Perfect Match
Inside the hut, the girls sat perched on the daybed – one at each side – surrounded by cool, whitewashed walls and pretty patterned rugs and cushions. Romeo and Miss Honey lay cuddled up near the door, enjoying the beachy views.
“We really do have a lot to do,” said Coral thoughtfully.
Nicks was busy making notes but paused to nod. “Yup, we have two rather complex Cupid Company cases. Now, what are we going to do about Cecily and the Spikers?”
Both girls fell silent. Nicks tapped her pen. Coral chewed her thumb. Nicks scratched her head. Coral exhaled loudly and stared through the open door at the small, curling waves crashing on the beach.
A tall, athletic young man appeared, running along the sand with a bright orange towel hanging around his neck. He stopped with his back to Coral Hut, put the orange towel on the sand and immediately waded into the ocean. And then he was gone, swimming freestyle and cutting through the waves in the direction of the horizon. He was obviously a very good swimmer and was a small speck in no time at all.
“Maybe we should concentrate on the mystery of Sam first?” Coral finally suggested.
Nicks nodded her agreement. “Let’s begin by analysing the letter for clues to Sam’s identity.”
But Coral was one step ahead of her friend and had already got the letter open. She scanned its contents before speaking. “Mmm, so CBA used to live in Sunday Harbour but has now moved far away.”
Nicks stared at her detective friend. She had clearly been hoping for more than that.
“But is CBA a man or a woman?” she asked. “Because Sam could be a woman or a man too.”
“Oh, CBA is definitely a woman,” announced Coral with conviction as she held the letter up to Nicks. “See, patterned paper. And look at the writing – it’s pretty and wavy. Also, ‘discovering yourself’ is more of a female thing to do. And as for keeping ‘those memories alive in my heart’ – that’s a woman’s touch too.”
Coral hadn’t proved a thing, but what she was saying did make sense.
“I agree,” replied Nicks. “CBA is probably a woman. And I think she – and Sam – are both older because only old people talk about ‘not getting any younger’. And young people don’t think about meeting in the next life; they’re too busy with this one. As for ‘Mr Morris Minor’, CBA clearly states that he’s old too. Old people have old friends.”
Coral considered this for a silent moment and bobbed her head up and down. And then her face crumpled. “So Sam is a lonely old man,” she whispered. “How sad.”
But Nicks was still focused on the facts. “We’re really not much closer to finding out who Sam is though.”
“Maybe the coin—” began Coral. And then she stopped. She’d just been blinded by a giant roll of aluminium foil walking right past the hut. Nicks had seen it too. Both girls jumped up and tiptoed across the floor as if it was made of hot coals. Stopping at the door, they stared for a few silent moments.
It wasn’t a walking roll of aluminium foil but a small woman wearing a shiny, silver-quilted tracksuit. She looked older than their parents but younger than their grandparents, and her skin was tanned with deep wrinkles that looked like cracks in the mud at the bottom of a dried-up river.
The silver and brown woman hadn’t noticed the girls. Quietly, she climbed the stairs and unlocked the door to the neighbouring red beach hut which had recently acquired a plywood FOR RENT sign. The hut had been sitting empty ever since their previous neighbours, Malcolm and Meredith, had left for their honeymoon.
Suddenly Romeo gave a short, sharp bark. He’d also noticed their new neighbour. The silver and brown woman heard the bark and quickly glanced over at Coral Hut, while Miss Honey simpered at Romeo as if he was the bravest dog in the world.
“Howdy, neighbours!” the woman cried out, waving.
Coral and Nicks were still mesmerised.
“Hiya,” they finally managed in reply.
“Gorgeous day, darlings!” she added as she yanked the FOR RENT sign from the deck post and snapped it in half over her knee.
“Yes, gorgeous…” they echoed.
“Give me five minutes – let me get settled,” added the woman, “and then why don’t you mosey on over for a pot of herbal, alrighty?” She flashed them a grin, her white teeth appearing luminous next to her suntan. Her cropped hair was also white, although it was difficult to tell if it was naturally white or bleached that way.
“Uh yeah… sure…” mumbled the girls together, even though they had no idea what a pot of herbal might be. But they waited the required five minutes – their Cupid Company business entirely forgotten – before ‘moseying’ on over.
