Chapter Eleven

Angel definitely wasn’t looking forward to this meeting with Melanie. Especially since it had only been six hours or so since the fire. And during that time, she had also no doubt just gone through an interrogation from SAPD.

He didn’t know what Melanie had said during that questioning process, but Angel wanted to hear from the woman herself what she had to say about the bombshell Presley had delivered.

That Melanie was Kenton’s birth mother.

Yes, definitely a bombshell.

Mia was no doubt still reeling from the news as well, and as he drove toward their old foster home, she was frantically typing away on her tablet. Searching for answers that could help them understand, well, how the hell this had happened.

Melanie had never mentioned anything about Kenton being her bio son, and Angel figured there was little chance it was a coincidence that Kenton had ended up in her foster care. So, why had Kenton been placed there?

And how the hell had Melanie ever gotten involved with Dwight?

There was no doubt about an involvement either since Dwight’s DNA matched Kenton’s as well, making Melanie and him Kenton’s biological parents.

A text from Presley popped up on his dash screen, verifying that Melanie and RJ were indeed at home. Since the fire damage had only been confined to the one room on the second floor, the cops and the CSIs hadn’t forced them to leave.

“Danno, reply to text,” Angel instructed. “Thanks. I’ll keep you posted about what Melanie says.”

Presley would need an update since he wouldn’t be coming along on this visit. He was at SAPD trying to get info on anything pertaining to Kenton’s murder investigation. That included any info on Melanie and Dwight.

Mia was doing the same thing, but she wasn’t going the face to face route. Judging from her expression and grumblings, though she wasn’t having much luck.

“I’m guessing you’re not finding anything,” he said when Mia huffed.

“Nothing that’ll help us.” She huffed again. “To recap what we’ve already uncovered, when she was nineteen, Aileen had the baby that died, and it was nine years later before she had Kenton. To me, that suggests maybe some fertility or psychological issues for the lag in time between baby one and Kenton. But if it was an adoption or surrogacy arrangement, there’s no record of it.”

“Could have been a private arrangement,” he commented.

“I considered that, so that’s why I’ve been digging into Dwight’s financial history.” She shook her head. “The man has never had the kind of money it’d take to pay a surrogate. Ditto for Aileen. Added to that, Melanie would have only been sixteen at the time of Kenton’s birth. No way could she have entered into a legal surrogacy as a minor.”

Since Aileen was dead, they wouldn’t be getting any answers about this from her. And they couldn’t be sure they’d get the truth from Dwight either.

So, that left Melanie.

“How long after Kenton’s birth did Melanie and RJ marry?” he asked.

“About ten years. I can’t find anything that indicates Melanie and RJ even knew each other when Kenton was born.”

“RJ might not have known she had a child,” Angel muttered. “But Dwight sure as hell would have been aware that Kenton wasn’t his wife’s kid.” He paused. “Think back to those times Dwight came to the foster house. I remember arguments between Kenton and Dwight, but I recall at least one of those loud disagreements being between RJ and Dwight.”

“Yes,” she murmured, and her gaze met his for a second. “An argument that happened right around the time of what we now know was Kenton’s murder.”

Shit.

Angel so didn’t want RJ to have done this. Hell, he could say the same for Melanie. But things were pointing in that direction.

With that sense of dread spreading through him, Angel pulled to a stop in front of the foster house, and he immediately spotted the black Lexus in the driveway. He didn’t have to guess who the owner was because Angel saw him in the doorway with RJ and Melanie.

Roger.

Angel couldn’t hear what was being said, but considering Melanie’s and RJ’s expressions, this was a friendly social call.

Keeping watch around them, Angel got of the van, and once Mia had joined him, they walked together to the front porch. Roger spared them a glance over his shoulder. Or rather he spared them a glare. Then, he resumed his conversation with Melanie and RJ.

“I won’t have my wife dragged into this shitstorm,” Roger spat out. “If you talk to the police again, you will not mention her name.”

“That sounds like a threat,” Angel remarked, stepping onto the porch. He moved closer to Roger, violating the man’s personal space and returning the glare.

“It’s not a threat,” Roger said through clenched teeth. “It’s a demand for these two to quit pulling my wife into this.”

“Your wife pulled herself into it,” Angel was quick to point out. “Her blood was on the knife. She was living here at the time. And there’s that woman scorned angle since Kenton and she were lovers. Or rather girl scorned,” he amended. “Still, that makes the legal trifecta. Birdie had means, motive, and opportunity.”

Oh, if looks could have killed, Roger would have hurled him straight to the deepest level of hell.

“The same could be said about them.” Roger tipped his head to Melanie and RJ. “Or the two of you. It was Mia’s knife after all, and you removed it from the crime scene.” His anger-filled glare slashed to Mia. “And you had a strong motive for wanting to get back at your attacker.”

“True,” Mia admitted. “I did want to get back at him. But I didn’t.”

“Yeah, right,” Roger fired back. “You’re squeaky clean. All of you are.” His expression and tone dripped with sarcasm. “Lie to yourselves. Lie to others. But keep my wife the fuck out of this.”

With that, he stormed off the porch, got in his Lexus and sped away.

“He’s upset because the police questioned Birdie and him,” RJ muttered. “The cops specifically questioned him about the fire, asking if he’d paid someone to set it. He claimed he didn’t.”

Angel was glad the cops had asked Roger about that. Even though Roger hadn’t been convicted of hiring someone to do the witness intimidation, that didn’t mean the man was innocent.

RJ then shifted his attention back to Mia and him. “Come in,” he said, stepping back so they could enter. His sigh and that look on his face conveyed a lot, that he knew the reason for this visit.

