Jakes Dilemma ( Final alternative)

This is the ending that I was going to use, but as I said before it would have then just been a short story so i've decided to continue in another direction.

I thought I would post it to see what you think!

Jake has just shot the Russian and has been shot himself.

Jake Roberts was shot by one of the Russians bodyguards. He was shot at the base of his left shoulder blade, the bullet punctured his lung then pierced his heart, he died before the ambulance arrived just ten minutes later.

He was charged with the murder of Ivor Gregorvich, a local Russian businessman who had just moved into the area. Mr Gregorvich was visiting J.D. Miller and Sons with a view to buying the business as old Mr Miller had decided to retire later that year.

At the inquest into Jakes death it was found that he had a large amount of cocaine in his bloodstream as well as traces of Heroin and Ketamine.

Jakes parents were distraught by his death, his Dad had his suspicions that he may be on something but nothing like the amounts that the inquest had shown.

Jakes was buried at the City of London Cemetery in Wanstead; it was attended by only seven people.

After the funeral Jakes Dad decided to take a walk.

He decided to walk the route to work that Jake would have done every day; he just wanted to feel close to him one last time. He left his house and started the thirty minute walk on route to J.D. Miller and Sons.

He passed the old railway arches just a few minutes away, disused, chained up, hadn’t seen any sign of life in those arches for years. There was on old tramp asleep at the entrance to one of them, he was a regular, everyone knew him, he was the ugliest man Jake and his Dad had ever seen, they used to joke about him, even gave him a nickname, old Squashed Nose.

He decided to buy a paper in the nearby newsagent. The Pakistani owner new Jakes Dad and smiled.

“Morning Mr Roberts, can I just say how sorry I am about your boy, dreadful business”

“Thank you Mr Patel”

Jakes Dad tried to change the subject.

“Everything Ok now, you know after the hold up!”

“Yes, all back to normal, my wife is still a bit shaken though”

“Did they take much?”

“Over two thousand pounds, I hadn’t banked for two days, was going that afternoon!”

“That’s terrible, no CCTV?”

“Wasn’t any good, he was wearing a mask, like a horror mask, like a pig face or something, big squashed nose it had, my wife was terrified, he had a gun and everything!”

“Well I wish your wife better, Mr Patel”

Jakes Dad left the shop and continued his walk towards J.D. Millers and Sons. He walked past the old cinema, still going thank god, they now showed old and new movies, trying to get the local pensioners in during the afternoon. He looked to see what was playing this month.

The main feature was the new version of “The Karate Kid” and the afternoon old movie was John Wayne in “The Quiet Man”.

He moved on, two hundred yards up the road he passed the old car lot. There was a man polishing a lovely old Blue Bentley Mulsanne. The man looked up.

“Interested guv, lovely old motor, top of the range in its day, only four and a half grand, lot of motor for the money”

Jakes Dad shook his head.

“Lovely car but bit rich for me”

He walked away thinking about the car lot, they were a bit heavy the guys that ran the business, rumour was it they kept a loaded gun in their office. Didn't do them any good though as they were broken into a few weeks ago during the night!

He turned left along a small side street, there was a small man standing on the corner, slightly hunched over.

“You after anything mate, anything at all, I’ve got the lot, if I aint got it I can get it for you, just name it, it’s yours, anything”

“No, no, I’m fine!”

"Well if you change your mind, I'm always here and if I'm not just ask anyone for old pisshead and they'll find me!"

Jakes Dad walked away quickly, the man was a low life, a dog’s turd, it was people like that that made Jake the way he was.

Within a few minutes he was standing outside J.D. Miller and sons. He looked at the proud old building and couldn’t help thinking what had happened to make Jake do what he did.

“Mr Roberts?”

It was a small and very attractive young girl.

“Yes”

“I thought so, my names Stephanie, but everyone calls me Stevie, I work in the accounts department here, I knew Jake, I’m so sorry”

“Thank you, did you know him well?”

“Not really, we met in the café a few times but that’s all”

“Did you know about…..you know….his condition?”

“I’m sorry to say that everyone round here takes something, so Jake really didn’t seem any different to anyone else, sorry!”

“That’s ok love, better be off now, thank you”

Jakes Dad turned around and walked the same route home, he still was none the wiser why his son had acted in the way he had!