The red beach hut was definitely changed since they had last visited Malcolm and Meredith there. Now the walls were covered in canvas squares of art in very bright colours. There was an easel in one corner and a long, narrow table in the other. The table was cluttered with tubes of paint, jars of brushes, a sketching pad, a couple of oil lamps, a small gas stove with a battered metal teapot and a basket of mismatched canisters and containers. The artworks were all paintings of animals of every kind – from an albatross to a zebra and almost every beast in between.
“Do you like them?” asked the woman as she stared up at the paintings lovingly.
The girls were surprised by the question.
“Oh yes!” replied Coral.
“We love animals, definitely.”
“We even have a dog called Romeo. Well, two dogs—”
But the woman interrupted Coral with another question. “Kumquat or acai?”
Coral looked confused for a moment. “Er, Romeo is a Jack Russell Terrier actually.”
The woman giggled at this. “No, silly. I mean would you like kumquat or acai tea. I make my own exotic herbal and fruit teas.”
The girls shrugged. They’d never tried a kumquat or an acai-thingie so it really made no difference.
“I’m Zephyr, by the way,” said the woman, who now had her nose buried in one of the canisters from the basket.
The girls stared silently, and practised mouthing her strange-sounding name – Zefer… Zef-er…
The woman glanced up. “Zephyr!” she said again. “I chose it myself. It means a light, gentle wind. And that’s exactly what I am: a light, gentle wind floating around the world. Now, what are your names?”
It took Coral exactly two and a half seconds to fall in love with the notion of an exotic-sounding name of her own. Suddenly the name Coral sounded very dull and uninteresting by comparison. And of course it said nothing about the girl herself. Very quickly her mind went to work considering all the various options...
“I’m Nicks,” replied Nicks in the meantime. She waited a moment for Coral to introduce herself, but her friend seemed to be staring into the distance with glazed eyes. So Nicks filled in the silence. “And this is my best friend Coral.”
Coral suddenly lurched upright and grinned. “Call me Amor!”
Zephyr seemed to like this. “Amor – meaning ‘love’ in many languages. Oh, how simply divine!”
Coral, or Amor, grinned. Of course she knew what it meant – love was her specialist subject, after all. And as a true champion of love, it really was the perfect name.
Nicks’s nose wrinkled as she contemplated Amor, the girl who meant ‘love’ in many languages. It wasn’t that she disliked the name, because – just like her best friend – she also loved ‘love’ very much. In fact, it really was top of her list of favourite things in the world. But Coral’s name was Coral, not Amor. And if everyone just went about changing their name when the mood took them, well – the world would be a chaotic place (and Nicks was more of an ordered sort of girl).
She continued to watch her friend, who was now very busy telling Zephyr all about the Cupid Company and the work they did for love. She also listened as her friend slotted her new name into her chit-chat at every available opportunity. Coral, now-known-as Amor, also seemed to have developed a sudden fancy for words like ‘darling’ and ‘divine’. Nicks breathed deep and narrowed her gaze. Just when they really had so many other things to concentrate on...
Chapter 5
On the Case
Zephyr was just like her name. She really did float around the world. She had already lived in more than thirty different places and still planned to live in quite a few more, if she could. She sold her art to pay for the things she needed. Animals were her favourite subject to paint, and they were her favourite subject to talk about too.
Romeo and Miss Honey had joined them at the red beach hut and already seemed right at home with Zephyr, who was stroking their fur with her bare toes while sipping kumquat tea and sharing stories of her life. She’d been to the Brazilian rainforests to see the red-eyed tree frog. She’d travelled all the way to the desert for the spotted hyena. She’d even visited the plains of Africa to glimpse the Big Five (and had seen at least one elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard). Animals really were her thing.
“So what brings you to Sunday Harbour?” wondered Nicks out loud.
Zephyr exhaled, making a sound like a light wind. “When you reach my age you find yourself tiring quicker.” She sighed again. “I’ve spent most of my life travelling and seeing the animals, but it’s starting to prove a rather solitary existence. I suppose I do get a bit lonely. Perhaps it’s time to settle down somewhere and make some human friends. But I would miss the animals...”
“We have an aquarium in Sunday Harbour,” offered Coral hopefully. “It’s a really good one, and Nicks’s stepdad is the manager too.”
