by Matt Musson
For the next few seconds you could see Mr. Carpmouth wandering around the edges of the screen inspecting the other pieces of the collection. He moved from the sarcophagus to the mummy to the Coptic jars.
Suddenly, the lights flashed briefly and went out. When the lights came back on, the mask was gone. Mr. Carpmouth pranced over to the case, looked it over and then threw his hands open and started screaming like a girl. In fast forward the obnoxious little man was bouncing around in his agitated state looking like some silent film comedy star. After what seemed like only a few seconds, Freddie’s Mom and Mr. Johnson the security guard came running in. Rushing over to the display case, Ms. Dunkleberger yanked on the padlock. IT WAS STILL LOCKED! But the mask was gone!
“We’ve seen enough,” said Charlie. “Reset the tape and let’s get down to the lab.”
Freddie hit a couple more switches on the panel and set the tape back to where it was originally. Then he restarted the surveillance recording and we left.
The Rangers think of the hands-on-science lab at the Exploratorium as our very own lab. Oh sure, there are public classes and programs that are held here in the lab all the time. But, we have our own locked cabinet in the lab where we can keep all sorts of scientific supplies and gadgets. Freddie’s Mom allows us free range, primarily because the club bought almost all the hardware in the place and she realizes that we know to use it properly and we will take care of it. The microscopes, the centrifuge, the autoclave and a sweet little compact mass spectrometer resting on the counter were all gifts from the Rangers. Of course we tell Ms. Dunkleberger that they are ‘from my Grandfather.’
This afternoon, we filed into the lab and circled the chairs and sat down. Toby had stepped up and taken charge of the investigation earlier. He continued in that capacity for the time being.
“Okay, let’s go over what we have,” Said Toby. “Jeep, Charlie and I swept the building and the grounds and came up clean. Jeep was not able to get a good reading in the exhibit hall because of laser interference.”
“We all saw the tape. The mask was there. Mr. Carpmouth picked it up and put it back. The case was locked. The lights went out. The lights came back on. The mask was gone. But, the case was still locked.”
“So, the mystery is not just who took the mask. But also, how did they get it out without unlocking the case.”
“Thor, Shad, Freddie and Bogdon. Did you guys find any clues in the exhibit while we were gone?”
Freddie spoke up as he began digging into his backpack. “We did find several different particles on the floor of the exhibit. Since the floors were cleaned on Friday evening, we can be sure that these pieces were deposited sometime today.”
Freddie pulled four sealed plastic bags out of his backpack. Inside each bag was a single small piece or fragment of material. They did not look like much but we needed to test them thoroughly to determine if they were material to this case.
“What do we know?” asked Toby.
Charlie answered, “We saw the mask in the case. We know Mr. Carpmouth removed the mask and then put it back. The mask appears to have been removed without the case ever being opened.”
Toby turned to Thor, “Did you find any way to get into the box while it was padlocked?”
“No,” replied Thor. “That box is solid. It has a metal internal frame with a laminated wood cover. The glass is sandwiched in steal and there is a silicon sealant. The box is not only solid – it’s probably airtight as well.”
“Well, where did the mask go to?” asked Toby. “It’s got to be somewhere.”
“Maybe it was vaporized,” Shad suggested. “You could shoot a high energy plasma ray right through the glass and that would be the last anyone saw of Harmon’s death mask.”
Bogdon offered his opinion on Shad’s theory.
“That is theoretically possible. But, vaporizing a heavy metal object the size of the death mask would require an enormous amount of energy and some pretty sophisticated equipment. Plus, while you were vaporizing the mask, you would probably vaporize the box as well.”
“Could the mask still be in the case?” I asked. “Maybe some sort of mirror was lowered over it and the mask only appears to be gone. Or, maybe the mask was never put back into the case. Maybe the video tape has been altered.”
“There's no mirror in the case,” Thor replied. “I borrowed Bogdon's key chain laser pointer and fired it through the case in order to check that possibility. The Beam passed through unimpeded from different directions. The laser would have shown us if there were mirrors in the box.”
