The first thing that caught my eye after I hurriedly drove up from Napa County Airport was the picket signs of the “Napa Guardian Coalition,” packed in front of the main gate of the Redwood construction site.
“Immediately fill in the greedy holes that butcher our aquifers!”
“Napa’s clean groundwater is not private property! Withdraw the plan to illegally discharge winery wastewater!”
The front gate of the site was filled with hundreds of protesters and picket signs from the environmental group “Napa Guardian Coalition,” and the entrance to the normally quiet farm was jammed with an angry crowd and police lines. Through the car window, I could see blind fear and anger that seemed to have been stirred up by someone in the protesters’ eyes.
Inside the car, I pressed my fingers to my temples. I had expected that a massive project drilling through bedrock down to the fourth basement level would create tension in the local community, but I had never imagined such a malicious frame as “illegal wastewater discharge.”
“Sir, we’ve arrived. Let’s enter the office through the rear entrance.”
At Leo’s words, I nodded and got out of the car. As soon as I stepped into the office, the person who greeted me was Arthur Vanderbilt, already there and rummaging through a mountain of documents.
“President Brian, you’re here.”
Arthur, who had just been flipping through papers with his fingers, looked up and spoke. Despite the serious protest unfolding outside, his voice was quite calm.
“The situation is worse than I thought, Arthur. The Water Resources Board says they’re coming out for a full investigation?”
“Yes, tomorrow morning. Chairman Stevens himself is coming. I’ve heard that within the board, a draft of a Cease and Desist Order has already been prepared.”
Arthur then opened two thick files on the desk and continued.
“But you don’t need to worry. I’ve already set up all the administrative barricades. Based on the California Water Code, Redwood has already submitted and received approval for our Waste Discharge Requirements report in advance. Also, we had the court notarize a geological impermeability data report proving that the wastewater injection they’re claiming is physically impossible.”
I was inwardly impressed. There was a reason he was called one of the three greatest lawyers in Napa Valley. And Arthur’s competence did not end there.
“And for now... I’ve identified the source of this rumor. The law firm on Harlan’s side hired a lobbyist for this ‘water resource protection campaign.’ Yesterday, their first-quarter lobbying activity report, the LD-2, happened to be amended and disclosed. In it, the fifty thousand dollars executed to the Napa Guardian Coalition under the name of consulting fees was written out in full. The date was exactly three days before the protest began. The timing of the transfer and the date they submitted a petition to the board line up chillingly well.”
“Things like that are publicly disclosed?”
“Under U.S. law, if money is spent to influence a specific bill or administrative action, lobbying activity reports have to be submitted quarterly, not annually.”
“Ah...”
“In addition, I obtained the monthly accounting report of the 527 group, the political organization the Napa Guardian Coalition registered as to receive tax benefits. Since the 2010 election season is approaching, they have to disclose their funding sources every month. I confirmed that fifty thousand dollars was deposited on the fifteenth of last month under the name of a subsidiary of Harlan Estate.”
Only now did I understand how they had spread such malicious rumors so quickly and systematically. William Harlan, unable to stand Redwood’s rapid rise, had pulled a trick.
“Looks like William was in quite a hurry.”
Warren clicked his tongue with a pitying expression.
“I suppose so. Well... he lost out at Best of Show this year too, and from what was recently revealed, Robert Parker gave Harlan Estate’s 2008 vintage ninety-six points, didn’t he?”
“It must have been disappointing. The 2007 vintage received a perfect hundred.”
There was a reason Harlan Estate was regarded as a legend in Napa Valley. But with that praise now shifting elsewhere, there was no way he would feel good about it.
Just then, the office door opened roughly and a man entered. A dark navy suit tailored perfectly to his large frame, with a silk tie. It was the rainmaker, Harry Montis.
“Well now, the atmosphere in front of the main gate is quite heated. It’s been a while, President Brian. And you as well.”
After exchanging a nod with Warren and shaking hands with Arthur, Harry settled into the seat beside him with a relaxed smile. Even as the sofa groaned with a loud creak beneath him, he maintained an utterly composed expression. Then he skimmed through the documents Arthur had organized and let out a low whistle.