Nicks turned an instant crimson. “Ben is my mum’s boyfriend!” she hissed.
Coral turned her nose up like she didn’t think that was relevant. After all, Ben and Nicks’s mum were clearly mad about each other. It was definitely love, so of course they’d get married one day. She turned to face their exotic and very interesting animal-loving neighbour.
“I speak for my best friend Nicks and myself – Amor – when I say that this is a darling seaside town and that it would be divine if you stayed here.”
Zephyr chuckled and abandoned her mug on the table. “I don’t know that I’m quite ready for that yet, girls. For now this is just a little seaside holiday. But I’d love to paint a portrait of your pups.”
“That would be gorgeous!” yelled Coral excitedly.
Nicks turned to her friend with a weary look. “Yes, a portrait of the pups would be nice. And you and I have urgent Cupid Company business to see to,” she hissed.
“Oh my,” cooed Zephyr. “Are you on a case? Can you tell me about it?”
“We’re on two cases actually,” replied Nicks politely (although they’d never called it a ‘case’ before).
“I’d love to hear more,” pleaded Zephyr.
While Nicks felt that confidentiality was key to the Cupid Company, Coral clearly couldn’t wait to tell their new neighbour all about the trouble created by the flirtatious Cecily amongst the Spikers. She also ended up revealing how they hoped to help Cecily find true love, just as soon as they came up with a plan.
Zephyr listened with obvious interest. And then she froze, held her breath and spoke out loud in a hurried sort of way. “I could help you to help Cecily find her lovebird!” she cried out. “I am, after all, a bit of an animal expert, and humans are nothing more than smart, civilised animals – or some of them are at least. Did you know that, just like humans, many animal species also use impressive courtship rituals to attract a partner? Take the male bowerbird, for example – he fills his nest with bright things like shells, coins and pebbles to attract the female’s attention. That’s his animal bling. Animals also like to dance, make special sounds, get touchy-feely and put on displays of beauty or fighting prowess to catch the fancy of a mate.”
The girls thought about this for a few moments. And then they both leaned forward, interested enough to hear more.
Zephyr leaned forward eagerly too. “It’s all about helping Cecily to connect with her animal instincts. I believe that right now she’s simply a confused young lady.”
Nicks nodded in agreement. “Cecily really is nice enough.”
Zephyr continued wisely. “You’ll need to find out more about Cecily before you can help her to find her lovebird.”
Coral grinned. “We’re one step ahead of you. We already have a Cupid Company question naire which we hand out to all our new clients so that we can get to know them better.”
Nicks reached for her butterfly clipboard, which just happened to have a questionnaire pinned to its front. She passed it to Zephyr, pleased that they were such an efficient, organised matchmaking company. Zephyr’s eyes zigzagged across the sheet.
“Mmm, right,” she murmured as she read. “It’s not bad, but it needs some rewriting.” She slipped the clipboard’s pen from its holder and started scribbling, reading out loud as she wrote. “What is your favourite smell? What animal best describes you and why?”
Coral nodded. She was usually open to new ideas, and she thought the revised questions could be useful. But Nicks did not look convinced.
“Trust me,” said Zephyr with a wink. “The prairie vole, black vulture, wolf, barn owl, condor, bald eagle, gibbon ape… these are just some of the animals that mate for life. They have a lot to teach us.” Zephyr waved the revised questionnaire in the air. “Now all you have to do is ask Cecily to complete the questionnaire.”
Nicks squinted into the sunlight and Coral scratched an itch.
“Yes, about that…” she murmured.
“Cecily hasn’t actually signed up to the Cupid Company yet,” explained Nicks.
Zephyr bit her lip thoughtfully. “So Cecily might be quite happy dating all the Spikers?”
“It’s just the boys she wants to date,” replied Coral optimistically. “And I don’t think she even knows all the trouble she’s causing.”
Zephyr leaned back in her chair and took a long sip of kumquat tea. “There’s only one thing for it, girls. We’re going to have to sit that Cecily down and tell her all about the prairie voles, black vultures, wolves, barn owls, condors, bald eagles and gibbon apes.”
