One of our students had her wallet vanish with some money, credit cards and driver's license in it. Panic, of course. I did the typical group director thing; pointed out that if it was permanently lost, then we could do x-y-z to deal with it; suggested it would probably reappear by evening.

So she gets a call on her cell phone, asks me to talk to the guy. Turns out someone has found the wallet, and just out of kind-heartedness he wants to return it. He'll bring it by. But he wants a reward. This is of course blackmail. I just want to say no; why indulge a money-grubber? But I also consider my student's emotional situation and the cost-benefit analysis of how much it would cost just to deliver her new credit cards here and decided it wasn't worth the battle. I settled on $51 to return the wallet.

I met him. Made sure it was the right wallet. The money was missing, of course. I paid. He gave. He asked whether I was happy with the situation. I said no, I wasn't happy. He said that he didn't have to return the wallet, he just did it out of kindness. I told him it was blackmail. Back home if you find someone's wallet, you simply return it and don't ask for anything. He was surprised. He mentioned that he had lost his wallet and paid $34 to get it back just a few weeks ago. I said that I am grateful to have the wallet back, but the situation does not make me happy. I think he was legitimately surprised. We parted ways.

A reader might wonder why I didn't call the police. Simple: the police might have wanted a share of the action.

Here's the frosting on the blackmail cake. The student's phone number was not in her wallet, nor was any paperwork that would indicate where to contact her. There is only one conclusion: the guy got her number from someone who knew her. I can think of several groups of people with whom she has associated here, but of course there is no way to narrow that down outside of the phone number from which the guy called.