Page 3 of Kinsey (Pennington Family #1)

While her grannie saw her doctor, Meggie pulled out her laptop and got some work done. She was on her last email when a little boy of undetermined age came up to her and tried to pull the laptop from her hands. She looked around for his mother when the kid started screaming when she told him no.

“He just wants to play a game on it. Just let him and that’ll be the end of his screaming.

” She didn’t think that she’d heard the woman right and asked her to repeat herself.

“It’s not like you can’t afford for him to have a little bit of time on it.

What are you doing anyway? Playing games?

He can do that, and you won’t have to listen to him screaming. ”

“I happen to be working.” She rolled her eyes at her, and the kid continued to scream at the top of his lungs. “Can’t you entertain him? I mean, he is your kid, right?”

“I’m busy with my own stuff right now. And like I said, if you just give it to him, he’ll be all right.

It’s something that keeps him entertained at home.

” She asked her why she didn’t bring it with her to give to him when he got into this sort of mood.

“Are you trying to tell me how to raise my kid? Listen here bitch, I’m doing the best I can without his daddy around.

And since I know this baby daddy won’t be around either, I’m going to be stuck all day with two kids screaming.

Just give him the fucking computer and we’ll all be happy. ”

“No. I won’t.” The nurse came out into the waiting room and told Debra to quiet her child.

All she did was blame her for it, and the fact that she wouldn’t give up her computer.

The nurse rolled her eyes, too, and the child was smacked by the mother.

Hard enough to knock him over and bust his mouth on the toys that had been left out for kids to play with.

Now his screaming was twice as loud, and the mother was blaming her again.

“Ms. Rudy, your grandma would like for you to come back to her, please?” She gathered up her things, and Debra told her to leave the computer behind so that the rest of the room could get some relief.

“Debra, keep him quiet, or I’m going to reschedule your appointment for eight in the morning again.

I know how much you hate getting up in the morning. ”

Getting out of the room, once the door was shut, it was peacefully quiet.

Going into the room with her grannie, she was told that she didn’t really want her back there, but she thought that she’d save herself some heartache with Debra and bring her back.

She was happy for it, but Grannie seemed confused about seeing her.

“Some mother in the lobby was disciplining her kid and blaming it on me. I’m sure that the little kid needs stitches.

She just walloped him good.” Grannie laughed and she smiled at her.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with people these days.

Thinking that they’re entitled to anything someone else has simply because they want it.

She wanted me to turn over my computer because she didn’t want to deal with him. ”

She was glad that she’d been able to be there when the doctor came to see her Grannie.

There were tests being set up for next week for her monthly blood work to be done, as well as her fasting for her diabetes test. She was able to schedule her grannie to come in at eight o’clock so she’d not be starving all day.

Glad that the doctor had put in the orders today, they were going to stop by the lab to get the other tests done, and not have to worry about them so early in the morning.

Her Grannie didn’t do well without her breakfast. It was to her the most important meal of the day.

As soon as they left the office, she could hear Debra screaming at her son about crying all the time and blaming it on the lady who had stolen his laptop.

Shaking her head, she invited her grannie to have dinner with her out.

“We should plan this every time you have an appointment. That way, we can end the day with a nice meal that no one has to clean up afterwards.” Grannie told her that she didn’t mind but would like a cheeseburger. “I would love one of those, too. With a bunch of fries and a milkshake for dessert.”

They were pulling into the parking lot of their favorite place to get burgers when her cell phone went off.

Not bothering to answer it while driving, she had her grannie answer.

It was her business that she was running for her anyway, and if there was a problem, Grannie could handle it as well as she could.

They’d been partners since her grandda had passed away several years ago.

“Yes, this is Ms. Ruby. What can I do for you?” Whoever it was made her grannie smile, and she wasn’t going to take over when she was finally parked.

“I don’t know about all that, but I could have my granddaughter give you a call as soon as tomorrow.

I’ve been out of the business for a while now, and I don’t know about mergers with another land deal. ”

Meggie nodded, telling her that there was a deal going on but didn’t have the paperwork ready yet. Grannie rang off with the person and looked at her. They were ready to go and eat, so she waited to see what she had to say.

“You’re buying the Pennington farm?” She said that she’d not heard anything about the Pennington farm.

“That was the banker in town there. He said that he had it under good authority that the place was going to be on the auction block before too much longer. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that the man is lying to me. ”

“I could check on it. Do you know the Penningtons?” Grannie said that she’d known the grandparents of the boys who were trying to make a go of it. “How many boys are they, and are they boys to me or just to you?”

“To me. I’d say the oldest one is about your age now.

There are five or six of them trying to make a go at the farm since their father had about run it into the ground oh, about a decade ago.

I keep up with them without, of course, letting them know, but I don’t think that they’re behind in their taxes.

Well, I know they’re not. And I also know that the banker in town has a soft spot for all of them.

He’d not just call up and tell you about this unless he had a reason.

An auction? No, I don’t see that being an issue with them.

” Grannie got out of the car, but she could tell that she was worried about it.

“Could you have someone look into this for me? I will help them if that’s the issue.

Their grannie was a good friend of mine, and when she passed away not long ago, I told her I’d keep an eye on them for her. ”

“I’ll do it right now.” Pulling out her cell again, she made a call to Jackson, her private investigator.

Asking the names of the men, she told him to do a deep file on the family and to let her know as soon as possible.

“Also, look into an auction that might be going on there. And check out the bank for me. Something is fishy with that, too.”

“The bank is run by a Mr. Peter Howard. He’s a good man without anything in his closet.

Also, I know for a fact that the Penningtons have kept up with their bills.

I was in the station house this morning, looking into something else that was going on with a missing woman.

I was told that the oldest, Kinsey Pennington, had reported what he’d overheard someone talking about the woman missing and a little girl who is now in protective custody.

He’d gotten a loan from the bank to pay for some things around the farm.

I asked and was told that even though they’re struggling quite a bit, they’re good men who have kept up with their taxes even when they have to do without.

” She asked about the loan. “He needed a hot water heater. I don’t think that sounds like someone who is going to lose their house would do if they were broke.

But I’ll check into them and get back with you as soon as I find anything. ”

Grannie and her enjoyed their dinner, but they did talk about the elder Penningtons. Apparently, Grannie had gone to school with the elder Penningtons and had had a good, long relationship with them since then.