Free Hot Potato by Alyssa Brugman

whispered.
    Shelby shrugged. 'I just didn't think it was polite to
get up and leave as soon as she walked in.'
    'Jill Crook is the biggest busybody in this whole
place,' said Lindsey in a low voice. 'You know that
she runs Hayley's life. We can't risk it.'
    'OK. I was just being nice.'
    Lindsey looked across the driveway. Her mother
was striding purposefully down the laneway between
the stable blocks. 'Mum's coming back now anyway.
We'll have to do the ad tomorrow.'
    'Oh no!' said Shelby. Parked nose-in to the side of
the stables was the farrier's big red ute. 'Clint! What if
he's talked to your mum?'
    Mrs Edel wasn't looking at the girls, instead swivelling
her head back and forth, looking into each of
the yards as she marched past them. Shelby couldn't
tell what sort of temper she was in.
    'Hi, Mrs E.' Erin waved cheerily. Shelby wondered
if she was hoping to gauge Brenda Edel's mood while
she still had time to run.
    Lindsey's mum climbed the steps, frowning. 'I was
looking at our accounts today. Did you know there's a
client who hasn't paid for months? For the life of me
I can't remember what she looks like. I'm usually good
with faces.'
    The three girls followed her into the office warily.
Did she know? Was she telling them this story as some
kind of build-up?
    She acknowledged Hayley with a nod and then
shuffled through some papers on the desk.
    'Did you see Clint out there?' asked Lindsey.
    'Yes.'
    Shelby held her breath.
    'I didn't stop though. He told me as I was passing
that he'd pop in for coffee when he was finished. He
said he had something he wanted to ask me about.'
    Shelby didn't dare to look at her friends.
    'I think I might ring this Gwen Stefani woman
right now,' Mrs Edel continued. She leaned over the
desk for the phone. 'I can't believe we've let her get so
far behind.'
    'Gwen Stefani!' said Hayley.
    'Do you know her?' asked Lindsey's mum.
    Hayley looked over Mrs Edel's shoulder at the
other girls. Shelby opened her eyes wide. Erin ran
her hand across her throat in a cutting motion.
Lindsey stood still, frozen – the colour draining from
her face.
    Shelby was dismayed. They hadn't considered the
consequences of backdating the computer entry. It
made the account months overdue. "Gwen Stefani"
probably owed hundreds of dollars.
    'Ah, not personally,' Hayley answered.
    'What does she look like?'
    Hayley tilted her head. 'Well, she's got blonde hair.
Pretty. She wears a lot of make-up.'
    Erin put both of her hands over her mouth, stifling
a giggle.
    Mrs Edel looked down at the number jotted on her
desk pad and then dialled.
    The four girls stared at each other. Lindsey was so
pale that Shelby was worried she might pass out. It
was all happening so fast. Shelby's heart started
thumping in her chest.
    A few seconds later Erin's mobile phone began
to ring. She dug it out of her pocket. 'It's probably my
mum,' she said, quickly stepping outside onto the
veranda.
    Erin wouldn't remember that Lindsey had used
Erin's mobile number for Gwen. Shelby wanted to
follow her and grab the phone out of her hand, but it
was too late.
    'Hello?' said Erin quietly.
    Shelby could hear Erin's voice both through the
doorway and through the phone in Mrs Edel's hand.
    'Yes, errr, I'm looking for a Ms Gwen Stefani?'
    Erin paused. Shelby could feel her face reddening.
She wished they hadn't left a phone number at all.
After a long silence Erin said in a very bad American
accent, 'Oh, yar! How are ya?'
    Mrs Edel frowned. She moved the phone away
from her ear and stared at it, then she held it against
her ear again. 'Erin? Is that you?'
    'Like, who's Erin?' came the dual voices.
    Shelby closed her eyes.
    Mrs Edel walked to the doorway. 'Erin,' she said
again.
    Erin turned around slowly, a guilty grin on her
face. She pointed to the mobile and mouthed, I'm on the phone .
    'Erin, put the phone down.'
    Erin closed her phone with a snap and tucked it in
her pocket.
    'OK, girls,' said Mrs Edel. 'What's going on here?'

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