there was no telling what he’d been thinking about under the Meld. If he’d thought about these things for even a moment...

“No,” he said flatly.

“I’m sensing something. It’s quite strong, but I can’t pin it down. Meld isn’t an exact science, mind you, but I have a distinct feeling that someone close to you knows something is wrong. And it’s very possible that I am detecting something that you yourself are not even consciously aware of. But somewhere in your own mind, Jeremiah, I think you have the same suspicions. There’s someone who isn’t fully convinced. I’m almost positive.”

In his head he wanted to tell her yes, he had plenty of suspicions. You bet there was someone who wasn’t convinced. But he kept his cool. He had to.

“I don’t think so,” he tried. “Maybe I’m remembering something about my mother again. Memories, maybe, some jumbled-up thoughts? You remember how upset I was when she didn’t recognize me...or the clone, rather. I haven’t been myself, you know?”

“Maybe,” she said thoughtfully, and leaned back into her chair. “Maybe it is related to that. Let’s talk about something else.”

He breathed an inaudible sigh of relief, happy she was off the topic for the moment.

“Like what?”

“In Brent’s reports, I see the clone and Diana have been at odds lately. Something about an argument on your anniversary?”

Jeremiah steeled himself against the onslaught of prying he knew was coming. But at least this was something he could handle.

“It wasn’t anything serious,” he told her. “Just one of those things. I think the clone had a little too much to drink, is all.”

“Is that typical?” she asked. “Was drinking an issue before?”

“No,” he said defensively. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Is the clone drinking more than you usually did at home? Has that become a problem for him?”