Tell a story that beings with a ransom note.

Aren't ransom notes made of a letters cut from newspapers?  This was a scrappy old piece of paper scribbled over in awful, spidery handwriting.

"Look at your hands and stare at your fingers.  Pick one.  Which one would you miss the least?  I want you to pick.  I'm going to give you two minutes to choose and if you don't give me an answer then i'm going to see which I prefer and i'll be picking two.  Put yourself in that position.  Are you doing it now?  Come 10am on Thursday morning that's the very question i'll be putting to little Simon unless you do exactly what I say."