"But Louis is dead. And I'm looking at ten years minimum." He leans forward, hands clasped. "The DA froze my accounts. I can't afford a decent lawyer. Public defender they assigned me looks like he graduated last week."
Voss motions for Williams to stand up. He lifts the old man’s shirt and pats him down. Williams's jaw tightens but he doesn't protest. Voss looks at me and nods.
“Go ahead,” I tell him.
"I can recommend someone. Top criminal defense attorney in the state. Specializes in federal cooperation deals. Mr. Blackstone will cover all fees,” Voss says.
Williams doesn't look at Voss. His eyes stay locked on mine. "In exchange for what?"
“For leaving his family out of your testimony,” Voss replies.
Williams’s expression shifts from surprise to understanding to calculation. "The police know I took bribes," he says carefully. "They have my bank records."
"But they don't know who paid you. Not all of them, anyway.” Voss gives me a look. I keep going anyway. “I’m sure my father isn’t the only one who lined your pockets.”
“Some of it was cash. Meetings at Churchill Downs, Keeneland. Hard to trace,” Williams explains.“They're going to ask. They're going to want names."
"And you're going to cooperate fully," I say.
“Give them names. Help them build their case. Just don’t include the Blackstone name,” I finish.
Williams leans back, his ankle monitor shifting. "You're asking me to have selective memory."
"I'm asking you to be accurate about what you can prove. Cash payments from years ago, no paper trail, multiple sources, details get fuzzy. I'll make sure you have a lawyer good enough to sell that story. Someone who can get your sentence reduced, maybe even keep you out of prison entirely."
"And if I say no?"
I wait until his gaze meets mine. "Then you go to trial with a public defender who's juggling fifty other cases. You lose. You spend the next decade in a place that makes this house look likea mansion." I pause. "And when you get out, I'll remember you went against me."
It's not quite a threat. Not quite a promise. Just a statement of fact.
Voss scoots forward, elbows on knees. “And if you forgo his help and mention this conversation to anyone, I’ll make sure that any time you spend in prison will beveryunpleasant.”
Williams’s gaze shifts from Voss to me. “I met Louis a few times over the years. At those tracks you mentioned. He had this way of deciding what was best for everyone without bothering to ask them. Convinced himself he was protecting the family when really, he just couldn't stand letting anyone else be in control." He looks at me. “Tell me, did you ask your family if they wanted you to handle me? Or did you decide for them?”
"Stay in your lane, Williams. We're here to talk about your charges, not my family."
Williams is quiet for a long moment. Then says, “One more question.”
I wait.
"The green initiative. Sebastian's environmental program. Is it real, or PR bullshit?"
"It's real," I say. "Sebastian didn't know about any of this. He genuinely wants to make the company sustainable. He's a good man, trying to do good.”
"Unlike you."
"Unlike me," I agree.
Williams nods slowly. "Okay."
"Okay?" I repeat.
"I'll take your offer. I'll cooperate with prosecutors, give them names on other cases. Just not yours." He stands.
"One more thing." I stop him before he can wrap this up. "This isn't the only acquisition my father made through your office. Are there others I need to know about?"
Williams meets my eyes. "No. Just the one."
