Sergeant Ross Sloane was enjoying a barbecue lunch under the pergola at the rear of the house that came with his position. He heard the telephone ring inside the house. A few moments later, his younger daughter appeared in the back doorway.
‘Dad!’
She had his attention.
‘There’s a man on the phone for you.’
Ross put down his beer, excused himself, and went into the house. Interruptions to his day off were all part of his role as the officer in charge of the Burra Police Station. He may not have been on duty today but he was always on standby.
The call was from the Operations Centre in Adelaide, which handled calls to the police assistance line when there was no-one manning the local station. He wrote down the details and hung up, wondering if he had a problem or some overly anxious pa
