Slough House

Slow Horses / C04

Chapter 4

Book 1 Part One 5305 words POV: River Cartwright, Robert Hobden, Diana Taverner, Hassan Ahmed

Summary

At Slough House, Roderick Ho’s office fills with slow horses watching a video of a hooded boy in an orange jumpsuit holding that morning’s newspaper; the link appeared on a BBC blog at 4 a.m. with a threat to behead him within forty-eight hours. Jackson Lamb arrives, ridicules the deadline and the absence of any stated demand, and orders everyone back to their desks: Slough House does not act, that is for the big boys. Alone, he burns with cold anger. River Cartwright returns to his room with Sid Baker; they discuss the feed, River’s grandfather David Cartwright, and River’s eight months, two weeks and four days of exile, while he feels the memory stick in his pocket. At a cafe, Robert Hobden hears the television report, recognises the story he has been waiting for, and leaves his newspapers behind. At Regent’s Park, Diana Taverner prepares to run the response and is told by Nick Duffy that Jed Moody claims Lamb is running an op; she dismisses it as an errand, Sid Baker sent to Hobden, warns Duffy to keep her sub-contracting quiet, then locks away the memory stick James Webb delivered. In a cellar, the captive Hassan, bound and hooded, understands that this is not a prank and that he will be killed for who he is.

Beats

  • C04S01 · River Cartwright — Lamb takes over Ho’s office, refuses to let the slow horses act on the beheading feed, and sends them back to their desks, then privately burns with anger.
  • C04S02 · River Cartwright — River apologises to Sid for yesterday’s egg prank, learns she has been at Slough House only since August, and resolves to open the memory stick himself.
  • C04S03 · Robert Hobden — Hobden hears the television report, recognises the story he has been waiting for, and abandons his newspapers to leave the cafe.
  • C04S04 · Diana Taverner — Taverner learns from Duffy that Moody says Lamb is running an op; she buries it as an errand, swears Duffy to silence, and locks away the Hobden memory stick.
  • C04S05 · Hassan — Alone in the dark, Hassan stops hoping it is a prank and understands he will be killed because of his race and religion.

People

  • River Cartwright — Slow horse; watches the feed and pockets Hobden’s memory stick
  • Jackson Lamb — Slough House head; forbids action, guesses the staging behind the video
  • Sid Baker — River’s office mate; found the blog link, ran the Hobden errand
  • Roderick Ho — IT specialist; his office hosts the screen, notes the feed’s loop
  • Struan Loy — Slow horse; sniping commentary during the viewing
  • Kay White — Slow horse present at the viewing; says nothing
  • Jed Moody — Ex-Dog now at Slough House; tells Duffy that Lamb runs an op
  • Robert Hobden — Disgraced columnist; spots the broadcast and leaves to chase it
  • Diana Taverner — Second Desk; plans the response, hides her use of Sid Baker
  • Nick Duffy — Head Dog; brings Moody’s claim to Taverner
  • Hassan Ahmed — Hooded captive in the cellar; realises he is to be beheaded
  • David Cartwright — River’s grandfather; source of his spy lore and reading
  • James Webb — Delivered Hobden’s copied memory stick to Taverner
  • Ingrid Tearney — Runs the Service; in DC, leaving Taverner to front the response

Places

  • Slough House — The slow horses’ office; Ho’s room holds the viewing screen
  • Regent’s Park — Service headquarters; Taverner’s top-floor office and the hub
  • Max’s cafe — Hobden’s morning haunt; television on a corner plinth
  • The cellar — Where Hassan is held, filmed and left in the dark

Lines worth keeping

“We get on with our jobs. What did you think we did?” — Lamb, Refuses River’s demand that Slough House act on the beheading threat.

“That’s what being in Slough House means. It means not being needed.” — River Cartwright, His account of exile, and why the broadcast wounds him.

“There are those who’d take it badly if they knew I’d been sub-contracting.” — Diana Taverner, She admits the Sid Baker errand was off the books and warns Duffy silent.

Threads

  • Plants: Hobden’s memory stick is in River’s trouser pocket, unopened; Taverner holds a second copy of Hobden’s files, unlooked at; Duffy now knows Taverner used Sid Baker off the books; Hobden sees the broadcast and starts chasing the story; Lamb’s private anger at being sidelined
  • Payoffs: The Sid Baker errand is revealed as Taverner’s own sub-contracted job; River’s grandfather is named as David Cartwright
  • Continuity: Deadline: 48 hours from the 4 a.m. blog post; River has served 8 months, 2 weeks, 4 days; Sid arrived in August, about 2 months; The boy wears gloves; his newspaper shows the back page (England World Cup qualifier); Sid is not wearing her silver locket; Taverner is 49; post-7/7 staff moved away from external walls; The threat message is unpunctuated: we cut his head off forty-eight hours

Characters

Places

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