Dead Lions / C05
Chapter 5
Summary
Catherine Standish brings Roderick Ho a can of Red Bull and, with unnerving precision, describes the fake tasklist he has rigged to disguise his idle days on the Service network, deducing it from his compulsive habits rather than from any technical knowledge. She undertakes not to tell Lamb, or the Dogs, in exchange for his flexible help with research in future, and leaves him cowed. On the Barbican terrace, Min Harper tells Louisa Guy that the Trocadero tracked the Russians’ cab to the Edgware Road rather than to the hotel they named, and the two agree the goons will drop their guns until Pashkin arrives. Later, at his desk, Min’s interest in Shirley Dander’s morning is taken for something else and Louisa shuts him down. In a flashback to the previous winter, Lamb meets Diana Taverner on a canal bench near the Angel, where she presses him about his visit to Katinsky and he tells her that Dickie Bow’s phone held an unsent text reading Cicadas. Lamb then talks her into supplying a pre-used identity and an operating fund for an operation in the Cotswolds, without telling her the whole truth, and telephones Slough House to send Ho to Whitecross with his wallet.
Beats
- C05S01 · Roderick Ho — Roderick Ho, still seething about a woman who had deceived him online, received Catherine Standish in his office and told her Lamb had forbidden him to help her. She asked about the archive and then remarked that his fake tasklist must come in handy, and Ho choked on his Red Bull.
- C05S02 · Min Harper — On the Barbican terrace, Min Harper told Louisa Guy that the Trocadero had tracked the Russians’ cab through to the Edgware Road rather than any hotel they had named. They agreed the goons would ditch their guns until Pashkin arrived, and Louisa invited Min to her flat that night.
- C05S03 · Roderick Ho — Catherine Standish explained that she had worked out the fake tasklist by assuming a compulsive man would build in no slack to look human, and that his attempt to bluster had proved her point. She promised to keep it from Lamb and the Dogs provided he helped with research in future, and threatened him until he agreed.
- C05S04 · Jackson Lamb — Jackson Lamb met Diana Taverner on a canal bench near the Angel, where she demanded to know what he had wanted with Katinsky. Lamb told her that Dickie Bow’s phone carried an unsent text reading Cicadas, and announced that he was planning an operation.
- C05S05 · Min Harper — Back at his desk, Min Harper tried to draw Louisa Guy out about Shirley Dander’s morning and found his interest read as something else entirely. Louisa told him to shut up, and the office turned cold.
- C05S06 · Jackson Lamb — Lamb talked Taverner into supplying a pre-used identity and an operating fund for an operation in the Cotswolds, while letting her believe his motives were fully declared. She warned him not to turn it into a circus, and he rang Slough House to send Ho to Whitecross with his wallet.
People
- Roderick Ho — Slough House IT specialist; caught out over his fake tasklist and pressed into service.
- Catherine Standish — Deduces Ho’s deception and trades her silence for future help.
- Min Harper — Reports the cab’s destination, then irritates Louisa at his desk.
- Louisa Guy — Works alongside Min; teases him about Shirley and then shuts him down.
- Jackson Lamb — Bargains with Taverner for cover and funds for a Cotswold operation.
- Diana Taverner — Park Second Desk; supplies Lamb’s cover while complaining about Tearney.
- Marcus Longridge — Glimpsed at his computer in the adjoining room; a cipher to his colleagues.
Places
- Slough House — MI5’s exile posting on Aldersgate Street; Ho’s office and the room where Min and Louisa work.
Lines worth keeping
““Lamb says I’m not to help you any more.”” — Roderick Ho, refusing Catherine’s request
““Roddy, I wouldn’t know one end of a fibre optic from the other.”” — Catherine Standish, deflecting Ho’s accusation
““Though I will expect you to be a little more flexible in helping out with research in future. Not just mine, either.”” — Catherine Standish, her price for silence
““I need a workable cover, Diana. I could put one together myself, but it’d take a week or two, and I need it now.”” — Jackson Lamb, opening his request
Threads
- Plants: Lamb’s planned operation in the Cotswolds, with Service cover and an operating fund.; The unsent text reading Cicadas found on Dickie Bow’s phone.; A new member of Slough House reporting back to Diana Taverner.; Tearney’s hostility to undercover work and the Park’s spending audit.; Lamb’s coughing fit, which matches Katinsky’s.; Ho’s coerced agreement to help with research in future.
- Payoffs: Ho’s fake tasklist is exposed and he is neutralised as a freelancer.; The Russians’ real lodgings off the Edgware Road are confirmed by the Trocadero.; Lamb obtains a pre-used identity and an operating fund from the Park.
- Continuity: Diana Taverner is Second Desk at Regent’s Park; Ingrid Tearney holds First Desk.; Taverner has a source among Slough House’s recent intake.; Dickie Bow’s phone contained an unsent one-word text: Cicadas.; Lamb’s operation is aimed at the Cotswolds, not at al Qa’eda.; Lamb’s cover identity is not watertight and is funded from the archive budget.