“Several weeks ago,” Miss Martha began, “The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Ornithology Department contacted me to investigate a suspicious black-market bidding in Baja that sold illegal wild birds from South America and abroad. Wealthy people attended the auctions and bought the birds to keep as pets or accessories without considering the animals themselves.”

“I went undercover as a rich bidder and found that poachers had many exotic birds, including parrots and toucans. One poacher who sold there recently caught a flock of wild flamingos from the same Chilean reserve where Jose and I studied their breed. The poor things were locked in an extra-large dog kennel, but it was still too small for them. The poacher who caught them bragged these flamingos were no match for him and even showed the bidders the bullet still lodged underneath Frutti’s wing.”

“At the sight of Frutti’s wound, I became incensed and helped her and the flock escape. I took advantage of Frutti’s bullet wound and pointed it out to the seller. I received a fifty percent discount on my original bid of five thousand dollars.”

“So,” I interrupted, “How did the flamingos wind up in your backyard, Miss Martha?”

“You see, I had intended to return the animals to their original habitat after I brought them to the Los Angeles Zoo for medical care. However, Chile’s recent earthquake has made it dangerous for anyone to enter the country. Also, the L.A. Zoo reported suspicious characters roaming around the bird exhibits; one such person attempted to enter the flamingos’ area after hours. A security guard found him there, but he escaped. When the Natural History Museum and I reviewed footage of the break-in, I saw that the man was the same poacher who sold off Frutti and the flamingo flock!”

“Knowing that poachers are on the lookout for birds in this city, I took it upon myself to care for the flamingos. I talked with Louis, and after some time, he agreed to help. We placed the flamingos in our backyard, redesigned it to mimic their natural habitat, and are taking care of them until it is safe to return to Chile again.”