Bogdon add, “two security cameras and one of the laser detectors seemed to be turned off. They are plugged in and hooked up. But, they are not functioning. They may have been deliberately disabled as part of a plan to mislead observers.”
“We need to examine that equipment,” said Toby. “I can’t help but feel that it’s part of this mystery.”
“For now does anyone have any other theories? Anybody?” asked Toby. But no one else had anything to add.
“In that case, we need to get on with the forensic testing.”
Toby put us all to work in the lab.
***************
“First we need detailed microscopic pictures of each sample of material. Bog, you set up the stereoscopic microscope and Jeep you get the digital camera. I will break small pieces off of our samples. Then Shad and Freddie will do wash tests using barium nitrate and silver nitrate. Charlie will do flame tests and of course Thor will handle the mass spectrometer.”
It did not take us long to get down to some serious crime science. Sample by sample, Toby removed the material from the bag. Bogdon and I ran it under the microscope at various power levels using regular and ultraviolet light. We recorded the whole process, making detailed pictures of each piece. Then, Toby used an exacto knife to break off small parts from each sample. He gave one piece of each sample to Shad and Freddie, and one piece of each sample to Charlie and to Thor.
Shad and Freddie poured distilled water into eight clean test tubes until the water was about 1 cm deep. They used a mortar and pestle to carefully ground their samples one at a time into powder. The powder from each sample was divided into two parts. One part was mixed in a test tube with a couple of drops of Barium Nitrate. The second part was mixed in another test tube along with a few drops of Silver Nitrate. Soon, they had eight test tubes on the table, two for each sample. If the Barium Nitrate solution got cloudy, it was a positive test for Chorine ions. If the Silver Nitrate solution got cloudy, it was a positive test for Sulfur ions. Shad and Freddie charted their results and then cleaned up.
Charlie also ground up his samples into powder. Then Charlie put on his goggles and set up four watch glasses with a few cc’s of hydrochloric acid and mixed one sample into each. He got out a Bunsen burner and placed it on the heat proof surface and lit it. Then he got out four burn sticks with nichrome wire on one end and a ceramic handle on the other end that will not transfer heat. Still wearing his safety goggles, Charlie picked up a burn stick and dipped the end of the wire into one solution and held it in the flame. He repeated this procedure three more times so that each sample was tested. Different elements flame different colors. Charlie used the digital camera to record the flame colors and then turned off the Bunsen burner and let everything cool down before he put it away.
While all this was going on, Thor was working with the Mass Spectrometer.
We sometimes give Thor a hard time about being a dumb jock, even though we know it’s not true. But, nowhere is his scientific ability more recognizable than when he uses the Mass Spectrometer. He plays the delicate scientific instrument like it’s a fine violin. Neither Bogdon nor Toby nor Charlie can work the mass spec like Thor does. He just seems to have a way with it.
A mass spec basically vaporizes a sample and then launches the ions into a test chamber. When a magnetic field is applied to
the chamber the ions are deflected onto a detector. Lighter ions are deflected farther than heavy ions. The pattern that the ions make on the detector can be used to determine the exact chemical composition of the original sample. The mass spec we have in the lab is an inexpensive one and can be temperamental. But, it always seems to behave for Thor.
The machine is interfaced with a Dell computer using Windows software. The software can match the detector pattern with a bunch of patterns kept on the hard disk. When a match is identified, we know exactly what the sample is made of.
It took about an hour for us to finish the battery of tests and clean up after ourselves. Then Toby called us all back together. He stood at the white board to write down the results reported by each group of testers.
“Microscope?” Toby asked. “What were your results?”
I answered for Bogdon and myself. “The first three samples were fibers coated with a dry white powder. The powder glowed under the black light. Sample four appeared to be a smooth, gold colored, solid material that reflected light like a metal.”
Toby wrote some stuff on the board and then turned to Charlie.
