Harris "Diamond Tooth" Rinkles was a criminal figure in Dick Tracy's city. He had a heavily-lined face (a family trait) and was bald. He owned a variety of wigs which he wore in an attempt to conceal his bald head and to prevent himself from being correctly identified by witnesses.
Ruthless Criminal[]
Rinkles' nickname came from the fact that he had four diamond-studded teeth on the right side of his mouth. In 1940, Detective Pat Patton led a police raid on Rinkles' illegal gambling operation. Rinkles bit Patton's left hand, which left Patton with a permanent scar. Three of Rinkles' diamond-studded teeth were later knocked out in a car crash, but he managed to keep them in his possession.
At some point, Rinkles killed a man named Ponto Gillis. Gillis' cousin Keeno the Great (a professional knife-thrower) took revenge on Rinkles. Keeno beheaded Rinkles and threw his head into the city's bay. His body was found by the police and identified by his fingerprints in 1963.
The Adventures of Diamond Tooth Rinkles' Skull[]
In 1973, Rinkles' skull was found in the bay by divers. The skull was identified and given to Rinkles' only known relative - his half sister Florabelle. Rinkles had been cruel to Florabelle during his life, and she took pleasure in posing the skull on a stand (with one of Rinkles' wigs on it and his clothes draped around it) and taunting it.
Rinkles' killer Keeno the Great learned that the skull had been recovered and stole it from Florabelle's home. He removed the remaining diamond-studded tooth and later tried to dispose of the skull in a wooded area, but it was found by some hikers and returned to police.
Keeno was killed and the final tooth was recovered. The skull was returned to Florabelle who revealed that her "grandson" (the boy called Pockets) was actually Diamond Tooth Rinkles' son.
Notes[]
- Rinkles was also referred to as "Diamond-Tooth Carat".
