I am delighted to be her
Blackmailing Shalini 1 – 3
CHAPTER ONE
Shalini answered the phone, “this is the head librarian, how may I help you?” Frank said, “just listen
and say nothing unless you want the information I have made public. Do you want that?” Shalini let
out a small gasp, and asked, “who are you, and what do you want?” “I told you to just listen,” Frank
snapped, “just listen!” “Okay,” was her response. “You will go to the bar in the Steak House, the one
near your home, tonight at 6:00 for happy hour. Take a seat at a table in the corner, order yourself
a drink and wait for me to introduce myself. If you are more than five minutes late, I will leave, and I
will make sure your newspaper gets all the information I have collected on you, and copies will be
sent to the library board as well.” He then abruptly hung up the telephone. Shalini shook as she
placed the receiver back on its base. She quickly regained her composure, and went through the
motions of finishing her work day. On the way home, she drove by the Steak House, noting it was a
very popular cafe and feeling reassured about her safety if she decided to meet this man who had
been mailing packages, shocking packages, to her for the past ten days. She glanced at her watch,
noting it was already 10 minutes until six o’clock. She drove on by, then turned around realizing she
did not have time to go home first. There was a parking space near the front door, she took it
feeling some relief about its location. Inside the bar, she saw a good size crowd all enjoying drinks
before their meals. Shalini sat at a table off to herself, and ordered a glass of wine. As she sipped
her wine, she looked around at the men there, wondering who the person that had called her was.
She saw no one she knew, but saw several faces she vaguely recognized. She finished her wine and
looked at her watch. It was just a few
minutes after six. She ordered another glass of wine. The waitress had just set the glass down when
she saw a man walking toward her table. It was one of the ones she knew from somewhere, but she
could not place where. She noticed he was carrying a couple of large envelopes similar to those she
had been receiving for the past ten days. As soon as their eyes met, she remembered where she
knew him from. He was a patron at her branch library, but she could not think of his name. He laid
the two envelopes in front of her on the table for her to see. One was addressed to her newspaper
and the other to the San Francisco Library Board. “May I join you?” he asked, smiling at her obvious
discomfort. “Do I have a choice?” she responded. He picked up the two large envelopes and turned
to walk away, then stopped. “Of course you have a choice, but make it carefully unless you want me
to mail these envelopes. You know what is in them don’t you?” Taking a deep breath to steady her
nerves, Shalini replied, “don’t mail them, sit down,” adding as an after thought, “please.” He took a
chair on the opposite side of the table, and took a sip of the drink he had brought with him to her
table. He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “Who are you? I have seen you in the library,
but what is your name?” she asked. “I am your date for tomorrow night for dinner here at 7:00, that
is enough for you to know right now,” was his answer. He took another long drink and added,
“unless you want what I know about you to become the talk of the town.” “But, I don’t want a date
with you. I don’t even know your name, much less want to go on a date with you.” “Shalini, look at
the stamps on these envelopes, they are ready to drop in the mail box. Had you rather have a
dinner date or have these placed in the mail?” “That sounds like blackmail, and it is a crime. You
could go to jail
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