Zephyr had said ‘we’, like she was a member of the Cupid Company too. Nicks’s eyes narrowed. She had a sudden and very strong suspicion. Something told her that they would be getting a lot more advice from their new neighbour in the future – whether they asked for it or not.
Chapter 6
Picture Perfect
Back at Coral Hut, Nicks flipped through a set of recent photos of the Spikers. “Coral, I think that we should ask Jem and Em for their help,” said Nicks.
“Amor,” replied Coral, “call me Amor.”
Nicks sighed. “Why?”
“Why?” Coral looked surprised. “Well, because I just don’t feel like a Coral any more.”
Nicks had no idea what a Coral was supposed to feel like and so she decided to sidestep the subject altogether. Yes, this was her strategy: she would simply avoid calling Coral (or Amor) anything at all.
“Well, erm, my friend, if we want Cecily to complete our questionnaire we’re going to have to come up with a plan.” Nicks stared dismally at the photographs. She compared them with earlier photos of the Spikers. These new photographs showed Rory, Duncan, Jasper and Jack snapping and snarling at each other. There really wasn’t one she could use in the local newspaper. It simply would not do.
Coral noticed her friend’s frown and leaned over to take a look at the snapshots. And then she grinned and shouted out: “Einstein moment! Those are perfect.”
“Perfect for the Halloween edition of the magazine!” snapped Nicks.
“No, no, don’t you see! Compare the preCecily photographs of the Spikers with these latest ones and it’s all the proof we need to convince Cecily to sign up to the Cupid Company. She’ll soon realise that her outrageous flirting is splitting up the volley ball team. The evidence is there – in colour!”
“And as head cheerleader she’s sure to have the school volleyball team’s best interests at heart,” added Nicks triumphantly. “You’re a genius, Coral. I mean, Amor.” She grabbed the questionnaire and photographs. “C’mon, I know exactly where to find Cecily.”
Coral looked surprised. Nicks grinned. “It’s Thursday, isn’t it? Jack’s mum’s garden centre is just a few blocks away.”
The Cupid Company (which had always included Romeo but now also included Miss Honey) stood tall and to attention. And then they marched, two by two, in the direction of Plants R Us.
The entrance to the nursery was built to look like a cave, with fake rocks and dense fringes of plants that climbed, dangled and curled around each other. Inside the nursery there was just as much greenery, although it was planted in plastic pots laid out on sloping shelves. There were also rows of taller trees and bushes all clumped together. And in the far corner there was an outdoor section that sold things like small water fountains, garden statues, sun catchers, birdhouses and sundials.
The Cupid Company slowed their pace and scanned the area before them. The only person about was a middle-aged woman who was more than likely Jack’s mum. Still, it wasn’t exactly a small nursery.
Coral began tiptoeing forward.
“Why are you walking like that?” whispered Nicks hoarsely, scanning the nursery nervously.
“For exactly the same reason that you’re whispering,” replied Coral. “We need to find Jack and Cecily before they find us. Then you’ll have to distract Jack while I corner Cecily, on her own. I’ll need the questionnaire.” Nicks passed it over. “And the evidence.” Nicks handed the photographs over too. And then they continued tiptoeing… until finally they caught a glimpse of glossy, strawberry-blonde curls visible through the leaves of some potted lemon trees. A high-pitched, flirty sort of giggle confirmed the rest.
“Right,” murmured Coral in a low voice, “now how are you going to distract Jack?”
Nicks’s eyes grew in size. “I have no idea!”
“Sssh!” Coral checked on the curls. They hadn’t moved. Suddenly Jack’s mum (possibly) appeared to their left. She was walking towards them with a can-I-help-you look on her face.
“Birthday!” bleated Nicks suddenly. “I will ask Jack for help with a birthday gift!” She disappeared behind the row of lemon trees.
“Can I help you?” asked Jack’s mum (most likely).
Coral smiled sweetly and patted Romeo’s head. “Just looking, thanks.”
So Jack’s mum (almost certainly) went on her way. Coral whistled a few notes and then quickly peered between the lemons. Cecily hadn’t moved. She was alone too. Coral knew she did not have much time. So she took a shortcut between a pair of lemon trees.
“Hi, Cecily!” she said as she emerged on the other side.
Cecily yelped with fright and landed a metre away.
