Slough House

Joe Country / C06

Chapter 6

Book 6 Part One 8279 words POV: Richard Pynne, Catherine Standish, Roderick Ho

Summary

Richard Pynne stops for a drink in a pub off Great Portland Street after an afternoon spent on a false alarm over a missing Park contractor. Lech Wicinski takes the next stool, in breach of his HR letter, and asks him to run the name Peter Kahlmann through GCHQ’s trigger list before his hearing. Pynne bluffs with his rape alarm, promises to do the right thing, and privately decides to do nothing, and that Wicinski is a problem he can fix. Catherine Standish buys a bottle of Barolo and comes home to find Jackson Lamb in her flat among the bottles she has stockpiled. He throws one at her, coughs through a fit and says Taverner told her he killed Charles Partner; he has come to tell her how. As Partner’s joe he let slip that his Stasi asset Bogart was a woman, Partner sold the single syllable, three female Stasi officers were hanged with piano wire, and Lamb reported Cartwright’s use of the leak, which destroyed an officer bound for the FSB and left the way open for Putin. Lamb leaves without opening a bottle. Roddy Ho, watching Wicinski’s phone from home, is visited by Emma Flyte, who asks for help off the books; he agrees. Louisa Guy learns the Fitbit is in Pegsea, Pembrokeshire, and packs for Wales. Wicinski, turned out by Sara, sleeps at Slough House, where Lamb hands him a telephone connected to the Samaritans.

Beats

  • C06S01 · Richard Pynne — Richard Pynne stopped for a double gin and tonic in a corner pub off Great Portland Street after an afternoon of false alarm over a missing contractor. Lech Wicinski took the next stool, in breach of his HR letter, and asked Pynne to run the name Peter Kahlmann through GCHQ’s trigger list as evidence before his hearing. Pynne set his rape alarm on the bar and bluffed him out, then promised to do the right thing, decided to do nothing, and thought Wicinski a problem he could fix.
  • C06S02 · Catherine Standish — Catherine Standish locked up Slough House, bought a Barolo at the Wine Citadel and let herself into her flat to find Jackson Lamb seated among the unopened bottles stacked along every wall. He lobbed one at her, mocked the collection as an off-licence and coughed through a fit while she drank tap water and told him to leave. He said Taverner had told her he killed Charles Partner, and that he was there to tell her how it happened.
  • C06S03 · Roddy Ho — Roddy Ho sat before his four monitors watching a turd-shaped avatar mark Lech Wicinski’s phone outside a pub, having just used Lamb’s number. He broke off his Ho’s Hos project, in which he matched magazine models to their social media profiles and posted them dossiers. His door camera showed a blonde woman: Emma Flyte, who said her departure from the Service was a story meant to give her flexibility, and asked for help. He agreed.
  • C06S04 · Catherine Standish — Catherine Standish listened from her sofa while Jackson Lamb told her about Bogart, a Stasi officer who refused the passport package after the Wall fell. She guessed Partner had got Lamb drunk; Lamb said he had only to sell a single syllable, and three female Stasi officers of that rank were hanged with piano wire. He reported it to David Cartwright, who used Partner for a year to plant a rumour that finished an officer bound for the FSB. Lamb said Harkness would pay for the bodies in his yard.
  • C06S05 · Louisa Guy — Louisa Guy, on her third glass of wine, took a call from Emma Flyte, who had been to Roddy Ho and had the Fitbit traced. The coordinates put Lucas Harper at Pegsea in Pembrokeshire, and Emma added that this was in Wales. Louisa weighed her options, decided she was due a stupid idea, checked the weather, found snow forecast there, and went to pack.
  • C06S06 · Lech Wicinski — Lech Wicinski slept in his clothes in his Slough House office, having walked out of the flat after Sara confronted him about the child pornography allegations; he blamed Pynne’s phone call. Near dawn Lamb came in without a word, lifted the landline, dialled the Samaritans and held out the receiver, asking a pound a minute for the kitty. Lech looked at the live phone, then ripped it from its socket and hurled it at the wall.

