Free 13 - Piano Lessons Can Be Murder by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead)

front of the entrance to
the dark, old building.
    I hesitated. “Couldn’t I just run in and tell Dr. Shreek that I quit, then
run right back out?”
    Mom glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “Take one more lesson, Jerry. It
won’t hurt. We’ve already paid for it.”
    I sighed unhappily. “Will you come in with me? Or can you wait out here for
me?”
    Mom frowned. “Jerry, I’ve got three stops to make. I’ll be back in an hour, I
promise.”
    Reluctantly, I pushed open the car door. “Bye, Mom.”
    “If Dr. Shreek asks why you’re quitting, just tell him it was interfering
with your schoolwork.”
    “Okay. See you in an hour,” I said. I slammed the car door, then watched as
she drove away, the tires crunching over the gravel drive.
    I turned and trudged into the school building.
    My sneakers thudded loudly as I made my way through the dark halls to Dr.
Shreek’s room. I looked for Mr. Toggle, but didn’t see him. Maybe he was in his enormous workshop inventing more amazing things.
    The usual roar of piano notes poured from the practice rooms as I passed by
them. Through the small, round windows I could see smiling instructors, their
hands waving, keeping the beat, their heads swaying to their students’ playing.
    As I turned a corner and headed down another long, dark corridor, a strange
thought popped into my head. I suddenly realized that I had never seen another
student in the halls.
    I had seen instructors through the windows of the rooms. And I had heard the
noise of their students’ playing. But I had never seen another student.
    Not one.
    I didn’t have long to think about it. A smiling Dr. Shreek greeted me outside
the door to our practice room. “How are you today, Jerry?”
    “Okay,” I replied, following him into the room.
    He wore baggy gray pants held up with bright red suspenders over a rumpled
white shirt. His white hair looked as if it hadn’t been brushed in a few days.
He motioned for me to take my place on the piano bench.
    I sat down quickly, folding my hands tensely in my lap. I wanted to get my
speech over with quickly before we began the lesson. “Uh… Dr. Shreek?”
    He walked stiffly across the small room until he was standing right in front
of me. “Yes, my boy?” he beamed down at me, his Santa Claus cheeks bright pink.
    “Well… I… this will be my last lesson,” I choked out. “I’ve decided
I… uh… have to quit.”
    His smile vanished. He grabbed my wrist. “Oh, no,” he said, lowering his
voice to a growl. “No. You’re not leaving, Jerry.”
    “Huh?” I cried.
    He tightened his grip on my wrist. He was really hurting me.
    “Quitting?” he exclaimed. “Not with those hands.” His face twisted into an
ugly snarl. “You can’t quit, Jerry. I need those beautiful hands.”

 
 
24
     
     
    “Let go!” I screamed.
    He ignored me and tightened his grip, his eyes narrowing menacingly. “Such
excellent hands,” he muttered. “Excellent.”
    “No!”
    With a shrill cry, I jerked my wrist free. I leapt up from the piano bench
and began running to the door.
    “Come back, Jerry!” Dr. Shreek called angrily. “You cannot get away!”
    He started after me, moving stiffly but steadily, taking long strides.
    I pushed open the door and darted out into the hall. The banging of piano
music greeted my ears. The long, dark hall was empty as always.
    “Come back, Jerry!” Dr. Shreek called from right behind me.
    “No!” I cried out again. I hesitated, trying to decide which way to go, which
way led to the front door. Then I lowered my head and started to run.
    My sneakers thudded over the hard floor. I ran as fast as I could, faster
than I’d ever run in my life. The practice rooms whirred past in a dark blur.
    But to my surprise, Dr. Shreek kept right behind me. “Come back, Jerry,” he
called, not even sounding out of breath. “Come back. You cannot get away from
me.”
    Glancing back, I saw that he was gaining on me.
    I could