| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted February 24, 2025 | Chapters: |
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We learn about the Strawberry Shortcake caper
A chapter in the book Trouble In Red
A Little History
by Jim Wile
The author has placed a warning on this post for language.| Background Old-time Noire-style mystery |
Recent events in the story: After being whisked away by two goombahs to renowned jewel thief Mama George’s country cottage, PI Ethan Cole suspects that jewels from her most recent heist have been stolen by her daughter. She is the lady in red he’d met at a bar. He calls her, and she claims she didn’t steal the jewels but offers to pay Ethan double her mother’s amount to find them for her.
Ethan decides to take a trip to Joe “Corky” McGonigal’s tavern, Far Away Joe’s, to see what Joe might know. The term “strawberry shortcake” keeps cropping up, including being an item on the tavern’s menu.
You’re probably wondering what strawberry shortcake has to do with anything. Ten years ago, Joe “Corky” McGonigal was a horseman at the estate of the Pratt family. The Pratts were a nouveau ultra-riche family who made their millions from jewel heists, planned meticulously by the matron of the house, Georgina Pratt.
Joe had a thing for their daughter, young Ruby Pratt, from the time he hired on when she was only 13 years old. She went riding often, and he would flirt with her. Called her “Strawberry Shortcake” for her bright red hair and diminutive size. She was a saucy little thing and flirted right back. Joe was a good-looking guy—street-smart and tough.
When Ruby turned 18, Joe convinced her to run away with him. He had a rich uncle who owned a home in Morocco and who traveled a lot. His house was vacant for months at a time. It would be vacant in a couple a weeks for a long stretch.
Joe and Ruby concocted a plan to steal the bulk of her mother’s jewels, fence a few for the dough, and fly to Europe, where they would travel around together until they could move into the house in Morocco. If they liked Morocco, maybe they would build a house of their own. Or maybe they would just jet-set around the world. With Mama George’s jewelry collection worth millions, they would be set for life.
What they didn’t know was that the most priceless part of the collection was a diamond tiara that held a miniature transponder Mama George had had installed. This allowed GPS tracking of the tiara if anyone ever lifted it.
When Georgina Pratt discovered her jewelry was gone, as well as Ruby, she put two and two together and hired Ethan Cole to find her and get it back. Ashamed to admit she was robbed by her own flesh and blood, she never told Ethan that Ruby was her daughter, only that she had stolen the jewels.
Ethan was a pro—a PI and a “fixer”—and had a good rep, but Georgina didn’t trust anyone completely and sent one of her bodyguards with him to track the jewels. Guy’s name was Tony Ferraro. A big goombah with a high, squeaky voice, unforgettable. No one made fun of it, though, or they might end up with concrete feet in the bottom of the bay.
Ethan and Tony tracked the pair to Europe, but their constant moving around for a couple of weeks made it impossible to plan a raid. When the pair finally settled at a house in Morocco, that’s when Ethan and Tony made their move. Ruby and Joe had hidden the jewels in the crawlspace beneath the house. Whenever they needed dough, they would fence a few. Imagine their surprise when the strongbox containing the jewels was missing one day.
With the remaining jewels now in hand, Ethan and Tony headed back to the States and returned the treasure to their employer. Ethan was paid well for this “Strawberry Shortcake” caper.
That was 10 years ago, and now here he was in the middle of a new shitstorm. More jewels from one of Mama George’s recent heists were missing, and apparently Ruby, our lady in red, Strawberry Shortcake herself, didn’t steal them this time.
Standing outside Far Away Joe’s tavern, Ethan decided to find out what Joe “Corky” McGonigal might know about it.
 Recognized |
CHARACTERS
Ethan Cole: A private investigator and the main character.
Ruby Pratt aka the lady in red or Strawberry Shortcake: She is the 28-year-old daughter of Georgina Pratt.
Georgina Pratt aka Mama George: A famous jewel thief who is Ruby's mother. She hires Ethan Cole to find her missing jewels.
Fefe: Mama George's cream-colored bully dog.
Gigi: The bleach blonde, buxom cocktail waitress at Ethan's favorite bar.
Joe "Corky" McGonigal: Owner and bartender at Far Away Joe's tavern. Former lover of Ruby Pratt.
Tony Ferraro: One of Mama George's bodyguards.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Ethan Cole: A private investigator and the main character.
Ruby Pratt aka the lady in red or Strawberry Shortcake: She is the 28-year-old daughter of Georgina Pratt.
Georgina Pratt aka Mama George: A famous jewel thief who is Ruby's mother. She hires Ethan Cole to find her missing jewels.
Fefe: Mama George's cream-colored bully dog.
Gigi: The bleach blonde, buxom cocktail waitress at Ethan's favorite bar.
Joe "Corky" McGonigal: Owner and bartender at Far Away Joe's tavern. Former lover of Ruby Pratt.
Tony Ferraro: One of Mama George's bodyguards.
Multi-Author Book
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© Copyright 2025. Jim Wile All rights reserved.
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