Chapter Text
It's been 8 days since the official announcement of the death of Lemon Meringue and Cherry Jam, Both the Lemon and Cherry family had come to mourn with the girls, they told stories about their childhood and pre-teen years, and were overjoyed to hear how their girls had thrived and changed over the years from little girls to young woman and after some heartfelt tears, the families finally left. Although many would think Strawberry would strike and murder someone, since she hadn’t felt a hunger for anyone she decided not to. No one had made her angry and since no one suspected her anymore, she didn't have to make any rash decision.
Strawberry decided to act as if nothing had happened, she was in the cafe baking when Ginger walked in. It wasn’t unusual for Ginger to come and order something but she usually wasn’t here in the afternoon. Strawberry smiled at Ginger yet she stood there with a blank face.
“How did it feel?” Ginger asked, her voice a hushed whisper.
Strawberry froze, her hand hovering over the dough, her expression unreadable. “How did… what feel?” Strawberry replied, her voice barely a breath.
“To kill Lemon and Cherry,” Ginger said, the words heavy in the air. “Don’t play dumb with me, Strawberry Shortcake.”
Strawberry turned, her eyes wide with a mix of confusion and defiance. “What are you talking about, Ginger Snap? You know I wouldn't do anything like that.”
Ginger's gaze met Strawberry's, her eyes unwavering. 'I've been watching you, Strawberry Shortcake. The way you act, the things you say, the way you look at everyone else. You're different now. You’ve… been oddly quiet, almost… relieved.” Strawberry's facade began to crack, revealing a simmering anger beneath the surface. “I can’t believe you would accuse me of murdering my best friends! I'm grieving just like everyone else.”
A flicker of fear crossed Ginger’s face, but she pressed on, fueled by her deep-seated intuition. 'You're too calm, Shortcake Strawberry. You know something we don't.' Strawberry stepped back, her hands clenched into fists. 'Ginger Snap, you’re crazy. You’re letting your imagination run wild. I haven't done anything. I understand you’re upset but you can't just accuse me, Cherry was my best friend and the police confirmed that Lemon was leaving town, we’re friends, d…do you really think i’m capable of that?”
Instead of answering Ginger looked at her with that blank face and left, the ring of the bell being the only noise in the room, Strawberry walked to the glass door watching as Ginger walked back to her factory waving to the other girls who were outside. She waited for a moment before returning to her cookies, she was confused, how did Ginger know? She cleaned all the evidence up. Yet she sounded so confident. . . For the first in a while Strawberry was left completely confused. She’d done everything perfectly and although she liked a challenge, she didn't like taking risks which were stupid or could lead to possible imprisonment so. . . she’d play dumb eventually Ginger would drop the whole murderer thing. Yet. . . till she did, she knew she’d have to be on her berry best behavior.
And true to her word, she acted even nicer to everyone around her yet Ginger would always see past that, It wasn't like Strawberry was faking her personality and was merely emotionless yet always had a hunger for murder with some people, it was non-existent like with her cousin; Apple or childhood best friend; Lime Light yet with others you do one majorly bad thing and you're dead like with Lemon. As the time passed she acted even nicer yet on the inside she started salivating for Ginger's death.
So determined to silence Ginger once and for all, Strawberry hatched a deadly plan. The first attempt came on a sunny afternoon as Ginger strolled along the riverbank. Without warning, Strawberry emerged from the bushes and shoved Ginger into the rapids, knowing she couldn’t swim. But Ginger's years of carrying heavy gear had given her unexpected upper body strength, and she clawed her way to safety, gasping for air. She immediately ran to the town leaving no chance to attack her without drawing attention.
The second attempt came in the form of a mysterious gas leak at Cookie Corners, which left some in the neighborhood shaken but unharmed. Strawberry realized that not only was she playing risky but also attracting attention to Ginger, so she waited 3 weeks to strike again, knowing now that brute force wouldn't work, she extended an unexpected invitation for tea. Although most would refuse, Strawberry knows that Ginger would be suspicious yet intrigued, Ginger accepted, she knew better than to trust a potential murderer but that murder was also one of her bestfriends who for some reason killed 2 of her other best friends, she accepted the odd invitation curious to why she’d suddenly changed up her tactics. Her curiosity would be the death of her.
As they sat in Strawberry's cozy cafe, the air filled with the scent of lavender and chamomile, Ginger watched Strawberry carefully. She was sipping her tea seemingly without a care in the world, but Ginger knew there was a coldness in Strawberry’s eyes, a hint of anger that had become her new trademark.
“Ginger Snap, you're a clever girl,” Strawberry said, her voice as smooth as honey. “You've figured out my secret, haven't you?”
Ginger smiled, her expression betraying nothing. “I'm not sure what you're talking about, Strawberry Shortcake. We've been friends for years, and I trust you."
