Legacy

By Larry Calabrese

The murder conviction of the former middleweight boxer Ranja Williams in 1950 demoralized his six-year-old son, Chako. Without a role model in his life, Chako became a notorious street fighter, terrorizing his school classmates and teachers at Oakland Tech Memorial High School. This all changed the day Chako was challenged by Scott Johnson, a substitute teacher who was a former Olympic wrestler. The lives of both individuals were altered with that confrontation, as they discovered that the quest for fame and recognition would demand a far greater sacrifice than they could imagine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490890340

Larry Calabrese

Larry has a master’s degree in biblical studies from Grace Theological Seminary and currently teaches physiology at Los Angeles Harbor College. Larry serves on a Christian missionary board to the country of Turkey. He also worked as a reviewer for Kaplan Publishing Company.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Jason Cogwell, a successful salesperson, was questioning his decision to walk the three miles to the Rincon Hotel in the south end of San Francisco at 11:00 p.m. as he approached Market Street. He’d decided to forgo a taxi or a trolley; he wanted some exercise before he started his drive back to Los Angeles in a few hours. But it had begun to rain, and he wasn’t prepared for that. However, he was stubborn, strong willed, and not about to allow rain to discourage him.

The rain increased. Jason rolled up the collar of his trench coat and dodged under awnings, archways, and overhangs. He saw a pharmacy on the west side of Market Street, and he decided to look for a hat there.

Good evening, sir, said a clerk tabulating sales receipts behind the counter. After hearing Jason’s desire for a hat, he directed him to the rear of the pharmacy, where an assortment of berets, hats, and scarves sat on a shelf. Though Jason didn’t consider himself vain or pretentious, he wanted an idea of how a particular hat and a plaid scarf looked on him but saw no mirror.

The clerk, who had figured out Jason’s quandary, suggested he try the mirror in the restroom at the back of the store. Jason headed there and closed the door, a little embarrassed at what others might have thought had there been any other patrons at that hour.

As Jason was adjusting an oversized fedora, he heard a tremendous explosion followed by the sound of breaking glass. He heard yelling coming from the front. He opened the door a crack. What he saw sent a chill down his spine. Two men with ski masks, one with a shotgun aimed at the clerk, were gesturing at the cash register. The glass counter had been shattered.

The clerk slowly passed the cash drawer to the taller man, who was doing most of the yelling. The clerk reached below the counter and pulled out a revolver. The shorter man screamed. The taller man shot the clerk, who crumpled backward and to the floor.

Jason was sweating. His heart beat so hard he was afraid the robbers would hear it. He saw the two hooded figures stuff cash into a duffel bag. Just as they were about to leave, the smaller robber stooped to remove the clerk’s wristwatch, and Jason spied a tattoo of a green, coiled serpent on his waist. The two then scanned the store once more to ensure no one had witnessed the shooting and then fled. Jason was too shocked to move.

He knew he had to get out of there; he couldn’t afford to get involved in a crime investigation. His business appointments during the next few days were far too important; they could lead to his promotion to senior sales manager. Jason ran out of the restroom and fled out the back door into the night.

CHAPTER 2

The storm had increased in intensity; the streets were flooded. An older Dodge van crept through the south side and approached the Soto district, an area of dilapidated homes and run-down apartment buildings. It had missed out on the neighborhood redevelopment campaign in the 1960s.

Ranja Williams removed his ski mask and stared blankly out the passenger window. The stress on his face reflected his inner turmoil. A fairly handsome man in his early thirties, Ranja could have been mistaken for a professional athlete; his short stature was overshadowed by his muscles and powerful physique. We never done no shooting before, and you killed that whitey! he blurted out.

Never had a need to before, Carl said calmly. Ranja knew he had to be cautious around his friend. Carl Roberts was a slim man with a crescent-shaped scar on his cheek he had received during a fight with a gang leader who stabbed him over a botched drug deal. Stuff these into that duffle bag, Carl ordered. He threw the ski masks to Ranja. We better lay low for a while until the pigs run dry on any leads.

