"What's this?"

It's been about an hour since the events in the old factory and we're back to the ranch, where I walked Eugene more or less straight to the cache of greenhouses in the back. He doesn't look concerned about it. In fact, it's hard to tell if he's feeling anything in particular about it at all, since his expression is blank.

"I see you found the greenhouses."

"That, I did."

He takes a few seconds to think how to explain himself. Assuming there's an explanation for this, of course. "So, I want you to pretend that you want to start a business of any kind."

"I don't follow."

"Just pretend you're starting a business, that shouldn't be too hard."

All right. I'll follow his little game and see where it leads. "Okay, let's say I want to open a pizzeria."

"What do you need to start said pizzeria?"

"Well, I was there through most of the process of my father opening his business, so I'd say a crew of constructors with a lot of patience, some permits, and merchandise to sell."

"Not only the construction team needs a lot of patience, John. So do you, if you plan on succeeding in your business."

"What does that have to do with this?" I ask, pointing at the greenhouses.

"Our coffers are not exactly teeming with funds, John. And we're a bunch of ex-criminals, and yes, that includes me," he says, looking me dead in the eye and making me flinch a little. "No bank on earth would give us a dime, and no insurance company would cooperate with us if we were, for example, to lose our plantations to a typhoon."

"So the whole farm is just run by dirty funds like these."

"No, we had some money to spare at the beginning, but think about it, John. Buying seeds, tools, materials to build housing, trucks to move our goods, tractors, manpower, feed everyone and their families, it all costs money. And carrots don't leave that big of a margin. We're at the mercy of the elements here. Any day, at any time, a storm could ruin our crops, and then what, John?"

"Then what, Eugene? We rely on this crap to save our buns?"

"Look. I'm the boss here. But that doesn't mean I run this with iron fist. We have a democracy, and we voted for and against this method of pumping some funds into the farm," he says, toning his voice down a notch. "I'm not saying this wasn't my idea. It was, but it was because I was cornered and running out of money to keep the farm working. I, personally, think the end justifies the means. And the majority voted for it. Some people, like Ralph, thought we should go full honest and play with our odds."

"There must be another way, though..." I say, because as much as I want to be mad at Eugene for this, I understand where he's coming from. If the farm somehow fails, the whole lot from the ranch will go back to terrorizing town and doing whatever they want.

"Without an insurance company willing to work with us, I'm sorry, but this is all we have left." He looks away from me and back at the greenhouses. "I know this looks horrible to you, and I know you didn't think we would resort to this kind of thing to survive, but Utopia Ranch must live. And for that, we need funding."

"I get that, Eugene," I say. "I get it, but I don't like it."

"I'm not asking you to like it," he says, solemnly. "I'm just asking you to trust me once again, even after knowing this, that I'm still trying my hardest to keep all these people off the streets and nothing else."

I think about it for a good minute in which the only sound is the rustling of the wind through the surrounding trees.

"I'll pretend I saw nothing here for now," I say. "But you promise me you won't resort to this unless it's absolutely necessary."

"You have my word," Eugene replies, and he offers me his hand for a shake. I take it and he almost crushes my right hand in return. "Now about earlier this morning..."

"Yeah, how come you did all of that and you didn't mention it to me?"

"Well, you see, John..." Eugene starts walking away from the greenhouses down the worn path I failed to encounter on my way here. "You didn't know this yet, but I managed, barely, to keep you out of court and probation because of the fight with Rudolph."

I remember that, back then, we didn't have any kind of significant bond that would warrant such a thing. "Why did you do that?"

"Because all of the information you gave me regarding Charles, and Rudolph acting in the name of the gang." He puts his hands in his pants' pockets. "I couldn't just let an asset like you be at the mercy of the police."

"An asset?"

"Yeah, I see you as a valuable member of our community here, and you used to be a great source of information about the mishaps at high school."

"My father wouldn't agree to me being here, by the way."

"I see Thomas still can't put our past differences aside yet," Eugene says, shaking his head. "We used to have a rivalry similar to yours and Rudolph's back in the day. I may have to drop by his restaurant and have a chat with him someday."

"But you're rivals, so isn't that kind of weird?" Because, to me, rivalry is something you carry around forever, which brings me to the next point in the list. "Like Rude decided to hold his grudge until he's back."

"When the time comes, we'll protect you," Eugene says with conviction. "He won't be able to lay a finger on you or yours with us around."

"I don't know about that," I reply, not convinced at all. "I have to be ready in case something goes sideways."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. What if he's waiting for me in Preston for instance?"

"You have a point there, that wouldn't be beyond him." Eugene thinks for a second, and then adds, "But I'm pretty sure you're a good runner."

"I'm not running away from him, Eugene."

"Well, you probably should," he says, sort of scolding me. "You don't want to end like the three kids from earlier, do you? And while I have some contacts in Preston, I'm by no means as influential as I am here."

"You pretty much run Maple Heights on your own."

"That's probably how it looks to you, but the reality is that I only care for my farm and my people."

"It's a shame that Allen didn't see it that way."

"We'll take care of his wife, either way."

"Why would you do that?" I ask, offended by this statement. "He doesn't deserve any of that."

"His wife is the reason why he resorted to this life, John. It's all that motivated him to pursue a life of crime."

"That should be none of our business."

"That's where you are wrong, my friend," he says, calmly. "Allen may have chosen the wrong path, but he's just a victim of his circumstances. And so is his wife. Therefore, and because we take care of each other, it's easier for us to bring her with us and feed her while Allen can't."

I sigh, defeated by this argument. "I guess it wasn't her fault that he turned into a criminal. How sick is she?"

"Very. The lack of coordination in her arms and legs is severe, and sometimes she has trouble talking." Eugene sighs in defeat. "The treatment isn't even cheap, that's why Allen was about to lose his house, too. She won't be able to make it by herself."

"Then I guess we have no choice."

"I knew you would understand," he says, proudly, patting my head. "I hope you never lose that good heart of yours."

"I have no such thing," I say out of sheer embarrassment. "I just want things to go right in the world. For everyone."

"Even Rudolph?" he teases.

"Yeah, I guess so." I lower my head and think about it for a second. "It's so dumb that he couldn't see what you're doing here and preferred to believe you're all a bunch of no-goods he had to get rid of."

"We used to do pretty horrible things back when Lazarus was the leader of The Fist," he explains. "Until one day he went too far and did something horrible to me, and I had to..."

"Had to what?"

"Take care of him," he says. "Permanently."

"So that means..." Eugene probably killed him, even though I have no way to know for sure.

"I'll leave that up to your own interpretation," he says. "Just you know that Lazarus is no more, and he won't be coming back."

"That's pretty ominous." Especially because Eugene is a peace-loving guy who only today resorted to violence, and even then, it was always controlled and somewhat merciful. At least until Ajax took his place. I wonder what kind of thing would motivate him to act so rashly as to 'take care of someone permanently'.

"Let's just say I didn't exactly pat him on his back for what he did."

A few minutes later, we're back to the ranch and everyone including Eugene go back to their chores like nothing happened this morning. Newt comes out of the barn followed by Ralph, the latter joining the others in their chores.

"John!" Newt calls my name with a happy smile on his face. "The police will take care of Harrison and the others!"

"That's good to know, buddy."

"It means the bullying in Maple Heights High is gone for good this time!"

"I wouldn't be so sure, but for now it seems like everything is solved."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard Harrison," I explain. "Rude will be back eventually."

"Yeah, about that..."

"What?"

"I heard Ajax wants to have a word with you."

"Ajax?"

"He wants to train you for that."

"Train?"

"Yeah. I think he's in the barn right now."