"Why wasn't she sent to the same adoption agency as her sister?"
The old woman frowned again. "We didn't know about the sister — not until later. And by then, it was far too late. The sister had been adopted and her new parent's weren't interested in a second child."
"How did the separation affect Rose?" She'd heard tales of twins sharing emotions, thoughts, and even pain, no matter how many miles stood between them. Was it possible that Rose, even at such a young age, had such a connection with her sister?
It might explain the growing anger with each of the murder victims. Perhaps everything that had been done to Emma over the years had reverberated through Rose, right up until the moment Emma had actually been released from Hopeworth, and Rose had finally discovered the truth about her sister's pain.
"She was such a dear little thing, but so, so serious. As soon as she could talk, she wanted to know where her sister was. We couldn't settle her, no matter what we tried."
"Wasn't she only twelve months old when she came to Silhouettes?"
"Yes, but the bond of the twin is sometimes very strong." Mary hesitated, blue eyes sharp. It was hard to imagine this woman being anything but in full control of her memories. "But you should know that, Josephine. You're a twin, are you not?"
"My name is Sam. I showed you my ID, remember?"
"Did you?" Confusion flitted across the good half of her face. She rubbed her forehead wearily. "Sometimes my memory is not so good."
"You're doing just fine, Mary." She patted the old woman's hand gently. Her skin felt like rough paper. "Tell me about Rose's adoption by the Sanders."
Mary sighed. "They were such a serious couple. Not the sort our little Rosie really needed. She was too serious herself — she needed to laugh, needed someone who would bring her out of her shell."
"Did you advise against them adopting Rose?"
"Yes." She sighed again. "But Mrs. Sanders fell in love with her. In the end, that was the important thing. Little Rose needed lots of love."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why? Was she traumatized by the separation from her twin?"
"In a sense, yes. But she was having serious identity problems by the time she hit three."
Identity problems at three years old? Most kids could barely speak at that age, let alone have concerns about who or what they were. "What caused Rose to have these problems?"
"She was a shifter," Mary said, and patted Sam's hand.
Obviously, being a shifter should have explained it all. She cleared her throat. "Would being a shifter traumatize her to such a degree?"
"Oh yes. Most shifters have identity problems when they find their alternate shape at such a young age. In Rose's case, it was compounded by the fact that she could take any form."
"So she was a multishifter?" Just like her sister.
"Yes. But also a female to male shifter."
She stared at the old woman, wondering if she'd heard right. Female to male? "That's not possible."
"I didn't think so, but there it was, happening to little Rosie right in front of me."
"But... how?"
The old woman shrugged. "There are some people in this world who claim to be born in the wrong bodies — males trapped in female forms, and vice-versa. Maybe that's what happened to Rose — only she could do something about it."
"Her male form — did he have a name?"
Mary considered the question for several seconds. "Michael. I think she called him Michael."
Michael Sanders, she thought grimly. Their young cop with the old eyes. Gabriel would want this information straight away.
She stood. "Thanks for all your help, Mary."
"You're welcome, Josephine." She hesitated, tilting her head to one side. "How's that brother of yours?"