Free Darknet by John R. Little

to be sure you’re not a cop. Activate the camera on your computer.”
    There was a long pause. The Manipulator pressed an icon on his desktop and launched a program he’d found on DarkNet. As soon as the woman switched her web cam on, the program took control of it, immediately scanning the video into a hundred still frames, each a slightly different angle as she shifted slightly in her chair.
    He looked at her long blonde hair and the frown lines that covered her face. Part of him knew she was a beautiful woman, but right now all he cared about was getting enough still photos. The program he was running automatically cropped the pictures to ensure she was completely centered in each.
    Before she was even sure the camera was working, he had everything he needed.
    Her image lowered her head as she typed, “Can you see me?”
    “Yes. It’s okay. I can tell by your face that you’re not a cop. No cop can act that well.”
    When he hit enter, her image didn’t react for a little over a second. Then she smiled.
    When they were just typing to each other, the delay wasn’t noticeable, and the client would still not notice it, since she couldn’t see him. It took time for people to type a sentence or two and an extra tick of the clock went by without a thought. Seeing the person react, though, was like talking on a long distance call over a satellite. The delay was irritating and obvious.
    The Manipulator had found all the secrets of his operation on DarkNet, of course. He had become a master of secrecy, not even trusting the multiple encryptions that were built into the Tor software. He didn’t want any government body even to be aware of the possibility of him working out of the abandoned barn, even if there was no way to know exactly what he was up to.
    He didn’t trust any American Internet Service Provider to keep quiet. Fortunately, DarkNet pointed him to a Chinese ISP that was way ahead of any American counterpart. He was connected via satellite to the ‘Net at 1.2 gigabytes per second, way faster than any local telco could offer. The satellite was in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth, along with a half dozen companion satellites. The Dynasty Internet Service Company buried their customers’ secrets in a dozen server farms scattered across China, and there was no way to subpoena any of their records.
    DarkNet had taught the Manipulator to be paranoid, but it gave him the safety he needed.
    His client was still smiling. “Can I see you?”
    “Not a chance. That’s the last thing you ever want to have happen.”
    “Okay. I think I understand.”
    “I hope so.”
    “So, what do you need to know?”
    “Nothing.”
    After the normal delay, she frowned. “How can you do your job without more information?”
    “I have everything I need. Trust me on that. Just go about your normal business, and come back to me on Friday. Until then, hunt down a broker who will convert your cash into bitcoins.”
    It was Wednesday, and he watched as she checked the date on her watch and thought about it.
    “I can do that. Same time?”
    “Yes.”
    She nodded and then reached to turn off her camera and then the window they’d been chatting in disappeared from his screen.
    He laughed and closed down his own Tor program. It was just past 7:30 p.m.
     
    * * *
     
    Two hours later, the Manipulator was standing in Cindy McKay’s backyard. He could see the shadows of her and the girl as they walked occasionally past windows.
    He knew her name. He knew the daughter’s name. He already knew more about Cindy and Avril than they could possibly imagine. All without Cindy ever giving a clue to her name.
    Thank you, DarkNet!
    He walked toward the house, knowing he’d be practically invisible against the bushes that lined the sides of the property.
    A cat was sitting outside the back door. There were no lights outside and it was hard to see, but the cat saw the Manipulator quite well. It walked over to him and rubbed his leg.
    He