Sleep My Darlings

by Diane Fanning

  Dave ended his email by telling his story that although he was willing to travel to Florida to help her and her family, he would not come down to run errands and shuttle the children to activities. He would only come down to play a role in resolving the serious issues if all four family members were willing to participate, but he did not believe that she was willing to make the smallest effort toward making any of the necessary changes or accommodations.

  CHAPTER 18

  On January 18, after consultation with Calyx’s therapist and her high school guidance counselor, the Florida Department of Children & Families determined that the Schenecker children were safe in their home environment. They closed the case file.

  * * *

  Before Parker left Tampa on his temporary deployment to the Middle East, he said his good-byes to his children, telling them both that he loved them to infinity. The kids responded in their traditional, playful way.

  Calyx said, “I love you infinity plus one.”

  Beau followed up, saying, “I love you infinity plus two.”

  * * *

  Julie’s sister, Carol Walsh, sent an e-mail to Parker, telling him that on January 20 Julie asked her to forward Parker’s family e-mail dated January 15. Julie told her that she needed it because she wanted to share it with her counselor. Carol added: “The uncertainty of not knowing what you wrote is probably more distressing to her than what you actually wrote.”

  Parker wrote back encouraging Carol, agreeing with her assessment. He urged her to forward the message to Julie.

  Carol continued the communication writing her assurances to Parker that she knew he was doing his best to deal with all the problems that arose with this family and acknowledged that he was bearing all of the burden. She told him that Julie was feeling all alone and expressed a desire for Parker to talk to her. Carol empathized with Parker about the difficulty to talking to someone who was severely depressed but urged him to do so. Carol wrote, “She conveyed to us months ago that she had lost her relationship with Calyx and if she loses her relationship with you, my biggest concern is her giving up, because she feels she has nothing left, and committing suicide.”

  She referred to an earlier email where she asked Parker: “Or do you not care anymore and are done?” and explained that she did not mean that as a criticism, but she just wanted to know if he was still committed to the marriage. If twenty years of struggle with Julie’s problems was all he could endure, she assured him that she would understand and not place the blame at his feet. On the other hand, she did want him to know that Julie believed that the recent years of their marriage “had been the best.”

  She closed her message by assuring him that as long as he was there and willing to help Julie “move forward,” she would not force her way into the situation. Unless he or Julie asked for her to come help, she would stay away. On the other hand, she wrote, “If you can’t make things work out or just can’t do it anymore, please let me know, as I will step into the picture.” She went on to assure him that her consistent message to Julie had been that she was the only one who could affect the necessary changes and the rest of them were powerless without her cooperation. “But I think she does need your help.”

  Arriving at his destination overseas that day, Parker sent an e-mail to his family to let them know he had arrived safely. Over the next few days, Parker traveled to various locations in Afghanistan.

  * * *

  Julie wrote in her journal about her children: “They are disrespectful and I’m going to take care of it.”

  On Saturday, January 22, she traveled forty-four miles to and from her home to Lock N Load Gun Store at 3711 Tampa Road in Oldsmar, Florida. There were a number of weapon stores much closer to her home, but that location had the advantage of being in a different county from her place of residence, making her visit less likely to come to the attention of anyone she knew.

  When she reached the front door of the establishment she tugged on the handle, but it was locked for security reasons. A moment later, the buzzer sounded, the door released, and, pulling on it again, Julie gained entry to the store.

  Gerald Tanso, the fifty-five-year-old shop owner, and his assistant, sixty-five-year-old Ralph Monaco, were behind the counter when she arrived. Julie said, “I want to purchase a handgun because there have been four or five home invasion robberies in my subdivision recently and I need some protection.”

  She specifically stated that she wanted to buy a revolver, adding, “My husband is in the military and he’s deployed away from the home for thirty days. I was in the military for five years, stationed in Germany, and I loved it there.”

  Julie pointed to the weapons in the case that caught her eye. Monaco pulled out three different guns and placed them on the counter for her to examine. She handled them all and appeared to be familiar with the operation of each one. She looked “perfectly fine and showed no outward signs of being either emotionally or physically disturbed.” She spoke calmly, with no outward signs of nervousness. She spoke clearly and didn’t display any speaking problems at all.

  She selected a Smith & Wesson blue steel .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver. She filled out the required paperwork, part 1 of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Firearms Transaction Form 4473, in a legible but rather sloppy hand. It required answers to a number of questions.

  a. “Are you the actual buyer of the gun?” Julie checked “yes.”

  b. “Are you under indictment in any court for a felony or other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year?” Julie indicated she was not.

  c. “Have you ever been convicted in any court of a felony or any other crime for which the judge could have imprisoned you for more than one year, even if you received a shorter sentence including probation?” She answered: “No.”

  d. “Are you a fugitive from justice?” Again, she appropriately checked the “no” box.

  e. “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” Julie checked “no,” pointing to a distinct flaw in the system. Did authorities or gun sellers really think that an addict or illegal substance user who wants a firearm would willingly admit to a problem that could block their desired purchase?

  f. “Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?” Again she misrepresented her history, evading the intent of the question by hanging her answer on the legal fine point that she was not technically, formally “committed,” and responded in the negative.

  g. “Have you been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions?” Another “no.”

  h. “Are you subject to a court order restraining you from harassing, stalking or threatening your child or intimate partner?” “No,” once again.

