Dead Lions / C09
Chapter 9
Summary
River works the Upshott pub as Jonathan Walker, a visiting writer, and absorbs the village’s talk: the Butterfields praise Ray Hadley, the flying club’s elusive patron, Red Andy Barnett presses him about his book, and Griff Yates finally appears. In London, Louisa waits at Marble Arch in a black dress, carrying pepper spray and plastic handcuffs, and meets Arkady Pashkin, who walks her into the park and makes clear he takes the evening to be personal; a figure follows them. Griff then leads River out of the village to the edge of the MoD range, reciting grievances and showing him a way through the wire. At dinner Pashkin toasts Min Harper’s memory and Louisa drinks to it while planning to get him alone, and they discuss the next day’s arrangements and the Stop the City rally. She excuses herself to the cloakroom and is seized on her way out by someone demanding her bag. On the range, River reaches the ruined farm buildings, is caught in a flare and an artillery barrage, and is knocked flat.
Beats
- C09S01 · River Cartwright — River worked the Upshott pub as Jonathan Walker, the visiting writer, and took Kelly Tropper’s teasing across the bar. The Butterfields talked up Ray Hadley, the flying club’s elusive patron, and Red Andy Barnett cornered him about his supposed book. A draught at his back announced a new arrival, and Barnett said it was trouble.
- C09S02 · Louisa Guy — Louisa waited at Marble Arch in a black dress, with pepper spray and plastic handcuffs in her bag, and met Arkady Pashkin as he came down from his hotel. He took her arm and walked her into the park, making clear he assumed the evening was personal rather than business. A figure followed two hundred yards behind them, out of the lamplight.
- C09S03 · River Cartwright — Griff Yates walked River out of the village along dark lanes, airing his contempt for the incomers and claiming his grandfather had hanged himself from an elm. At the edge of the MoD range, ringed with razorwire, Griff described the land as common ground stolen for military use and hinted at weapons research. He then pointed out a way through the fence that River would never have found himself.
- C09S04 · Louisa Guy — At dinner Pashkin offered condolences for Min Harper, and Louisa drank a toast to him with the man she believed had ordered his death. She forced herself to eat and kept the talk on tomorrow’s arrangements and the Stop the City rally, while planning to get him alone in his suite. Pashkin told her he would trust her and her colleague to get him there and back safely.
- C09S05 · River Cartwright — River followed Griff through a sheared section of wire fence and down onto the range, learning that the main complex lay two miles off and that patrols and tripwires guarded the approaches near the base. Griff led him downhill towards four roofless buildings, enjoying his fear. River asked how secure the site was and got only riddles in return.
- C09S06 · Louisa Guy — Over the rest of the meal Louisa deflected Pashkin’s questions, ignored her texts and rehearsed her plan to blind and cuff him. She excused herself to the cloakroom, checked the spray and the cuffs, and stepped back out into the lobby. There she was seized, pulled into a dark space and told to hand over her bag.
- C09S07 · River Cartwright — River reached the ruined farm buildings and found only long-dead ashes, and Griff disappeared. A flare burst overhead and an artillery barrage began, tearing the range apart around him. River dived behind a wall and then under the tree inside the ruin, and another explosion put an end to thought.
People
- River Cartwright — under cover in Upshott as the writer Jonathan Walker
- Kelly Tropper — barmaid, teasing River about the afternoon they spent together
- Louisa Guy — dining with Pashkin under cover, planning to interrogate him
- Arkady Pashkin — Russian oilman and the Service’s prospective asset
Places
- Upshott — Cotswold village where River is working under cover; the pub scene is set here
- The Needle — London’s newest landmark tower, where Pashkin takes Louisa to dinner
Lines worth keeping
“We’ll make a spy of you yet.” — Kelly Tropper, teasing River at the bar
“Somewhere doesn’t belong to you just because your parents bought a chunk of it.” — Griff Yates, pointing out an elm
“Nobody knows I’m here, Mr. Pashkin. This is entirely personal.” — Louisa Guy, on the walk to dinner
“I always have a plan.” — Arkady Pashkin, on the park path
Threads
- Plants: Ray Hadley, the flying club’s founder and a retired pilot close to the airbase brass, is repeatedly described as elusive; River has still not met him.; Griff shows River a cut in the MoD range fence, and mentions a second entrance near Upshott that was cemented shut.; An old pub photograph shows the flying club’s nine young members, Kelly Tropper at their centre, with a small aeroplane behind them.; Louisa carries pepper spray and plastic handcuffs, intending to interrogate Pashkin in his suite.; An unidentified figure follows Louisa and Pashkin through the park.; The Stop the City rally falls on the same day as Pashkin’s visit and is expected to complicate his route.
- Continuity: River’s cover name is Jonathan Walker and his cover story is a book he is researching.; Kelly Tropper is flying the next day and finishes her shift at eleven thirty.; Griff’s story about his grandfather hanging himself from the elm is admitted to be untrue.; Louisa’s plan to take Pashkin in his suite collapses when she is disarmed outside the cloakroom.