Who is Ben in the book, Deathwatch?

Ben is a young college student, who lives in a small desert town. He is hired by an executive called Madec to take him into the desert and show him where the bighorn sheep live. Ben dislikes Madec, but he is paying him enough money to pay for a semester of school, maybe even two. For this reason, Ben puts up with Madec's attitude. When they spot a herd of sheep in the mountain ahead of them, Madec fires before Ben sees the horns, making Ben think Madec has shot something other than the large, male bighorn he has a permit to shoot. When they check out the kill, Ben discovers that Madec shot a man. Ben wants to take the body to the sheriff and explain what happened, but Madec is afraid of going to jail.

Madec strips Ben of his clothing and sends him out into the desert to die. Ben outwits Madec, however, and gets the better of the executive, dragging him into town with the body of the dead man to face justice. However, Madec twists the truth in such a way that Ben is arrested instead. Ben faces years in prison unless he can convince the people he has known his whole life that he is innocent of the crime. With the help of a new doctor in town, Ben convinces everyone of the truth.