"Who didn't like your father?" Drake asked.
"You and your dad come to mind," Ben retorted.
"You already know that I got here the same time as Willow."
"Did you?" Ben challenged. "I see two cars. You didn't come together?"
"No," I said. "Drake came after I did."
"Or he made it look like that."
"Sure, try to pin this on me," Drake said harshly. "It won't work."
"I'm just looking at facts. What about your father? Where was he this morning?"
I took a quick breath, wondering if Drake would tell the truth.
"I don't know," Drake said. "I'm staying at the apartment over the restaurant. I'm not at the house. But I can find out."
"I'll find out," Ben said. "I'll talk to your mother."
"I can think of someone else who might want to keep your father quiet," Drake said. "And that's you."
"I wouldn't hurt my own father."
"Maybe he didn't want to protect you anymore," Drake suggested. "Maybe he did that once before, and when Kelsey went missing, he didn't want to do it again. You had to shut him up."
"That's a complete fabrication," Ben said, shock in his gaze.
"It's no different from the story you're weaving about me or my dad."
"It is different," Ben said forcefully. "Your father was always a suspect in Melanie's disappearance. He was following her around that summer, showing up wherever she was to make sure she wasn't lying to him. He was losing it. Maybe he lost it again. Maybe he took Kelsey."
"He didn't lose it then or now," Drake ground out, his fists clenching.
As anger flowed through the air, I stepped between them. "Stop it, both of you. This speculation is getting us nowhere. And my sister is still missing. We need to find Kelsey. Then we'll deal with what happened to Melanie and with what happened to your father, Ben. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but that's the way it has to be."
Drake blew out a breath. "You're right, Willow."
"I am right." I turned to Ben. "You need to get one of your deputies to take over the investigation. You're too upset and emotionally involved."
Ben gave me a hard look. "No. I can be objective. And you need me on this because I'm extremely motivated to find who killed my father."
"If your dad was corrupt—"
Ben cut me off. "Then I'll deal with that. I will get to the truth about all of it. And I won't shy away from where the facts lead me." He looked at Drake. "Even if that takes me to your father."
"I'm not worried," Drake said. "I know my dad didn't kill my sister."
"I hope you're right."
"Why?" Drake challenged.
Ben gave him a long look. "Because that would crush you, and believe it or not, I don't want that for you. I made a mistake when I lied about that night. I could only live with the lie because I knew I hadn't hurt Melanie, that I hadn't seen her, that I had no information that could help you. But that was a rationalization, and I should have come clean when you first came to me to reopen the case." He paused. "If my father was involved, and it sounds like he was, then I'll figure it out. I owe that to you and to Melanie."
"I just want the truth, Ben. That's all I've ever wanted."
Ben nodded. "We'll get there." Then he went back into the house.
"I need to find my father," Drake said.
"You should go do that. I'm going to hang around here for a bit. If Tom had Melanie's diary, maybe it's in the house."
"If he had it, he probably got rid of it a long time ago."
"That might be true, but if I stay close, I might learn something else. Go find your father, Drake."
He frowned. "All right, but be careful, Willow. Don't turn your back on anyone, including Ben."
"I won't. Drake…" I put my arms around him and gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry about Melanie."
"I knew she was gone. But it was hard to hear it."
"I know."
He hugged me once more and then ran to his car. I felt a chill run through me when he drove away. I missed him already.
Before I could go back inside, the paramedics brought Tom out on a stretcher and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. They'd placed a sheet over him, so I could no longer see his face, but I didn't think I'd ever forget what he'd looked like. The fear in his eyes as he realized he was dying. At least, he'd tried to confess. It was too little, too late, but it was something.
I moved back into the living room. Ben was talking to two deputies. When he saw me, he came over while the deputies moved into other parts of the house.
"You can go, Willow. I have all I need from you."
"I feel bad for you, Ben. I know it was just you and your dad for a long time."
His jaw tightened. "We were close, but we didn't always get along. He wasn't the easiest man to live with. But the longer I was away from him and from the island, the more I missed both. When he said he was going to retire, and he needed me to take over, I came home."
"Why do you think he was so intent on you taking over for him?"
"He couldn't imagine anyone but a Ryan watching over the island. Although once I came back, he didn't always appreciate what I was doing. He's been questioning every move I've made since Kelsey vanished. He didn't trust me to do it right."
"Or he was afraid you would do it too well, and you would find something that would lead back to him. Maybe he wanted a Ryan at the desk so he would always be protected."
"I can't believe he was that conniving, Willow. But maybe he was," Ben said heavily.
"I've been thinking about who might have felt like they had your father in their pocket, and I go back to the Chadwicks. They donated a lot of money to the sheriff's department. Is it possible your father would have tried to protect Gage?"
"It's not impossible," he said unhappily. "But aside from Drake's gut instinct, we don’t have any evidence that Gage was involved. I honestly think a better suspect is Drake's dad. The man has serious issues. And you know he was on Melanie all the time. She called him her jailer."
"Why would he kill her when he was trying so hard to protect her?"
"Maybe he went too far. He thought she was disrespecting him, and he flipped out."
"But your dad wouldn't protect Mr. Maddox. If Holt was guilty, your father would have brought him in. It has to be someone else. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think it's someone in my circle, just like Drake always suspected. You need to find out where Gage was this morning."
"I need evidence, Willow, not theories."
"What about cameras? Is there a doorbell camera?"
"No. I told my dad we should install one, and he just laughed. Said no one was going to mess with him on this island." He paused. "I don't know if any of the neighbors have them. I've been encouraging people to install them as the island has grown since the days when everyone just left their door unlocked. But there's a good chance there's no camera within a mile of here."