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Erin stepped halfway out the door. 'He's at Hayley's yard now,' she whispered. 'He's leaning on the fence. Mrs Crook has come out of the tack room. She's got her hands on her hips. She's shaking her head. He's talking again now. Now she's pointing up here!' Erin dove back into the tack room sniggering.

'Erin! Now you look suspicious.'

'He didn't see me. Do you think he saw me? What should I do? Should I go back out there?' Erin's eyes were wide.

Shelby pushed Erin back out the door, and on the way Erin grabbed her broom. She stood in the yard sweeping the dirt, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Erin started whistling. Shelby groaned. Erin was the most conspicuous girl in the world.

'Excuse me. I'm looking for a Mrs Wong,' said a man's voice.

The name was Kim's idea. They'd laughed for ages when she first said it.

Mrs Wong . . . first name, You-Done-Me.

Mr Morgan hadn't asked for a first name, and lucky too, or Monica might not have been able to keep from laughing.

It had seemed funny when they had talked about the plan in Hayley's rumpus room, and it was exciting when Monica had rung the man, but now that he was actually here and it was all really happening, Shelby was nervous. Too many things could go wrong.

Shelby peeked through the crack in the wall again. Mr Morgan aka Mr Hall was standing at the gate to Erin's yard. He was smiling at Erin the way he'd smiled at Shelby that terrible day – friendly and confident.

'I can't think of any Wongs,' replied Erin. 'But I don't know everybody here. Perhaps you should look around the other stables? I'm sure nobody would mind. People come and go all the time. There are so many horses at this place, and they all have different owners. Floats and trucks come in and out all day long. Nobody really pays that much attention.'

Shelby silently begged Erin to stop talking as she'd said enough, but Erin didn't.

'Except after dark. It's pretty much deserted then. Some horse transport trucks come in at night, but nobody checks them. It's a security nightmare, really. I keep my part padlocked when I'm not here. That lady you were talking to does too. And so do those two across there.' Erin pointed to Monica and Kim's yards. 'But none of the rest do.'

Shut up, Erin.

All the girls expected that the man would come back at night to steal one of the horses. They were counting on it. Once he stole a horse for real it would be a police matter. Erin was just trying to make sure it wasn't Bandit, or one of her friends' horses.

'Take that one there, for example,' said Erin, pointing to a grey gelding a few yards away. 'They paid eleven thousand for him, and guess what? No lock. Nothing. They're asking to lose him, aren't they?'

Erin finally stopped to take a breath. She swept the yard again and when she turned in profile Shelby could see that her face was as red as a tomato. If Mr Morgan didn't pick it for a trap then he was stupid. Shelby didn't think he was stupid at all.

'Thanks for your help,' he said, and to Shelby's surprise he walked up the passageway between the stables to get a better look at the eleven thousand dollar horse. Along the way he spoke to a few more people, but most of them shook their heads.

Erin kept on whistling and sweeping away until Mr Morgan had made his way to the end of the row of stables and back.

'Thanks again,' he said, smiling and putting his index finger to his forehead, as if to tip his hat if he'd been wearing one.

'No probs,' said Erin.

Shelby stood at the door, and as Mr Morgan drove back down the driveway, Lindsey raced over to Erin's yard.

'What did he say?' she asked.

'You first,' said Erin.

'He just wanted to know if I knew a Mrs Wong. I told him to ask Hayley's mum. I didn't know she'd send him up to you. I thought she'd just tell him to get lost.'

'I told him heaps of stuff!' Erin grinned.

'Too much,' said Shelby, frowning.

'It worked though, didn't it? Didn't you see him checking out the gelding? He was almost drooling