When Jim Zook called, Harry knew he was about to embark on a new adventure. Jim was the director of the St. Louis Zoo, and he only called Harry when he needed his help collecting a new specimen for the zoo. And somehow, this time when Jim called, Harry knew it was going to be a dangerous trip.
While Harry Romney wasn’t necessarily an animal expert, he had always been interested in all types of animals. When he was young, Harry explored the streams and forests around his home in Chesterfield. Harry and his best friend, George, used to camp in the wilderness areas of Rockwood Reservation and pretend they were explorers looking for lost treasure.
Now it was their job, and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Harry owns a business called H.R. Personal Services. The “H.R.” stands for Harry Romney, of course. He and George have recovered kidnapped children, followed treasure maps, captured criminals, and rounded up wild animals for the zoo. Harry’s company motto is, “Routine or scary, call Harry.”
It was a Friday when Jim called. “Harry, what does your schedule look like for the next couple of weeks?” Jim said.
“George and I just finished a job near Laramie, Wyoming” said Harry. “We worked with Bill Spencer of the FBI to recover a man who had been missing. We found out that he had fallen off his horse and hit his head on a rock. He had been wandering around for two days when we found him. He is going to be okay, but it’s going to be a while before he gets rid of his headache. What do you have in mind?”
“We just received information about a new poisonous snake in South America,” Jim replied. “Apparently one of the locals was bitten by it, and was dead within three minutes. There is no information about this green snake other than what we have heard from one of the people who saw it bite the local.”
“Harry, we would really like to have one of these snakes for our zoo. Not only would we be able to put it on display, but we could also develop a serum from its venom to save anyone who gets bitten by this snake in the future. Are you interested?”
Was he interested? Of course he was interested. This is the kind of adventure that Harry loved. There was a chance to discover something new; there was danger; and it was definitely going to be exciting. Harry replied, “You bet we are interested. When do you want us to get started?”
Jim replied, “The sooner, the better. Let me know what you need and I’ll make the arrangements.”
Harry said, “My schedule is clear, so give me three days to make plans and we will be ready to go. How about shooting for an early departure on Tuesday?”
“That works for me, Harry,” Jim said. “I will find out as much as I can about the green snake and where you can find it, and I will send you an email tomorrow with the information. Thanks, Harry, I don’t know anyone else that I would want to handle this project.”
After he hung up the phone Harry walked over to George’s desk in their office on Manchester Road and said, “Jim Zook just called, and we have work to do. What do you think about flying to South America?”
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