“Flame test? What did you observe?”
Charlie reported, “Samples one, two and three flamed red – indicating calcium. Sample four flamed green – indicating copper.”
Toby recorded the flame test results. Then he moved on to Shad and Freddie.
“Wash Tests?”
Freddie answered for the first test.
“Samples one through three were cloudy with Barium Nitrate. Sample four was clear. This indicates that one, two and three contain chlorine”
Shad spoke next.
“Samples one through three were clear with the Silver Nitrate. Sample four was cloudy. This indicates that sample four contains sulfur.”
Toby stood back from the board and reviewed our work.
“It appears on the surface that samples one, two and three are chemically identical. The samples all contain a calcium and chloride mixture on top of fibers. Sample four is distinctly different. It has a metallic sheen and is contains copper and sulfate. I think I know where this is heading – but let’s check on the final tests.”
Toby turned to Thor.
“What does the Mass Spec say, Thor. Did you get a match?”
Thor was holding a clip board containing several graphs he had printed out from the computer. They plotted the ion deflection of the samples. He flipped through them and looked up.
“Samples one and two are identical. They matched the library exactly and came up as ‘Paper Mache’. There was no exact match for sample four. But it is certainly a water based polymer with a copper sulfate tinting formula. If I had to guess I would say it’s gold colored paint.”
Charlie jumped in. “Gold paint and Paper Mache? Sound like someone made a fake gold death mask to me!”
“I think you may be right,” said Toby. “But what about sample three? Wasn’t it Paper Mache also?”
Thor flipped through his papers and found the graph for sample three.
“Well, it has Paper Mache in it,” he said. “But there’s something else there too.”
“Paint?” asked Toby.
“No,” said Thor. “Blood.”
Shad jumped up from his seat.
“Quick,” he cried out. “Get the Luminol! Get the black light! We have ourselves a murder!”
Armed with a squirt bottle of fresh Luminol (2 ounces of distilled water to 1 Luminol tablet – mix well) and our bagged evidence, the Rangers trooped back into the exhibit hall. We found Agent Sykes, Mr. Carpmouth and Freddie’s Mom with a TV monitor and a VCR. They were reviewing the security tape of the death mask that we have gone over earlier.
Agent Sykes was speaking and the mood was somber. Mr. Carpmouth had a blue silk handkerchief in his hand and I got the impression that he may have been crying into it!
“Ms. Dunkleberger, Mr. Carpmouth… Clearly the mask was stolen by a master thief. He managed to remove it without leaving any clues to his identity or his methods. I am sure that by now the mask has been whisked off to a secondary location. Probably, it will be out of the country by evening. I’m sorry – but there isn’t much that the Bureau can do to locate the object.”
The agent continued, “I will, however, take the security cameras, the laser sensor equipment and the video tape into custody. I will transport them on to the FBI crime lab in Washington, DC. Perhaps the forensic scientists there can come up with a theory of how the thief managed to remove the mask from the locked case.”
“Excuse us, Agent Sykes,” interrupted Charlie. “But, before you give up on this crime scene, I wonder if you would allow us to present a few of our observations.”
Of course, Mr. Carpmouth replied even though we weren’t addressing him. He waved his handkerchief, dismissing us in a prissy manner.
“Those bratty kids again? Ms. Dunkleberger, you have lost my priceless death mask. I don’t believe that I should be subjected to a horde of meddlesome gutter snipes as well. Children should be seen and not heard. And were it up to me, they would only be seen rarely.”
Freddie’s Mom said, “Boys, this may not be the appropriate time and place.”
But, Agent Sykes was more receptive. “No, Ms. Dunkleberger. If the boys have a theory about the crime, I would like to hear it.”
He looked back at Charlie. “Go ahead, son.”
“Well, Sir,” said Charlie. “I think we would agree with your assessment that the mask is not here in the museum. But, we would go a little further and propose that the mask may never have been in the museum.”
