From Lawrence Block:

By then they were in the office and the great man was on the telephone. I couldn’t tell who was on the other end of the line or what they were talking about, because all Haig said was “Yes” and “No” and “Indeed” and, at last, “Satisfactory.” For all I could tell he had called the weather bureau and was talking back to the recording.

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From Rex Stout:

"What I thought, maybe you're not eccentric any more."

"Certainly I'm eccentric. Who isn't?"

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From Case with Four Clowns by Leo Bruce:

His fair fluffy hair stood out around a prematurely bald spot. It looked like a halo which had been put on like a bowler-hat instead of being worn serenely untethered.

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From Archie Goodwin:

Wolfe wiggled a finger. That was regression--I just looked it up. He had quit finger-wiggling a couple of years back.

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From Death and the Dutiful Daughter, by Anne Morice:

The protest which had sprung to my lips had to spring backwards again because there was an interruption.