Rivera settles into her seat. "Fine. Let's begin." She reaches for the file in front of her. "Mr. Blackstone, you stated you only recently learned about your father's connection to the contaminated land deal. When exactly—"
“Six weeks ago," Madison says.
Rivera's pen pauses. Her attention shifts to Madison.
“When my mom and dad died, I met with my half-siblings Thorne, Lillianna, and Sebastian and told them what our father did.” Madison lifts her chin. “They had no idea until then.”
"And when was this meeting?"
Madison gives her the date.
Rivera makes a note. "Who else was present?"
“I was,” Lillianna supplies. “Sebastian and Rosalia Blackstone, and Ivy West, Madison's guardian."
Rivera flips through her notes. "So Ms. West is both guardian to Madison and environmental counsel to Blackstone Bourbon?"
"That's correct," Ivy says evenly.
"Interesting." Rivera's tone suggests she finds it more than interesting. "And how soon after this meeting did the siblings retain you as environmental counsel, Ms. West?"
"Within twenty-four hours," Ivy replies. "As soon as we understood the scope of the contamination, I was brought in to develop a remediation strategy."
"Very efficient." Rivera makes another note. "And since then, what actions have you taken?"
"We've conducted soil and water testing, engaged environmental engineers, and begun developing a comprehensive cleanup plan," Ivy says. "We're also reviewing all of Louis Blackstone's land acquisitions to identify any other potential issues."
"Proactive," Rivera says. "Though some might say you're also destroying evidence of your father's crimes."
“They’re complying with state environmental regulations," Voss interjects smoothly. "There's no legal requirement to notify federal authorities during the assessment phase, particularly when this falls under state jurisdiction."
Rivera's expression doesn't change, but I can see her recalculating. "Let's talk about Jeffrey Williams."
My pulse kicks up.
"Mr. Williams was an EPA inspector who, according to his testimony, received cash payments to overlook certain regulatory violations." Rivera looks directly at me. "He's been very cooperative. Named several other individuals involved in similar arrangements."
"That's his prerogative," Voss says. "But I'm not sure what that has to do with my client."
"I'm getting there." Rivera pulls out her notes. "Mr. Williams has been forthcoming about most of his dealings. Names, dates, amounts. Very detailed." She pauses. "Except when it comes to one particular source. Cash payments over four years. Significant amounts. But he claims the details are 'fuzzy' given the passage of time and the cash nature of the transactions."
She lets that hang in the air.
"Selective memory is convenient, isn't it, Mr. Blackstone?"
Voss leans forward before I can respond. "Agent Rivera, my client can't speak to Mr. Williams’s memory. If you have questions about the Blackstone family's involvement, I'm happy to address those. But speculation about another witness's testimony isn't productive."
Rivera studies me for a long moment. Then she shifts her attention to Madison. "Ms. Payne, you're certain your half-siblings had no knowledge of your father's activities before you told them?"
"Yes," Madison says firmly. “I was the one to tell them.”
"And your mother's role?"
She blinks rapidly. Her gaze slides away, then returns. “She... she knew.”
I want to reach over and squeeze her hand. Say something. But I stay still. I’m keeping my word and following Voss’s lead.
"We can provide documentation," Ivy adds, "showing when environmental counsel was retained, when remediation planning began, and the timeline of our compliance efforts. This family is taking responsibility for Louis Blackstone's actions, Agent Rivera. That should count for something."
