Tallowwood

by N. R. Walker

  “And Nina?” Jake asked. He still couldn’t believe she was a part of it. He’d never really trusted her, but to be in on the murders and covering up crimes . . . He shook his head.

  “Yeah, she’s not doing so good,” August said quietly. “She’s undergoing treatment at the psych ward of Silverwater’s women’s facility. She won’t, or can’t talk. She just stares and sleeps.”

  “A sad end,” Jake murmured.

  August conceded a nod. “Not undeserved. I have no sympathy for any of them.” He shrugged and tried to smile. “Who would have thought Bartlett was a good guy in the end?”

  Jake smiled, but his blinks got heavier and heavier. He reached for August’s hand and only when their fingers were threaded did he allow himself to sleep.

  “I’m not completely comfortable with you going home today,” the doctor said.

  “I’m much better,” Jake said. He was sitting on his bed, showered and wearing normal clothes, waiting for his ride.

  His doctor was clearly frustrated. “We have no way of knowing the long-term effects of that drug on your body. Staying for observation—”

  “I’ve been here for five days!”

  The doctor raised his eyebrows. “And you were out cold for two of those.”

  “I’ve been better for three days. I’ve been unhooked from all the drips and pain meds for twenty-four hours. I can eat and pee. It’s all good,” Jake said. “I’ll still take it easy—bed rest and all that, I’ll just rest easier in my own house.”

  The doctor gave him a serious glare. “You need to have two weeks off work, minimum. I want to see you again before I give you the all-clear to resume light duties. And there will be monthly check-ups until I see fit. If you experience any dizziness or balance issues, any changes to any of the senses, you must come straight back. If anyone close to you notices any changes to your behaviour, you must come back. Don’t dismiss anything.”

  Jake grinned at him. “Yes, Dad.”

  His doctor sighed, but a smile won out. “No strenuous activity. I mean it.”

  “Just how strenuous are we talking?” Jake asked, a wicked gleam in his eye. “Because my home-carer is one sexy man, and when he gets me home, I have every intention—”

  The doctor opened his mouth to speak just as a nurse ran into the room. She picked up the remote and turned the TV up. “Here he is!” she said excitedly.

  Jake looked up and yes, there was Detective August Shaw on the TV. “Oh, yes, speak of the devil.”

  For someone who hated being interviewed on TV, and hated being the centre of attention, August held himself particularly well. The journo, Linden, had come to Coffs Harbour, along with about a thousand other journalists, but it was Linden who’d broken the story days before, and given August had been the one to hand it to him, it made sense that he be the one to do the interview.

  The actual interview had been taped earlier this morning but was only airing now. They’d missed the first part of the interview, and even though August and Jake had discussed what would be said, it still gave Jake a thrill to hear it.

  Linden: You had a leading hand in saving Senior Constable Jacob Porter and in the capture of Hirsch and Kenny. State and Federal police coordinated efforts, is that correct?

  August: Partly. Help from Agent Eather of the Federal police was vital, and NSW police Constable Kaycee Deans acted with more bravery and tenacity than some of the cops I’ve worked with for twenty years. Knowing something was wrong, she, alone, called in the assistance of officers from Coffs Harbour. She led that charge, and she should be commended.

  Linden: Given Hirsch and Kenny were long-standing high-ranked police officers, this has to have left ripples throughout the entire force.

  August: Absolutely. And if it hasn’t yet, I’ll make sure it does. I’ve been asking questions for a long time, and maybe now I’ll get some answers. The fact that two decorated police officers have been arrested and charged with murder, falsifying records, and stealing evidence isn’t just concerning or horrible. It’s horrific and inexcusable. The police have now put a task force together to head a full investigation.

  Linden: The case is also being handled by the Federal police. Not only the murder cases, but there will also be full investigations into the negligence by the state police department. Will you be assisting them?

