Chapter 6 - Baltimore

"Uhhh...Yes sir, I said Penguin. P-E-N-G-U-I-N. Yes, the flightless bird. No, I don't know why it was staring at me, but I will tell you that it was quite unnerving. Yes, I did mention a taco. No, I don't know if they can truly digest the tortilla....Yes, I ended up in the Zoo. It was a tag off of a sofa. No sir, it wasn't my sofa. Really, it just came in the envelope! No, I have never nor would I ever tear the tag off of a sofa....OK, sir. Yes sir. Tomorrow morning? I guess that is good for me. What? No, I don't know if the taco had sauce on it. Alright, bye now..."

Bob hung up the phone and let out a big sigh.

"Didn't he believe you?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure, he seemed to be focusing on the taco. It was really strange."

"Yes, I noticed that. Do you have any idea why?"

"It seems as if this is not the first time this taco eating fowl showed up on their radar screen. I thought he would laugh me off of the phone, but he got real quiet when I mentioned the taco. Maybe that is a clue." Bob pulled his shirt over his head. "Man, I still smell like fish."

"Yes, I noticed that too." Said Lucy.

Bob changed his clothes while Lucy went to the kitchen to fix dinner. This ordeal had taken most of the day and Bob had not had anything to eat for quite some time. Lucy looked through the fridge for something to offer - there were old tacos, fish, "Ah, good. Macaroni!"

"Macaroni with hot dogs! My favorite." said Bob as Lucy pushed the plate in front of him. "So, I think I figured some of this out. Remember the map in the envelope? I was trying to remember why it was so familiar. It looks just like the inner harbor in Baltimore - I used to work in a gift shop in Baltimore."

"What kind of gift shop? I didn't know you lived in Baltimore?"

"Yes, I was there the year after college. Remember that girl I dated?"

"Sheila? I never liked her."

"Yeah, I never did either. Her father owned the gift shop and I needed a job. They sold trinkets made out of sea shells. Kind of hokey if you ask me, but it was a job."

"Good, she really had a big over-bite. She was a little cross-eyed too."

"Actually, she had a glass eye. It was really hard to date her. She had really bad breath...but I had to have that job. Actually, that was when I got on the global cooling bandwagon. I found a bookstore at the inner harbor...wait...Lucy!"

"What Bob?"

"We have to go to Baltimore! I think I just figured out the taco!!!"