Accepting that she could have made a less dramatic entrance, Coral quickly pulled a harmless sort of smile while she removed the leaves and lemon twigs from her curly hair. “I’m Co— I mean, Amor,” she said with a small, friendly wave.
Cecily quickly calmed down and stared at Coral closely. “Oh, hi,” she said. “I think I’ve seen you around.”
Coral nodded. “I’m the one who walked into the lamppost.”
“Oh, right. So you did.”
“But I’m really pleased to have run into you Cecily because, you see, I’m here representing the Spikers… er, sort of.”
Cecily glanced up, as if she was looking for Jack. And then she turned her attention back to Coral. She didn’t speak; she just stared at Coral expectantly.
“As you know, the whole town is very proud of our volleyball team,” stammered Coral with a sudden case of nerves. “They’ve always been such a strong, dedicated team… like best mates, practically.”
Speaking of best mates, Coral suddenly noticed Nicks and Jack unexpectedly walking back in their direction. She made bulgyeyeballs at Nicks, but it was too late.
“Hey, Cec,” said Jack when they were within earshot, “this girl is looking for a birthday gift for her mum, but she doesn’t like anything I’ve shown her. You could probably do a better job.”
Cecily glanced from Coral to Nicks, both girls staring at the ceiling as if they had absolutely no knowledge or interest in the other one.
“I was actually just busy with this girl, Jack. And the funny thing is, she wants to talk about the Sp—”
“Oh, don’t mind me!” cried Coral, just a little louder than was probably necessary. “Er, you carry on.”
Jack looked slightly anxious and then he shrugged, like he’d suddenly lost interest. “I’ve got to water the ferns before we can get out of here,” he said to Cecily, who replied with a nod and a very sweet smile. She blew him a kiss and then he was gone.
Cecily turned to face Nicks. “Do you know what sort of gift you’re after?”
“Well, I’m not really.”
“Not really sure?” wondered Cecily.
“We’re not really after a gift,” explained Coral.
Cecily turned to face Coral. “Do you two know each other?”
“Yes, we do,” replied Nicks guiltily. “Cor— um, this girl and I are actually best friends.” Their plan had seemed like a good one in theory, but the reality of it…
And then Nicks remembered the Spikers. She thought about Sunday Harbour. She imagined their town’s empty trophy cabinet. She pictured the local newspaper with nothing good to write about.
“Cecily,” she said suddenly and with conviction, “these photographs of the Spikers were taken last season. Please take a closer look.”
She handed the snaps over to a surprised and confused-looking Cecily, who slowly flicked through each one.
“And these photographs,” Nicks continued, “were taken recently.” She paused and gave Cecily a moment to glance through the latest photos while she mentally prepared the next part of her speech. But there really was no need. Cecily’s face suddenly crumpled.
“It’s all my fault!” she cried out.
“Yes, yes, it is,” replied Coral matter-offactly as she tenderly patted Cecily’s shoulder.
Sparkly silver tears slid down Cecily’s pretty pink cheeks. “I can’t help myself.” She snuffled. “I must admit, I do love the attention.”
Coral and Nicks nodded. So that was it, Cecily loved the attention.
“We can help you to find something so much, much, much better than attention,” revealed Coral, like she knew a very big secret.
Cecily wiped her pretty eyes and hiccupped. “What could that be?”
“LOVE!” said Coral and Nicks at once.
Nicks put a gentle arm around Cecily’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, the Cupid Company is here to help.”
“The Cupid Company?”
“Think of us as representatives of love,” replied Coral. And then she told Cecily all about the Cupid Company. Cecily listened closely until Coral was done. And then she tilted her head up to the heavens and smiled wistfully at the thought of finding true love. She certainly seemed attracted to the idea, like she’d watched enough romantic films to know vaguely what it was about.
“But how will I know when I’ve found true love?” she asked.
“Well, you won’t want to date four boys at once, for starters,” replied Coral.
Cecily looked interested. “And will my true love adore me?”
Nicks nodded. “That’s what true love is all about.”
“True love…” ooh’d Cecily. “OK, I’ll sign up to your Cupid Company. But what about the Spikers?”
“No more Spikers,” replied Coral.
Cecily’s face fell. Then she mumbled something about doing it for the good of the town and finally accepted the Cupid Company questionnaire being offered to her.
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