  August: I’ll be offering any assistance I can. And if that means shaking the corruption and incompetence tree until corrupt and incompetent officers fall out, then so be it. If any member of the police force is found to have known about, lied about, turned their cheek, feigned ignorance over any case, they’ll be facing the tribunal court. There’s no room in the police force for criminals.

  Linden: No doubt there’s probably a few of your fellow police officers who might not be too happy with you right now. What would you say to them?

  August: (smirking) I would say as police officers, it is our duty to uphold the law, not stand above it. The days of leniency and silence are over. If any officer disagrees with ridding the police force of corruption and incompetence, it would seem pretty clear they have something to hide and perhaps they should be investigated first.

  Linden: (smiling) You sound like you’re ready to join the Federal division, Detective . . .

  August: (laughing) I won’t lie. It’s been offered and seriously considered. But I have too much work to do. I have more cold cases to solve, more killers to catch.

  Linden: You’ve personally been overseeing these cases for almost a decade; you have to be relieved it’s over, Detective.

  August: Yeah, most definitely. Relieved that these two monsters can’t lure and kill any more innocent men. And for the victims and their families and loved ones, they may now be able to grieve properly and finally move forward with their lives.

  Linden: Some of these cases have been very personal for you. Will you now be moving forward with your life, Detective?

  August: (smiling) I’m certainly going to try.

  “Aww,” one of the nurses cooed. “He’s so dreamy.”

  “He sure is,” Jake agreed.

  “He probably wouldn’t agree,” August said from the doorway. He was all nonchalant and smiley. “He’s grumpy, loves silence, prefers to be alone most of the time.”

  Jake grinned at him. “He’s still dreamy.”

  The smiling nurses cleared out of the room, and the doctor crossed his arms. “About that question you asked . . .”

  “Yeah, it doesn’t matter,” Jake said. “Pretty sure I’m just gonna do it anyway.” Jake stood up off the bed and August went to help.

  “Do what?” August asked.

  “Oh, nothing. The doc here was trying to tell me I’m not allowed to do anything strenuous.”

  “That’s understandable,” August began.

  “He means sex, August,” Jake explained. “But I’m vetoing him on this one. Because when we get back to my place . . .”

  August blushed so hard Jake thought he might have busted a blood vessel. He shot the doctor a horrified glance, and the doctor just laughed as he walked out. “Uh, Jake . . . We have to call in to your parents’ pub. The welcome home party, remember?”

  Jake sighed, long and loud. His parents were adamant, and apparently the entire town of Tallowwood would be there. According to them, everyone in town was worried sick about him, and his mum had said he only needed to show up for a little while. “We’re giving them twenty minutes, then I’ll tell them I’m tired and we can go.”

  August smiled and put his hand to Jacob’s face. “There’s no hurry, Jake. Enjoy this time with your family and friends and your footy mates. We’ll have later tonight, and tomorrow, and the day after, and more days after that. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You can really base your work out of Tallowwood?” Jake asked. It didn’t seem real. “You’re gonna leave the rat race behind and come to my little town in the mountains?”

  “The Commissioner thought it was a good idea. For the time being anywa
y. Considering the steamrollers will be going through HQ, it’s probably best I not be there at the moment. Reinhart’s on leave, investigation pending. He denies any involvement but either way, they’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  “Do you really think he was involved?”

  August sighed. “I don’t know. He’s admitted to knowing about the bashings in the 80s in the Eastern precinct. Maybe that’s all he’s worried about. He was set to retire soon and he was probably scared of losing his pension.” August put his hand to Jake’s jaw and gave him a quick kiss. “So yes, being in Tallowwood for a while at least will probably be a good idea. All my files will be arriving the day after tomorrow. And who knows? In a few weeks or months, you might be sick of me.”

  Jake laughed and pulled him in for a soft kiss. “For a smart detective, you’re not real bright, are you?”

  August chuckled. “Apparently not.”

  “And you didn’t turn down working with the Feds just to stay with me, did you?” He’d asked him that before, but . . .

