“Can you pull the county transfer records today?” I asked, sitting up on the edge of the chair.

“I can pull them in twenty minutes if I pay the clerk an expedited filing fee,” Gary said.

“How much?” I asked.

Gary picked up three yellow legal pads and stacked them into a perfectly neat pile on his blotter, lining up the edges with both thumbs.

“The county clerk charges three hundred dollars for an emergency pull,” Gary said.

“My office fee is two hundred.”