Excerpt
THE NIGHT BEFORE

The butt of the pistol smashed into the back of the wom-an's head, and she crumpled to the pavement. The young man glanced around the near empty Santa Monica shopping mall parking lot, administered one swift kick to his victim’s head, then bent to lift her into her car. He pushed her into the back seat and slammed the door hard. Then he threw himself into the driver's seat, closed the door and drove away.
His plan had been to steal a car, and go to the old farm-house near Albuquerque, where his brother, a drug dealer, was hiding from the law. Then together they would head for Mexi-co. So far, so good. He smiled to himself as he merged onto the Santa Monica freeway and headed east. The traffic was light, and he sped up to make up for the time he lost looking for a car.
The car was a good choice. It was nice, but not conspic-uous. Nobody paid any attention to him.
They had been on the road for several hours, and were well into Arizona when he heard the woman in the back seat groan and begin to stir. He glanced over his shoulder, but the darkness hid her body. He immediately pulled onto the gravel shoulder of the quiet, deserted road, and got out.
The woman sat up. He jerked the car door open and grabbed her arm. As he pulled her from the car, he hit her. His fist crashed into her jaw, and her head snapped to one side. He smiled, hit her again, and laughed at the cracking sound as bones broke in her face. Then he pushed her down a steep embankment. As her body rolled down the slope, he sighed and returned to the car. He was tired, and still had many miles to go. He turned the radio on and lit a cigarette. The car gained speed, and soon he was cruising well over the speed limit.

His eyes closed and he swerved. He shook his head and opened a window. His eyes closed a second and fateful time. The right front tire of the car caught at the gravel shoulder of the road and he lost control. As the car started over the edge, into the deep ravine, he tried to jump out, but in his panic, he could not find the door handle. He watched in horror as the car flew past trees and boulders. It fell, missing everything in its down-ward path. When the vertical journey was over, the car burst into flames, and rocked from side to side. The tires, now facing the sky, spun silently. There was nobody to hear the cries of terror before the car hit the rocks. Suddenly there was another explosion, and the flames rose with new life.
The inferno roared, and in a matter of minutes, there was nothing left except charred steel. Then the fire died. As the dawn of the new day lightened the sky, rain began to fall, gently washing the smoky air clean.