I don’t want no part of any more shootings! I gotta wife and little boy—

You didn’t seem to mind the last few jobs we pulled off. The stash we split helped you buy clothes for your kid, Carl said.

This is different; I don’t know if I could have pulled the trigger if I held the shotgun.

Get over it. Your lady will be grinning when she sees the loot.

Gwen doesn’t know we was planning this job. If she finds out, she’ll leave me.

Then we could do more stings and rake in the big dough, Carl replied.

The van turned onto Oak Street. Ranja and Gwen’s apartment building loomed dark and foreboding. Carl pulled to the curb. Ranja didn’t look back as he shuffled out the door with the duffel bag, deep in thought about how to come up with a believable story, but he knew Gwen was perceptive and able to penetrate the wall of secrecy Ranja was trying to construct.

A musty curtain covering a blackened, cracked window in a second-floor apartment slid aside. Gwen peered through the rain and saw her husband exit the van. She was twenty-four. She had been a waitress in a diner in Biloxi, Mississippi, when she had met Ranja, a long-distance trucker who frequented the diner when he was in town. Ranja was two years older, and though lacking formal education, he was ambitious; he wanted to become someone she would proudly marry.

They had married after a six-month courtship and moved to San Francisco for better work opportunities. Their son, Chako, was born within the year, and Gwen gave up waitressing to raise him while Ranja struggled to find a trucking company that would hire him. For the past year, Ranja had turned to other means to provide for his family.

Gwen watched her husband approach the apartment building through the downpour. This was not the fulfillment of the girlhood dream she’d cherished. Ranja had had a brief career as a middleweight boxer but had fallen on hard times the past two years.

Chako was awakened by loud voices in the apartment. The six-year-old realized his mother and father were arguing again. He pulled back his blanket and crept toward the kitchen, where his mom and dad were shouting.

Gwen leaned against the stove while Ranja related how he had obtained the money spread across the table. Gwen knew Ranja was lying.

Ranja berated her. We have to take what people give us, and I won fair and square at the card game—just look at this stash I picked up tonight.

I don’t know how you get this money during the night, and I never know if you’ll come back home again. I don’t trust that Carl Roberts, and if you insist on spending your nights with him, you’ll get yourself killed! Carl was arrested before. He served time in prison for armed robbery and—

Don’t start up with that talk again! Ranja said. You don’t know Carl like I do.

Gwen saw Chako in the doorway. You scoot back to your bedroom, young man! she said. I’ll be there in a few minutes.

No, come here, Chako, Ranja said. I have something for you. Ranja reached into his pocket as Chako walked toward him. Ranja handed the clerk’s wristwatch to his son. The timepiece was unique; it had an image of an Indian on the face, and the band was studded with turquoise. I want you to save this for when you’re older to remind you of your dad and how much he loves you.

Gwen shook her head and ushered Chako and his treasure into his bedroom. She knew all this deception and disappointment would end tragically. Her only hope was to find the strength to endure it.

CHAPTER 3

As Jason checked out of the Rincon Hotel, he asked the night clerk for the shortest route to Highway 101 south. The rain was still coming down in torrents as Jason drove his rental car down Market Street and turned on to Pine Avenue to the freeway on-ramp. Visibility was becoming more of a problem. The windshield wipers were no match for the deluge.

A few cars had pulled off to the side of the road to wait out the storm, but Jason was determined to continue even in a slow crawl. The temperature was dropping, and Jason struggled to clean the condensation from the windshield. The fog that settled in challenged even the most expert drivers.

Though it was cold, Jason was sweating. He wasn’t able to block the graphic images in his mind. His life had been quite simple and uneventful until that night, and he struggled with his emotions. He knew what he had witnessed would be engraved in his mind forever.

