A Ransom is announced

“What is it Zola?  Let me see what you have there.  Oh, crap.  Your cat is being held for ransom? What is that about, girl?”

“I don’t know!  Delilah Marble, I told you Calliope has been missing, for two days now. Jewanna, Coleen, and Miss Thibodaux next door, have all been helping me put up wanted posters, make phone calls, you know.  I told you.  Now some hoodlum has her and wants $500 for my poor little Calliope, my precious.”

“How you go on, girl.  Look, look.  See here on the ransom note?  It’s a kid who wrote it.  A kid has her and I know who.”

“The note is printed out, Dee.  How can you tell a kid wrote it?”

“Girl, no rocket scientist wrote this.  Here, look Zola.  Down in the corner is part of a logo or whatever you call it: “ox ar”.  See? Mr. Einstein here should have cut it off, gotten rid of it….”

“Is that a clue?”

“Mm, mm.  Oh yeah, Miss Zola.  I am the Crossword Queen.  It’s “boxcar”, you know, like in Boxcar Willie. You know–that hobo singer?”

“To my shame and embarrassment I was unaware that was a genre.  Oh, I’m Sorry, Dee.  Please forgive my smartassness.  Sigh. You know this Boxcar Willie?”

 

“Is that even a word?  It sounds like a town in Mississippi–Smartassness, Mississippi. Okay.  Boxcar Willie died.  But there was a kid in my seventh grade American Culture class that called himself “Boxcar” after I introduced Willie’s story.  Kids will do that, you know.  I haven’t taught school now for almost two years so he should be in high school.  I don’t remember his real name.  But, there are ways of finding out, Zola.  Now don’t you fret.”

“Oh, do it, please, find that hoodlum and get my Calliope back.  Please, Miss Marble, find my precious….”

“Cut the drama, honey.  I’ll do what I can.”

Later that afternoon….

*

“Zola Pittman, get your butt downstairs.  I’ve got your cat.  It was a bad-ass rescue.  My adrenaline was pumping and I just grabbed Calliope.”

“That’s not my cat.  Delilah…it’s not even Siamese and he’s a male.  Wherever did you get this poor thing?”

“What am I supposed to do with this cat, Zola?  Here, take the cat  And, give me a photo of Calliope.”

“Dee, where did you get this cat?

“Never mind that.  I’ll get back to you.  Oh, any distinguishing marks on your cat?”

“Yes, Delilah.  Just look inside her right ear–she has a tattoo….”

“Your cat has a tat?  Of what, Mickey Mouse?  Sorry.  I’ll be right back.”

Still Later….

*

“Here, Zola.  This has to be Calliope.”

“You got that right.  Calliope!  It’s your momma….”

“Uh, Zola, I told Boxcar we’ll be holding onto his cat–indefinitely.”

“So, he belongs to that hoodlum.  What’s the kitty’s name, Dee?”

“I haven’t the vaguest idea.”

“Well, you’ll enjoy having company in your big place.”

“Wait, wait a minute, Zola.  Why can’t he stay here?”

“It’ll do you good, Delilah Marble.  You’ll see….”

“Wonderful.”

 

---

Flash Fiction Challenge #31 
Prompt:  A woman’s cat goes missing.  Two days later she receives a ransom note.
Word Count:  500
Thanks to Ms Thain for hosting Flash Fiction Challenge at Thain in Vain