Pretty Little Killers (49 page)

At first Daniel was ecstatic when he heard the news. But then he began feeling sad and angry. He just wanted people to stop talking about what Rachel had done. He tried to tune out the loud snippets of gossip going around UHS, so he could be alone with his thoughts. All those times he had ribbed Rachel, getting digs in at her so she would tell him the truth about Skylar, were for real. He meant every one of them. At the same time, deep down he didn't really want to believe that Rachel herself could have done something to hurt his Skylar. Not kind and compassionate Skylar, who refused to even kill a bug.

As Daniel walked into Mr. Kyer's class and headed for his seat, the drama teacher stopped him. With one arm around his shoulder, Kyer guided Daniel away from the other students and over to the side of the room.

“Daniel, um, I want you to know,” Kyer tried to say, then stopped. He took a deep breath. “Look, I'm sorry for what I said that time about you accusing Rachel without proof.”

Daniel looked at Mr. Kyer's face and wondered if his favorite teacher had been crying. He remembered how much Mr. Kyer had looked forward to having Skylar as a student that year. How much fun he and Skylar—and Rachel—would have had in class together.

“That's okay, Mr. Kyer,” Daniel said. “She lied to you, too.”

“Yes, she did,” Kyer said, so softly Daniel almost didn't hear him. Then Kyer turned away.

Students in Kyer's class were some of the hardest hit by the news. Several students said it was difficult to even get anything done following the news about Skylar's murderers, but his was not the only class to suffer. Other students said many teachers who were close to Rachel had particular problems dealing with the news.

Barry Kolar's chamber choir was one such class. He had known Rachel since she was a small girl. Not long after Rachel pled guilty
he was cleaning out his inbox when he came across an email from his former student and protégé. It contained a video attachment that Kolar hadn't yet been able to play. That day, though, he clicked on the attachment, opening it.

A student who walked in could see immediately how upset he was while watching the video of Rachel singing.

“I think I'm still in denial about it. Look at her,” he said to the student. They watched Rachel sing, and listened to her lovely voice coming from the computer speakers. “Would you ever imagine her being a murderer?”

People all around the school were having difficulty understanding how a pretty girl with such a beautiful voice could stab anyone to death—let alone her best friend.

UHS had four guidance counselors at the time. Students reported extra counselors were brought in from other schools to help provide grief counseling, but many of these same students said they didn't see a counselor. However, some students did take advantage of the available counseling, which is good given that this was the only time they were allowed to discuss anything about the case while on school property.

Principal Shari Burgess issued her edict prohibiting anyone speaking about the news after it broke. Several students vaguely recall hearing Burgess announce the topic wasn't to be discussed during school hours, but no one can remember exactly what she said. They knew from their teachers' repeated reminders that discussing Skylar's murder—or Rachel and Shelia's arrest—was off limits.

In addition, at least three adults have said teachers are afraid they'll lose their jobs if they do talk. That's because Burgess decreed as much, they say. However, the UHS staffers also say Burgess told them county board of education officials created the mandate.

Which may or may not be true. A couple of people who work for the school system have said it isn't. According to an employee in
Superintendent Frank Devono's office, school employees probably weren't allowed to discuss anything until after the case was closed. That employee, who only gave her name as Beth, cited FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, when stating this. That federal law prevents educators from discussing matters (specifically pertaining to a student's educational records) that could violate a student's right to privacy—a right that can be waived if student safety is in question or if legal authorities request certain information. Beth said she had no knowledge of the county board issuing the gag order.

Then there's the fact that several UHS students have died through violent means in recent years. If an entire student body is being silenced about Skylar, then what else might they be silent about? What dangerous undertow is this silence creating?

One parent believes if students and teachers were not allowed to talk about what happened, or what led up to it, then the police investigation was also affected—because facts about the case could have come to light much sooner, had people been allowed to talk about what they knew or suspected.
³¹

It's entirely possible Burgess issued the edict due to the high number of threats and harassment directed at Shelia and Rachel. No one knows because to date UHS teachers remain silent on the matter.

forty-one

Looks Can Deceive

Gaskins, Spurlock, and Colebank
were preparing to leave for Parkersburg by the time Rachel's plea hearing ended. Shelia's wrists and ankles were shackled, but she still wore her street clothes. Not for long—the Lorrie Yeager Juvenile Center would provide her with an orange jumpsuit. Gaskins hoped she'd noticed the red and yellow “In Loving Memory of Skylar Neese” armband he'd hung on the rearview mirror just for her.

Having a female prisoner like Shelia in custody meant they needed to take extra precautions, so the two male officers asked Colebank to join them on the ride to Parkersburg. They also knew how hard she had worked the case, before the WVSP and FBI took it over.

“My hair is a mess,” Shelia said.

Gaskins and Spurlock looked at each other, Gaskins shaking his head. This girl was incredible. She was on her way to detention for her involvement in a murder and she's worried about her hair?

“Seriously,” Shelia said. “I have to look right when we get there.”

“Do you have a scrunchie?” Shelia had asked the men. But once Colebank climbed into the back seat beside her, Shelia clammed up. She didn't seem to want to talk with Colebank nearby.

“Do you think photographers will be waiting for you?” Colebank asked in amazement, wondering how Shelia always seemed to think everything was about her.

“No one's going to be waiting, Shelia,” Gaskins said. “No one cares.”

He looked in the rearview mirror. Shelia was wearing an exaggerated pout, her lower lip protruding.

Colebank sat rigidly and stared straight ahead, as if Shelia's sheer presence was a personal affront to her. Gaskins knew the arrogant, self-absorbed teen had angered Colebank from the first time they'd met.

The female officer was ecstatic when she found herself riding in the back seat with Shelia, and said she was overjoyed to know Shelia was finally going to be locked up. She thought back to her first few days working the case, when her gut feeling told her Shelia and Rachel were behind Skylar's disappearance. She remembered the law enforcement seminar she and Spurlock later attended, when the presenter outlined the traits of a psychopath—and she and Spurlock, seated at opposite ends of a table—leaned forward and mouthed: “That's Shelia.”

While she believed from the outset that the two killers would rate high on a scale showing sociopathic or possibly even psychopathic traits, no one else working the investigation wanted to—until the FBI did, after investigators consulted with the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico, Virginia.

Her suspicions—and her gut feelings—were confirmed during an early autumn 2012 conference call with the BAU team. Using Rachel's diary, among other items from the two girls, the federal analysts called it: Rachel had sociopathic tendencies, while Shelia had psychopathic ones.

As Colebank thought back to the BAU's conclusion, she kept her hand on her Taser the entire way to Parkersburg. She knew it was entirely possible a troublesome teen like Shelia might give her a reason to use it.