As the buildings and homes lining the freeway turned into shadows, Jason realized he couldn’t drive farther without the risk of crashing into a stalled or stranded vehicle. He was able to make out an exit ramp and took it, not wanting to stop on the shoulder of Highway 101.

Jason found himself on a surface street that wound through an upscale neighborhood with darkened homes and no streetlights. He desperately wanted to stop at a well-illuminated area. Jason could barely make out the shape of a large building with lights on. He turned into the driveway and pulled up to the front of the building. He turned off the motor and peered out to see what type of business it was. He read, San Mateo Municipal Police Department. His heart skipped a beat. Is this some type of cruel joke? he muttered.

Stress and exhaustion were taking a toll on Jason. He put his head on the steering wheel as he tried to make sense out of what was happening. He wrestled with his thoughts and desperately sought a course of action.

Jason’s stomach gnawed as he tried to rationalize having left the scene of the crime. The thought of his wife, Nora, and his two children dominated his thinking. He couldn’t fathom having them become indirectly involved in a murder that could jeopardize their safety as well as his. He’d heard of eyewitnesses who had provided testimony and had ended up in a witness protection program in remote regions. But his was not a fictional drama; he’d been an observer of something he so much wanted to remove from his life.

Jason was not a religious person; his childhood hadn’t been encumbered with Sunday school or other types of moral-building programs. His parents, fairly liberal, thought that each of their children, Jason being the older of two boys, should make personal decisions to follow spiritual paths without their influence. Jason’s younger brother, Mark, had died in a car accident at age eleven.

His grandma Sophie, a strong Christian, had shared her faith not by quoting the Bible but by living out her convictions. She was always there to encourage Jason through his younger life, and she impressed upon him the importance of doing what his conscience prompted him to do. That, she had taught him, would grant him the inner peace that eluded most people. She quoted one verse that had had a lasting impression on Jason: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

Jason looked one more time at the sign, hoping it had been a mirage or had actually read, Hotel—Vacancy. Bowing his head, Jason opened the door and ran up the steps into the building. This is for you, Grandma, he thought.

Shaking off his rain-soaked trench coat, Jason approached the counter staffed by a uniformed officer engrossed in paperwork.

Excuse me, sir, but I’d like to report a crime, Jason stated.

The attendant didn’t look up. He reached across the counter and handed Jason an information sheet with a list of infractions that one would normally expect to apply to car thefts, accidents, or property damage.

Jason briefly scanned the list and said, I just witnessed a possible murder.

The officer stopped writing and removed his glasses. My name is Officer Ross. Please come around the counter and follow me. We’ll take a statement.

Jason took a deep breath and followed the officer into an interrogation room. He told all that had happened at the pharmacy. Jason thought his description of the two robbers wasn’t very helpful until he remembered the tattoo on the shorter man. The officer nodded and made a notation.

At the end of the inquiry, Officer Ross said, Mr. Cogwell, we appreciate your decision to give this testimony. Most people in your situation wouldn’t have come forward.

Jason

Reviews for Legacy

[kristymk18-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Set in the future, Legacy tells of a world where emotions can be controlled with a pill. I found this to be a fascinating premise. Like Lex, I always wonder "why" someone commits certain actions, especially in regards to criminals. Legacy looks at what it would be like to control someone's feelings and thoughts, thus (in theory) controlling their actions. However, as with any experiment, there are side effects and consequences.

In the not to distant future, Lex's mom has created a drug that can manipulate people's emotions. But this, coupled with an economic crash, has caused turmoil and upheaval in the US. The government is veering toward totalitarianism and an uprising called The Resistance is stirring. Lex seeks to aid the Resistance in exposing the Guardian Force (government soldiers) for what they are, but she soon learns not everything is as it seems.

Initially I expected more action upfront and although it ended up having a slow build to it, I like that this gave me time to get to know the characters. I got to better understand them in a way that I think continuous action would have prevented. While there is not a lot of personal growth for Lex (she is pretty cognizant and intelligent already), the secondary characters really grow and develop throughout the story.

