Dr. Vink is a character from Frank's stories to the Midnight Society, a wild-eyed and -bearded mad scientist who uses different jobs to unleash the supernatural upon unsuspecting victims.In The Tale of the Phantom Cab , Denny and Buzz are led to Dr. Vink's biologist's-lab cottage by Flynn while lost in the woods, told he can help but may want high payment. The boys hear strange howling from every bush outside the cottage, which stops when Vink answers. He gives them a riddle - How far can you walk into the woods? and, when Buzz guesses it - Halfway; after that you'd be walking out - , challenges them to another - What is it that has no weight, can be seen by the naked eye, and if you put it in a barrel, will make the barrel lighter? - with the stakes that he'll let them call home if they guess right or send them out to catch a taxi if they can't. Buzz doesn't guess so he offers an alternative of taking a specimen for his collection: one of their hands. As they flee screaming he implies he'll see them again and laughs. After they catch the taxi driven by Flynn, it's revealed that Flynn is one of many ghosts who failed at his riddles, doomed to repeat the crash that killed him on the way out from Vink before he cut off Flynn's hand, and the voices around the cottage were those he's stumped in between. Buzz manages to get the riddle - A hole - causing the ghost cab to vanish and the curse to break. But Frank reveals that afterwards they find both Vink and his cottage have disappeared, so he's escaped to do more evil.In The Tale of the Midnight Madness , he visits the struggling Rialto Theater offering his own version of _Nosferatu (1922)_ (qv) where the title vampire defeats the heroes, claiming it'll revive their business but if it does he wants his films shown weekly. Mr. Kristoph agrees but the film is forgotten until, as the theater receives word it'll be shut down, the night's film fails and Nosferatu is played instead, proving a smash hit that night and every night after, saving the Rialto. Though no one sees it, the film moves and emits light, revealing it's not normal. When Vink returns Kristoph, despite Pete's attempted intervention, goes back on his word since he wants to play classics he thinks will be more lucrative. Vink laughingly hints he will pay and leaves. Later, as Pete watches the movie, Nosferatu comes out of it and bites Kristoph, and either he or Vink disconnect the phone and lock Pete and Katie in. Pete lures Nosferatu back into the movie and unleashes sunlight upon him, destroying him. But when Vink returns, he refuses Kristoph's belated decision to keep his word, revealing he now owns the Rialto and will show his movies all the time, presumably so the villains can come to life.In The Tale of the Dangerous Soup , Vink is heard but not seen instructing a teenager to sit in a dark empty room where he ends up strapped into its chair, then remarks something realizes his fears. The teen is horrified when a snake climbs up his chair. When Vink is shown, he is the restauranteur of The Wild Boar (named for the animal whose brain was part of his collection in The Tale of the Phantom Cab ), which is famous for its Dangerous Soup so delicious he has no trouble charging highly for it. He hires Reed for his tough-guy attitude, letting him try the soup but warning him against taking more. Reed and Nonnie note that workers occasionally grimly quit for no apparent reason. When Reed does sample another spoonful, Vink seems about to go through with his threatened consequence until Nonnie covers for him. When Vink tells Jersey, who fears knives, she will go from a waitress to a dishwasher due to customer complaints and she makes racket to annoy him, he leads her into the freezer, the place from the beginning, where she is strapped to the chair and a guillotine swings over her. Hearing her scream, Reed and Nonnie barge in and force him to release Jersey, who leaves having forgotten the incident, and interrogate him. He reveals the soup produces adrenaline since it is a potion from a warrior tribe's enchanted statue which creates illusions of people's worst fears. Nonnie believes him but Reed doesn't, causing Vink to bait him into trying it, knowing his coolness must mask a deep fear. He learns Reed was frightened by the abusive uncle who was his guardian, and has him open the coffin that appears, unleashing the man who tries to choke him. After pleading with Vink fails, Nonnie opens the freezer to help Reed, but the demon escapes and, Vink frantically points out, can now prey on anyone. He chases it but it either returns or reveals it has remained there, forcing Nonnie into the freezer which threatens to crush her since she's afraid of enclosed areas and causing Reed's uncle's ghost to try to kill him again. Reed manages to best his fear destroying the illusion, and goes to the fridge to help Nonnie, remarking that Vink has lost his asset. But Vink reveals they are shut in, and the demon is back to thrive again on their fears.In The Tale of Cutter's Treasure: Part 1 , though his face is unseen, Vink approaches Sardo at the Magic Mansion when Rush returns the spyglass and refuses the rest of the prizes from the chest he opened, which it's revealed Vink gave to Sardo. Vink tells Sardo Rush will eventually take them, giving Sardo a business card to direct Rush to him. In Part 2 , after Max has been kidnapped by Captain Cutter, Rush is sent to Vink's barbershop The Wild Boar Coiffure where Vink initially tries to engage him to business. Vink tells Rush about Cutter, and learns Rush opened the chest so is meant to defeat Cutter because he is descended from his enemy Ian Keegan. He presses him to try since it will free Max, and follows him to the cemetery Rush saw in the spyglass and a nightmare, giving him the chest's dagger and key. He explains he wants some of Cutter's wealth for his future operations. After Rush and Max defeat Cutter, he says the experience interested him more than the gold, and gives each a jewel. Though he still owes Sardo, he pay him twice as much, but seems reluctant when Sardo offers to work with him again.No one tells stories about him other than Frank, so he is never seen again after Frank moves and leaves the Midnight Society. His name is almost always mispronounced Fink , causing him to correct that it's with a vuh-vuh-vuh . Because of his appearance and what at first seem to be strange remarks, he is almost always quietly called a nutbag, responding a moment later after some converstation, to everyone's surprise, that he is not. Show less «