"Oh, Ginger Snap," Strawberry chuckled, a sound that sent chills down Ginger"s spine. "Don't play coy with me. You know what I'm talking about. You see right through me, don't you?"
Ginger nodded slowly, her voice a whisper, "Yes, I do.”
“How? How did you figure it out? Tell me.” Strawberry’s eyes narrowed
“It’s actually quite funny, I wasn’t sure, but then I started thinking” she said, “Cherry, your best friend, disappeared right after Banana started accusing you of Lemon’s disappearance. The timing was too perfect. So I took the chance, I came here and questioned you… and honestly after what you had said about understanding me and lemon being your best friend I truly believed you didn't have anything to do with it. But then came the murder attempts the first one, I wasn’t so sure and just assumed it was the wind but the second one, the gas leak it would be almost impossible for a random person to do, it had to be someone in town, someone whos been at my house and knows the layout, knows my schedule, knew when I’d be in the house and how to avoid
Chocolate Chipmunk.”
Ginger paused, her voice dropping to a whisper, “I know you killed them, Lemon and Cherry, Strawberry Shortcake.”
Strawberry’s eyes widened, a flicker of understanding passing through them. Ginger looked at her untouched tea, it was lavender tea, the scent so strong it could probably drown out even the strongest smelling poisons.
Strawberry looked at the clock.
“Ginger Snap, if I were to kill you successfully, how would you want to go out?”
Ginger laughed nervously, “I don’t know, Strawberry Shortcake. I guess I’d like to go out in a blaze of glory.”
“Hmmm,” Strawberry mused. “You’re quite the comedian. A blaze of glory, that’s quite the way to go out.”
“Hey,” Ginger said, her voice now a playful drawl, “Why don't you make me into cookies? I doubt you’d be able to make them as good as I do but Chocolate Ginger Snap cookies are my favorite.”
As Ginger spoke, her throat constricted, a coughing fit overtaking her. She felt a sudden wave of dizziness, her vision blurring. Her laughter died down, replaced by a hacking cough.
'Ginger,' Strawberry's voice held a hint of concern, 'Are you okay?'
Ginger shook her head, her voice barely a whisper, 'I'm... I'm fine. Just a little... dizzy.'
As Ginger's body went limp and she slumped back into her chair, Strawberry hummed “That's a bit odd, the amount of poison I added to your coffee this morning should’ve made it to were you’d be a little more than dizzy.”
The last thing Ginger saw before she passed out was Strawberry's face, soft smile which held sinister things for her.
~
Days later, a plate of freshly baked cookies appeared outside Ginger's house, “Ooo cookies! And they smell amazing! Guys! Ginger made cookies!” An excited Coco Calypso says, this gets the attention of all the girls who had just back from the group picnic. They rushed over to Ginger's house and see a note on top of Ginger’s computer that read, ‘Chocolate Ginger Snap Cookies! Dig in! Sorry for missing the picnic. I was TIED up with other stuff.’ The girls laughed at the strange note and started eating the cookies, delighted by the fact Ginger went out of her way to make them cookies..
They talked and gossiped as they ate the cookies, happy Ginger could provide them with a bit of googly happiness through these tough times. Many went back for seconds and thirds before they came to the realization– Ginger’s laptop was there unopened, and when they went to open it there was a video waiting for them. With many curious minds, they excitedly pressed play, and the horrific truth unfolded before their eyes.
The footage began with Ginger, bruised and bloody, tied to a chair in what appeared to be her own kitchen. The camera panned over to a figure dressed in black, the same figure who had murdered Cherry.
In a chilling montage, they watched as the figure mixed Ginger's ashes into the cookie batter, their movements calculated and precise. The video concluded with the freshly baked cookies sliding out of the oven, their tempting aroma now forever tainted by the knowledge of their gruesome origin.
Screams and retches echoed through the streets as the full weight of their unintentional cannibalism sank in. Phones rang off the hook as distraught desserts and berries flooded the police department with frantic calls, demanding action.
Within hours, the story had gone viral. There was a serial killer on the loose, who had not only killed Cherry Jam, one of the most popular singers in the world but also murdered the victims in gruesome ways and sent the friends and family of the victims a video on how they did it and the victims last moments. It made national headlines and captured the attention of the Fairy Berries of Investigation. A team of seasoned agents descended upon Berry Bitty City, determined to bring Lemon Meringue, Cherry Jam, and Ginger Snap justice.
They scoured every inch of Ginger's factory and questioned every single person, but came to the terrible realization that the cunning killer had been meticulously thorough in their cleanup. Not a single speck of evidence remained – no fingerprints, no DNA, no trace of where the killer resided.. Days turned into weeks, and the investigation seemed to hit a dead end. With nothing new coming in, the fbi decided to keep 5 of their top agents there, a funeral was held for Ginger and her parents as well all her other relatives showed up, they talked about Ginger, their fond memories of her.