This is not to say that it's a slow read. On the contrary, I found it stimulating and entertaining with plenty of tense moments.

My favorite part of the book is concept itself. How many times have you wished to not feel something, or for another emotion to never stop? Legacy takes that idea a step further and asks, how can controlling one's emotions in turn control their actions? Kane does a great job of weaving in the psychology and neuroscience behind this. It is informative and engaging, fitting well into the narration.

[erica_novelink · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Something to Note: I received this book from the author for an honest review. The Characters: Lex Knightly, the main character in this novel. I instantly enjoyed Lex in this novel. Her mother is someone who has done some bad and good things in their lifetime and Lex is kind of stuck in her footsteps, but she doesn’t fall to it. Lex becomes her own person and I really liked her. She’s brave, sweet and smart. At times I feel like she wants more sympathy than she needs, but what girl doesn’t? I sure know that I do at times. She definitely speaks her mind when she wants to and I definitely think she grew with the every page of the book.Quin McAllister is the tough, quiet, but haunting guy that every girl has fawn over once in their lifetime. He is a Guardian Force recruit who has done some nasty things in his past. But, when he was younger his family life wasn’t the best and it kind of molded him, or so the Guardian Force though. Quin is such a unique character because he knows that he can’t get close with anyone and he know that he will blow any minute – BUT HE TRIES. Which melted my heart. Just like Lex, Quin continues to grow. He has a few set backs, but his character is well done.The secondary characters…I loved them. Quin’s two best friends Elana and Max are so perfect and they make you laugh throughout the book. They compliment both main characters so well. They both have their pasts that haunt them and their stories are shown and help the book become wonderful.Of course, there are other secondary characters, but I just wanted to focus on Max and Elana. My Thoughts: At first, I was very hesitant about reading this book because it’s not really the genre I would levitate towards, but I loved it. It was a quick read for me and I never wanted to put it down. Which is saying something because lately I have been in such a terrible reading slump. This book puts a smile on your face, but then tears you apart at different times. Although, sometimes you’re not sure which way you want your mouth to turn.Ellery Kane does a wonderful job of engaging you through this book and allows you to see the world that is now 2041 San Francisco. The world around us was painted, but the whole idea of Emovere and the Guardian Force was kind of complicated at first. I wasn’t really sure how everything started, but once you get into the book more you’ll find new things coming up.All in all, the book was a wonderful read and sometimes you’ll see what’s coming, but others your mind will be blown (sorry for the cheesy remark). Why is the half star missing? The half star is missing because at times I felt things were a little rushed and like I said just a sentence above…I saw some things coming. One Line Wrap Up: Many families are torn apart, but a new family is born with this struggling book of fighting your past and perceiving to your future. Recommend to the lovers of: Delirium, Riot and Edge of Truth

[farahanani-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Legacy is a good read but it isn't a great read. It definitely isn't boring either. If Emovere really do exist, I would've wanted it too just to feel less or even feel more. The story line however... it didn't feel original. Okay, first, I'll give points for the writing. It didn't felt like a newbie author or even indie. It definitely felt like a traditionally published author. But it is not enough. I felt like there are still a lot of editing to do. Kane needs to play more with the emotions in it. I felt like the emotions written are too fast or too slow and it felt brusque. Like, first the character was crying and then suddenly she was angry. There needs to be a smooth transition between the written feelings.And speaking of editing... the characters need a little bit more polishing too. Kane needs to determine what kind of character she wants Quinn to be. I don't mind the hot and cold thing but it just isn't working here. She needs to decide whether she wants Quinn to be boyish or cold-as-stone character. Even is she wants Quinn to be both, it can happen. But there needs to be a smooth transition between his characteristics or else Quinn just looks like someone who is bipolar. Also, another thing I felt that was unnecessary was the chapters. There was only a few pages between chapters and some of them aren't even necessary. So, overall? An okay read. It was good that I didn't even consider DNF-ing it. But the book still needs a lot of polishing to do.