Truth or Consequences

Chapter 2: The Heir

It's not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters. -Epictetus

I move about in the chair, fidgeting with my dress. The sooner he finishes, the quicker I can leave.

"John wanted a male heir to carry on the Herrington bloodline." Stephen shifts his weight on the side of the desk. "The birth of John James Herrington II brought them joy. But tragedy struck five days later. Little John died. The death of their newborn son brought such sorry to John James and Mae, but their daughter, Jennifer Ann, lived."

"My grandmother never lived in New Mexico."

Boyd teeters on the edge of his chair. He c***s his head to the side. "Let him finish."

Stephen hands me a grainy, out-of-focus picture. The back of the photo has a name written on it, Jennifer Ann. I examine the black-and-white image, but I'm unable to determine what she really looked like. Clipped behind the picture, I find two news articles and a small envelope.

Skimming over the documents, I learn Jennifer Ann went missing for seven days before ranch hands found her. Beaten savagely, most thought she'd perish. Eight months later, they found her dead in a stream by the main house. Her body burned beyond recognition.

I open a small envelope and pull out a handwritten note dated a few months ago - February - signed by John James Herrington. The letter states Jennifer Ann, pregnant, gave birth the day she died, the ninth of July 1990. One of the ranch hands found the newborn wrapped in a blanket in the barn. Fearful that harm would come to the baby, John James and Mae told no one about the child. Soon after, Mae left the Rocking H Horse Ranch with the infant. She moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she raised her granddaughter alone until her recent death.

Ruthie pats my shoulder.

I turn around, and my gaze locks with hers. "Stop it!"

Stephen leans into my personal space, forcing me to withdraw deeper into the folds of the leather seat. "Miss Herring - or rather, Miss Herrington - you're that child."

"You're wrong. I might have been born on the ninth of July, but it has nothing to do with me. My mother died in Houston, Texas, not New Mexico." My heart hammers in my chest. Is this what my grandmother meant? Is this the inevitable change or proverbial door she was talking about?

"No. Your mother perished in the small town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico. It was a horrible ordeal." The words roll off Ruthie's tongue like a whisper in the night. "Boyd and I helped your Grandma Mae move down here - to San Antonio - when you were just a baby."

Boyd casts his eyes downward, unable to hold my gaze. "We wanted to tell you, but Mae made us promise. She said it wasn't safe for you to know until the time was right."

"And what, now is the best time?" The muscles in my abdomen contract, making me sick to my stomach. Could this be true? If it is, then everything I've grown up believing about myself and everything around me has been a well-orchestrated lie. My world is whirling down around my head like an F5 tornado. This conversation is sucking the air right out of my lungs.

Stephen says something, but I don't hear him. "Danny, did you hear me?"

I lean back in the chair. "What?" I rub my throbbing temples.

"You must go to New Mexico."

"Excuse me." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I can't help but wonder what the hell I missed when I spaced out.

"Your grandparent's death leaves you the only biological heir to their combined estate."

"I still don't understand. Why do I have to go to New Mexico? We can handle this here, right?"

"No." Stephen's tone is even and controlled. "You must attend the reading of your grandfather's will."

"Mr. Briggs, will someone from your office accompany Danny? My wife and I are up in years, and a trip like this would be difficult for us."

"No need to worry." Stephen gathers some files, stacking them into two neat piles. "It's already taken care of. Miss Herrington and I fly out today at noon."

Anger burns deep inside the pit of my belly. "Don't call me that. My last name is Herring, not Herrington."

Boyd's face grows chalky and haggard with anxiety. "Why so quickly? We thought it would be several days or, at least, a week before she'd have to travel."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going."

"Miss Herrington, make no mistake. You will go. One way or another."

"You're wrong. I'm not going. And I've already told you, my name is Herring, not Herrington." My chest tightens, and my heart pounds in my ears.

Geez, is he deaf or what? I don't think he's heard a word I've said.

Stephen's voice softens. "No, your legal birth name is Herrington. And, Miss Herrington, they have summoned you to appear for deposition tomorrow. They scheduled this sometime back. So, to avoid being held in contempt, you'll go unless you prefer incarceration. And as your attorney, I don't advise you to take that path."

"Arrested." My mouth gapes open. "Wait. This is the first I've heard about a deposition."

"The summons notification went out almost a month ago." He hands me a photocopy of the signed release. "This is your name? Is it not?"

"Yes," I reply with a huff. "My roommate, Quinn Salinas, works in the campus mailroom and picks up my mail. She must have signed for it and said nothing."

"Unless you're planning on having a police escort, I'd pack enough clothing for a week, possibly two."

Twenty-one years of my life unravels like a sweater with a loose thread while sitting in Stephen Briggs' office. The stories of my childhood become transoceanic, much like a delectable web of lies skillfully fabricated in one of Shakespeare's plays or a Greek tragedy.

Stephen hands me a file and a plane ticket. I pull the summons out of the paperwork.

My eyes remain fixed on the page. Rounding my shoulders, I cradle my head in my hands.

I can't believe this. Damn. I must go because if I don't, they'll arrest me for contempt. I cringe because it's nine in the morning, and I only have three hours to pack and catch the flight.