The fishing spot Fort was talking about had two paths. They took the one to the left, and Cori discovered just how much fun, and how awkward, having sex in a truck could be.

When they were leaving, they almost collided with another truck that was exiting the path from the right.

It was Deke and Cricket.

“Still think I'm crazy?” Cori asked as she brushed out her own hair, happy to lose the wig.

Fort blocked their exit and jumped out, leaving his door open.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Fort stood before Deke's front lights.

Deke turned off the truck and climbed out. Cricket did as well.

Deke said, “It started after the holidays. Tinsdale was out of town, and some of the guys were coming in, asking about their policies, talking about making claims for a few head of cattle. Most weren't looking for immediate payout, but if their heads kept going missing, then could they make a claim? I told them not without a police report and paper trail, but none were filing claims. I finally asked Mrs. Williams, and she said her husband hadn't because none of the cows were tagged or branded, and there were no signs of them being taken. They were all wondering if they'd miscalculated or the error was on them.”

Cori was sitting in the driver’s seat, listening, and perked up. “That's what we're seeing, too. It’s still happening.”

Deke leaned against the truck hood. “I'm not surprised. It’s happened in Bison's Prairie and as far up as Bozeman.”

“I'm seeing signs of it throughout Wyoming and Montana. Even a few reports in Idaho,” Fort said.

“It's like they take just enough to make people wonder, but not enough to make them outraged and do anything.”

“Plus, the cows aren't marked, so it’s an uphill battle for the rancher,” Cricket chimed in.

“That's not all. Couple of the guys over in Elk's Pass came in, wanting to file claims and were pissed when I couldn't do anything without a police report. They mentioned having a secondary insurance they got off some salesmen they met at a few auctions.”

“Let me guess,” Cori said, “the insurance is bogus.”

“Yeah, how'd you know?” Deke asked.

“What tipped you off?” Fort asked Deke, changing the subject. Protecting Cori was more important than getting all the clues. He had enough to piece the puzzle together.

“I was at the insurance convention I mentioned earlier. Lots of brokers were talking about it. It's not the first time something like this has happened. There was this guy in Texas—”

“Charlie Walters. That's my dad,” Cori said and looked at Fort. “He's the guy in Texas.”

Fort didn't have to shine a light on her to see her panicked expression. “Cori,” Fort said. “Your dad's in prison. He's not doing this.”

“Except that it's starting to look more like he is.”

Deke looked between them. “I don't know about your dad, but what I do know is that Conway isn't the brains. There's a guy I'm thinking is in charge. He's been in town a few times. That's who I'm trying to get to. By hiring Conway, I thought I might, but Conway protects the hell out of him.”

Cori reached under the passenger seat and withdrew her camera. “Is it this guy?” She found Brody's image and passed the camera to Fort who showed it to Deke.

“Yeah, that's him.”

Cori covered her face. “His name is Brody Fant. Fant isn't his last name. That I'm sure of. But Brody is his real name,” she said between her fingers. A memory tickled at her brain, and she closed her eyes, trying to picture it. It was her mother telling someone her father wasn't home. After she'd closed the door, she'd shuddered and said, “That Mr. Brody makes me nervous.”

“In fact, I almost think Brody is his last name.” She opened her eyes and looked at Fort. “I know this because he worked with my dad or for my dad or whatever. The Feds were going to reduce my dad's sentence if he gave up Brody. I remember my mom begging him to do it, but my dad refusing, telling her that Brody needed to stay out of jail if she expected to keep up her spandex and highlights habit. Tell me again why you think my dad isn't involved?” She brushed tears from her cheeks.

“Babe.” Fort went to her, stood next to the seat, and then pulled her into his arms. “Even if he is, we'll get to the bottom of this. We'll stop it.”

“Can he ever be stopped?” She rested her forehead on his shoulder. Her weary sigh could have broken his heart. “I made plans to meet Brody at the Billings Auction on Thursday. He was planning on going up there. That's how they do it. Probably have local tags on their car, say their working for a ranch, and bring in the stock to sell.”

Fort kissed the top of her head. “That's in three days.”

“That means they'll be doing a roundup of the last few over the next few days,” Cricket said.

“I wish we knew where they were hiding out,” Deke said while rubbing the back of his head in thought.

Cori lifted her head and looked at Fort.

“We know where they're staying,” he said, staring back at her, reading her mind. He then shifted so he was facing the others, his arm around her shoulder, and explained about the cabin.

“I know the place,” Deke said, chin in hand, lost in thought.

“We need a plan,” Cori said.

