She was bent over the documents, focused. Grady found the little crinkle that formed between her eyes when she concentrated endearing. Dammit! Pay attention!
“Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s pretend he doesn’t know,” Grady said. “How could someone accomplish that?”
Sophie pondered the question. “Well, John Madison is his assistant. I would assume that means he handles the financials for the sheriff’s department. Although, I still don’t see how Morgan could do his job without at least a working knowledge of the funds coming in and out of the sheriff’s department.”
Grady thought for a moment. “Have you requested the financials from the sheriff’s department itself?”
“Of course. Do you think I’m new?”
Grady sighed. “Actually, I was being more mundane. Have you asked for the financials for the jail, and the tickets the sheriff’s department writes and collects money on each month?”
Sophie stilled. “No. Crap. So stupid.”
Grady smiled. He liked catching her off guard. “How would you get those?”
“I have to file FOIs.”
Grady scrunched up his face. He didn’t want to appear ignorant – but he had no idea what that meant.
Now Sophie was the one smiling. “All financial records for government entities are subject to certain rules. Under the Freedom of Information Act, I can request those records. Those are FOIs.”
“How long does it take to get that information?”
“They have to respond in ten days.”
“Does that mean they have to supply those documents in ten days?”
“Not necessarily,” Sophie hedged. “There has to be a reason for them to defer.”
“Could there be a realistic reason?”
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t think so – but I can’t say no for sure. They could try and come up with something. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
Grady turned his attention back to the documents. “This is a lot of information.”
Sophie straightened. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Hit me.”
IT TOOK Sophie about fifteen minutes to brew a pot of coffee. She welcomed her time alone in the kitchen. She could hear the rustling of paper in the next room, signifying the fact that Grady was wading through her extensive files, and his presence settled her.
She had no idea why.
She’d known Grady Hardy for exactly thirty-six hours and, in that time, he’d managed to completely muddle her usually competent brain.
When she’d first seen him at the newspaper, she’d dismissed him as a brainless, muscle-bound tool with exactly two things on his mind: Money and sex. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
He was clearly muscle-bound – and part of her was dying to see proof of that up close. He was more than that. He was also intelligent, curious, and … sweet. How could a man that looked like him be so sweet?
Get a hold of yourself. He’s just a man. He’s nothing special.
Sophie filled two mugs with coffee, collecting herself before rejoining Grady in the other room. She was desperate to keep their conversation going – even if the need made her feel pathetic.
“I’ll file some additional FOI requests tomorrow.”
“Will that tip him off, though?” Grady asked, not looking up from the document he was perusing.
He’s just being nice. He’s not interested in you. “That’s the way I roll … unless … .”
“Do you have a different idea?” Grady pressed.
“You said you had access to different investigative means,” Sophie reminded him. “What can you offer?”
Grady smirked. “What did you have in mind?”
Was he flirting?
“Um … well … what did you have in mind?”
Crap. Did he think that she was flirting?
Grady’s eyes narrowed for a second, and then he turned back to the documents. “I need a list of names.”
“What names?”
“I need to know who is in a position of power at the sheriff’s department. Only people that can actually get their hands on money.”
“That’s all?”
Grady shrugged. “For now. It’s better to start with a limited pool of suspects and then work our way out.”
“Really? I would think it would be better to start with a big pool of suspects and then whittle it down,” Sophie countered, trying hard not to focus on his lips. Her mind – and her body, quite frankly – were betraying her in ways she’d never experienced before. She’d had sex. She’d had a decent amount of sex. What she was feeling now was different. She had to focus on the work.
“I’m assuming that you want to focus on the people at the county level and the sheriff’s department who have access to money.”