The Scarecrow (48 page)

The Globe Lobby of the Los Angeles Times

Excerpt From
The Scarecrow

The globe lobby was the formal entrance to the newspaper building at the corner of First and Spring. A brass globe the size
of a Volkswagen rotated on a steel axis at the center of the room. The many international bureaus and outposts of the Times
were permanently notched on the raised continents, despite the fact that many had been shuttered to save money. The marble
walls were adorned with photos and plaques denoting the many milestones in the history of the paper, the Pulitzer Prizes won
and the staffs that won them, and the correspondents killed in the line of duty. It was a proud museum, just as the whole
paper would be before too long. The word was that the building was up for sale.

But I only cared about the next twelve days. I had one last deadline and one last murder story to write. I just needed that
globe to keep turning until then.

The Loneliest Road In America

Excerpt From
The Scarecrow

Highway 93 took me past Nellis Air Force Base and then connected with 50 North. It wasn’t too long before I began to see why
it was known as the loneliest road in America. The empty desert ruled the horizon in every direction. Hard, chiseled mountain
ranges, barren of any vegetation, rose and fell away as I drove. The only signs of civilization were the two-lane blacktop
and the power lines carried over the ranges by iron stick figures that looked like they were giants from another planet.