Chapter 12
PAT ZAMBINI AND ROCCO Albano were huddled in a booth one night at Santeros restaurant on Lafayette Avenue. They were members of Victor Ragu’s crew. The restaurant was an icon in the Italian neighborhood. The baked lasagna outsold everything else in the place. People drove from miles around to get the huge portions on old china plates. The food might have been to die for, and there were rumors that some had, but the place itself was not. The fake plaster columns outside the building were crumbling. Inside, the paint was peeling in spots. The yellowed wood of the black, and white Formica tops didn't bother most. The lighting was low, thought to be for the ambiance, but it was so the cheap owner didn't have to remodel the place.
Zambini and Albano were stuffing their faces with e
