The Velvet Touch — Edward D. Hoch

Nick Velvet is the choosey crook, who steals only the seeminglyvalueless -- for a hefty fee of course. In The Velvet Touch, Nick steals a bald man's comb, a faded flag, an overdue library book, an ordinary playing card, a menu -- and 9 other items

While engaged in pilfering, Nick finds that he often has to become a detective, sometimes in order to save Sandra Paris, the White Queen, who is also a thief -- a mistress of bizarre crimes, who does "Impossible Things Before Breakfast." Nick Velvet and Sandra Paris sometimes compete, sometimes work together -- as in the theft of a snake-charmer's basket on the front cover.