  August rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. Not everything’s about you.”

  Jake, still smiling, kissed him again, then met his gaze. “You ready to move forward with your life, Detective?”

  August’s eyes never left his, and he nodded. “I really am.”

  Epilogue

  Four Years Later

  August closed down his laptop and sighed, happy with the progress he’d made. Another cold case closed, another killer caught, another family who now had closure. It wasn’t an easy job, being surrounded by so much death, and being immersed into the minds of the monsters who stole the lives of innocent people. But being able to get closure for those left behind was the highlight of his job. The most satisfying for August, anyway.

  “You heading home?” a voice said from the door.

  August looked up to see one of the constables, a young kid by the name of Maria Rizzi, smiling at him. “Yeah. Well, I have a stop to make first, but then home.”

  “Have a good night!” she said cheerfully.

  August smiled at her, gave her a nod, and said his rounds of goodbyes as he walked out of the Coffs Harbour police station. It was where he was based now and had been for almost four years. He’d been offered the senior role at Tallowwood station but turned it down cold. He didn’t even consider it. That role was rightfully Jake’s. He’d been promoted to Leading Senior Constable, one rank shy of Sergeant. Kaycee was now Senior Constable Deans, and they had a new probie, another kid by the name of Latrell Sharp. And August would never have taken that away from Jake.

  August was very happy being a cold case detective. He was even very happily based in Coffs Harbour now, and he spoke to and even laughed with the other cops. He wasn’t that closed-off shadow of a man anymore. When he’d said he was going to try and move forward with his life, that’s exactly what he did.

  He moved forward and moved in with Jacob.

  The half-hour drive to and from work every day was a small price to pay to give them the professional space they needed to keep their personal relationship even-keeled. And for the last four years, it had been close to perfect.

  Jake had had no adverse side effects from the P7849. He still had regular blood tests and brain scans, and probably would for years to come. Doctors had since found some research from Cambodia and Russia regarding long-term effects, and it was such a relief to find out there was very little residual trauma. Regular therapy sessions kept the demons at bay too, and by all accounts, Jacob was the picture of physical and mental health.

  August could confirm that Jake was all kinds of perfect. Even though he was a totally bossy, demanding, fitness freak, clean freak, fear-of-failure perfectionist, he was perfect. Perfect for August anyway.

  August smiled as he made the stop he’d promised to make. He took the cake from the backseat and knocked on the slightly ajar front door. Mrs Ahern called out. “Come in, August. I left it open for you.”

  August toed out of his shoes and headed inside to the kitchen. He was almost as familiar with her house as he was his own, given he’d been making fortnightly house calls to see her. He’d take a cake or a pack of fancy biscuits, she’d put on a pot of tea, and they’d chat.

  Sometimes about not much, sometimes about the state of the world, sometimes about Perry and Christopher. August cherished Mrs Ahern, like the mum he never had. He held up the store-bought cake like he’d baked it himself. “Lemon pound cake.”

  She popped the lid on the teapot and grinned. “Oh, my favourite.”

  August pulled out two chairs at the kitchen table and collected two small plates from the cupboard. “How’s your week been?”

  “Oh good, thanks, love. Won at bingo, finally.”

  “You did!” He laughed. “Bet that made Jean happy.”

  “It was a huge leg of lamb, too much for just me, so I baked a Sunday roast and invited a few of the girls over, Jean included. She even complimented my cooking.”

  August laughed. “Glad to hear that.”

  Mrs Ahern poured two cups of tea as August sliced the cake. “Saw you on the news,” she said. “You and Jake.”

  August gave her a nod. “I wondered if you’d watched it.” He’d assumed she would, but for some people, sometimes when things came down to the finish line, it all became too much.

  “Of course I did, love.”

