Sleder grinned. ‘No, I am not mad. It’s simple. You fix for an accident to happen in the plant – you know there are plenty of ways an accident can happen, you are the expert in these things, not I. You make it a good accident, and cause a radiation leak, contaminating your plant. Obviously, the plant has to be shut down right away. It cannot continue with production until the contamination has been cleared up, and this will be a long process. Your company has two options: either you tell the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission what has happened, in which case they will close you down – for a minimum of many months, until they have investigated and until you have cleaned up – and your customers will have to look for other suppliers. Naturally, they will come to us. Or, you keep quiet, you do not tell the NRC anything has happened. Keep the whole thing under wraps, quietly get on and clear up, and quietly buy the fuel from us to supply to your customers.’

‘And then you blow the gaff when it suits you?’

Sleder smiled. ‘Maybe, maybe not. It would depend on how trade goes.’

Slan shook his head. ‘There’s no way,’ he said, ‘no way under the sun. I like my company, and I like my job, and I’m not going to do that. No way. It’s totally immoral; a lot of people could get hurt, maybe killed – and they’re my friends. You picked the wrong guy; count me out.’

‘No,’ said Sleder, ‘I will not count you out.’

A little colour had returned to Harry Slan’s face; it now drained out again. ‘What do you mean?’

‘If you do not agree, I shall arrange for a considerably more comprehensive set of holiday photographs than I sent to you to be mailed to your wife. They are at the present moment sitting in a sealed envelope, addressed to Mrs Myrtle Slan, at the address I have written on this piece of paper – your correct home address, I believe? They will be sent in the noon post unless I ring down to stop them.’

Slan glared at him, then looked down at his watch. It was five to twelve. ‘You said when I arrived that if I didn’t want to help you, then I didn’t have to.’

Sleder leaned even further forward; his blue eyes turned to a menacing shade of grey, but his lips broke into a warm, cheerful smile. ‘I lied.’