  Julie continued on answering in the negative to the remaining questions about her citizenship status. She was disappointed to learn that she could not take the revolver with her when she left the store.

  “There’s a waiting period for the approval of your purchase by the FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement],” Tanso said.

  Julie paid for the handgun with her personal credit card and returned to her home. People who talked to her that day said she was “articulate and perfectly normal.” No one knew that, upon reaching home after her trip to the gun store, she pulled out the journal she kept in a blue spiral notebook and wrote: “The massacre will have to be delayed.”

  CHAPTER 19

  At one time, Julie was an early riser eager to face the day. Now that had all changed. She told her fellow car poolers that she didn’t like to get up early in the morning and wanted to do the return run from King High School.

  Much to the surprise of acquaintances and friends, around January 23 Julie started wearing ripped jeans and revealing blouses—more like a teenager than a fifty-year-old mother. It raised eyebrows, but nothing more.

  Dave Pow
ers sent his sister another e-mail the day after she made her first trip to the gun store: “Sorry I haven’t called to follow up on this email.… I would like you to respond to the various points put forth by me. I would like to see YOUR response to each and every item I discussed.… Please respond.”

  * * *

  During his absence, Parker communicated with Calyx, Beau, and Julie via e-mail, Skype videoconference, and instant messaging. One of those days, Parker made a phone call to the home to speak to Calyx about an e-mail she’d sent him about her high school course schedule for the following semester. According to Parker, Julie answered the phone and spoke to him without revealing that anything was out of the ordinary at home. Julie, he believed, sounded fine. Since her arrest, however, Julie has denied that that conversation ever occurred.

  * * *

  On Monday morning, January 24, Beau overslept and missed his ride to school. He woke his mother and asked her to give him a ride to class. Julie told him that she didn’t feel like it.

  Later that day, Lisa Prisco, Julie’s good friend, called to ask how she was doing. Initially, Julie made a noncommittal response about her forgetfulness.

  “Julie, you really need to tell your doctor about that. And you need to get therapy,” Lisa urged.

  “We are all going to counseling. We are really trying, Lisa. But,” Julie added, “I do not like the counselor.”

  “Why not?”

  “And I can’t remember things,” she complained.

  “Well, your doctor has prescribed a lot of different medications for your depression and all. Julie, you need to tell your doctor about this. And if you write down what you’re saying—that will help you remember.”

  “And the doctor I saw after my accident, gave me Percocet and hydrocodone.”

  “Does your regular doctor know you’re taking those medications, too?” Lisa asked, but Julie changed the subject.

  Parker used Skype to make contact with the home front on January 26. He spoke to and saw Beau, who was sitting on the upstairs sofa using the laptop computer he received for Christmas. Parker also spoke to Calyx. Both of his children seemed to be happy. Neither one of them communicated any concerns or fears about their safety. Parker thought all was well and despite his natural, ever present, parental worries, he had no immediate concerns for their welfare.

  CHAPTER 20

  Wednesday in English class, Calyx wrote an essay: “In life, the journey proves to be more meaningful than the end, and the way you live exposes your own true personality.”

  That afternoon, at track practice, Calyx, normally a distance runner, decided that her long legs might be perfect for hurdles and she would give them a try. On her first attempt, she went over a hurdle and fell face-first. She got up laughing and said to Coach Bingham, “Let’s go again.”

  The determined young woman seemed ready to take on any challenge. On this day, at this time, it appeared as if there were no way she could ever be stopped.

  * * *

  Beau had some excitement that day, too. When he saw his teacher Daisy Questella that afternoon, he asked, “Did you know I made the soccer team?”

  Daisy smiled at him and said, “Congratulations, Beau.”

  “Good-bye, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said as he left her classroom.

  * * *

  The next day was Thursday, January 27, 2011. Calyx’s and Beau’s father, Colonel Parker Schenecker, left Afghanistan for redeployment back to the United States, making a scheduled stop in Doha, Qatar. From there he sent e-mails to Julie, Calyx, Beau, his brother, Edmund, his mother-in-law, and a family friend. “Made it back to Q tonight (Thur.) Going to sleep now. Love, Dad/P.”

  Both children were excited about his imminent return.

