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“No. Hammer’s confession was good enough. We have him on videotape as well as in a written statement that he killed Dave Franklin. He also admitted to drugging your brother at the bar so he would sleep through anything."
"I knew it," Ariel said. "No one would sleep through a murder that was happening inches away."
"Right," the sheriff said. "Apparently, Paul Franklin paid Hammer to douse Trent's drink, but Hammer swears he didn't know why at the time. Since he'd heard that Paul Franklin was going to kill Sam to ensure Trent was punished for Dave's murder, Hammer decided to follow Franklin in order to be able to hold something over his head in case Paul learned the truth. Hammer has Paul Franklin on videotape entering Trent's house through the back window and leaving not long afterward on the night of Sam's murder."
"That's amazing," she said.
"Yes. If that isn't enough proof, we have physical evidence that we told no one about. We said there were no prints, but that wasn't true. We will be able to tie it to Paul Franklin. Now all we need to do is find him."
Benson was happy for Trent and Ariel, but that didn’t mean they were both safe. “What’s to stop Franklin from sending his men after Trent, now that Ariel's brother is free?”
“Why should he? We're pretty sure Paul Franklin is aware that Hammer really killed Dave Franklin, not Trent.”
His uncle’s cell rang. When he looked at the caller ID, his jaw tightened. “Sheriff Granger…No. When? Do you have the man in custody who killed him?” He nodded. “I see. Thank you for letting me know.” His uncle disconnected.
“Who died?” Ariel’s voice trembled.
“Hammer Schmidt was murdered last night in his cell. Another werewolf, who has ties to Paul Franklin, was caught with the weapon.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Benson would have thought Ariel would be happy. “There is a silver lining.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Hammer’s death might have satisfied Paul Franklin’s need for revenge. Let’s hope that you and Trent won’t ever have to deal with the Franklin clan again.”
“That would be nice, but Paul Franklin was never paid the ten thousand that my brother owes.”
"It's possible it never was about the money," Benson said. "I think it was about revenge. Since there is a warrant out for Paul Franklin's arrest, I don't think he'll be coming to Wildwood anytime soon."
"I hope you're right." Her eyes widened. “But now that Trent is returning home, what am I going to tell him about this whole werewolf thing?”
“Ariel,” his uncle said. “One of the issues we face all the time is trying to keep the world from knowing about our kind. You can imagine what would happen if people knew we existed.”
She nodded. “I’ve thought of that. The world would fear you and possibly try to incarcerate you.”
“Or study us.”
“Trent is my brother, but truthfully, I don’t trust him enough to tell him much of anything. I’ll leave the whole Franklin Clan discussion up to you.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Uh-oh. Beth knows. When I found out about Preston and Benson, I kind of freaked. She talked me off the ledge. Just so you know, she thinks me being with two werewolves is the coolest thing in the world. I’ll reiterate that she can’t say anything to anyone. Ever.”
“It’s for the best.” His uncle finished his coffee and stood. “Let’s hope there won’t be any more murders in this town for a long time.”
“Amen,” Benson said.
He escorted his uncle to the door. Once he said goodbye, Benson spun around. “This calls for a celebration.”
“I’d love that, but can we celebrate after we return my brother’s things back to his house. He’ll be needing a place to stay.”
“If Preston and I help, we can get it done in no time.”
She hugged both of them. “How did I get so lucky to have found such great men?”
“You might want to thank your brother for being accused of murder. If he hadn’t been found guilty, you and I might never have met.”
