"Oh, any standard dullard will do," he said. "I'm not interested in attracting too much attention; I require just enough credibility to allow me to finish the business I have in Germany, then get out without leaving too much of a shadow." He, too, had perfected the art of shedding skins. A name didn't matter, really. A name and a reputation could be forged, then abandoned when appropriate. Sherlock Holmes did not operate on the same plane of sentimentality as everyone else; he worked best in the dark, under the veil of anonymity.

"Like you, I imagine. Running from one cover to another. Although, your propensity for the theatrical -- and your taste for the luxurious -- are your Achilles heel. It took only rudimentary deduction to find you."