{"id":1208,"date":"2017-01-27T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T15:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/?p=1208"},"modified":"2017-02-03T01:46:22","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T06:46:22","slug":"tmm-3-laboratory-of-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/2017\/01\/27\/tmm-3-laboratory-of-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"TMM #3: Laboratory of Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
A series of puzzlers starring a classic pulp figure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the third in a rotating series of The Shadow Two-Minute Mysteries<\/em>. Pit your mind against that of The Shadow<\/strong>. This is the version of The Shadow that appeared in the pulp magazine stories. Harry Vincent<\/strong> is an agent. Burbank<\/strong> is in charge of communications. And there’s no mention of “clouding men’s minds.”<\/p>\n

This mini-mystery originally appeared on my old Shadow in Review<\/em> website. But that was years ago, and I suspect even if you remember it, you may have forgotten the vital clue. For those of you with a memory sharper than mine, you may remember it.<\/p>\n

The solution, not necessarily the only solution, but the one the author had in mind, will appear (below) next Friday. That gives you time to mull over the crime.<\/p>\n

Feel free to leave your solution in the comments section below. It could be better than mine!<\/p>\n

There are some background notes at the end of the story. They’ll explain a bit more about Harry Vincent, who is featured in this mystery, and his part in the larger universe of the pulp Shadow.<\/p>\n

You are about to enter the pulp world of the 1930s. Join The Shadow as he dons his black cloak, slouch hat, and gloves, and prepares to battle crime. It\u2019s time for action and mystery. The Shadow knows!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/div>\n

Laboratory of Evil<\/h3>\n
\"Death<\/a>
Death looms in the Laboratory of Evil…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lights of Manhattan glimmered in the damp night air. Inside the brownstone mansion of Dr. Franz Vodost, Harry Vincent sat at a typing desk. He was undercover for The Shadow, working as secretary to Dr. Vodost.<\/p>\n

A short, stout man burst into the room. It was Gunther, the doctor\u2019s lab assistant. \u201cQuick,\u201d he gasped. \u201cDr. Vodost… gas…\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry followed him down a short hallway that terminated in a laboratory door. A reinforced glass window was marked \u201cDo Not Enter\u201d in large letters. Gunther pushed open the door and the two men entered.<\/p>\n

On the floor in the center of the cluttered lab lay the body of a tall man wearing a clean laboratory smock. Vincent bent over him. \u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the carbon dioxide,\u201d explained Gunther, still breathing heavily. \u201cI barely escaped with my own life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarbon dioxide isn\u2019t normally poisonous.\u201d Vincent looked for Gunther\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n

The assistant leaned weakly against a tall lab stool. \u201cNot generally, unless there is a deficiency of oxygen. And the lab was sealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Vodost and I were working on several experiments at once. We were generating carbon dioxide on this equipment\u201d \u2014 he gestured to a table filled with apparatus near the side of the room \u2014 \u201cand while that was going on, we began work on Dr. Vodost\u2019s latest chemical experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached over and indicated a dangling rubber hose. \u201cApparently this tubing accidentally came loose without either of us noticing it. The gas, colorless and odorless, filled the room. It was only when I saw Dr. Vodost pass out and slump to the floor that I realized the danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vincent stepped over to the table to examine the device. There was no sign of tampering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI rushed from the room, activating the evacuation fan on the way out.\u201d Gunther indicated a large red button on the wall by the door. \u201cThe fans quickly swept the excess gas from the room and replenished the oxygen. I ran to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA terrible accident,\u201d muttered Vincent. \u201cI\u2019ll phone the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Burbank, The Shadow’s communications man.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back in the study, he reported the death to headquarters. Then, making sure he wasn\u2019t observed, he dialed a second number. This telephone number was unrecorded in any telephone book. Vincent was reporting to The Shadow.<\/p>\n

The Shadow\u2019s contact man, Burbank, answered with but a single, monotoned word: \u201cReport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry made his report to his master. He described the scene of death in detail, then hung up awaiting further orders.<\/p>\n

