‘Because people always try and complicate matters,’ said Idris. ‘We have spent months developing systems with untraceable layers to launder money through eBay, Gumtree and other second-hand selling sites. We have created algorithms for money-transfer sites that allow black money to piggyback on white and be secreted into offshore accounts. And the most beautiful part of it is that we can give you receipts and invoices for legal products.’

‘If you’re so sure it works then explain it to me so that I can understand. None of this algorithm bullshit,’ Edward said.

Jia remained silent on the details, as she had with the Jirga. She hadn’t felt either the need to let them know her plans, or the desire to gain their support. She would tell them what she needed to when she was ready. She knew, in any case, that men responded better to each other; the patriarchy was the domain of all men, regardless of race and religion.

‘The internet is too big for search engines to index every single website on it,’ Idris said. ‘That means some get left behind and these are the ones that make up the deep web. The only way to find those sites is if you know their web address. Follow me so far?’ Edward nodded. ‘The dark web, or darknet as it is also known, is not only not indexed, but the user needs to have something special to be able to access it, like an authentication code. To add an extra layer of security, we use it with Tor – “the onion network”. It’s a software program that you load on to your computer, like a browser. It hides your IP address and it hides the route your information takes by bouncing it through a network of up to five thousand servers around the world. Think of it as a huge network of hidden servers that keep your online identity and your location invisible. It means websites can’t track the physical location of your IP address or find out what you’ve been looking at online…and neither can law enforcement or government agencies.’

‘The onion network?’

‘Like the layers of an onion, the websites you’re visiting are hidden behind layers of anonymity.’

‘Do I need to wipe my history or anything afterwards?’

‘It’s always a good idea. We’ll install a cleaner on your machine that will do this and clear your cache automatically.’