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friends, relatives, or now to the insurance adjuster.
He couldn’t afford to get it wrong and raise suspicions.
    “We were camping. She went down to the river
for a dip while I set up camp. The current was strong. I warned
her, but she thought she was up to it. Search and Rescue found her
body a quarter mile downstream pinned under a tree.”
    “Tragic, truly tragic,” Burke said. Burke’s
expression mimicked the sorrow Jack had worked so hard to perfect.
Jack wondered if Burke, too, had rehearsed. He must have. It was
practically a requirement of his job.
    “Perhaps I can brighten your day just a
little,” Burke said.
    “You have a check for me?”
    Burke stiffened and his mouth hung open. Jack
could tell he had caught him off guard. Perhaps the question was a
bit crass and a bit callous.
    “Check?” Burke sputtered, “There’s been some
kind of misunderstanding. There is no check.”
    At first what Burke said didn’t register.
Then the words no check burned into Jack’s consciousness
like molten lead. “Excuse me for being so blunt, Mr. Burke, but
I’ve been through a lot over the last few weeks. The
misunderstanding is on your end, I assure you. I bought life
insurance through your company covering both me and my wife. It
pays out two-million dollars should one of us die. I know because
we both signed it, and I’m the one who wrote the premium checks to
your company every month.”
    Burke frantically shuffled through the pile
of documents. “Your wife changed the terms of the policy. Here it
is.” Burke handed Jack a page from the pile. “She opted for our
clone option instead of a cash payout. See, that’s her signature
and it’s dated just weeks before her death.”
    Jack took the page Burke offered. The writing
was Marianne’s. He felt the way he had the first time he’d been
punched in the face: dazed, unable to react, defenseless, his brain
locked in a numb tingle.
    “A clone?” he finally sputtered.
    Burke responded to Jack’s shock with concern.
“You didn’t know? It’s a beautiful gesture, really. No amount of
money can replace a loved one, don’t you agree?.”
    “That’s not legal, is it, one spouse changing
the terms of a policy without consulting the other?”
    “It is. See, she only changed the terms with
regard to the payout on herself. The terms covering you are
unchanged, two-million dollars. No, if she had tried to change the
terms regarding your coverage, it wouldn’t have been permitted. It
sets up a situation that might create incentive for one spouse to
take rather lamentable actions against the other, if you know what
I mean.”
    “Is she…,” Jack hesitated. He fumbled to
straighten his thoughts before locking his eyes on Burke’s. “You
have to understand, I never thought I’d see her again. This is a
bit overwhelming.”
    Burke nodded. “I understand. Gemini realizes
the magnitude of this kind of event. That’s the reason for my
visit. I have training as a counselor to help with the
transition.”
    Jack gazed at the wall as if he could see
through it all the way to the street. “Is she in your van?”
    Burke’s face broke into an understanding
grin. “No, no, that would be a bit much for one day, don’t you
think? We’ll drop her by tomorrow. That’ll give you a little time
to adjust.”
    The news did little to relieve Jack’s
apprehension. His brow remained knotted while he absently kneaded
his palms across his thighs. “Will she be exactly the same?”
    “Exactly, in fact she’ll be the same
person.”
    “And she’ll remember everything?”
    “Of course. What is a person without their
memories? That’s not the way Gemini operates. Believe me when I say
you won’t know the difference.”
    “Everything, including her death?”

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