Trent grinned. “Yes, the oldest sister is Deidra, and Sloane is their cousin.”
“Reece invited me to the wedding, but I was out of town on a case. I’m sure we would have met then.”
“No doubt. I won’t hold you up any longer, Agent Richards, and be careful out there. I know how rustlers can be. Someone shot at my brother a few years ago when they stole his horses. Reece was who found them.”
“Yes, sir. Reece was lucky to have found them. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. You and your men be careful. I’ll be in touch, but call any of the numbers on that card if you need me.”
“Thanks. Have a good day.”
“You too.” Wilder got into his truck, drove through a gate, and up to where the tire tracks were.
He stopped beside the cut fence and stepped out. He took photos with his phone as he walked along the tire tracks. They looked like they belonged to two different vehicles, and he was sure one was a trailer.
He followed them until they came out to the main road. He could see that they turned right, but he had no idea how to see where they went from there. Damn.
With a heavy sigh, he turned and headed back to his truck. The odds were they’d be back. If they realized how easy it had been to steal the cows, they’d get greedy and do stupid shit. It’s how rustlers were. They had no remorse for stealing from a farm or ranch, and they certainly didn’t care about the owners losing their livelihood.
Wilder knew what it was like to live on a ranch and depend on the income from the animals. Whether they were cattle, horses, sheep, or dairy cows in Rory Heston’s case. His parents had once owned a bison ranch, and he had worked there until he graduated high school and went off to college.
He decided to become a livestock agent when someone stole a lot of the family’s bison in the middle of the night. They never found the bison or the rustlers, and his father had been livid. So mad that he sold the ranch and moved into town.
Although it had been years ago, it still bothered him, and Wilder knew how important his job was to farmers and ranchers.
Once he reached his truck, he opened the back door, unzipped his duffle bag, removed two trail cameras, and attached them to trees. Since the cameras were motion-activated, they would snap pictures no matter who or what went past them.
After loading the SD cards, he turned the cameras on, synchronized them to his cellphone, and walked back to his truck. He had seen so many photos of raccoons, wolves, and coyotes that it was frustrating going through the pictures until something would leap out at him. He’d have to switch out the cards every few days because he knew they would fill up quickly. Sometimes just the wind would set them off.
After starting his truck, he drove down the dirt road, turned right, and traveled down the two-lane blacktop, hoping he’d see muddy tracks turning off somewhere, but it was not to be. The tracks faded the further they went. He drove back to the office to upload the photos from his phone and see if he got any matches on the tracks.
****
Rory stood in one milking parlor, patting the cow on the head.
“Boo-boo, you are such a good girl. You never fail to give me all the milk you can.”
“She’s a good one,” Buster said from beside her.
“Yes. I’m so afraid to put her in the pasture. All of them really, but you know this girl is my favorite,” Rory whispered.
Buster chuckled. “I don’t think you need to whisper.”
“Of course, I do. The others will get jealous.” She laughed.
“Have you heard from the agent?”
“Not since he was here.” She turned to look at Buster. “Is that normal?”
“Hell if I know. Call the man. Give him a kick in the ass to get busy.”
Rory huffed. “I suppose I could.”
“Do it. Someone stole your cows, and you need to know what’s happening.”
“You’re right. I’ll go in the house and call him.”
“You do that. I’m going to check the fence. I know the men did, but I want to make sure everything is all right.”
“Please do. I know they don’t need to graze, but since it’s legumes they’re munching on, it’s fine for them. They love getting out in the sunshine occasionally.” She shook her head. “Maybe we should get them down here and keep them inside.”