The Pascetti Candidate

The flashing neon sign reading "our business is with people" outside the Pascetti family restaurant refers to more than just food service. That is, after all, just one of the many courtesies they're pleased to provide.



Despite how fruitful the food industry can be, Anzio chooses to dabble in more advantageous pursuits. Walter Pennington, paltry politician and a self-described man of taste, is a frequent customer of Anzio's. His is an appetite more for popularity and prominence however, and less for fine bruschetta and canolis--a given, seeing as how his palette is as refined as sandpaper. As such, he has turned to his Pascetti consultants during his campaign for mayor.

My efforts in surveillance have yet to expose the exact arrangements the two parties have together. Needless to say, Frankie is unquestionably involved, whether he fully realizes it or not.

A Messy Little Dish Called Love

Frankie "The Hair" Pascetti is sensitive about two things, and two things alone. And like with a cat, you had better be prepared when you rub him the wrong way...



While it's true that sugar substitutes leave behind a horribly offensive taste in the mouth--which is what makes them such easy culprits to detect in cooking--there are some things that are far more bitter when gone and last much, much longer. Like love.



Her name was Josephina De Luce. They met during a culinary convention a few years back, and soon found themselves sharing more than just their love of baked goods. But like an overly delicate soufflé, their bond would crumble under the desperate and dangerous conditions of Frankie's other life. His dreams of leaving the family business behind to open up a confectionery shop with his sweet Josephina were crushed when Anzio issued him an "order" against the rival De Luce family.

Some wonder if such a person in love could ever bring themselves to pull the trigger. But perhaps it was a different kind of love--love for family--that caused him to finish the job. Only Frankie knows, and probably all too well.

A Strand of Hair -- A Look at the Life of Frankie

Every organization has to have an order to it. The task of the person in charge then is to keep anyone else from within the organization challenging the rules. In the Pascetti family, order exists with each player knowing his or her role. Business is often very personal, and to maintain control, Anzio is careful to make sure that only one person knows everything--himself.

Even for someone as integral to the system as Frankie, information comes in crumbs, not mouthfuls. The "who's" and the "what's" of the business are rarely divulged; his part is not to ask questions, just carry out orders--a task which he does quite well, in both the culinary and the criminal sense.



Following a delicious meal, the "Boss" has been known to assign jobs instead of providing tips. Directions can come just like that. Sometimes Frankie finds it hard to know when he's in one world or the other...

But maybe the two aren't so mutually exclusive. Death doesn't normally appear on the menu but still manages to be dished out from time to time. As Mr. Calvino is about to discover, there are far worse things than heartburn or indigestion after dinner. One man's loss is just another man's success.



However, success doesn't always translate into appreciation. And for Frankie, that can be a tough meatball to swallow.

The Lineup: Faces of the Pascetti Family

In addition to the aforementioned Frankie "The Hair" Pascetti, three other key figures play into our investigation. People like these aren't likely to pose for pictures, and so I had to sneak shots whenever the opportunities presented themselves.

The first photo shows the head of the family, Anzio Pascetti, though he's most commonly addressed as "Boss." Using his "Authentic Italian Family Restaurant" as a front for his business practices, Anzio has his fingers in every pot and cookie jar in town--and no, they're not clean... He runs a tight crew, with members either following out of respect or fear, or possibly both. His relationship with his nephew Frankie seems slim.



Next we have Louis "Big Eyes" McFeeney. As his last name reveals, Louis doesn't come from the same family dish. He married Anzio's favorite sister and has since worked his way into favor with the "Boss." As the unofficial second-in-command, Louis handles most of the actual dirty work; because most of his assignments come through Louis, Frankie has developed a bond with the transplanted Irishman. The nickname "Big Eyes" is rumored to have come from an early disagreement with Anzio involving a baseball bat from which he never quite fully recovered. It's best not to stare.



Last, and in many ways least is Walter Pennington. Not to be wholly considered part of the group, Pennington's business is politics. Anzio and Walt have some sort of arrangement together, the specifics of which are yet unknown. He has a personality rivaling that of an amoeba, and a head of hair I strongly suspect is just as much a lie as anything else that comes out of his mouth.

File Description for Frankie "The Hair" Pascetti

Note from Agent 86:

As part of an ongoing investigation, I have been gathering top-secret information involving the infamous Pascetti family. Recently labeled as being one of the most mildly dangerous and corrupt mafia rings within the Tri-City area, the Pascetti's have a particular family member of interest--Frankie.

As the nephew to Boss Anzio Pascetti's second cousin, Frankie fronts as the family chef; in reality however, his skill with a gun is more deadly than his "secret sauce." Frequently employed to carry out the family's less-than-savory orders, Frankie gained his nickname "The Hair" by means of his calling card--many an unsuspecting victim has wound up face down in meatball marinara, with the only clue of their assassin being a single strand of hair discovered in their proverbial last meal.

For now my cover remains intact... Details surrounding the family and their multi-talented cook will be provided on a regular basis. Wish me luck.