Legacy

Chapter 1

Jason Cogwell was now questioning his decision to walk the 3 miles back to the Rincon Hotel in the south end of San Francisco at 11:00PM as he slowly approached Market Street.

As a successful salesmen in a financial services company, the challenge to forego the taxi or trolley appeared to be a logical decision for some exercise as he dreaded the long drive to Los Angeles in a few hours. To make matters worse, it was beginning to rain, not unusual for this time of year but Jason was certainly not prepared for this. Jason had always been viewed as stubborn and strong willed and he was not going to allow this annoyance to discourage him.

As the rain began to increase in intensity, Jason rolled up the collar of his trench coat and worked his way slowly along the buildings, seeking cover in those with archways and overhangs. On the west side of Market Street, he did notice that Clancy’s Pharmacy, a small establishment, was still open and the thought of picking up a hat to ward off the torrents that drenched his face, seemed like a wise move if he was committed to walking back to his hotel.

“Good evening, sir” was the warm greeting that Jason received upon entering the store from the older gentleman who was tabulating the sales receipts behind the counter.

After inquiring as to where the hats might be located, Jason was directed to the rear of the pharmacy where an assortment of berets and hats were stocked on a shelf that also had a number of scarfs. Though Jason was not considered vain or pretentious, he did want an idea of how the hat and one of the plaid scarfs might look on him, but there was no mirror available.

The clerk who was watching Jason from his place behind the cash register suggested that Jason try the men’s restroom, where he could see if this was a suitable match. Jason found the room on the second floor and closed the door behind him, a little embarrassed at what others might be thinking, even though there did not appear to be any other patrons in the pharmacy at this hour.

Just as Jason was adjusting the beret, a tremendous explosion outside the bathroom door rocked Jason onto his left side; shattering glass could be heard as a second explosion closely followed the first one. As Jason reached for the bathroom door, voices screamed from the front of the store and an inner sense cautioned Jason to not open the door, but to look through the thin crack along the frame. What Jason saw immediately brought a chill down his spine as two figures with ski masks were pointing a shot gun at the clerk and from his vantage point, it was obvious they were demanding the money from the cash register. Apparently, the shattered glass that lay on the floor near the feet of the two figures were the remains of two security cameras that were destroyed by the shotgun blasts.

The clerk had both hands raised and slowly pulled open the cash register drawer and reached in to remove the contents. As the drawer was passed on to the taller figure who did most of the yelling, the left hand of the store clerk reached below the counter and pulled out a service revolver, but his reaction was not quick enough and the second figure screamed out as the shotgun roared for a third time as the older gentleman slumped to the floor.

Jason was perspiring as he witnessed the entire event and he thought that his heartbeat might be so noticeable that he would be the second victim in this nightmare. With rapid coordination, the two hooded figures grabbed the cash and stuffed it into a pillowcase they were carrying and moved towards the exit. Just as they were about to leave, the smaller figure stooped down to remove the wrist watch that was on the left arm of the clerk and as he moved into position, Jason could see a serpent-shaped tattoo that was exposed on the lower waist of the figure. In a split second later, the two fled the store, but Jason just stood in front of the bathroom sink too frightened to move. After a few moments, the only thought that entered Jason’s mind was to leave the establishment as quickly as he could and get out of this city; he could not afford to get involved in a crime because his business appointments during the next few days were critical to earning a possible promotion as chief sales manger in the firm. Convinced that this was the only sensible option, Jason left the restroom and ran out the backdoor exit into the night.