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“Yeah, we heard. I’m sorry to hear that. To be frank with you, Pedigo is an evil bastard. He’s been on our radar for years. We caught him ten years ago and he served five years in prison and paid a hefty fine. But when recent rustling cases bore a striking resemblance to his previous crimes, we knew we had to look into him again. It’s been a long hard road.”
“Well, if he’s heading to Montana, I want that son of a bitch.” Creed clenched his jaw in determination.
“I’ve talked with your boss, and he agrees. I’m heading there to assist on this case. I’ll share everything I know about Pedigo.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Creed said gratefully. “When will you be here?”
“Wednesday morning,” Agent Doyle replied. “I’ll meet you at your office and we can catch up then.”
“Sounds good,” Creed said with relief. “I’ll see you then.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good day.”
Creed hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh. He knew that catching Pedigo was going to be a difficult and dangerous task, but with Agent Doyle’s help, he felt more confident. He quickly got back to searching through files for any possible associates or leads on Pedigo’s whereabouts, determined to bring the criminals to justice.
On a Wednesday morning, Creed, Alex, and Eli walked into the conference room to find Dave chatting with another man.
“Good morning, guys. This is Agent Killian Doyle from the Helena office. He’ll be assisting us on this case. Killian, meet Creed McBride, Eli Hawkins, and Alex Reeves.”
After exchanging handshakes, they all took a seat at the table to discuss their strategy for catching the cattle rustlers. As Agent Doyle talked about Pedigo’s tactics, it was clear that he was just as determined to bring him down along with his accomplices.
“How many men does Pedigo usually have with him?” Eli inquired.
“As many as he can convince to join him. He promises them a large sum of money. We’ve seen him with anywhere from four to ten men. But we could never get any information out of him about who he was working for... although we have our suspicions,” Agent Doyle replied.
“Who do you think it is?” Alex asked.
Agent Doyle glanced at Dave, who gave a nod of confirmation.
“Percy Cartwright.”
“Of Cartwright Auctions?” Alex asked in surprise.
“Yes. That’s one reason why so many of the stolen livestock were never recovered. Cartwright would fix the records to make it seem like everything was legal. And whoever he had doing it was damn good at their job.”
“Did Cartwright know you were onto him?” Alex pressed.
Agent Doyle smirked. “We think so. Ever since we questioned him, he’s been laying low. We’re keeping an eye on him, but there’s not enough evidence yet to make a move.”
“Do you think he hired Pedigo?” Creed asked.
“We believe so. But without any solid proof, we don’t want to jeopardize the case by putting too much pressure on Cartwright.”
“We want those men,” Creed snapped.
“I have no doubt about that, Agent McBride.”
As they continued the discussion, Creed’s frustration grew. He wanted Pedigo caught and brought to justice for his sadistic actions. The other men involved were just as guilty, but Pedigo was the one who took pleasure in inflicting pain and death on others.
“With your memory back, Agent McBride, we finally have a chance at catching him. We just need to locate him,” Agent Doyle stated.
Creed couldn’t stand sitting any longer. He pushed back from the table and stormed out of the room. Making his way to his desk, he grabbed the chair but didn’t sit down. Instead, he glared at the pile of folders on his desk and clenched his jaw. Then, with a sweep of his hand, he sent them flying to the floor in frustration. He collapsed into his chair and stared at the computer screen.
Eli stopped by Creed’s desk and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get him, Creed.”
Creed looked up at Eli and clenched his jaw. “I hope so, Eli. I want this bastard more than any other rustler I’ve gone after. He tried to kill us.”
“Thank goodness you were able to make that call before it was too late,” Eli said.