“Oh-ho, you’re well prepared. You’ve even pulled Chairman Stevens’s well permit list from last year... Negotiations won’t be a problem.”
“Since I heard you were coming, I merely did the groundwork so I could relax.”
At Arthur’s modest answer, Harry laughed heartily and looked at me.
“Congratulations on receiving Best of Show once again at this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Competition.”
“Thank you.”
“Now Redwood is carrying out a major project to leap forward as a true top-class winery in Napa Valley. Hmm... the scale is certainly impressive, but when I think about it again, I’d say it’s exactly fitting to show Redwood’s future.”
As if the current difficulty were nothing at all, Harry smiled and offered words of goodwill. His nerve and confidence were so remarkable that, although I had already trusted him, the protest outside the farm now truly felt like nothing.
“It was designed with the distant future in mind. If we think as far as our collaboration with Château Margaux, we’d have to start quickly just to avoid being late, so it’s frustrating to be blocked like this before we’ve even broken ground.”
“It will be resolved. From here on, Arthur and I will take care of things, so you can simply watch.”
Harry then took the briefcase Arthur handed him and briefed us on tomorrow’s strategy.
“Tomorrow’s meeting will be held in front of the protesters and reporters.”
Contrary to the grim situation outside, my first meeting with Harry ended so easily that it almost felt empty.
The next morning, when the appointed time arrived, Water Resources Chairman Stevens and environmental group representative Miller appeared at the site with triumphant attitudes. The sound of shutters from dozens of cameras shattered the silence.
“President Brian of Redwood, there are serious concerns about groundwater contamination in Napa Valley. For the public interest, until the investigation results come out, the board orders that construction approval be den—”
Before Stevens could finish speaking, Harry Montis stepped forward.
“One moment, Chairman. The words ‘public interest’ sound particularly unpleasant today.”
Harry held a document Arthur had prepared right in front of Stevens’s nose.
“Take a look at this document. These are the requirements for invoking emergency authority under Section 13300 of the California Water Code. A ‘clear and present danger’ must be proven. Chairman, are a few groundless claims by an environmental group clear evidence? Or is the preferential well permit granted last month to a farm under your brother-in-law’s name clear evidence?”
Stevens’s face hardened in an instant. Murmurs broke out among the crowd. Harry did not stop.
“Mr. Miller, you said the ‘Napa Guardian Coalition’ was fighting to protect the environment, didn’t you? Then was the fifty thousand dollars that came in through an anonymous account last month a donation from Harlan Estate, or was it a service fee from a competitor asking you to obstruct our construction? You’re aware that violations of nonprofit funding transparency fall under the jurisdiction of the state Attorney General, yes? If you refuse approval now, in ten minutes I will report this collusive relationship to the state attorney general’s office and file a five-hundred-million-dollar damages lawsuit against the entire board.”
The site turned into chaos in an instant. Representative Miller gaped and stepped backward, and the reporters now turned their cameras toward Chairman Stevens and Miller over suspicions of collusion.
With the situation reversed, Chairman Stevens hurried over to me, as I was watching the uproar nearby.
“There are many eyes watching, so how about we talk inside for now?”
“You mean you need a quiet space? What if people start suspecting collusion between you and me, Chairman?”
Chairman Stevens’s complexion flushed red and blue. The dignity with which he had been loudly calling for construction approval to be denied just moments earlier was nowhere to be found; all that remained was a flustered bureaucrat wavering in front of the bomb Harry had dropped, the “preferential well permit under his brother-in-law’s name.”
“Now listen, President Brian. You’re misunderstanding this terribly. As chairman, I can’t ignore public opinion either, so I was merely trying to proceed according to procedure. First, let’s avoid those reporters’ eyes and speak quietly. Hear my explanation first.”
I glanced at Harry. Harry nodded leisurely, as if saying, “Now it’s time to cook.” Pretending I had no choice, I nodded and guided him to a small conference room in the winery. With Arthur, Harry, and even Warren sitting in, the cramped conference room filled with suffocating pressure.
As soon as the door closed, Stevens wiped the sweat beading on his bald head with a handkerchief and opened his mouth.
