Chapter 13: Deposition Day
The following month, Julian sat in a formal legal deposition room in the federal courthouse in Oakhaven. A court reporter sat at the end of the table, her fingers moving quickly over the keys of her transcription machine.
Arthur Vance sat opposite him, dressed in a muted gray prison jumpsuit, accompanied by a public defender. The arrogance that had once defined his posture was gone, replaced by a sullen, tired silence.
Sarah Vance led the questioning on behalf of the valley residents' coalition.
"Mr. Vance," Sarah said, her voice clear and precise. "On August 14th of last year, did you receive an internal report from EarthScience Laboratories warning that Well Number Two contained unsafe levels of synthetic solvents?"
Arthur looked at his lawyer, who gave a quiet nod.
"Yes," Arthur muttered into the microphone.
"And did you intentionally withhold that report from the county zoning board?"
"Yes," Arthur said, looking down at his cuffed hands on the wooden table. "We had already invested four million dollars into the site infrastructure. A delay would have bankrupted the firm."
Julian watched the older man quietly. There was no anger left in Julian’s chest—only a solemn realization of how easily a person could lose their humanity when driven by fear and pride.
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"Thank you, Mr. Vance," Sarah said, closing her folder. "We have no further questions."
As Arthur was led out of the room by two sheriff's deputies, he paused brief beside Julian's chair. He looked at Julian for a long moment, his mouth opening as if to say something, but no words came out. He simply lowered his head and walked out the door.
