Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth. Sydney Detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone—and that's exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he's convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia's worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him. Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he's the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer. When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake's new case turns out to be linked to August's cold cases, and Jake agrees they're not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August's corner, they face one hurdle after another. Even when more remains are found, they can't seem to gain ground. But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can't be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

A short deleted scene from Tallowwood. This 4,000-word story picks up one year after we last saw Jake and August at the end of Tallowwood. \\ Contains spoilers for Tallowwood. Reader discretion advised.

Harry and Asher are living peacefully on the North Coast of NSW. Life is quiet, boring, and utterly perfect. Though coming from a life of danger and excitement, Harry worries that Asher will grow bored of the “normal” life. He misses the adrenaline, the action, and most of all, he misses his “baby.” So Harry goes against his own better judgement and organises a special Christmas gift for Asher. Life has been picture-perfect in the sleepy little town of Tallowwood. Since the horrors of the murder trial ended, Jake and August couldn’t be happier. Tallowwood was unassuming and uneventful—just how they liked it. Even the town’s newest residents are decidedly normal. On paper, that is. In person, August isn’t so sure. He’d done background checks on them when they’d first arrived and found nothing, but something about them was off. But when the Coffs Coast Gun Club sends an application for a Christmas gala day and a familiar name catches his eye, August is determined to meet the newcomers in an official capacity. He wants to see if his hunch is correct. What was a surprise Christmas gift for Asher, might just unbox a whole can of worms. An 11,000-word short story.