“President Brian, and Attorney Harry. That story about my brother-in-law you mentioned outside earlier... that was truly a simple administrative mistake. There was no procedural defect! And I really had no idea about Harlan’s donation. Who would have thought those environmental group bastards would move so systematically?”
“Not knowing doesn’t become an exemption, Chairman.”
Harry’s thick body sank deep into the sofa with a brrrpp! Then, wiping the nape of his neck with a handkerchief, Harry shot back coldly.
“The Water Resources Board must be fair. And yet you were about to delay construction approval based solely on hearsay rumors without any clear geological grounds. Should I calculate for you how much loss Redwood will suffer per day from that one decision?”
Stevens looked at me with a desperate expression.
“President Brian, you know this too, don’t you? In Napa Valley, groundwater is practically a religion. If someone says poison is being poured into it or aquifers are being severed, residents lose all reason. Do you think I didn’t believe in your construction method? But from the board’s standpoint, we needed a clear justification. A justification that could calm that angry crowd.”
His words contained both the cowardice unique to bureaucrats and the hardship of someone who knew the closed-off nature of Napa Valley all too well. I spread the drawings and 3D geological simulation data that Arthur and the architect had prepared across the table.
“Chairman, please look here. The fourth basement level we’re drilling isn’t simply digging deep into the ground without thought. As stated in the report we already submitted, this section is a natural barrier zone where an impermeable clay layer and a massive bedrock layer overlap in two tiers. Wastewater flowing into the groundwater would be harder than water surging upward in reverse.”
I stopped speaking and looked him straight in the eye.
“And the tanks we’ll install have a double stainless-steel structure, densely embedded with real-time leak detection sensors. Even if just 0.1 liters leaks out, a shutoff valve will activate from the central control room. From a management perspective, the bigger risk than wastewater leaking is that if a tank leaks, all the wine inside it has to be discarded. I couldn’t possibly stand by and watch such a dangerous thing happen.”
Arthur added from the side.
“Based on this data, the California Environmental Protection Agency has already issued a finding of suitability. It was all included in that pile of documents you delayed reviewing, Chairman.”
As the data and legal logic tightened around him, Stevens stared at the screen for a long while before letting out a long sigh. He had no choice but to acknowledge his defeat—or more precisely, his own haste.
“...I was too hasty. I’m sorry, President Brian. To be honest, I think I was briefly deceived by the fake data those Napa Guardian Coalition bastards brought in. With the scale being the fourth basement level and an environmental group raising hell, I think I unconsciously let my ears lean to one side.”
He stood from his chair and extended his hand to me. It was a sincere apology.
“Let’s treat what I said outside earlier as if it never happened. As chairman, and as someone who loves Napa, I apologize. This afternoon, I’ll immediately convene an emergency board meeting and complete approval for the ‘final construction commencement.’ I promise.”
“I’ll accept your apology, Chairman. However, you’ll have to explain it yourself to the reporters waiting outside. That Redwood is not destroying Napa, but protecting it.”
At my words, Stevens nodded with a bitter smile.
“Of course. I should clean up the mess I made, shouldn’t I? Based on this data you prepared, I’ll brief them along the lines that ‘Redwood’s technological innovation has raised Napa’s water resource security to the next level.’ That should save me some face too, shouldn’t it?”
Harry and Arthur exchanged glances and smiled. It was a perfect victory. On his way out, the chairman tapped Harry on the shoulder and murmured in a low voice.
“About my brother-in-law... let’s just wrap that up quietly. With the two most powerful men in Napa stepping forward, I don’t want a head-on fight either.”
“Well, Chairman, my memory will depend on how you make tomorrow morning’s newspaper headlines.”
At Harry’s shameless reply, Stevens clicked his tongue and left the room.
A short while later, Stevens’s booming voice from outside echoed all the way into the conference room. As if nothing had happened, he was praising “Redwood’s environmental construction method” to the reporters until his mouth ran dry.
Warren tapped my shoulder and said,
“You worked hard, Master. To think you came back from Bordeaux only to face this mess. Still, it’s fortunate you have so many reliable wolves at your side.”
“You’re right. Now it really feels like we’re ready to break ground.”