People

  • Richard Pynne — Hub shift manager who spends the afternoon on a false alarm over a missing contractor, then drinks in a pub off Great Portland Street.
  • Diana Taverner — First Desk; Pynne’s afternoon fiasco ends with her telling him to go home.
  • Hannah Weiss — Pynne’s joe, whom he wishes he were meeting instead.
  • Lech Wicinski — Suspended slow horse who approaches Pynne for help and is later turned out of his flat.
  • Martin Kreutzmer — The name Wicinski wants run through GCHQ’s trigger list, spelled out letter by letter.
  • Catherine Standish — Slough House’s administrator, who comes home to find Lamb in her flat among her bottles.
  • Jackson Lamb — Head of Slough House; tells Standish how Charles Partner died and later hands Wicinski a telephone.
  • Charles Partner — Standish’s former boss, a traitor killed by Lamb, whose death she has been brooding on.
  • Roderick Ho — Watches Wicinski’s phone from his flat and is visited by Emma Flyte.
  • Kim Park — Roddy’s ex-girlfriend, who liked being called babes.
  • Emma Flyte — Believed to be out of the Service, working off the books; asks Roddy for help.
  • David Cartwright — The dead former First Desk; Lamb reported the leak to him and he used Partner for a year.
  • Molly Doran — Named by Lamb as the person who could say where the destroyed KGB officer is now.
  • Frank Harkness — The man Lamb says left bodies in his yard and will pay, whatever game the Park is playing.
  • Louisa Guy — Learns from Emma Flyte where the Fitbit is and decides to go to Wales.
  • Lucas Harper — The missing boy whose Fitbit has been traced to Pegsea.

Places

  • Regent’s Park — Service headquarters, where the hearing will be held and where Pynne works.
  • Slough House — The Service’s dumping ground for disgraced officers, where Wicinski sleeps in his office.
  • Pegsea — Welsh town where the Fitbit signal places Lucas Harper.

Lines worth keeping

“I believe the kids call it chillaxing” — Jackson Lamb, Standish finds him sitting in her living room.

“I’m here to push you over the edge.” — Jackson Lamb, Answering whether he has come to save her from the bottles.

“He only had to sell a single syllable.” — Jackson Lamb, Explaining how Charles Partner identified Bogart.

“Drink or don’t, but make your fucking mind up and do it quick.” — Jackson Lamb, His parting advice before he leaves her flat.

“I can help you out with anything.” — Roddy Ho, Greeting Emma Flyte at his door as babes.

“Quid a minute in the kitty when you’re done.” — Jackson Lamb, Handing Wicinski the telephone he has dialled to the Samaritans.

Threads

  • Plants: Pynne decides Wicinski is a problem he can fix, having promised to do the right thing.; Wicinski’s request stands: Peter Kahlmann’s name put through GCHQ’s trigger list before the hearing.; Lamb’s chest infection and coughing fits; he says antibiotics will clear it.; Lamb holds a stolen key to Catherine Standish’s flat.; Lamb says Harkness left bodies in his yard and is off the board, whoever is pulling his strings.; Roddy Ho’s front-door camera, fitted after the earlier robbery, catches Emma Flyte’s arrival.; Emma Flyte’s cover: her departure from the Service is a story meant to give her flexibility.; Louisa sets out for Wales with snow forecast.
  • Payoffs: The Fitbit registration number is traced to Pegsea, Pembrokeshire.; Taverner’s remark about Partner’s death, which Standish has been carrying, is answered by Lamb’s account of Bogart.; Roddy Ho’s use of Lamb’s number explains Lamb’s phone lying on the arm of Standish’s chair.; Wicinski’s earlier flagged-name search is identified as Peter Kahlmann.
  • Continuity: Standish has not drunk; her flat is lined with unopened bottles.; Lamb opens no bottle and takes none with him when he leaves.; An HR letter bars Wicinski from contact with Park staff until investigations are complete; the hearing is later this week.; Wicinski sleeps in his clothes at Slough House after Sara turns him out.; Louisa is on her third glass of wine; the next day is her first day of leave.; Pynne is told by Taverner, after the afternoon’s fiasco, to go home.

Characters

Places