Is this destiny?

It was late afternoon when Ron, Zula, Allen, and Julius finished visiting all the stores with Mr. Heine and Mrs. Darcy.

It\'s not that there was a lot to see, but Mrs. Darcy was talking endlessly. She was obviously sucking up to them, and it was driving Ron crazy. He really wished for her to stop talking.

When they were in that last store, Mr. Heine got a call after which he informed them: "Pastor Rogers is inviting you to his home for dinner tonight. A number of other influential people from the town will also be present. Will you accept his invitation?"

Ron\'s lips formed a smirk. He was waiting for that old bat to make his move. "We are here to help Heinelurgy. How is having dinner with the pastor going to help?"

Mr. Heine approached Ron and spoke in a low voice so that other employees in the store can\'t overhear them. "If you are considering layoffs, you should also understand the implications. Pastor Rogers represents our town in many ways. Having a talk with him will help you to predict the outcomes when deciding on the best course of action."

Ron was quiet for some time before answering. "OK. We will accept his hospitality."

Mr. Heine\'s face lit up. "OK. I will let him know right away…"

Soon after that, Ron, Zula, Allen, and Julius returned to the Heine family residence to freshen up and rest until dinner time.

They all met in Ron\'s room where Ron informed them that this dinner will probably be the last thing they need to do before they head back to Los Angeles.

"We came here to deal with Heinelurgy, my father, the sheriff, and the pastor. We have all the information necessary related to Heinelurgy, and we made sure that employees saw us. Our three targets will be at dinner tonight, and the fact that more people will be there tonight is a bonus. I will provoke them, and we can expect retaliation. Remember, try to avoid guns, but breaking bones is just fine…"

After they finished sync-up, Zula, Allen, and Julius went to their rooms to pack. If this is the last thing to do, there is a chance that they will sleep tonight in their own beds.

Ron used this break pack his things, and then he checked on his laptop information related to Stan Leddy (aka the old man who was sitting on the street). There was not much, but Ron found that Stan had a bookkeeping business.

It seems that after Stan\'s fallout with the pastor Rogers, no one came to Stan for their bookkeeping needs, and he had to shut down his business.

Ron went through the webpage related to the town, elected officials, and he looked into tax information: how much is collected and where it\'s being used. He saw that there is a fund for residents in need and Ron wondered why Stan didn\'t get help in fixing his house. His only conclusion is that pastor Rogers messed up with Stan, again. Ron made a silent promise that he will fix this, tonight.

…

~ The residence of pastor Rogers ~

8:47 PM

Ron, Zula, Allen, and Julius are in the living room. Present are also Mr. Heine, pastor Rogers, the sheriff, and about twenty other people.

During dinner, Ron glanced around the table and just as he suspected, he knows everyone at this table. Three people are sheriff\'s deputies, the school principal is here and the mayor of the town as well. Everyone who is someone showed up and Ron wonders what are they up to. Are they trying to intimidate them with numbers?

The dinner passed in casual chit-chat and exchanging pleasantries. The pastor, the mayor, and the school principal took turns talking about the town and how wonderful it is.

When the food was done, they all moved to the living room, for drinks and more chatting.

Currently, Ron and Zula are standing with Pastor Rogers, the sheriff, and Mr. Heine. The principal of the school and two deputies are also nearby, listening in to the talk.

Allen and Julius are on the other side of the room, chatting with the mayor and two other people.

"Ron, you said that you are here to help Heinelurgy out of their current predicament. Did you decide on something?" Pastor Rogers asked.

"We are here to see what can be done." Ron responded.

"If you have the power, make the rumors about Julia disappear. That will fix everything." The sheriff said half-mockingly.

Ron chuckled. "Wouldn\'t that be convenient for you? Make the unpleasant news disappear, let\'s pretend that the crime does not exist. That is how you always did things here."

"Ron, there is no need to be unfriendly." Pastor Rogers warned Ron.

"That is an interesting choice of words, coming from you..." Ron sneered at pastor Rogers.

"Ron, let\'s not escalate this more than necessary." Mr. Heine chimed in.

Ron shook his head in disapproval. "You were always like this. Do you think that this pastor would care about you if you are not useful?" Ron glared at pastor Rogers. "You are a pastor, spreading the word of God but in reality, what you do has nothing to do with God. It\'s just a load of bullshit that comes out of your mouth. You don\'t care if people follow God. You only want them to follow you."

"How dare you!?!" Pastor Rogers shouted.

Ron pointed at pastor Rogers. "Look at you. Brave to speak up. I wonder, why? Is it because this is your house? Or because you think that the sheriff will protect you? Look at him, sipping his drink while enjoying the show. Unless his interests are jeopardized, he will not move a muscle."

Ron turned to the sheriff. "Shameful. Sheriff Brown who is the law in this little town. I can do whatever I want, as long as sheriff Brown says it\'s OK. The two of you are holding this town hostage. Sheriff with fake law and pastor with fake religion."

The sheriff frowned. "Watch your language, Ron!"

"Or what? What will you do?" Ron taunted him.

Mr. Heine lifted his hands. "Let\'s all calm down…"

Ron snorted. "Calm down? How can you talk about calming down? Your wife is preying on teenagers, and your business is going down the drain. The priest and the sheriff are only interested in making the scandal disappear, and I wonder…" Ron turned to the school principal. "What does the principal think about all this? Are you OK with a middle-aged woman sleeping with your students? Did you know about it? Did any of those boys came for counseling?" Ron turned to the priest. "Or did they come to you to confess their sins, and you told them to keep on praying so that the devil leaves their mind?" Ron turned to the sheriff. "Or did they come to you to report the…"

"Enough!" Pastor Rogers screamed. "Do you think that you can come here and change anything? Shake things up?"

Ron nodded. "Exactly."

The sheriff sneered. "And how do you think to accomplish that?"

"Simple. You have the option to surrender yourself to the authorities and admit your crimes." Ron said matter-of-factly. 

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