Joe Country / C00
Prologue
Summary
An unnamed man and his companion walk away from a burning barn somewhere in the Welsh countryside, having set the fire to erase their recent presence. The blaze drives a screaming owl out of the roof; the man watches it fall into the snow-laden trees and reflects that he should have expected it. His companion jokes about the bird, calling it a chicken, and the man says nothing. They climb a stile and take a footpath towards the coast, where the weather is coming in; the man plans to telephone his boss and arrange a meeting point. He notes that falling snow will cover their tracks, that the pillar of smoke will be blamed on local youths, and that the bodies will not be found until the flames die down and the blood on the snow has been trampled. He thinks about the dead woman’s torn jacket and the dead man’s inadequate clothing, and about the boss possibly having killed a kid that morning. He concludes that death has visited the area, that the opposition came from a department called Slough House, and that Slough House will need new slow horses.
Beats
- C00S01 · Narrator — The narrator follows an unnamed man and his companion away from a burning barn in Wales, where the fire was set to erase their presence and has driven a flaming owl into the trees. The man checks his pack and hood, notes that snow will cover their tracks and that locals will be blamed, and thinks about the woman and the man they killed. He plans to telephone his boss, then walks towards the sea, concluding that Slough House will need new slow horses.
Places
- Slough House — Named in the man’s thoughts as the department the dead man and woman came from.
Lines worth keeping
“But he was no arsonist; just following instructions.” — Narrator, The man explains to himself why the barn was burned.
“He wondered if it would set the wood ablaze.” — Narrator, The burning owl drops towards the snow-laden trees.
“The man was dead. The woman was dead.” — Narrator, The man’s summing-up of what death collected in the area.
“Slough House was going to need some new slow horses.” — Narrator, Closing line of the chapter.
Threads
- Plants: A man and a woman have been killed; their bodies will be found when the barn fire dies down.; The boss may have found and killed “the kid” that morning.; The dead pair came from Slough House, which will need new slow horses.
- Continuity: The companion mistakes the fleeing owl for a chicken; the man does not correct him.; The dead woman’s jacket was new and had a triangular tear on the right breast; the dead man was not dressed for the cold.; The pair are on foot, heading for the coast, and their tracks will be covered by falling snow.