Page 16 of Lone Star Secrets

Angel read the short text and turned to Mia to tell her the news.

“The dental records confirmed a match,” he said after dragging in a long breath. “The body found is Kenton’s.”

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Chapter Six

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Mia felt the flood of emotions go through her. The dread. So much dread over the murder of someone she’d known, even when that person had been an SOB. There was also the worry about what this discovery might mean.

And the fear.

Not for herself but for Angel. He was the do-gooder. A cop to the core. It would rip him to shreds to be arrested for murder. Especially a murder that she now knew he hadn’t committed.

“Did they find anything else?” Mia managed to ask. “Cause of death? Anything that points to the killer?”

Angel shook his head, and he turned his attention from his phone to look at her. “That’ll take time, and there might never be anything conclusive as to cause of death.”

Yes, because of the possible damage to the bones. If Kenton had been stabbed, there might not be any marks if the blade had gone into soft tissue.

“It’s possible he wasn’t even killed in his room,” Angel added. “He could have been injured there. Or maybe the blood was from the head wound he got from Melanie hitting him.”

“It was a lot of blood,” she muttered, shifting the volume of her voice back to a whisper.

Angel made a sound of agreement. “But we have no way of knowing if there was something mixed with the blood. Maybe some water, for instance.”

Mia sighed because the person who’d cleaned up that blood had made it impossible for them to know that. Then again, the only way they would have known was to call in the cops.

“Was there anything else in that room that pointed to a struggle or someone else being in there with Kenton?” Presley asked. He’d also gone back to a whisper. “Anything other than Angel’s hat?”

Mia forced her mind back to that horrible night. “I don’t think so. I mean, I’d never been in that room when it was his. And I didn’t notice anything toppled over. I just saw the blood, and I…panicked. I grabbed the hat, destroyed it, and then eventually went back to clean up.”

Angel and Presley exchanged glances, and she figured they were likely trying to piece together the timeline. She tried to help them out with that.

“My knife wasn’t there when I went in the room and found the hat,” she said, hoping by spelling it out aloud for Presley, it would help all of them see things more clearly. “Nor was it there when I went back to clean up. Someone put both of those things there. Someone who wanted Angel and/or me to be blamed for what happened.”

“And anyone in the foster house would have had access to your rooms to get those items,” Presley pointed out. “In fact, Kenton could have set you up, been discovered by someone who ended up killing him. Someone who maybe wanted to protect Angel and you.”

That brought them right back to RJ or Melanie.

Mia wanted to talk to both of them, and Angel almost certainly did as well. But not here. This was something better discussed away from the sheriff’s office. Because if either RJ or Melanie was indeed guilty… well, Mia didn’t know what would happen next, but there was no way Angel would just bury this. No. Eventually, he would need to tell someone.

They all turned toward Deputy Rivera when he came through the door, and Mia figured he was there to tell them the reports were ready for them to sign. But the deputy wasn’t alone. There was a man right behind him, and even after all these years, Mia recognized him.

Dwight Barker.

Kenton’s father.

He hadn’t changed much over the years. He still had his been there, done that rock star looks in the dark wash jeans and muscle tee. Still had the vibe that made her skin crawl as well. She could feel something dark and dangerous about him beneath the surface.

“My son is dead,” Dwight gutted out. “My precious boy,” he added on a sob, though Mia saw no tears in his eyes. “Who killed him? Who did this to Kenton?”

“We don’t know,” Angel said. “The police are investigating.”

Dwight made that sobbing sound again, and he lowered his head. “But you were there when it happened. You must know something. You have to tell me what happened to him.”

“We don’t know,” Angel repeated, and he was studying Dwight as carefully as Presley and she were.

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