In a shooting at the exclusive Italian restaurant Raimondo's, two men are killed. Raimondo's is known for its wealthy clientele including many celebrities, and high-ranking Mafia members. Witnesses identify the shooter as small-time crook "Bumpy" Bustale. He says he killed only one of the victims (a Mafia associate) for heckling a singer at the restaurant. Bustale insists he did not kill the other victim, Thomas Mitchell; and forensics confirm this. Now the detectives are looking for another gunman.
Mitchell, a Hollywood producer, had recently had a hit movie based on a book written by Sonny King. Mitchell reneged on an agreement to pay King a large bonus, so the two were arguing. Green and Briscoe learn that King went to a Mafia contact named Artie Baldo; who referred him to Rogis, a hitman. Rogis accepts a plea in exchange for his testimony against King. In court, King alleges the Mafia has framed him for Mitchell's murder. He says that the Raimondo's crowd wanted King and Mitchell dead because the book and movie describe events that really happened at the restaurant.
McCoy questions why Rogis seems more concerned with the restaurant's reputation than the risk of a life sentence. The prosecutors discover that Baldo called Raimondo's on the day King went to him. With the risk of losing his immunity to prosecution, Baldo admits the truth. King just wanted Rogis to scare Mitchell into paying up - Paul Raimondo, the owner of the restaurant, is the one who wanted Mitchell dead. Rogis' gun is found in Raimondo's car, and a wiretap from the restaurant confirms Raimondo ordered the hit. He is charged with murder. Raimondo thinks Mitchell and King deserved to die for "disrespecting" him, and is pleased that King's still going to jail for conspiracy to armed robbery.
This episode contains examples of:
- Evil Is Petty: Bustale's motive for killing Carolo. Raimondo's motive also amounts to this, although he doesn't see it that way.
- Fat Bastard: Baldo is very overweight and a mafia operative who arranges contract killings.
- Glory Hound: The Jersey City DA eventually agrees to let Branch's team have the Rogis case, but only if it's made very clear to the press that the Jersey City Police did all the hard work.
- Loophole Abuse: Since there's not enough evidence to extradite Rogis for murder, McCoy gets him on larceny charges instead - for not paying a relatively small bar tab at Raimondo's.
- The Mafia: They have a heavy presence at Raimondo's.
- Professional Killer: Rogis is one.
- Rule of Three: Raimondo says that Mitchell and King had disrespected him three times: the book, the movie, and King trying to arrange a hit within the restaurant.
- Title Drop: Given by a judge when the detectives ask her why she's happy to frequent a restaurant with mob connections.
