One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
Fifteen-year-old Ruby reluctantly moves from Boston to Los Angeles after her mother passes away from cancer. She explains that her father, famous actor Whip Logan, divorced her mother before she was even born and the only time she ever saw him was in the movie theater. Another reason why Ruby is sad about leaving is her boyfriend Ray, whom she's in love with. Whip is extremely eager towards Ruby's arrival and insists on spending as much time with her as possible; making her resent the fact that he was never involved in her life before her mother's death. She starts her new high school, but feels out of place with the other students. She does however meet a fellow sophomore named Colette whose mother is also a celebrity. As time goes by, Ruby learns that Ray has been cheating on her with her best friend Lizzie. Whip is able to comfort her and eventually make her feel better. Ruby learns that while she was little, her aunt would arrange secret visit between her and Whip, and that her mother didn't want him involved in her life because he was gay. Ruby and Max, her father's assistant and also his partner in the story, have a very close relationship. The book ends with Ruby making up with Lizzie after she and Ray break up, and winning a leading part in Pygmalion in school along with her boyfriend Wyatt.
Ruby (1992 film)
Shortly after the upswing in business, Jack is contacted by one of his former mob associates, named Louie Vitali, about performing a black bag job in Cuba which the murder victim, Action Jackson, seen in the opening scene, was originally assigned to. Ruby confers with Candy Cane and he ends up inviting her to go along with him to communist Cuba. Once in Cuba, Ruby meets with Vitali and they meet with the elderly and imprisoned Sicilian mobster Santos Alicante, who has been in jail in Cuba since the 1959 communist takeover after his casino hotel was closed down. Vitali tells Ruby that they are to spring Santos from Cuba to put him back in place in the USA as part of a complex operation plan. However, after their visit, Vitali accompanies Ruby back to his and Candy's hotel room where he secretly tells him the real reason for this assignment; he wants Ruby to kill Santos because the people that Vitali works for feel that Santos has outgrown his usefulness to them. Vitali gives Ruby an 8 mm film camera that has a pistol encased in it to carry out the killing. But that evening, Ruby instead kills Vitali on the dock near the prison and springs Santos from his cell by bribing the guards, and then he, Santos, and Candy flee Cuba aboard Vitali's boat back to America. After arriving in New Orleans, Ruby makes contact with David Ferrie, an old friend from his days in Chicago, to supply him with the necessary papers enabling Santos to re-enter the country. Shortly after, Ruby and Candy return to Dallas, while Santos goes off on his own.