The young girl nodded at O’Connor.
‘So you would know if there was anything troubling her, things she mightn’t have shared with other people?’
‘I guess.’
Kate watched Jessica curl her knees up to her chest, an almost instinctual protection exercise.
‘So you would know if Caroline had any issues about her body weight or anything like that?’
‘She wasn’t anorexic, if that’s what you mean,’ Jessica said defensively.
‘But she did discuss her weight with you?’
‘We both talked about it – not just her, me too.’
Jessica’s mother put her hand on her daughter’s arm in support, but the girl wasn’t having any of it and pulled away roughly. It could have been just a teenage rebellion thing, but Kate wondered about the reason behind the underlying hostility.
‘Did you discuss losing weight?’ It was Kate’s turn to ask the questions.
‘A bit – I mean, the weight bothered Caroline more than it did me. I like being curvy, not being big or anything but, you know, normal.’
‘Caroline had lost a lot of weight. Why do you think that was?’ Kate held the girl’s gaze.
‘She had her reasons.’
‘Jessica, if you know her reasons,’ Kate’s tone was gentle, ‘it would help if you told us.’
Whatever difficulties existed between Jessica and her mother, the girl still looked up to her to check if it was okay to talk.
‘Go ahead, darling. I am sure it is nothing Ms Pearson hasn’t heard before.’
‘She didn’t like her body. At first, it was all about her changing shape, she said it interfered with the swimming, reduced her speed or something daft like that.’
‘And then?’
‘When she got, you know—’
‘When she developed breasts?’
‘Yeah, she had a bit of a freak out, made me rent out that movie, Black Swan.’
‘The one with Natalie Portman?’
Kate felt the girl was more comfortable with her asking the questions rather than O’Connor.
‘Yeah. I thought it was crap, but Caroline didn’t. She thought your woman, Natalie, was great.’
‘Would you say Caroline was self-conscious? Embarrassed even?’
‘She just didn’t like changing, none of it.’
‘So she didn’t have a boyfriend?’
Jessica gave her a look, the kind of one that said: if you think I’m going to answer that, you need your head examined.
‘Jessica, it’s important.’ O’Connor leaned forward, using his bulk to add weight to the question.
‘No. She didn’t.’
‘Okay.’ O’Connor remained sitting forward. ‘I want you to think long and hard before answering the next question. Did anyone try to get friendly with Caroline, you know guys, younger, older, anyone hanging around the pool or anything like that?’
‘There was this one guy, he was a bit weird.’
‘Why didn’t you mention him before?’
Jessica looked back at O’Connor. ‘I didn’t think he was important.’
‘Did he talk to you both?’
‘More to Caroline than me.’
‘Why’s that?’ asked Kate.
‘I don’t know. I only saw him the once at the swimming pool, but he talked to other kids too. He was friendly I suppose, harmless.’
Jessica Barry’s use of the word ‘harmless’ to describe the friendly man at the swimming pool put both Kate and O’Connor on alert. They exchanged a look, but tried not to let their body language show the girl or her mother how eager they were to get more information.
‘Go on, Jessica, tell us what you remember about him,’ O’Connor said, knowing when to give a witness space.
‘I think Caroline felt sorry for him,’ Jessica replied with a shrug, ‘that’s why she stopped to talk to him. He gave me the creeps, though. I mean, he was ancient. Caroline said you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’
‘What did they talk about?’
‘I dunno. I only remember seeing her talk to him, I wasn’t listening to them. Like I said, he talked to others too. It wasn’t just Caroline.’
‘Was she friendly towards him?’ O’Connor looked from Kate to Jessica.
‘She wasn’t anything – she was just, you know, normal. That was Caroline’s way, friendly. Me, I just blanked him.’
Kate needed to get a few more answers. ‘Jessica, if you didn’t hear what they said to each other, could you make out how he spoke? Did you hear an accent or anything?’
‘Nah.’
‘Did he talk fast or slow?’
‘Slow, I think, just, I dunno. He talked well.’
‘Confident?’
‘Yeah, but not cocky; relaxed, I guess, like an old guy.’
‘Old – what age would you say?’
‘Mom’s age, I guess.’
‘Did he smile at you or at Caroline?’
‘I think he knew I didn’t like him. Yeah, he smiled at Caroline, but, as I said, I only remember seeing him there once.’