DARKMARKET

Inside, the rooms bore the mark of a bachelor. It was by no means a pigsty, but there were items strewn about. ‘Lacks a woman’s touch,’ mused Dawson to himself. Then, in the bedroom, the detective hit paydirt. Sitting on the bed were two laptops, one of which was still running. On top of it there was a large pile of documentation. This included countless Western Union receipts confirming transfers to and from the whole world: New Zealand, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine – wherever.

It was all very well having all these files and documents, but, as we know, Dawson needed evidence of a specific crime to bring a charge. As he picked up a huge bundle of papers, a single sheet fell out and floated to the floor. In the months to come, Dawson would often reflect on the serendipity of that moment. For on that sheet were the details of a gentleman somewhere in West Yorkshire with all his bank-account numbers on it. After studying it, Dawson realised this could be the vital smoking gun, because it included a password. If only he could prove that this person had never handed his password out to anyone, then he might just have a case. And that is why DS Dawson was so keen to talk to the Reverend Andrew Arun John. If John confirmed this, then Dawson could charge the suspect with a specific crime of online fraud, and a judge would almost certainly refuse bail. Dawson could then embark on the Herculean task of wading through this ocean of documentation.