“Simplest thing in the world. Put a fifty-cent piece or any little object in your mouth and see what a difference it makes in your voice. I venture to say that the loss of one tooth would cause a change that might be detected with certain instruments for analyzing sound. It’s just as well to take such precautions. Some people have uncanny memories for voices. And now we come to the last phase of the evening’s work. It hurt you to throw away your new suit. Don’t worry, it’s not wasted. Somebody will find it and wear it, and maybe get arrested. But this is no time for speculating about that. Suppose that button were found on that porch or maybe in one of the rooms. You might have lost it going in the window upstairs. It don’t belong in the house. The presumption is that you lost it in the struggle or climbing up the porch.

“Old Captain Lees (you’ve heard of him) would give that button to one of his smart young ‘dicks’ and stand him on the Richelieu corner, Geary and Market.