Just completed the first, raw version of a 4100 + word chapter on the cross examination of Michael Apelt.

Finally got to writing after two days of printing/organizing/editing/re-reading. It feels good to get back in to the process again. Here is a snippet of that chapter. I know this case so well, and it still blows my mind re-living this sociopathy and all the ways it played out.

my writing desk

I continue to tell the story via narrative weaving with exact court documents. I think it tells itself better that way, plus gives me a little distance, not having to run every single thing through my brain.

Please excuse my often terrible punctuation. I’ll get this edited in time.

The arrogance of the sociopathic mind is astounding. Michael Apelt really thought he was doing well on the stand; that he was making himself sympathetic to the jury and his explanations cogent and rational, as he dug himself further and further in, with his admissions of lying to almost every person he encountered.

As the trio dashed around town fantasizing about how they would spend Cindy’s blood money, they told nearly everyone they were coming into money very soon, from Germany. He even told Cindy that who was checking the mailbox daily hoping for that check to arrive. If she’d only known, Michael was encouraging her to check daily hoping to find the life insurance paperwork in there, which to him, was the equivalent of a large check.

 

Q:  Did you tell Rock that you had money coming from Germany?

A:  Yes.

Q:  And did you tell Cher that you had money coming from Germany?

A:  Yes.

Q:  And did you tell Kea that you had money coming from Germany?

A:  Yes.

Q:   And did you tell Daryl Bass from Larson Jewelers that you had money coming from Germany?

A:  Yes.

Q:  And did you tell Flo Schoenfelt that you had money coming from Germany?

He claimed he didn’t remember this name, Schoenfelt.

Q:  You don’t remember going to Wesley Jewelers and ordering Rolex watches?

A:  I don’t know. I don’t—can you describe which store that is?

Q:  The one in Scottsdale with the older lady, Mr. Apelt. You don’t even remember her?

A:  We talked about it.

Q:  Money coming from Germany?

A:  Yes but not in relation to the watch.

Q:  You said that to the people at Scott Toyota, too, didn’t you Mr. Apelt?

A:  Yeah, we made a test. We took a test drive and wanted to enter a contract.

Q:  And the guy at the Jaguar place, a Mr. Kwak, you told him too, you have money coming from Germany?

A:  Yeah, they didn’t want us to drive. They didn’t want to let us drive.

Q:  Did you lie when you went to the boat dealers?

A:  We never said we wanted to buy a boat.

sunset over my bed last night

treat myself every night to a cozy fire and movie or tv show–this space is a womb to me