Eau de morgue

Eau de morgue by Arthur T. Harris is a science-fantasy crime short story written in the mid-20th century. Blending occult intrigue with a detective setup and a clear tribute to Poe, it revolves around mysterious disappearances tied to an exotic cosmetic concoction. Its likely topic is vengeance executed through uncanny chemistry that turns luxury into lethal peril.

An ex–Air Force drifter, Jan Mystel, lands a part-time job at Madame Outre’s Greenwich Village perfume shop, funded by the imperious Duchess of Dunscombe. When the Duchess tries to strong-arm Madame into moving uptown, the two women clash; Madame coolly promises a “parting gift.” Soon after, both women vanish. Questioned by Detective Sergeant Kurt Milbach, Jan recounts mailing the Duchess a jar of Madame’s custom bath salts. At the Duchess’s hotel, police find an empty vial of those salts and her wedding ring caught in the tub drain—implying that the gift’s true power was to dissolve its bather “all of me,” a chillingly complete revenge that leaves no body behind.