The Caveat

Jake put a caveat on everything. Everything he did was conditional upon the outcome of something else. He would drink only water for a week on the condition that his girlfriend drank only whisky. When driving, he would change gear whenever he saw a bird fly by. He agreed to stay away from Greenside if Harry drove his Pinto to Salinas for repairs and passed a cheque to Dale "as you'll be in the neighborhood".
Harry hated driving, and that was exactly the point of the caveat. "Get people indebted to you and then get them to do something they find uncomfortable or undesirable." Jake's words, not mine.
Wise words they proved to be 'cos Jake had the respect of most people in town, and he'd agreed to stay away from everyone else (if they stayed away from him too).
Harry was already feeling pretty uncomfortable on arrival in Salinas when he had his eye socket shattered by Dale. "This cheque's no good, man." Dale's voice speaking here. Dale's fist too.
So Harry didn't pay for the repairs to the Pinto and he took it back with him to Greenside. After a couple of days Jake wondered where his car was. He figured maybe Dale killed Harry, but when a bill for the repairs came through his door he realised he was going to have to take a trip up to Greenside.
Jake was buried three days later in the Coven Street cemetary. He had been beaten by what police believed to be "a number of men". He'd also taken some blows from the butt of a shotgun which it seemed he had then used to commit suicide.
Jake "lived and died" by his caveats. His words.