A Detective on the Case of Vanity

Author April Henry is looking for creepy vanity plates. So naturally she wrote to this column, which has collected such specimens as ECOLI4U, SCARYGY, NUKESC and, on customized hearses, LASTRID, IMORBID, LIVNEND and K DAVER.

Henry writes mysteries featuring a woman who is a vanity plate censor. “In my books (‘Circles of Confusion’ and ‘Square in the Face’), I use vanity license plates at the end of chapters to comment on the action,” she said. “For example, when the main character is surprised by a betrayal, the license plate at the end of the chapter is IRITEI.”

Anyway, Henry invites column readers to send along any other scary plates they see to April.Henry@kp.org.

Oh, yes, IRITEI means “right between the eyes.”

I checked and it’s registered to a driver in California.

One more plate to watch out for on my daily commute.

GUIDE TO ADVENTUROUS DINING: For today’s selections (see accompanying), Betty and Bob Hagenbuch of Arcadia came upon a big spread of salsa, Jeanette Rosenberg found a dish that is meaty in name only, Wendy Mollett noticed an expensive freebie and Ann Brown spotted a dish that might cause seasickness.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE SOUND STAGE . . . : Scully and Doggett are together again. Actor Robert Patrick will play the role of John Doggett, the new sidekick of Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully on “The X-Files” TV show. Show creator Chris Carter named the characters after Dodger broadcasters Jerry Doggett (now deceased) and Vin Scully. At least Dodger fans have something to cheer about this year.

GHOST RIDER: It was a different kind of car chase--the cops were on foot and the moving car they were pursuing was unoccupied.

Officers Lawrence Henderson and Eric Lee noticed a black Mercedes roll out of a driveway into traffic on Rodeo Road near Crenshaw Boulevard.

Henderson raced over and managed to open the door, then wedged himself into the seat, which was adjusted for a small driver, reports the August issue of the Thin Blue Line, an LAPD publication.

He hit the brakes. It stopped a few feet from a car waiting at a red light. Just then, the Mercedes owner walked out of a nearby building. She matter-of-factly asked the officers, “Did my car hit anything?” No, she was told. Then, as though a valet had fetched her car, she got in and drove off without saying another word.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY: In 1992, The Times reported that two men were arrested in Pasadena less than a mile from the bank they allegedly robbed. Witnesses gave police the make of the car, and that was pretty much all the info that was needed. The suspects were in a Yugo.

miscelLAny:

In the Sporting News’ Best Sports City rankings, L.A. not only didn’t make the top five, it didn’t merit a place by itself. Instead, the magazine created something called “Los Angeles-Anaheim” and ranked it No. 9. Left out of this union was another Orange County city, Irvine, which came in at No. 189.

And who was No. 1? St. Louis, whose pro football team won the last Super Bowl. You remember that team, the former L.A. Rams. Their defection hit local fans IRITEI.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.