Jake was alone in the middle of a row of chairs at the back of the crematorium, which was empty apart from a few mourners at the front between him and a pale wood coffin. The guy who was doing the Master of Ceremonies bit, not exactly a priest and not exactly a clerk, was reading out some notes. It was as if he were reading a shopping list. "Mother of two wonderful children, bag of satsumas, three courgettes, of her loving husband who went before her, packet of streaky bacon, bag of sweetcorn, some pork scratchings”. Eventually he shut up. Someone coughed. The brown curtains opened and the coffin rolled forward into a dark space. Once it was well inside, there was a pop and flames appeared from either side, bathing the entire coffin in fire. At the same moment, a set of metal doors slowly slid closed, as did the curtains. The mourners got up and started to make their way back down the centre aisle. Amongst them was Jake’s brother Derry. Derry looked at Jake and signalled “Meet me outside.” Jake’s heart sank. He hated Derry and wanted nothing to do with him. Derry had been the cause of Jake’s prolonged detention at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Jake was a long way from forgiving him for those lost fifteen years. “Hold up, Jake.” “I’ve got nothing to say to you Derry,” said Jake pushing past to head down the drive, “You landed me inside for fifteen years for something you did. You bastard” “I would undo it if I could,” said Derry. “No you wouldn’t. You topped our Dad, evil bastard that he was, and you set me up to take the blame. Honestly, I’d do for you if I wasn’t for the fact that I’d be the first in the frame for it.” “I know Jakey, and I’m sorry. Really I am.” “Sorry doesn’t do it, Derry. I kept my mouth shut for you all these years, now leave me alone.” Jake set off down the drive again but Derry tagged after him. “Jake, Mum made a Will,” “So what,” said Jake, “there’ll be nothing in it for me, she never forgave me for Dad’s death, even though the miserable bastard beat the living crap out of her every single day.” “I know Jakey, but she left it all to me and I’m giving it all to you. It’s all yours, Jakey, the house, her savings, the car, everything. It’s the least I can do.” “It is the least you can do,” said Jake, “and I’ll believe it when I see it.” Derry reached in his pocket and pulled out a wad of paperwork and shoved it into Jerry’s hand. “There,” he said, “it’s all yours.” Jake sat down on a bench and read the paperwork. “All yours Jerry, signed and sealed.” Derry grinned. Jake looked down at the gravel. “But?” He said. “How do you mean ‘but?’” Said Derry. “Derry, there’s always a ‘but' with you. There’s always a catch. What is it Derry? What are you not telling me?” Derry looked down the drive for a minute. He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s Rufus,” he said. “Rufus, Mum’s new bloke?” “He moved in with Mum about ten years ago. Now he say’s he’s living there and he’s not moving out. He hasn’t got hold of Mum’s savings, yet, but he will. I’ll help you get him out.” “You’ll help me get him out?” Jake looked at Derry incredulously. “How is that going to work exactly? “Well, Jakey, that’s the beauty of my plan,” said Derry. Jake groaned and held his head in his hands. “I’ve been working on it since you went away. It’s a winner and all you have to do is get your Brief to make a case for wrongful conviction.” “Oh for God’s sake Derry, how is that going to work? If I say anything, the law will conclude that it was you.” “Not so fast Jakey boy, you remember Margaret Hodges, my best girl and Mum’s best friend?” “Vaguely,” said Jake. “She moved to Canada after Dad pegged it. Mum’s been writing to her ever since. Mum has told her that she always thought it was Rufus that did the murder, to save her from Dad, you remember he always said he would. She told Margaret where the knife is hidden, she told her details that only she could have known. They’ve been writing to each other for years. Except it wasn’t Mum writing, it was me. But Margaret will absolutely swear to it being Mum, who else could it have been? Now I’ve ‘inherited’ Mum’s letters, you’ve got a case for wrongful conviction. We can nail Rufus for murder and get Mums house back for you.” Jake thought long and hard over the next day or so, but finally the home, the money, the compensation and the restoration of his reputation won over his mistrust of Derry and the plan was set in motion. It took a year and a half but in the end Jake was exonerated. Margaret swore that she had corresponded with Jake’s Mum for years and that she’d been scandalised by what she believed Rufus had done. But what could she have done from so far away? The police found the knife, complete with Rufus’ DNA in the polythene bag, just as Derry had planted it. Eventually, Jake was compensated to the tune of half a million pounds. When it was all over, Derry toasted Jake with a pint together in their favourite bar, just like when they were young. Jake paid. Later, as Jake crossed the road alone going home to the house that was once his Mum’s, a car, travelling at a mad speed and without lights hit him full on and killed him outright. No one ever found out who the driver was. Derry, suitably heartbroken, sold up everything, and together with Jake’s compensation started a new life on the sunshine coast of Australia.