“Because they don’t know who he is or how he came by the device. Only I know that, just yours truly, and no one else. By the way, you are not going to know that, either. You will know only what I tell you, and if that’s not enough for you, then—”

“Then you’ll have to disappoint your buyers, won’t you?” Stone asked coldly.

That stopped Lance in his tracks. “I have another source for the funds, but it is a less attractive one, which will cost me too much in interest. If you don’t want into this, say so, and lunch is on me and we won’t meet again.”

Stone stared at him for a long moment. “What is the device? What does it do?”

“Please believe me, Stone, you do not want that information. In the unlikely event that this should go awry, you will be grateful for not knowing.”

Stone thought he had shown a sufficient amount of reluctance to be convincing. “When does the transaction take place?”

“Within the next forty-eight hours,” Lance replied, “after your funds are safely in a Swiss account.”

“Whose account?”

“Yours; I’ve brought the paperwork with me; you can instruct the bank not to proceed at any time you choose. But if you’re in, then the transfer has to be received in Zurich by the close of business tomorrow, which is noon in New York.”

Stone looked at his watch. “I can transfer the funds today. But first, when do I get paid, and how much?”

“We’re paying half a million dollars for the device, and I have negotiated a final sales price of two million, two. Your cut of that is one million dollars. I get more, because I set it up.”

“How and when will I be paid?”

“The device will be transported to a secure location, a bank in southern Europe, where the exchange will take place. The buyers’ funds will be transferred to your Zurich account and mine, in the appropriate amounts, before the device is handed over. It’s as foolproof as a transaction of this sort can be. I’ve done a number of them, I know. I much prefer doing business in the conference room of a bank, instead of in a back alley.”

“What about the arrangement you mentioned that will keep this transaction away from prying eyes, such as the Internal Revenue Service?”