I come flying out and find her standing at the front door with—not Brock. There’s an elderly Japanese man, and next to him, the biggest shock of my life. A black-and-white penguin roughly waist high tilts his pointed beak up and looks at me with a soft squawk. “May he come in for a minute? Special delivery,” the man explains. “Mr. Winthrope flew us in from Kyoto to deliver a message for Miss Renee. I am Takishido’s owner.”

