Free Driving Team by Bonnie Bryant Page A

her. As Carole and Lisa neared one end of the mall, they looked at each and sighed.
    “You know what this reminds me of?” asked Carole, frowning with frustration.
    “Looking for a needle in a haystack?” Lisa replied dispiritedly.
    “Exactly,” replied Carole. “Only the needle has a big red pocketbook.”
    “Yeah, along with about every other woman in Willow Creek. It wouldn’t surprise me now if my own mother came walking up with one.” Lisa shook her head. “So much for my brilliant flash of inspiration.”
    “We need Stevie here now,” said Carole. “I bet she could think of something.”
    The girls walked on. Suddenly Lisa stopped. “Look!” she cried. “In the BonTon gift shop!”
    “Cynthia’s mother?” Carole’s eyes were wide with excitement.
    “No,” said Lisa. “But I could have sworn it was Stevie!”
    “In the BonTon gift shop?” Carole frowned. “Stevie barely has enough money to buy ice cream at TD’s. There’s no way she could afford anything at BonTon.”
    “I know, but it looked just like her,” Lisa insisted.
    “Well, let’s go see,” said Carole. “If we can find Stevie in an expensive gift shop, we can find anyone anywhere.”

S TEVIE LOOKED UP in surprise from the glittering display she had been examining. “Lisa!” she cried. “Carole! I thought you guys were at the library.”
    “We were, until lunchtime. Then Lisa’s mom brought us over here,” explained Carole. She looked at the display in front of Stevie. All sorts of beautiful little china figurines gleamed down from the shelves. “How come you’re here looking at little china animals?”
    “Little
expensive
china animals?” Lisa added, checking the price tag on one tiny peacock.
    “You won’t believe me.” Stevie put the white china dog she’d been considering back on the shelf. “Not in a million years.”
    “Try us,” said Carole. “After our adventures in the library, we’d probably believe anything.”
    “You know how Veronica’s been even meaner and nastier than her usual mean and nasty self lately?”
    Lisa and Carole nodded.
    “Well, there’s actually a good reason for it,” Stevie said.
    “Of course there is,” answered Lisa. “She’s genetically programmed to be a thoroughly rotten human being. She can’t help it.”
    “No, listen,” Stevie said, her hazel eyes serious. “Veronica’s dog, Robespierre, is really sick. She’s gotten three calls about him since we’ve been working on the team driving project. Two were from her mother, I think, but the other was from Doc Tock herself.”
    “Doc Tock called?” The smile faded from Carole’s face. “Then it really must be serious.”
    Stevie nodded. “She doesn’t know if the dog is going to make it or not. Veronica’s really upset. She actually cried this morning.”
    “Veronica diAngelo?” Lisa asked in amazement. “Cried real tears?”
    “She hugged Danny’s neck in the paddock and cried,” Stevie reported. “I feel so sorry for her, I just want to do something to make her feel better. After I finished up at the stable, I took the bus out here. Ithought maybe a china dog that looked like Robespierre might cheer her up.” Stevie touched the little dog she’d just been looking at. “This one’s perfect, but it costs about three times more than I’ve got to spend.”
    “That’s terrible about her dog,” said Carole. “I know how awful I would feel if anything happened to my cat, Snowball.”
    Lisa looked sad, too. “I don’t know what I would do if our dog, Dolly, got sick.”
    “I think anyone who loves horses can sympathize when something bad happens to any kind of animal.” Tears brimmed in Stevie’s eyes. “I just wish I could buy this and make Veronica feel better.”
    “If you think that little china dog will make Veronica feel better about Robespierre, then maybe we should all pitch in and buy it,” Carole said.
    Lisa’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “Buy Veronica diAngelo a gift?