Originally Aired: May 18, 1953
Suspense #513, "Vial of Death," tells the harrowing true story of a race against time that unfolds over one terrifying night. When Professor Harold M. Frolick rushes into the police station, Lieutenant Joe Holloway expects a routine stolen car report. Instead, he learns that the professor's vehicle contains a black medical satchel with a vial of cholera bacteria—enough to trigger a deadly epidemic throughout the entire city within hours. The thief who stole the car has no idea that opening the wrong container, or simply discarding it carelessly, could unleash catastrophic consequences. If the vial breaks on a street, gets thrown into a reservoir, or is handled by the unwitting criminal, thousands of innocent lives hang in the balance.
Holloway immediately mobilizes over 120 officers to search the neighborhood where the car vanished. As the city health officer alerts hospitals, orders serums, and prepares for a potential outbreak, the detective faces a grim reality: somewhere out there, an ordinary car thief possesses the power to destroy an entire city. With each passing hour, the likelihood increases that the bacteria will be released, and Holloway must find both the stolen vehicle and its deadly cargo before morning arrives.
