Slough House

Joe Country / C05

Chapter 5

Book 6 Part One 6409 words POV: Diana Taverner, Louisa Guy, River Cartwright

Summary

Diana Taverner asks Richard Pynne why she was not told that Frank Harkness was in the country. Pynne has nothing; Taverner tells him Harkness is former CIA, once a Park liaison and later the head of a mercenary outfit run from a French chateau, and sends him to check with the DGSI. She takes his update on Snow White, the low-risk operation in which he runs Hannah Weiss, a double agent inside the BND, and dismisses him. Louisa Guy, driving home, telephones Clare Harper about her missing son Lucas, who left his phone behind but took his Fitbit, and agrees to look into his browsing history. At home she finds visits to a Pembrokeshire caterer, Paul’s Pantry, and to Caerwyss Hall, where a PR company called Bullingdon Fopp is listed as a client; she asks Clare for the paperwork. In Slough House, River Cartwright pins Harkness’s passport photograph to his wall while the slow horses review what they know: Harkness booked a Travelodge in Stevenage, and Coe matched three other men on the ferry, all on Annex C. Lamb sets Roddy Ho to find them. Taverner then receives Oliver Nash, gives him a paragraph of Harkness’s history and hears that the PM has rejected her working paper. That evening Louisa persuades Emma Flyte to help, and Emma agrees to approach Roddy Ho.

Beats

  • C05S01 · Diana Taverner — Diana Taverner asked Richard Pynne why she had not been told that Frank Harkness was in the country, and watched him stall. She told him Harkness was former CIA, once a Park liaison and later a mercenary employer, and told him to check with the DGSI. She then took his update on Snow White, the low-risk operation running Hannah Weiss, and dismissed him. Not ten minutes later she saw Oliver Nash crossing the Hub towards her office.
  • C05S02 · Louisa Guy — Louisa Guy called Clare Harper from the car and asked about Lucas’s movements, friends and phone. Lucas had left the phone at home but taken his Fitbit. Louisa asked for his browsing history and, at home, went through it: cricket, YouTube, retailers, then Paul’s Pantry and Caerwyss Hall in Pembrokeshire, and a PR company, Bullingdon Fopp, listed as a client of the hall. She asked Clare for the paperwork.
  • C05S03 · River Cartwright — River Cartwright pinned the photocopied passport of Jay Featherstone to his office wall and went back over the meeting in Lamb’s room, where Ho reported a Travelodge booking in Stevenage and Coe named three other men off the same ferry, all on Annex C: Anton Moser, Lars Becker and Cyril Dupont. Lamb told Ho to find them. Left alone, River hit the photograph with his fist, got a sore hand, and returned to brooding.
  • C05S04 · Diana Taverner — Diana Taverner received Oliver Nash, who asked who Harkness was and whether the Service had had Cartwright killed. She gave him a paragraph: Harkness had worked liaison between Langley and the Park, then freelanced using assets taken from the dressing-up box. Nash reported that the PM had rejected her working paper and advised her to wait. She saw him out, pleased that he believed himself in charge.
  • C05S05 · Louisa Guy — Louisa Guy rang Emma Flyte, a week out of the Service, and asked her to go into the Park and have a Hub worker trace Lucas Harper’s Fitbit. Emma refused, called it a sackable offence, poured a large Malbec and asked her questions instead. Louisa said Lucas’s father was a long time ago and let slip that she would rather not owe Roddy Ho. Emma worked out the rest, was played into it, and agreed to ask Ho herself.