“Why that is preposterous,” yelped Mr. Carpmouth. “I brought the mask here myself.”
“Indeed, Sir. You did bring ‘a mask’ but we don’t believe it was ‘the mask’.”
“I’m afraid you are going to have to explain boys,” said Agent Sykes.
“Simply put,” said Charlie. “The mask in the case was a forgery. It was made of Paper Mache and gold paint.”
“That is certainly an interesting theory,” said Agent Sykes. “Do you have any evidence to support it?”
Toby pulled the bagged samples out of his backpack. He handed them to Charlie who gave them over to Agent Sykes saying.
“We found these four samples in the exhibit hall this afternoon. Three of the bags contain Paper Mache scraps and one bag has gold paint flake.”
The FBI man held the bags up to the light and he examined the contents with his practiced eye.
“That is great sleuthing boys. I will certainly forward these samples to the FBI crime lab as well. This could mean that someone switched the mask between the time period that Mr. Carpmouth delivered it to the museum and the time period covered on the surveillance tapes.”
He put the bags into his coat pocket.
“Now, if there is not anything else, I better get moving. I will be leaving for Washington immediately. I want to deliver samples in person.”
“Well, actually,” said Charlie. “One of the Paper Mache samples also contained blood. We believe that may the key to determining where the mask that was on display has gone to.”
Ms. Dunkleberger asked, “Do you mean you think the thief left his blood on the sample?”
“No Mam”, said Charlie. “We believe that the blood indicates that the mask is still in the exhibit hall.”
Charlie turned to the Rangers. “Shad. Freddie. Do your stuff.”
Before the confused adults could react, Shad hurried over to the Coptic jars and began spraying them down with Luminol. Freddie followed behind. When Bogdon turned down the overhead lights to the exhibit - Freddie flicked on the portable UV light he was carrying. It revealed what appeared to be a glowing handprint on the alabaster lid of the first jar.
“What’s the meaning of this little production?” inquired a very distressed Mr. Carpmouth. “Agent Sykes must get those sa
mples to Washington, if I have any hope of retrieving my mask. Every second we waste with these children we are that much closer to the mask being lost forever.”
“If you will bear with us just a hair longer, Sir,” said Charlie. “I believe can wrap this right up.”
Charlie pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, as he walked over to the jar. With a flourish, he snapped his gloves on. (Charlie really enjoys putting on a show.)
Grabbing the lid to the glowing jar in his left hand, Charlie announced, “If we are correct, what is left of the fake mask should be inside this jar.”
Charlie reached into the jar with his right hand and pulled out a shiny gold colored blob. He replaced the lid and using both hands; he unfolded the crushed up Paper Mache and held it up to the audience. It was a mashed up copy of Amon Re’s death mask. As if on cue, the assembled adults gasped.
Charlie continued, “on the security tape, Mr. Carpmouth took the mask from the display case. With his back to the camera, he crushed the mask and put it under his coat. Then he walked over to the Coptic jars and stashed the fake mask inside one. The dried blood from the mummy’s organs got on his hands. He made the handprint!”
“You have no proof I did any such thing, you meddlesome little twerp,” shouted Mr. Carpmouth. “Besides, the tape clearly shows the mask was back in the case after I picked it up.”
“That was a nice touch,” said Charlie. “You had us stumped for a while. It certainly did appear like the mask had been returned to the case. But, as Sherlock Holmes was often heard to say, ‘appearances can be deceiving.’”
“Jeep, turn on the equipment.”
I pulled a remote control out of my pocket and walked over to the display case. I turned and faced the security camera on the right and hit the button. It immediately snapped on and the little red LED in front came on as confirmation.
I turned to my left and hit the button again. The camera on that side came on and its red light blinked on as well.
Finally, I turned to the laser sensor behind the case. Hitting another button on the remote caused this piece to turn start operating. It gave off a red light as confirmation, but we did not need it. Ms. Dunkleberger’s exclamation pretty much validated the laser was on.