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Jessica Barry was the same age as Caroline Devine, but as far as her appearance went, she presented herself as an entirely different girl. Her eyes were circled with heavy black eyeliner and her hair, obviously dyed blonde, was backcombed, making her look taller than she actually was. She oozed confidence, despite the police presence stationed twenty-four/seven outside her house. Her lipstick was bright red, her jeans tight, and tucked into biker boots, while her designer white T-shirt with ‘Attitude – What Attitude?’ stamped across the front hung seductively off her right shoulder.
Kate could see O’Connor’s disapproval of Jessica Barry from the moment he walked into the sitting room and laid eyes on the girl. She smiled to herself at his old-fashioned notion of youth. To her, it was a fascinating contrast: Caroline had wanted to stem the oncoming tide of adulthood, while her friend seemed to have big ideas in the opposite direction.
Sitting in a large armchair, Jessica looked like a cross between a contestant from a beauty pageant and some out-of-her-head rocker. Her mother, on the other hand, was dressed conservatively in cream-tailored trousers and matching long-sleeved blouse, fading into the background in comparison to her daughter. The Barry house was also very different from the Devines’, more stylish with its wooden floors, large plush couches and decor that wouldn’t have looked out of place in an interior design magazine. If Jessica’s mother designed and created the interior, thought Kate, then she had a good eye for detail. Maybe when she’d been younger, she had applied this skill to her personal appearance, like Jessica did now. Even behind her now somewhat bland cream attire, you could tell she was once a ‘looker’. Was she happy to be eclipsed by her daughter? Did it create tension between them?
Mrs Barry waited until Kate and O’Connor were seated before taking her own seat on the armrest of her daughter’s chair. Jessica’s mother may have dressed like someone more comfortable in the background, but with her straightened back and head held high, there was no doubt that any questions O’Connor or anyone else might have for her daughter, she would be very much part of the process.
‘Mrs Barry,’ O’Connor began.
‘Pauline, please.’
Kate watched Pauline Barry shift slightly on the armrest, dragging her fingers through her pageboy-style brown hair, pulling it back off her face in response to O’Connor’s words. Maybe Pauline Barry wasn’t such a shrinking violet after all. The officer on duty had already introduced both O’Connor and Kate when they arrived, filling Pauline Barry in with the barest of detail.
‘Jessica, this is Detective Inspector O’Connor, and Kate Pearson. They have some questions for you. Are you okay with that, darling?’ She looked at her daughter.
‘Sure, why not?’ Jessica’s answer seemed tense, nervous, but was delivered emphatically.
‘She’s still very upset, you know. Jessica and Caroline were very close – such an awful tragedy.’ The mother, thought Kate, was either trying to add a greater impression of upset than her daughter was prepared to display or was intent on being Jessica’s spokesperson. Either way, this would take a lot longer if Pauline Barry remained the main mouthpiece.
‘It certainly is a tragedy,’ O’Connor said, giving Mrs Barry a reassuring smile. He looked over at Kate before directing his first question to Jessica. Gunning had interviewed the girl already, but that was before Caroline’s body had been discovered, and before they had a second murder on their hands.
‘Jessica, I know this is difficult,’ he began, ‘but it is important that you try and remember everything you can about the past few days, weeks, even months – before Caroline’s abduction.’
Kate knew O’Connor’s use of the word ‘abduction’, instead of ‘murder’, was a means to keep things calm. Whatever reservations he might have about Jessica Barry, he needed her on his side.
‘I’ll do my best.’ Her answer was a little softer this time.
‘Okay, well what I’m going to do is this, I’m going to ask you some questions and all you have to do is answer them. If you find any of them confusing, just ask me to clarify. Take as long as you like, it’s important that we do this right.’
‘Okay.’ Jessica took in a deep breath, tensing her body, as if she was about to sit an impromptu exam.
Looking across at Jessica, Kate could see some of the girl’s mask was dropping already. There was a reason she was best friends with Caroline, there had to be more there than the exterior image she was projecting. Looking at the emotions playing across her face, Kate knew the two of them must have been close.
‘Jessica, you and Caroline were best friends, right?’ O’Connor continued.
‘Yeah, since our first day at school.’
‘You two have been through a lot together, so?’