Page 34 of S.O.S. Billboard

Billboard grunted, but only to keep himself from reading her the riot act.

“Anyway, the valet at the door told me about a possible place down the street, which turned out to be really, really good. They actually carry three kinds of chocolate I’ve never even heard of before. So of course I picked up—”

“Uh, O’Shea?” Billboard interrupted. “It’s all good about the chocolate, but it, uh, sounds like you might have eaten it all. Can we get to the point?” He didn’t mean to be gruff, but he knew O’Shea could ramble evenwithoutthe caffeine. To get his seven hours of sleep so he could function at work the next day, was important. He needed her to speed things up.

“Right. Sorry.” She changed gears. “I was on the way back, when I heard a noise down an alley.”

Billboard was back to growling again.

O’Shea ignored him. “It was a small, plaintive sound, and I was curious. What kind of creature was so pathetic? I couldn’t just ignore it.”

Billboard wouldn’t point out that it could have been criminals making the noises, trying to lure her in. But since she’d mentioned that she’d named the distraction “Zoe”, he couldn’t imagine a local perp wanting to be blessed with that moniker, and he let her continue.

“Anyway, I crept down the alley with my phone’s flashlight on, and found Zoe. She’s a cat. And… Now I’m not sure what to do with her.”

A cat.

Billboard was shaking his head, about to rip into O’Shea for her carelessness, when his ears were suddenly assailed by an outraged yowl. It was loud.

“See?” O’Shea’s voice held an edge of panic. “She’s been doing that, off and on, since I brought her in, and I have no clue what’s wrong.” O’Shea seemed at a loss, and that wasn’t like her at all.

“Okay,” Billboard let his anger go, and thought for a moment. “Do you have food for her?”

“I do. Two cans, one of which she devoured. And I bought treats.”

That was all good. Billboard pondered again.

“Maybe she needs a litter box?”

“Nope,” O’Shea came back decisively. “I’ve got that covered, too. Remember the valet? In exchange for candy bars, he helped me smuggle Zoe up to my room, then came up with a cardboard box and some sand. Don’t ask me where he got it, I think it was left over from the days when they had public ashtrays in the halls. You remember those, right? The things that were filledwith sand for smokers to tamp out their cigarettes? Anyway, he said he got the make-shift supplies from the basement.”

Billboard chuckled. Leave it to O’Shea to come up with the most convoluted procurement possible, andfor charming the impressionable young man into doing her bidding.

“Well, okay then. Has the catusedher box?” he questioned.

The reply was immediate. “Yup. Twice. And boy can my new girl stink up a room. I had to scoop that shit out immediately and flush it. I managed that with the room’s ice bucket, and of course I won’t be utilizing that container for ice, anymore. As a matter of fact, I’ll smash it and put it in the waste bin once I’m through with it, just in case the hotel uses them over again.”

“Uh, O’Shea?” Billboard needed to get her back on track.

“Yeah, Billboard?”

“Have you ever had a cat before?”

“No.” Her voice softened. “Zoe is my first. And she’s so sweet…when she’s not crying. What am I doing wrong?”

“Nothing,” he tried to assure her. “Zoe is probably just freaked out that she’s in a new place, and she’s letting you know of her discomfort.”

Billboard had grown up with cats. His mother still had two ancient tabbies living with her on her side of their duplex. Billboard, since his breakup with Peggy, had been thinking of hitting up a shelter and getting one for companionship, but he just hadn’t gotten around to it. Maybe…

The yowling on the other end of the line intensified.

“Damn, Billboard,” O’Shea lamented. “She’s really loud, and I’m afraid one of my neighbors is going to complain, and I’ll get my ass kicked out. Then where will Zoe and I go? We’ll both be homeless.”

Billboard snorted. “Calm down, O’Shea. Like any one of the team would let that happen.”Nope. That was a no-brainer, but…it had to be him. He’d be damned if he let Perk get a shot athaving O’Shea as a roommate. “Listen, O’Shea. Pack your shit. I’m coming to get you and your new friend. You can stay with me.”

“Really?” she asked, relief in her voice.

“Really,” he agreed. “I’ll call you when I get there. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

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