Perfect Sax Read Online Free PDF Page A

again.
    “You’re kidding! So do I.” Albert smiled at me. He thought I was making a pass at him.
    “I live on Whitley just below your house on Iris Circle. Somehow, a lot of paperwork and photos and files with your name on them were dumped on my property.”
    “Holy shit.” The gleam went right out of Albert Grasso’s eye. “Are you kidding me?”
    “No. I can’t explain how this mess got on my lawn, Mr. Grasso, but I found your passport and I was planning on calling—”
    “My passport ? What else do you have?”
    “Photos of celebrities. Confidential reports. Insurance papers. Bible-study notes.”
    Albert Grasso stared at me, his face ashen. “Where are they now?”
    “At my house. It’s also my office. I would have tried to get in touch with you earlier, but of course I had this big job tonight.”
    “So,” he said slowly. “Did you read my papers?”
    “Not really. I mean, I was planning on tossing it all out. It was just litter. But then I noticed the passport.”
    He glowered at me. Didn’t he realize I was trying to help him here? How do I get myself into these things?
    “How much do you want?” he asked, his voice low.
    “Do I want? I don’t want anything.”
    “Yeah. Sure you don’t. You better return every single sheet of paper. Every single file. I’ll pay two thousand.”
    Over the loudspeaker, Brianna Welk’s high voice came across with the slightest of slurs. She was the lead auctioneer on the next item and told the crowd that the bidding would start at $5,000.
    “Mr. Grasso. I’m beginning to feel insulted here. I don’t want any reward.”
    “Do I hear six thousand?” called out Brianna.
    “I’ll give you six thousand,” Albert responded, raising his own bid. What was going on?
    “Look, I have your address,” I said sternly. “I’ll have one of my staff return the box of papers to you tomorrow.”
    “I want it right now,” Albert said, grabbing my wrist. “I don’t know what game you’re playing. You say you have my personal papers, but just how did you get them? Did you break into my house? Is that how you have my address?”
    “No!”
    “You must think you’re clever. You knew I wouldn’t call the police. I’m a big name in Los Angeles, dear. I’m the top vocal coach in town. I have the trust of every singer that gets paid a million just to open his mouth, you understand? I have to protect my privacy and that of my clients. This morning I went into my home office. I saw the file cabinet was open. Obviously, I should have checked more carefully. I looked around and the art was there. The cash was there. But I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t get around to opening every drawer, checking every file. I have been distraught, young woman. You think I wanted to come here tonight? Caroline insisted I take her, since she’s active on the board and I’d spent a thou on the tickets. Got it? So let’s get down to business. I want my files back and you have them.”
    “You really don’t understand.”
    “Calm down. You will get your payoff, young woman. Just tell me how much.”
    I pulled my wrist out of his tight grasp as the crowd applauded another winning bid. “Tomorrow,” I said, through clenched teeth, “I will turn in all the papers that I found on my property to the police. If you want your things back, I suggest you report what is missing to them. That’s what you should have done in the first place. They can sort all this out. I certainly want nothing more from you, Mr. Grasso.”
    “Ten thousand,” he called loudly after me as I pushed through the crowd.
    “I have a bid of ten thousand dollars for the private parking space at the Woodburn School,” Brianna Welk said with excitement, suddenly pointing to the back of the room, directly at Grasso. “Do I hear anything higher?”

“All or Nothing at All”
    M adeline,” Dilly Swinden called out.
    I pressed my lips together, quickly changing gears, readjusting my mood. The client