Frankie and the Fuzz

Ignoring things doesn't make them go away. Sometimes it just makes it worse. It was really no big surprise though that Frankie was less than enthusiastic to cooperate with us... initially.

Surprise didn't find Frankie that easily either. After explaining the means by which the police had been able to collect so much information on him, Frankie quickly narrowed down the possible moles within the family. And he wasn't too naive to consider looking in his own kitchen first. Needless to say, I don't imagine I'll be helping Frankie with preparing sauces any time soon.

In spite of how substantial a catch as he might be, there were bigger fish we were after. We needed his collaboration to bring down the Boss himself. Otherwise we might as well just toss him back--a plucked weed's not really gone unless you get the roots along with it.

He was stubborn. Obstinate. Frustrating. Maybe it was a deeper allegiance for family than for self preservation. Or maybe it was just plain apathy. But every fortress has a weak point...



... and there are times when the things you think you can ignore have a way of resurfacing.

Smoke Signals

I don't believe there was a single person within five miles of the downtown French quarter who didn't hear the explosion, unless of course said persons were within the restaurant at the time of the detonation. Casualties haven't been counted yet, but preliminary reports estimate that relatively few would have been present that night. As a small consolation, surviving friends and families can at least rest knowing that their departed ones had a meal on the house.

The low number of occupants would suggest that this was an attack planned for a specific group of individuals. A bomb seems excessive, even for a man as big as Beaumont was, especially considering Frankie's typical MO. He may have been a little on edge as of late, but I've never seen him as suicidal. There's got to be some pieces to the bigger picture here that we're missing...



It wasn't exactly difficult to find him. He was a mess when the authorities pulled into the back alleys of the former bistro; scuffed up and slightly crispy around the edges, Frankie was in no position to resist detainment, which was good news for us. We caught a lucky break picking him up when we did, because knowing Frankie and the rest of the events that transpired that evening, this might have been just the beginning spark to a much larger bonfire.

Just Desserts

Whether your glass is half full or half empty, there's a universal truth that everyone needs to accept, and that is that some people honestly deserve what's coming to 'em. The difficult part then comes in deciding, or rather realizing just who these people are. They might be your neighbor. They might be your boss. Or they might even be a pompous moneybag with a pathetic French accent. Mr. Beaumont fits well into that last category.

The little that's known about him is more than enough, and we've been tracing him along with other political friendlies in the ongoing mayoral race. The fact that Frankie was given a hit on him would lead to the conclusion that he's financing Walter Pennington's competition; but the specific directions our hit man received concerning Beaumont make this individual case a bit suspicious.



This assignment was apparently supposed to be different than Frankie's "usuals" in that Beaumont's surprise was to be in dessert form--a crème brûlée to be precise. I imagine that although the food in question was a change, Frankie likely employed the same ingredients that normally accomplish the job. Less mess.

Either way, I still feel strongly that we need to act fast. Should an opportunity present itself, we take it.

Thickening the Sauce

You can really tell a lot about a man by the contents of his cupboard. Frankie's reveals his ability to take a wide variety of ingredients and combine them into either a delectable dish or a deadly meal. Frequently the two are the same in every way, unless of course you consider the unfortunate after effects of the second...



One could only imagine the disastrous consequences should our cuisinier "accidentally" stray from a specific recipe. The safest bet would be to stay in his good graces; but if ignorance is preferred, just stay out of the kitchen.

In all actuality however, the Pascetti family is normally content to leave Frankie to himself with little to none in the way of nit-picking and scrutinizing. A happy cook is a happy customer, and the same could be said between a kingpin and his enforcer.



It's not always such a smooth exchange though. Anzio telling Frankie how to do his job is like sending a plate back to the chef. Granted, sometimes it is necessary, and the Boss has seemed very particular about the order of events these last few days.

With the temperature rising as of late, only time will tell how this will all play out. But I have a hunch that the time for our involvement may be approaching sooner than we thought...