Detective Wade Jackson Mystery - 02 - Secrets to Die For (36 page)

“Shots fired. 1307 Pondview Street, off Dakota. Send back up.”

Weapon drawn and ready, Jackson moved quickly to the front door. His heart pounded with the expectation that someone might come running from the house with a weapon—and he would have to shoot. He had not fired his weapon in the line of duty in many years. The front door was semi-closed but not latched. Someone had ripped part of the framing out to pry it open. Jackson listened for running sounds, but heard only muffled yelling in the back of the house. He kicked the door open with his foot, while keeping his weapon ready to fire.

A short hallway opened to a small living room on the right and to a perpendicular hallway at the end. Jackson moved cautiously toward the loud voices, his weapon held out in front of his body. He rounded the corner to the left, braced for an encounter. The hallway was empty, except for a long metal bar on the floor in front of an open door. The shouting came from inside a bedroom.

Three long strides and he reached the doorway. Jackson stood back, not exposing himself yet. He wished at that moment that Schak was with him, providing him cover. Now he could tell the voice was female, loud, and nearly hysterical. A man’s voice yelled, “Shut up!”

The young woman kept yelling. She was shouting something about getting married and having a grandson. Then there was silence. Jackson made his move. He lunged through the door, weapon outstretched, finger steady on the trigger. In a split second, he processed the scene: A large man with a gun pointed at a young blond woman near the bed and someone bleeding on the floor. Jackson aimed his weapon at the man, who he assumed was Ted Conner, even though he couldn’t see his face from this angle.

“Drop your weapon!”

His command was drowned out by the blast of the other gun. Jackson pulled his own trigger just as Conner spun to face him. His bullet struck Conner in the chest, knocking him back. As the big man went down, Jackson was hit with the realization that he had just shot and likely killed a law enforcement officer.
What the hell just happened here
? He moved quickly across the room, knelt down on the floor, and pulled the Sig Sauer from Conner’s hand. He tucked the weapon into the back of his jeans, making as little contact with the evidence as possible. He rushed to the young woman who had fallen to the bed, legs dangling on the floor. She was gushing blood from a hole just above her heart. Jackson checked her hands. Empty. She held no weapon.

Her chest heaved as she tried to speak. Jackson pulled off his jacket and pressed the cloth against her wound. With the other hand he dialed 911. “This is Detective Jackson. I have a gun-shot victim with extensive bleeding at 1307 Pondview. It’s a dead end off Dakota. I’ve already called for more officers.” He clicked the phone shut and glanced back at Conner, but didn’t see any movement in his chest. He turned back to the woman, wondering what else he could do to help her. Her face had lost all its color, and she was no longer trying to speak. He recognized her from Bodehammer’s stack of photos. Jamie Conner.
Jesus Christ
. Ted Conner had just shot his own daughter.

Jackson’s brain scrambled to make sense of it. Just how angry did you have to be about gays to kill two innocent young women? Who was on the floor? Ryan Bodehammer? Jackson glanced over, but couldn’t see the man’s face from his position on the bed. The body type and blond hair fit Bodehammer’s description. Jackson pressed a little harder against Jamie’s wound. He had to keep her alive. Until this moment, as a public safety officer, he had failed her completely.

When the first two patrol officers arrived at the scene, Jackson had no explanation, only brief directions. “One of you go back outside and keep any civilians or reporters from getting in here. The other can feel the pulse of the guys on the floor. I think they’re both dead but check anyway.”

Meanwhile Jackson kept talking to Jamie, telling her to hold on. The bullet had missed her heart. If she had the will to live, she could make it. From the looks of the chain she had been tethered with and the bruises everywhere, Jamie had already survived quite an ordeal in this room. Jackson willed the young woman to keep fighting for her life long enough to make it to the hospital.

“This guy’s got a pulse.” The officer was kneeling next to Conner and looking around for something to stem the bleeding. Jackson remembered the officer’s name was Jake Walters.

“I think that’s a bathroom.” Jackson pointed at the little door near the corner. “Look for a towel.”

“I know this guy. I think he’s a PO,” Walters said.

“He is.”

“You shot a PO?”

“Go find a towel!”

Walters trotted to the bathroom and came back with a hand towel to press against Conner’s chest. Jackson asked, “Did you check the other guy?”

“He’s toast.”

Jackson ignored the cavalier comment.

“So what happened here?”

“A father with a love-hate relationship with his daughter.” Jackson looked over at Bodehammer. “And a rapist who picked the wrong victim.”

The sound of the ambulance siren drew closer and finally came to a stop in front of the house.

Jackson grudgingly released his pressure on Jamie’s wound and stepped back to let the paramedics take over. He said a quick prayer for Jamie as he watched them carry her out of the house. He wanted to go with her, to hear her story the moment she was able to tell it. That would have to wait. He had a crime scene to process. He had already called Evans, who had notified the team. The medical examiner was en route as well. There was no mystery here about who or how or time of death. All that remained to clarify was,
Why
?

Even though he had a working theory, he would never fully understand the underlying motive. Jackson could not imagine shooting his own daughter under any circumstances. It was unthinkable. Even if Katie became a porn star, or a heroin addict, or a serial killer, he would still love the person she had once been. Jackson didn’t think he could shoot his daughter even in the line of duty to save someone else.

