the master. Robbie Hastings wiped his eyes and blew his nose again. He said, "Aye, Frank," and he cupped his hand over the dog's smooth head. He lowered his own head and pressed his lips to the animal. He didn't look at either Barbara or Nkata when he raised his head again. Instead he stared at the mug of tea.
Perhaps knowing what their questions were going to be, he began to talk, slowly at first, then with more reassurance. Next to him, Nkata took out his notebook.
At Longslade Bottom, Hastings began, there was a wide expanse of lawn where people went regularly to exercise their dogs off lead. He took his own dog there one day several years back and Jemima went along. That's where she met Gordon Jossie. This would have been round three years ago.
"Somewhat new to the area, he was," Hastings said. "Broken away from a master thatcher round Itchen Abbas - a bloke called Heath - and come down the New Forest to start his own business. Never had much to say, but Jemima fancied him at once. Well, she would do, wouldn't she, 'cause she was tweenem at that point."
Barbara frowned, wondering at the expression. She reckoned it was some strange Hampshirean term. "„Tweenem?'"
"'Tween men," he clarified. "Jemima always liked to have a partner. From the time she was ...I don't know ...twelve or thirteen? ...She wanted boyfriends. I always reckoned it was our dad's dying like he did, mum 's well. Killed in a car crash, both of them at once. Made her think she had to have someone that was truly and permanently hers, I think."
"More 'n yourself," Nkata clarified.
"I reckon it seemed to Jemima that she needed someone more special. I was her brother, see. Didn't mean anything if her brother loved her since he was meant to love her." Hastings pulled the mug towards him. A bit of tea sloshed onto the table. He smeared this with the palm of his hand.
"Was she promiscuous?" Barbara asked, adding when the agister looked at her sharply,
"Sorry, but I have to ask. And it doesn't matter, Mr. Hastings. Only as it might relate to her death."
He shook his head. "To her, it was all about being in love with some bloke. Given, she partnered up with one or two eventually - if you know what I mean - but only if she thought they were in love. „Madly in love' was what she always called it. „We're madly in love with each other, Rob.' Typical young girl, you ask me. Well ...nearly."
"Nearly?" Barbara and Nkata spoke simultaneously.
Hastings looked thoughtful, as if examining his sister in a new light. He said slowly, "She did cling, I s'pose. And could be that made it hard for her to hold on to a boy. Same with men.
She wanted a bit too much from them, I think, and that would ...well, it would eventually end things. I wasn't much good at it, but I'd try to explain things to her: how blokes don't like someone holding on to them so. But I reckon she felt alone in the world 'cause of our parents, though she wasn't alone, not ever, not the way you'd think. But feeling that way, she had to stop the ...the aloneness. She wanted to - " He frowned and seemed to consider how to put his next remarks. "It was a bit like she wanted to climb into their skin, get that close to them, be them in a manner of speaking."
"A stranglehold?" Barbara said.
"She didn't intend it, never. But, aye, I s'pose that's what happened. And when a bloke wanted his bit of space, Jemima couldn't cope. She clung all the tighter. I expect they felt like they had no air, so they sloughed her off. She'd cry a bit, then she'd blame them for not being what she really wanted, and she'd go on to another."
"But this didn't happen with Gordon Jossie?"
"The strangling part?" He shook his head. "With him, she got as close as she wanted. He seemed to like it."
"How did you feel about him?" Barbara asked. "And about her being involved with him?"
"I wanted to like him 'cause he made her happy, 's well as one person can make another happy, you know. But there was something about him didn't ever strike me right. He wasn't much like blokes round here. I wanted her to find someone, settle down, make a family for herself as that's what she wanted,