Shortly, the phone rang. Vincent picked it up quickly. From the receiver came the whispered voice of The Shadow:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the police arrive, have them hold Gunther. This was no accident; it was murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHY DOES THE SHADOW CLAIM MURDER?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/p>\n[learn_more caption=”Click here for the solution.”]\nCarbon dioxide is heavier than air. Gunther was a short man; Vodost was tall \u2014 thus Gunther should have been affected before Dr. Vodost. The Shadow suspects that Gunther intentionally disconnected the rubber tubing, releasing the gas. He could easily have then left the room and watched through the window until he saw Dr. Vodost succumb to the lack of oxygen before summoning aid. The Shadow knows!
\n[\/learn_more]\n

\u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0<\/strong><\/div>\n

Background notes<\/h3>\n
\"<\/a>
Harry Vincent, one of The Shadow’s most trusted agents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this story, Harry Vincent was acting as secretary for Dr. Vodost<\/strong>. In his 19-year career, Vincent took a variety of jobs in the line of duty for The Shadow. He was young, probably in his late 20s or early 30s, and was a good looking chap. This enabled him to fit into a wide variety of situations.<\/p>\n

In the earliest stories, he often posed as a salesman. His charm and looks let him fit in well with Manhattan\u2019s society set, and he could easily assume the role of man-about-town. He uses that charm in the 1936 story \u201cThe Gray Ghost\u201d where he appeared as a young playboy.<\/p>\n

He could make friends easily, and gain their confidence. The Shadow often used that ability to his advantage, as Vincent could gather information that was confidential. The 1932 story \u201cThe Blackmail Ring\u201d is a good example, where Harry worked together with Stuart Bruxton<\/strong>, a young man who accidentally stumbled into a dangerous situation.<\/p>\n

Vincent was handy with firearms and with his fists. That made him a convenient agent to call upon when The Shadow needed someone to help guard an innocent person put into danger. Such an occurrence was in the 1931 story \u201cThe Shadow Laughs\u201d when Vincent watched over young Blair Windsor<\/strong>. Later in 1931 he protected Professor Whitburn<\/strong> in \u201cThe Red Menace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon occasion, Vincent would help infiltrate the underworld. He could pass for a gangster when the situation required it. In 1931\u2019s \u201cGangdom\u2019s Doom\u201d Harry was insinuated with Frank Marmosa<\/strong>, a gambling king. And in the 1937 story \u201cCrime, Insured,\u201d he got to do a little jewel robbery.<\/p>\n

Harry was not only dependable, but he was highly intelligent as well. He could be counted on when information was needed. In 1932\u2019s \u201cDead Men Live,\u201d for example, The Shadow sent him overseas to do research by himself.<\/p>\n

Harry was often sent out in advance of The Shadow to scout out the situation. That happened in the 1933 story \u201cIsle of Doubt,\u201d when Harry headed off to Mississippi and again in \u201cThe Golden Grotto\u201d published the same year. In that story Harry scouted an area of the east coast for pirate loot.<\/p>\n

On several occasions, Vincent even got to be The Shadow for a brief time. The first of such instances was in the 1935 story \u201cAtoms of Death\u201d when he donned the slouch hat and black cloak. All to convince gangsters who had captured The Shadow in his Cranston<\/strong> disguise that they were holding an innocent man. He again wore the black garb in the 1938 story \u201cThe Crystal Buddha.\u201d<\/p>\n

When author Walter Gibson<\/strong> created the character of Harry Vincent, he chose the name Harry in honor of his good friend and master magician Harry Blackstone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the third in a rotating series of The Shadow Two-Minute Mysteries. Pit your mind against that of The Shadow. This is the version of The Shadow that appeared in the pulp magazine stories. Harry Vincent is an agent. Burbank is in charge of communications. And there’s no mention of “clouding men’s minds.” This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"That's Pulp! offers The Shadow Two-Minute Mystery #3: Laboratory of Evil. #pulpmags","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[1,62,166],"tags":[204,203,33,27,181],"hashtags":[],"class_list":["post-1208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pulp","category-the-shadow","category-two-minute-mystery","tag-burbank","tag-harry-vincent","tag-lamont-cranston","tag-the-shadow","tag-two-minute-mysteries"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/files\/2016\/08\/Clock.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6SOGR-ju","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1208"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1252,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208\/revisions\/1252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1208"},{"taxonomy":"hashtags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepulp.net\/thatspulp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtags?post=1208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}