  * * *

  Thursday morning, Julie sat down with her friend Lorraine for a short visit before running her errands. Lorraine realized that Julie was depressed that day, but she’d seen her in that state before. Nothing about Julie’s behavior or the atmosphere in the home struck Lorraine as unusual. It just seemed like another one of Julie’s bad days, nothing more.

  Julie, knowing her firearms application had been approved, returned to Lock N Load in Oldmar, arriving at 11:21. She picked up her gun, ammunition, and user’s manual. Julie asked questions about how to load and use the firearm while she was there, but Tanso got the impression that she already knew the answers. She was articulate and appeared physically healthy and mentally normal. Once again, she gave no indication to the gun shop staff that there was anything amiss.

  Upon returning home, she wrote detailed notes planning the murders of her children and her suicide afterwards.

  * * *

  Calyx saw her IB guidance counselor, Rosanne Hoit, on Thursday to talk about boarding school. “Will you write recommendations for me?” Calyx asked.

  “I’ll need a complete list of your extracurricular activities to do that. Can you get that to me right away?”

  “I’ll bring it tomorrow,” she said.

  After school, Calyx attended track practice. Her mother picked her up and brought her home. Calyx went upstairs to the den, booted up the computer, and signed on to her Facebook page at about four thirty that afternoon. She chatted with her good friend Jena until a few minutes after five thirty. They talked about school, for the most part. Calyx did not say anything about a conflict at her home. She didn’t even mention her family. Nothing in their conversation foreshadowed the events that were about to unfold.

  The two girls signed off expecting to see each other soon. It was the night of the friends’ weekly ritual of watching The Office together. Usually, Sara, Jena, Tatiana, and Calyx all gathered round their webcams, chatting and giggling throughout the show.

  * * *

  It was a cool Tampa winter day with the highs reaching only into the mid-sixties. Julie backed the family mini-van out of the garage and drove through her well-landscaped neighborhood. In the passenger seat, Beau, wearing a sweatshirt and pants, was ready for his soccer practice scheduled to begin in a few minutes, at 7:00 that evening.

  Before reaching their destination, Beau said something that set off his clearly unstable mother. She pulled out her new gun and fired a shot into the windshield, making a loud noise in the small space that terrified her son.

  It was not clear what the young boy could have said to trigger such a violent reaction from his parent. It is doubtful that his comment was that far out of line.

  The reason Julie had her weapon with her in the car is also unclear. Did she plan to store the gun in the car? Did she bring it along simply because it was new? Or did she intentionally come armed for the drive to soccer practice because she was looking for an excuse—any excuse—to draw her weapon and fire?

  Confusion, fear, bewilderment, and disbelief crowded into Beau’s shocked mind. No one will ever know what thoughts tumbled through his consciousness as he struggled to understand what was happening. Apparently, he believed that his mother was still capable of listening to reason. He pleaded with her, “Mom, put the gun away.”

  Instead of jolting his mother up out of her strange, inexplicable state, this request fired up Julie’s anger even more. She raised the gun and aimed straight at her only son. Beau had only a moment to contemplate his mother’s betrayal.

  Julie pulled the trigger and sent the lethal projectile through his left temple. Then she fired a second time. That bullet penetrated into his skull, entering through the side of his left nostril, ensuring that he was dead.

  She turned around the car and headed back home, the loveable, spirited Beau sprawled lifelessly in the seat beside her. Blood drained from his head and trickled from his mouth.

  Julie was not done. She pulled into the garage and walked into her home. She had a daughter whom she’d called mouthy and disrespectful. She had to address that problem in her life, too. She climbed the eighteen steps to the second floor.

  CHAPTER 21

  Calyx, wearing an orange Florida High School Athletic Associati
on T-shirt and green shorts with white stripes, sat in a rolling office chair in the family den. She was focused on a laptop computer at the wooden workstation. A bookcase stood next to that desk, and against the opposite wall was a futon with a white mattress, white comforter, and two throw pillows. At right angles, a sofa sat beside two file cabinets.

  Engrossed in her work, Calyx heard the noise echoing from downstairs as the garage door rose in its tracks, the car pulled inside, and the large door descended to the floor and locked. She was aware of the sounds her mother made as she reentered the family home but paid them little mind. It did not disturb Calyx or disrupt her concentration much at all. She listened as her mother’s footsteps came up to the second floor. It’s possible that Calyx had a passing hope that her mother would see that she was busy with her schoolwork and walk away, leaving her in peace. She did not want another conflict. She certainly was not concerned enough about her mother’s presence to turn around and give her a glance.

  Julie saw nothing in that room but her sixteen-year-old daughter. Her anger congealed into action. She stared at the young girl’s back and raised her weapon. Unlike Beau, Calyx did not have any indication that her mother was now totally and irrevocably out of control.

  Julie fired her new revolver, shooting her daughter in the back of the head. In a reflexive action, the impact sent Calyx’s head to the side. Julie pulled the trigger again. This time, she shot Calyx in the face, just below her mouth.