‘Though they’re expecting this callout, so in a real event you’d have to add on an extra ten minutes to give them time to get ready to go.’

‘So the paramedics will do their thing for about half an hour before we’d even get here?’

‘That’s it, but in a situation like this there’ll still be plenty of work for your team.’

People were starting to gather at the assembly point now. Victims who were mobile were being directed to the police officers who would take statements in case anyone had any pertinent information. They would also keep a list of names to help with enquiries. Those people who were hurt but didn’t need treatment on site would be transported to the nearest hospitals but only once it had been determined if there was any contamination. It was imperative the site be contained until that was confirmed or ruled out. Ned noticed a line of ambulances coming onto the racecourse, arriving in an almost constant stream now, closely followed by the media.

‘Take a look at that,’ Ned said to Sarah as he jotted times and notes on his whiteboard. ‘The newshounds arrived before your guys.’

‘How did they know to come?’

‘They monitor 000 calls.’

‘But there haven’t been any emergency calls. This is a training exercise.’

‘I might have had something to do with that. Call it a dose of reality for the crews down there. Having to deal with television cameras trying to get the perfect shot for the evening news will test most of us. Tony will have to release a statement and the reporters will be after interviews with the section chiefs.’

‘You’ve thought of everything.’ He was pretty sure that was appreciation in her voice.

‘We’ll soon find out.’

‘What happens now?’

‘My guys will let your lot through to areas that have been declared safe and the paramedics will direct you to the most critically injured. Basically, triage continues with more hands on deck. Now all the teams have arrived, it’s time we went down into the thick of things. It’s far easier to find out what problems they’re experiencing while it’s happening, rather than waiting for feedback later.’

Without waiting for an answer he reached over the seat in front of him and grabbed a handful of fluorescent jackets marked ‘Fire Department’. ‘We’d better put these on inside out. We don’t want to be given jobs to do,’ he said with a grin. ‘We just want to blend into the crowd.’ He shrugged into the orange jacket and picked up his two-way radio.

Together, they ducked and weaved through the crowds. In the thick of the chaos it was difficult to get a good grasp of the scenario, and difficult to sort the high noise levels into anything meaningful. The wail of sirens split the air periodically as emergency vehicles continued to arrive. Closer to the centre of the scene, the moans of the injured competed with the shouted instructions and directions from the emergency teams, who were trying to restore some semblance of order.

The noises, particularly those of the victims, were manufactured but it gave an accurate sense of how difficult it would be in a real scenario to determine who needed priority attention. Everywhere, injured people lay, sat and stumbled, making progress through the throng slow.

‘How hard is it to be among all these potential patients and not be able to roll up your sleeves?’

She thought for a moment. ‘Disconcerting. But that might be more to do with the fact that the more enthusiastic actors among them are coming up with sounds I’ve never heard in any emergency department. We’ve covered all bases on making this seem realistic,’ she added. ‘Adelaide will be fresh out of fake blood and sheets after today.’ She indicated the sheets covering the ‘deceased’ around them. ‘It’s hard to remember this is a set-up.’ She nodded discreetly towards an elderly gentleman walking by them, a dazed expression on his face and blood running down the side of his head from a gash over his temple.

A few paces further on Ned stopped, his hand to his ear again. ‘My guys have found something suspicious inside the terminal. I’m going to go and see how they deal with it. I’ll catch up with you at tomorrow’s review session, if not later today.’

He left her on that note, putting it out there that he wanted to see her again but giving nothing away. He might have said the same thing to a mate. Instinctively, he knew not to rush this one. If mysteries lurked behind those grey eyes, as he suspected, rushing her was not the way to play this. The one sure thing he wanted was to give himself his best chance at uncovering Sarah’s secrets.

He loved a challenge.

Max, one of his best mates, had once said all it took for Ned to show an interest in someone was for them to possess two X chromosomes. He liked to think he was a little more discerning, although Max had been closer to the truth than was comfortable.

Applying Max’s theory to Sarah, there was no denying she possessed many of the attributes that attracted Ned—a sense of humour, long hair and definitely the right chromosomes. Basically she was a woman and that made her attractive to Ned. But she was different from the women who normally caught his eye, the type who were usually after a good time and nothing more. Ned didn’t do ‘something more’.

So it was all the more intriguing to wonder why Sarah had caught his eye. She was brunette, not blonde. She was slim where his usual type was curvy. She was too slim to be called sexy. Sensual? He intended to find out.

He reached the betting ring, which had been set up as the pseudo–bus terminal. Time to put Sarah out of his mind. It was essential as he had precious little room to indulge in fantasies today.

Besides, the degree to which she intrigued him could only be about the challenge. It was all about the chase.