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“I’d like something in the city. Big yard,
nice shrubs.”
    Carrie gave the perfunctory nod. “What kind
of budget?”
    “Say one to one and a half mil.”
    She dropped the folders, swallowed hard and
looked up. “Say again?”
    Good. Hooked, line and sinker.
    “Now, that isn’t the absolute ceiling, but I
wouldn’t want to go too far above that.” Jerry saw the gears
grinding inside her pretty little head. No doubt she already had
her commission figured down to the last nickel.
    “Well, all right. Have you any specific place
in mind?”
    “No, not really. I’m from a small town in
Georgia. Beaumont. Ever heard of it?”
    “Sorry. Can’t say I have.”
    “Nice place, a lot like Benedict. Never heard
of the town before last week. An associate of mine suggested I take
a look around. So far, I’m quite impressed.” He made no secret of
smiling at her. “I’ve rode around, checking out the houses. I
really like the local architecture. Reminds me of home.”
    “What brings you to Mississippi, if you don’t
mind me asking?”
    “Of course not. Actually, I’m semi-retired. I
owned a computer security firm. Sold out to a company out of
Nashville. They kept me on in a small capacity, so I’ll be making
trips up there about once a month.”
    “Semi-retired? I take it you made out pretty
well.” There was no denying the predatory glimmer in her eyes.
    “You could say that.”
    “How fortunate,” she said. Her hands began
flying over the keyboard. For such a looker, she typed
proficiently. “I think we might have a couple things you’d be
interested in. But to tell you the truth, most real estate in the
county goes for much less. Chances are I can find you a nice place
that you’d like to put some money into. How’s that sound?”
    “I’m not opposed to that idea. When can we
get started?”
    “Well, let me run off a few pages for you,
photos and amenities, etc. You look them over and Monday we can
tour the ones you like best.”
    “Monday?” Jerry gave his best deflated tone.
“I was really hoping we could get on this today.”
    “To tell you the truth, Derek, I have plans
to travel this afternoon. I won’t be back until Sunday
evening.”
    “A small vacation?”
    “No, not really. I have reservations in
Memphis for a few days. Shopping with some girlfriends, you know,
that kind of thing.”
    “Oh, I see. Well, perhaps I’ll check with
another agency. I’m in quite the hurry. No hard feelings, eh?” He
stood, pushing his chair back.
    “No, no,” Carrie almost shouted shooting up
with him. “There’s no need for that.” Watching the expression on
her face as the young agent envisioned the commission she had just
calculated disappear into thin air was as vivid to Jerry as if he
were watching it on a theater screen. “I actually don’t have to
leave until later. I’m sure that we can squeeze in several showings
before then.”
    Jerry sat back down. “Are you sure? I
wouldn’t want to put you out. Cause trouble with
your…girlfriends.”
    “Don’t be silly. I’m a woman. I can always
shop.”
    Good, very, very good. Everything was playing
right down to the letter.

     

     
Six
     
    Memphis, Tennessee is birthplace of the
blues. Known as the home of Elvis Presley, the city squats next to
the Mississippi River. A place of history and of culture, Memphis
is the jewel of the area known as the mid-south. From its rich
suburbs to its inner-city dwellings, diversity is the buzz word
here.
    From the outer edges to the center of
downtown, you pass through varying degrees of southern hospitality
and expose yourself to lifestyles not glimpsed anywhere else for
hundreds of miles around. Since the days of Sun Records and Jerry
Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Perkins, and the King himself, the
city has been a part of the country’s consciousness. But its
influence began much, much earlier.
    If you’re searching out outstanding live
music, you’d be hard-pressed to beat Beale Street. Only a