The killer already realized he'd been tricked. He was starting to turn from the empty stall, to turn toward me.
Too bad, brother, one mistake is all you get. I punched him fast and hard in the nose. His head flew back, blood bursting from his nostrils. I didn't let him recover. I grabbed hold of his wrist-the wrist of his knife hand-so he couldn't cut me. With my other hand, I grabbed his hair and bent him forward.
I dragged him out of the stall, turning my body to give me momentum. I slammed him face-first into the hard edge of the sink.
His knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
I stood over him, gasping for breath, amazed that I was still alive.
CHAPTER TWO
Surrounded I knelt down beside the fallen killer.
He didn't move. His upper lip was all smashed up and there was dark blood smearing his mouth. His mouth was open and I could see the blood staining his teeth too.
I began to search his clothes. I knew I had to hurry. Someone could come into the bathroom at any moment and see me kneeling over his body. They would call for help and then I'd have the police after me again.
Quickly, I went through the pockets of his windbreaker first. They were empty. Then, one by one, I went through the pockets of his jeans. In the left front pocket I found a single key on a chain. The key was unmarked, but the chain said, "Harley-Davidson Motorcycles." I slipped the key into my pocket. I figured that would slow the guy down at least.
I went on searching. In his right front pocket I found a silver money clip with about two hundred dollars in it. Yes, I know the Ten Commandments and yes, I know you're not supposed to steal. But this didn't feel like stealing. The guy was a killer, after all-my killer, if he'd had his way. I figured he owed me at least this much. I stuffed the cash into the same pocket as the key.
Just then, the killer groaned and shifted. I tensed, watching him. His hand lifted from the floor and groped weakly at the air. His eyelids fluttered. His bloody mouth moved, his lips parting. He was starting to come around.