Schak burst into the room just as the paramedics were taking Conner out. Schak looked at the body on the floor and held his head in distress. “I can’t believe I walked away from this house without a thorough check. I took a personal phone call and let it distract me. I am so sorry.”

Jackson had never seen his partner and friend so upset. “Let it go. We all make mistakes. This case was a mess from the beginning. I focused on the wrong suspect for days.”

“What the hell happened? I recognize Bodehammer from his mug shot, but who’s the guy on the stretcher?”

“Ted Conner. He’s Bodehammer’s PO and Jamie’s father. I think he came here looking for Jamie and shot Bodehammer for hurting her. I don’t know why he shot his daughter, but I think he killed her friend, Raina, and tried to pin it on Bodehammer.”

Stunned, Schak said, “He shot his daughter? Jamie was here?”

Jackson pointed at the chain connected to the wall. “I think she’s been captive here since yesterday. Bodehammer must have kidnapped her. Conner must have found the address and came here looking for her.”

“But why shoot his daughter? Are you sure?”

“I saw it happen. I came into the room and yelled just as he was pulling the trigger.” Saying it out loud didn’t make it any more believable for Jackson.

“Holy crap.” Schak kept rubbing his buzzed head. “Why?”

“I think it has to do with her sexuality. I think that’s why he killed Raina too. To put an end to their lesbian relationship. Maybe he’ll live long enough to tell us.” The burden of shooting a man was suddenly heavy on Jackson’s soul. “He had a gun aimed at an unarmed woman. He pulled the trigger, then turned to me. I had no choice. I had to shoot.”

“Of course you did.”

As Jackson sat in North McKenzie hospital, waiting for an ER doctor to page him with news about either Jamie or Ted Conner, he let himself think about Kera. He needed to hear her voice, to know they were still a couple. The phone call from Daniel had shaken him badly. He couldn’t bear to think that passionate, funny, optimistic Kera would cease to be a presence in his life.

He pressed her speed dial number and waited. Kera didn’t answer so he left a brief message. “It’s Jackson. I need to see you. I love you. Call me.”

Another forty minutes passed before the volunteer in the waiting room told Jackson a doctor wanted to speak with him. She pointed to a small room with a coffee table and chairs. “Just pick up the red phone.”

“This is Dr. Stowall. I just operated on the young woman with the gunshot wound. You’re a police officer?”

“Yes. Is she okay?”

“She’s stable and her prognosis is good. Does she have any family here in the hospital?”

“Not yet. Someone called her mother and she should be here soon. Any news on the male gunshot victim?”

“No. But I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Can I talk to Jamie?”

“Not yet. She’s in the recovery room.”

“She’s a witness. I just need a few minutes with her.”

“As soon as she’s conscious, I’ll call. Do you have a cell phone?”

A few minutes later, Kera called him back. “Wade, I’m so glad to hear from you. Guess where I’m headed?”

It was late Monday night and she sounded more excited than worried. Jackson had no clue. “Sorry, Kera, I’m too frazzled to play.”

“We’re on our way to the hospital. Danette is having her baby. She was here visiting us and her water broke. I’m going to be a grandmother!”

“Wow.” Jackson wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t take any more news. “It’s too early, isn’t it?”

“A couple of weeks. But he’s already eight pounds, so everything will be fine. Can you meet us there?”

“I’m at the hospital now. Waiting to hear if the man I shot is going to live or die.”

“Oh, Wade. I’m sorry. Is he the killer you’ve been tracking?”

“Yes and no. I’ll tell you about it when we have more time. Call me when you get here, and I’ll come up to maternity.”

Jackson hung up.
Kera said ‘us.’ She meant herself and Daniel, the baby’s grandfather
.

Jamie had an oxygen tube coming out of her nose and she could barely keep her eyes open. He knew she was twenty, but surrounded by the white sheets and blankets she looked fifteen. An innocent child. Jackson felt a stab of guilt for questioning her, but there were still too many holes in his understanding of this case.

“Jamie, I’m Detective Jackson. I’ve been investigating the death of Raina Hughes. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

She cringed, but nodded her permission.

“Did you know Ryan Bodehammer? I mean before all this happened?”

She shook her head.

“He kidnapped you?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a whisper.

“Do you know who killed Raina?”

“My father did.” She made a whimpering sound, like a half cry. “He didn’t want me to be with Raina.”

“Did you know he was her killer all along?”

Her eyes flew open. “No!”

“Why did your father shoot you?”

“I goaded him.” She pressed her lips together and slowly shook her head. “I told him I was gay. I said I would marry a lesbian and have gay sex. I was so mad. I wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me.”

“Did he admit to killing Raina?”

“Not in those exact words. But he did it.” Jamie closed her eyes.

“That’s all I need for now, but we’ll have to talk again later.”

She nodded.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, but you’re strong and you can still have a good life. “

“Thanks for saving me.”

“I didn’t save you. I was late. And wrong about many things.” Jackson squeezed his forehead.

“You did save me. When you yelled at Dad to drop the gun, it startled him. That’s why he missed my heart. He was so close to me.”

Did she mean her father’s distance to her at the time of the shooting or was she talking about their relationship? Jackson started to ask, but Jamie’s eyes were closed again. He left the recovery room and walked out to the nurses’ station.