Fort nodded. “Hannah Jacobson has been running stats for me, and one thing keeps popping up. Heads go missing quickly after they're brought to the ranch, before they're tagged or registered. When I added the number missing to what is sold at auctions days later, its relatively close.”

“No identifiable marks makes tracing nearly impossible,” Cori said.

“Anyone know of anyone bringing in a few cows?” Cricket asked.

“Mrs. Z said she was bringing in some for breeding since her herds gotten thin,” Cori supplied.

“She's an easy mark,” Deke added.

“We need to find out if anyone else has brought some new cows in,” Fort said.

Cricket said, “Cori and I are meeting some of the women this week to nail down the specifics for your wedding. We'll just move it up to tomorrow and see if we can get info out of them.”

“Wait, y'all are getting married...soon?” Deke asked.

“Apparently in a few weeks,” Fort said.

Deke threw back his head and laughed a deep, belly one. “Oh, that's rich,” he said between fits of mirth. “Town won't let you drag your feet this time Besingame.”

“Also means they aren't sold on you,” Cricket pointed out.

Deke's laughter faded but his smile stayed. “I don't care, Cricket. Fort's the better candidate for sheriff anyway. I'll be all right if I don't get the job.”

Fort held up a hand in question. “All that trash talk—”

“Was to get you to run. I'll take the job and try my best, but I won't stay in it. I'll move on.”

“Up,” Cricket said with heavy sarcasm.

“Yes, Cricket, I have aspirations. I also have feelings for you that, apparently, I'm only allowed to display under the shadow of darkness.”

“You were married to my sister,” she cried.

“Laura has been gone five years.”

“Doesn't matter. What will people say about us being together? What will my family say about us? Can you imagine reading your bio if you were commissioner? ‘Married all the girls in one family.’ It could never work.” Cricket looked like she could cry.

“You're being ridiculous,” Deke said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“This is all very interesting,” Fort interjected, “but can we get back to the real issue? Cattle thieves.”

“I've been trying to work it out,” Cori said. “How are they getting the cattle out without a trace?”

“The train,” Deke and Fort said in unison.

“How?” Cori asked and glanced at Cricket, whose puzzled expression matched Cori's confusion.

“The midnight crawler stops for about an hour. Sometimes more. They could load then,” Fort said. “I should have put it together yesterday.” He grunted with self-disgust.

“I don't get it,” Cricket said.

Deke said, “When you go in with guns blazing, so to speak, and take as many cows as you can get in one swoop, you bring all the attention to you until you’re caught or the trail runs cold. If you do it in pieces, quietly, at night, people are slower to react. A person could make away with a good number, a few hundred head, before anyone is the wiser.”

“Try over a thousand. Between us, Bison's Prairie, and Elk's Pass,” Fort said. “I have a number from four different counties. We're well into the thousands overall.”

Deke gave a low whistle. “So they take the cows, how?”

“By walking them out of the herd. Broad daylight. The dry earth leaves no sign. They know the ranchers schedule and work around it. Lead the cow out like a kid walking a dog,” Fort said.

“Let them graze down in the valley behind the cabin, which is great pastureland,” Deke added.

“From there I bet they transport them to the train.” Fort was looking at Deke.

“Tomorrow, you stake out the cabin, and I'll take the pasture and train,” Deke said.

Fort nodded. “We're gonna need to collect as much evidence as we can before we spring into action. This crew is crafty. I imagine we're looking at a crew with about...” He paused to calculate in his head.

“Including Conway and Brody, there were four others at the bar,” Cori contributed.

“Conway is the eyes and ears in town. So when you ladies are pumping info from the women tomorrow, be careful,” Deke said. “Cricket, you hear me?”

“I'm not talking to you anymore,” she said and looked away from him.

“Back to this?” He shook his head.

“I can get photos,” Cori suggested. “Photos might help.”

“No!” Deke and Fort said in unison.

“Let us handle this,” Fort said. “It’s our job. You've already helped a bunch,” he added and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You and Cricket need to be at the diner first thing to find out who might be missing cattle or getting some new heads in.”

“I'm sorry,” she said softly to him. “I'm really sorry,” she told the others.

“I can't imagine whatever for,” Cricket said.

“This is not your fault,” Fort said.

Cori waved off his words. “Maybe not. But this isn’t over, and if I know my dad, and I do, bad things are gonna happen if these guys catch so much as a hint y'all know what they're up to. These aren't guys who run away quietly and leave behind what they started. They'll try and get what they can before they split,” she cautioned. “No, you'll have to be very careful. These guys wouldn't think twice of taking you out just to get the last of their count.”

Cori's omen hung in the air, a thick cloud of icy cold truth that left goose bumps on her arms.