Melanie’s expression wasn’t faring much better. She was way too pale. Not jittery or on edge, though but rather exhausted.

Mia and he stepped inside and immediately smelled the stench of the smoke. He could also hear fans going upstairs, where they would no doubt be trying to air out the room.

RJ immediately locked the door behind them and motioned for them to go to the kitchen. There were fans set up in there, too, and all the windows were cracked open to let in some fresh air.

Maybe let in an intruder, too.

Angel would remind them of that before Mia and he left. No way did he want the arsonist returning to finish the job.

Melanie sank down at the table, burying her face in her hands. “For what it’s worth, I was going to tell Presley and the two of you the truth about Kenton being my bio son,” she murmured.

“But not RJ?” Angel had to ask.

“I already knew,” RJ was quick to answer. He sat down next to Melanie, eased her hand from her face, and slipped his arm around her.

Angel hoped that gesture wasn’t all for show and that RJ truly wasn’t feeling any ill will toward his wife. Because Melanie was going to need all of his support and then some. He’d mentioned that legal trifecta about Birdie to Roger, but the same means, motive, and opportunity could apply to Melanie as well.

“How long have you known?” Mia asked, taking the question right out of Angel’s mouth.

RJ wasn’t so quick to answer this time. “I found out shortly before Kenton disappeared.”

Shit on a stick. That was motive, too, and unlike Melanie, RJ could have been the one to set the fire.

“Dwight came to the house earlier that day,” RJ explained. “Kenton and he were arguing, and it’d gotten physical. Melanie and I heard the commotion, and we ran upstairs. I got between Kenton and Dwight and broke up the fight. That’s when Dwight blurted it out that Melanie was Kenton’s mother.”

Melanie clamped her teeth over her bottom lip, but it didn’t muffle her groan. “Kenton obviously knew because he wasn’t surprised at all,” she muttered. “I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I was so shocked, and I guess Kenton took my silence as a rejection because he cursed at me and ran out. The next time I saw him was when he was assaulting Mia.”

So, maybe some leftover rage from the fight had played into that particular attack. Then again, Kenton had been wired hot. Just like Dwight.

“Would you please tell us how you got involved with Dwight?” Mia said with plenty of sympathy and worry in her voice. She definitely wasn’t judging Melanie.

Melanie nodded but took her time answering. “I was sixteen when I met him. He was twenty-seven and playing in a rock band at my cousin’s bar. I was too young to serve alcohol, but my cousin paid me to be bus tables.” She paused. “Dwight was exciting. So different from the boys in my high school.”

“Because he wasn’t a boy,” RJ spat out. “He lied to her,” he added to Mia and him. “He told Melanie he was twenty and taking a gap year at college.”

Melanie made a sound of agreement. “He certainly never mentioned he was married. If he had, I wouldn’t have started seeing him.”

“But you did start seeing him,” Mia prompted when Melanie fell silent.

“I did.” She groaned. “I was so stupid.”

“You were young,” Angel amended. “Sixteen,” he repeated, glancing at Mia. “We remember what that was like.”

“Yes,” Melanie murmured, but she didn’t seem to be cutting herself any slack. “Anyway, I lost my virginity to Dwight, and then a week later, he broke up with me. I was devastated. Then, a month or so later, I learned I was pregnant, and my parents threw me out of the house. I ended up living with my cousin and his wife. They’re the ones who tracked Dwight down and told him I was carrying his baby.”

“And what did Dwight do?” Angel asked.

“Nothing,” Melanie snarled. “Well, nothing other than saying he wanted no part of the kid. That’s what he called the baby. The kid , and he said it as it were the worst of profanity.”

“But Dwight ended up raising Kenton at least for a while anyway,” Mia pointed out. “Until his wife, Aileen, died.”

Melanie nodded. “Raising Kenton was all Aileen’s doing. Apparently, they’d lost a child, and she’d had two failed in vitro procedures. She wanted a baby, and unlike Dwight, she seemed like a good person.” She stopped, groaned. “And it felt as if I owed her for sleeping with her husband.”

“But you didn’t even know he was married,” Angel reminded her.

“I should have known,” Melanie argued. “I had so much guilt, and I was planning on giving up the baby for adoption anyway. So, I decided to give the baby to Aileen. Dwight managed to get a fake ID made for me. One in Aileen’s name. When I went into labor and had the baby, I used the ID so that it’s Aileen’s and Dwight’s names on Kenton’s birth certificate.”

Angel took a moment to process all of that. “How often did you see Aileen, Dwight, and Kenton after he was born?”

“Never,” she said on a rise of breath. “Not until CPS called and asked if we’d take in a troubled teen, Kenton Barker. I wanted to say no. But I also wanted to see him, to see the kind of person he’d turned out to be.” She shut her eyes a moment. “And I soon found out that he was a monster.”

Melanie’s voice broke on that last word, and she began to sob.

RJ tightened his grip on her and took up the rest of the explanation. “After Dwight told me that Melanie had given birth to Kenton, I called CPS. I didn’t mention anything about what I’d learned, but they told me that Kenton and Dwight had requested for him to be placed here with Melanie and me.”

“They requested it?” Mia asked. “Why?”

RJ lifted his shoulder. “I figure Kenton might have just wanted to be around his birth mother, but Dwight would have likely twisted that to his own benefit. He could have planned on using Kenton to blackmail her or something.”

Angel was betting the same thing.

He took out his phone to send a text to Ruby to have her arrange a meeting with Dwight, but some movement from outside the window caught his eye. It was a blur of motion. Someone running.

And a bullet came crashing through the kitchen window.

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