  The sentencing of Allan Kenny was huge news right across the country. It had taken four long years to bring the man to justice. August had given evidence, Jake had testified, Kenny’s own mother had testified against him, and he was found guilty of an array of charges, but most significantly, seventeen charges of first-degree murder. So one week ago, August and Jake and Mrs Ahern had flown to Sydney to sit in the courtroom as the judge delivered the final sentencing, and August hadn’t expected it to be so emotional.

  That sonuvabitch was handed seventeen life sentences.

  He would never see the light of day again. He could never apply for parole. He couldn’t even appeal.

  Hirsch received a similar sentence and would never see the outside of prison again. Nina Schneider was to see out her days in psychiatric hospital. Having never improved from her staring and crying catatonic state, she’d been deemed unfit to stand trial. But August was happy with the judge’s ruling for her.

  Reinhart was cleared of any involvement, but he had known about Kenny and Hirsch’s involvement in the bashing of men in Bondi in the 80s. He’d confessed to logging onto August’s computer to see if August had anything about it in his private files. He was officially reprimanded and when he was offered an early retirement, he took it. August was just glad he was gone.

  August knew Kenny had been the mastermind behind it all. The psychopath had ruined every life he’d touched, and as Mrs Ahern had once said, being there to witness his sentencing was the true closure she’d needed.

  Kenny had sat in the courtroom, looking a shell of the man he once was, and August and Jake had sat right in front, holding hands. When the final sentencing was handed down, Kenny hadn’t even reacted, but August had cried tears of relief and joy and hugged Jake and the parents of the other victims.

  August had promised Christopher he’d seek justice for his death, and that’s exactly what he’d done. And when August and Jake left the courthouse, a wall of reporters had flanked and surrounded them, and it was Jacob who spoke.

  He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. He could have recited all the names by heart, but he didn’t want to risk being emotional and missing one. He read out seventeen names. Seventeen names would be spoken again on every television in the country a hundred times that day, would be written again in every newspaper, and would be heard once again right around the world.

  Seventeen names.

  He saved Christopher’s name till last and looked at August when he said it. “This justice is for them.” He’d swallowed hard. “Robert Frost once said that ‘nothing gold can stay.’ But he was wrong. Because i
f these seventeen golden souls can hear me right now, please know, you will stay in our hearts and minds forever.”

  And then August had burst into tears on national television, and Jake had hugged him to the sound of a thousand cameras clicking. It was still trending on social media.

  “What Jake said on TV was lovely,” Mrs Ahern said.

  “It was,” August said. “I didn’t know he was going to say that.”

  “I could tell by your reaction,” she said, sipping her tea.

  “Yes, I can catch notorious killers and close a hundred cold case files but will only ever be known now for sobbing on the world stage.” He gave her a smile as he ate some cake. “I don’t mind though. Because when people now search online for the ‘gay men killers’ instead of giving Kenny or Hirsch any screen time, all you get is a few thousand pictures of two men hugging.”

  Mrs Ahern laughed and she patted his knee. “Good lad.” Then, as though she’d just remembered, “Did you get that bird thing you were after for Jake?”

  “I did!” August said with a grin. “Picked it up today.”

  He stayed for another cup and they discussed plans to go to the nursery and get some bulbs for Mrs Ahern’s garden and maybe a trip for lunch at the Bullock’s Rest Inn in Tallowwood. And with a smile on his face, he bid her good afternoon and went on his way home. August had stayed at Jake’s house in the beginning, to help Jake when he was first released out of hospital, and August had never left.

  He still had a few hours left of sunlight, so he threw a casserole in the oven, then made a start setting up the gift for Jake. The ‘bird thing’ as Mrs Ahern had called it, was a custom made bird feeder, designed and made specifically for kookaburras.

  August had secured it to the end of the back veranda and was filling it with the special feed mix when he heard the Patrol pull up at the house. He heard Jake come inside, speak to Scarlett about what smelt good in the oven, before his familiar footfalls sounded on the new decking past the new laundry behind him. Then warm arms wrapped around August’s waist and tender lips pressed against the nape of his neck.