The Road to Hell

A highway patrolman finds a shot-up tractor-trailer rig; its cattle trailer and driver, Cooper James (Stephen Sullivan), are missing. R.J. Watts (William Earl Brown), a detective with the livestock bureau, is called in. Later that night, a bound James strolls up to Walt at a roadside checkpoint. He tells Walt and Watts that he was assaulted by four masked men with automatic weapons, his trailer was hijacked, and he was released later. Watts suspects a cattle rustler, Bobby Dunwood, organized the heist, but the fact that Dunwood is still in prison presents a pretty solid alibi. Vic drops James off at his car at the truck depot, but learns he never made it home. She and Walt find him dead, hanging in a trailer parked at the depot the next morning. Soon, some of the missing cattle stroll into town bearing animal rights activism signs, but Watts thinks it's a red herring. While discussing past cases with Watts, Walt hears that most of the people Watts has arrested are now out of jail, and Dunwood will soon join the ranks. Watts arranges an early furlough for Dunwood so he and Walt can follow him. But it turns out, the cattle owner's son (Matt Angel) and his college activist girlfriend are responsible for the livestock theft. Walt tells Watts to end Dunwood's furlough and return him to prison, but Watts has other plans. He discovered James was in on the cattle theft and killed him, and he decides to end his own life and tries to take Dunwood with him by crashing his car. Meanwhile, Vic receives a mysterious bouquet of flowers at work. A card reads "Happy Anniversary," but her wedding anniversary is months away. At home, she tells her husband: "They found me."