But we stopped using this part of our factory about six months back.”

“Why?”

“Unfortunately, Greg had a horrible accident down here. He reached over the conveyer belt on the machine to pull off a mannequin part. He didn’t press the safety button – or he forgot to, we’re not really sure – and the blade came down on his arm.”

Cael winced at the thought.

“And where’s Greg now?”

“Bayswater Cemetery.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine. Greg always pushed his luck. Didn’t really play by the rules. Kind of a loudmouth. He always took shortcuts but this one cost him his life. A damn shame.”

“And you’ve had to stop using these blades legally?”

“No. There was an investigation but the company was absolved of blame. It was deemed to be human error by Greg. We paid compensation to his family even though we didn’t have to. We also paid it to one of our employees for trauma. He witnessed the whole thing.”

Suddenly, Cael’s attention was piqued.

“Someone saw it?”

“Yeah. One of our janitors. I don’t remember his name, to be honest.”

“Does he still work here?”

“Nope. Haven’t seen him since the incident.”

“Can you get me his details?”

“Sure. Give me a day or two. I’ll dig out the records.”

“Thanks. I’m rubbish with technology, so just send it to the London Met office.”

“You and me both.”

“Do you have one of the blades I can borrow for reference?”

“That’s another thing. After the incident with Greg, something strange happened.”

“Let me guess. The blade went missing.”

“Yep. How did you guess?”

Cael stood back and surveyed the machine that had prematurely taken the life of the person trusted with operating it. He imagined Greg Morris leaning over the conveyor belt with the whirring metallic blade only inches above him. He imagined the milliseconds of terror when Greg realized the blade was descending onto him and there was nothing he could do to move out of the way in time. He imagined how effortlessly the saw would tear his flesh to ribbons. First skin, then muscle, then bone. All of it shattered in less than a second.

“If you’re good at anticipating the human mind, it leaves very little to chance.”

Roger nodded, pretending to know what Cael was talking about.

“Some of your employees would have seen the blade as a reminder of their colleague’s death. Some would remove it as a tribute. Some would remove it in protest.