People

  • Diana Taverner — First Desk at Regent’s Park; questions Pynne about Harkness, briefs Nash and sends him away believing he is in charge.
  • Richard Pynne — Hub shift manager and Hannah Weiss’s handler; has no information on Harkness and is sent to the DGSI.
  • James Webb — Late Service officer described as Taverner’s earlier favourite.
  • Frank Harkness — Former CIA officer, one-time Park liaison and later the head of a mercenary outfit; seen at David Cartwright’s funeral.
  • Hannah Weiss — Pynne’s joe, believed by the BND to have infiltrated the Civil Service but in fact working for the British.
  • Martin Kreutzmer — Hannah Weiss’s German handler and Pynne’s opposite number at the BND.
  • Oliver Nash — Chair of the Limitations Committee who visits Taverner and reports the PM’s rejection of her working paper.
  • Louisa Guy — Slow horse on leave who starts looking into the disappearance of Lucas Harper and recruits Emma Flyte.
  • Clare Addison — Lucas’s mother, who asks Louisa for help and sends his browsing history.
  • Lucas Harper — Seventeen-year-old missing boy who left his phone behind but kept his Fitbit.
  • River Cartwright — Slow horse who pins Harkness’s passport photograph to his wall and wants to go after him.
  • Jackson Lamb — Head of Slough House; vetoes contacting border control and sets the team to tracing Harkness’s companions.
  • Catherine Standish — Slough House’s administrator, who remarks that Louisa is on leave.
  • Roderick Ho — Slough House’s computer specialist, tasked with finding the three men off the ferry.
  • Shirley Dander — Slow horse who suggests the funeral target was the Limitations Committee’s new boss.
  • JK Coe — Slow horse who ran face recognition on the Southampton arrivals and produced the three names.
  • Marcus Longridge — Slow horse whose killing is attributed to Frank Harkness.
  • Lech Wicinski — New slow horse who asks who Marcus was and explains Annex C.
  • Claude Whelan — Former First Desk who was in charge during the Westacres bombing.
  • David Cartwright — The dead former First Desk whose funeral Harkness attended.
  • Emma Flyte — A week out of the Service and unemployed; agrees to ask Roddy Ho for help.
  • Devon Welles — Hub colleague Louisa suggests Emma could ask instead.

Places

  • Regent’s Park — Service headquarters, known as the Park, where Taverner’s office and the Hub are.
  • Slough House — The Service’s dumping ground for disgraced officers, where Lamb’s team works.
  • Pegsea — Welsh town where the caterer Paul’s Pantry is based and Lucas Harper’s Fitbit later places him.
  • Caerwyss Hall — Corporate weekend-retreat manor near Pegsea, with Bullingdon Fopp listed as a client.
  • St Leonard’s — Church Taverner calls the spooks’ chapel, and says no editor will print it.
  • Westacres — Site of a bombing, mentioned in connection with Harkness’s last British appearance.

Lines worth keeping

“Why didn’t I know that Frank Harkness was in-country?” — Diana Taverner, Opening question to Richard Pynne in her office.

“Then you need a bigger dish.” — Diana Taverner, Response when Pynne says Harkness is not on his radar.

“Try doing that with a rolled-up copy of the internet.” — Jackson Lamb, Reported remark on why he keeps telephone directories on his desk.

“Harkness might have a hands-off agreement with the Park. But he doesn’t have one with me.” — Jackson Lamb, After Coe confirms Harkness is Annex A and therefore untouchable.

“He’s the reason Marcus was killed” — Catherine Standish, Quiet remark during the meeting in Lamb’s room.

“We’re having a girly chat.” — Louisa Guy, Denying to Emma Flyte that the phone call was a plan.

Threads

  • Plants: Lucas Harper’s Fitbit is still on him and internet-enabled, and Louisa has its registration number.; Bullingdon Fopp appears both in Lucas’s browsing and as a listed client of Caerwyss Hall.; Coe’s three ferry arrivals, Anton Moser, Lars Becker and Cyril Dupont, may be Harkness’s team; Ho is set to trace them.; Shirley Dander suggests the funeral target was Oliver Nash, the Limitations Committee’s new chair.; Taverner’s ‘Boris’ stratagem: give Nash something important to do so he believes he is in charge.
  • Payoffs: The photocopied Southampton passport is confirmed as Frank Harkness, River’s father.; Harkness’s old deal with the Park explains why he is regarded as untouchable.; Louisa’s absence from Slough House is accounted for: she is on leave and has taken on the search for Lucas Harper.
  • Continuity: Lucas Harper is seventeen, left his phone at home and took his Fitbit.; Harkness booked a Travelodge room in Stevenage using a hire-car credit card.; River’s mother lives in Brighton; Lamb doubts she is the target.; Marcus was killed; Lech Wicinski does not know who he was.; The PM has rejected Taverner’s working paper and the Service is short of money.; Emma Flyte has been unemployed a week and her calls are unreturned.; Louisa is due a week away from work and has three glasses of wine over the evening.

Characters

Places