Dead Lions

Lamb visits the drab offices of the Wentworth Academy, where he wakes a sleeping Russian man named Nikolai Katinsky. Lamb invents a vague cover story about “the money,” which satisfies Katinsky, who he remembers from an operation 18 years earlier. Lamb is pleasantly surprised to be “firing up a legend on the spot” (89). Inventing a cover story to extract information from Katinsky is a reinvigorating reminder of his old life. The debriefing of Katinsky only yields the mention of the Russian spy, Popov. Lamb asks Katinsky about Wentworth Academy, noting his secondhand clothes. The school is fake, Katinsky admits, as is Lamb’s cover story. His cover blown, Lamb explains that he wants a little talk. They retire to a local pub where Lamb asks for information about cicadas, a codeword last used by Katinsky in his debriefing. As they drink heavily, Katinsky talks openly. He was an unremarkable cipher clerk, but he overheard the word “cicadas.” Two men discussed the cicadas, claiming that they were Popov’s baby. Cicadas are insects that bury themselves for many years before surfacing. An operation with this codename may refer to agents in deep cover, buried in foreign countries like cicadas in the ground. As Katinsky suffers from a coughing fit, Lamb suggests that the incident was an attempt to keep the Popov myth alive. This is not the first incident of undercover agents in London, Katinsky notes. Lamb makes a derisive remark and leaves.

Shirley travels through the country to find information. She bribes a taxi driver in a small town for information about a bald man he may have picked up. Shirley has been awake all night using cocaine. She stole CCTV footage from the digital archive facility where Cal Fenton works and spent the night searching it for any clues. The video footage brought her to this village in the Cotswolds. The driver explains the bald man’s strange behavior, including a violent reaction after mistaking the name of his destination. The driver was adamant that he did not mishear the original destination. The driver left him there. As Shirley leaves, the driver calls a telephone number and tells the person on the line that a young woman came to question him.

Louisa and Min arrive at a meeting with two members of the Russian delegation, Kyril and Piotr, as arranged by Webb. Piotr does most of the talking as Louisa explains the local rules and expectations, including a rule against carrying guns. The two Russians explain where they will be staying, and Min suspects that Piotr is flirting with Louisa. As they leave in a cab, Min grabs his bicycle and follows them across London. The chase is dangerous, and Min hears a voice that sounds like Louisa warning him against such reckless behavior. Min struggles to keep sight of the cab. He consoles himself with the license plate and calls Catherine, asking her to track the plate.

Ho is angry that a woman on the internet lied to him, though he was already lying to her. Catherine asks him to track the license plate of the cab Min chased through London. She surprises Ho by revealing that she knows that he usually only pretends to work. Catherine notes that Ho does not “get people”; she does not know much about computers, but she knows that Ho is exactly the kind of person who would create a program to trick his bosses into thinking that he was working. She will not tell anyone, she says, but expects him to be “a little more flexible in helping out with research in future” (120). 

Min returns to Louisa. She is angry at him for being so reckless, but they now have the address of the Russians’ hotel. Min insists that they cannot trust the Russians, as any failure in the mission may destroy their last chance to escape Slough House. They return to Slough House, where Lousia invites Min to spend the night at her house. Min wonders about Shirley’s assignment, which prompts a jealous comment from Louisa.

Lamb meets with Diana Taverner on a bench beside a canal. Lamb has compromising information on her most recent failures, so she is in his debt. The bench is such an obvious spot that no one, Lamb suspects, could imagine “any spook stupid enough to use it” (121). Taverner knows that he met with Katinsky, and she urges Lamb to abandon any interest in him or Popov. Then, she complains about office politics. Her boss is upset due to recent scandals. Lamb ignores her, claiming that he is planning an operation involving the cicada codename. He asks for a “workable cover,” funds, and personnel. Eventually, she concedes. Lamb explains his plan, which will take place in the Cotswolds. He does not tell her the whole truth.

Lamb invites River to buy him lunch. When Lamb explains why he is interested in the death of a “Berlin hand” like Dickie, River is reminded of Lamb’s potential as a formidable spy. Lamb believes that the destruction of Popov’s town was “no accident.” The Russian authorities believed a spy was in the nuclear facility, Lamb says, so they burned everything down to be sure that their secrets would not escape. The same Mr. B who killed Dickie, Lamb believes, may be connected to the Popov legend. Lamb plans to send River “into the field” (135), in Gloucestershire.

Min leaves Slough House, fearing he has ruined his relationship with Louisa. He wallows in self-pity until he is inspired to prove himself. He sets off to the address where Piotr and Kyril exited their taxi. Kyril is sitting outside a restaurant smoking a hookah pipe when Min passes. Kyril watches him, then leaves. Min pretends not to have seen Kyril, then trails him through the streets to a doss house. Kyril is aware that he is being followed and is confident that he could take on Min.

Diana Taverner closes the blinds in her office while she meets with James Webb, who explains that he has been “having talks” with Arkady Pashkin. He is a potential asset due to Pashkin’s dislike of the current political situation in Russia. Despite her better judgment, Taverner is intrigued. Webb is avoiding budgetary scrutiny by using Slough House. Taverner demands the “whole story” from Webb. He lies, telling her about the meeting arranged in the skyscraper. After Webb leaves, Taverner searches for information about Pashkin on the internet. The prospect of recruiting a high-profile billionaire oligarch like Pashkin appeals to her, fueling her rivalry with the head of MI5, Ingrid Tearney. Taverner leaves her office, opening her blinds to show that she has “nothing to hide” (143). Kyril confronts Min in an alley, accusing Min of following him. He and Piotr take Min to a small, cold room and force him to drink alcohol. They laugh with him in a friendly manner about his failure to shadow them with any subtlety. Min begins to warm to his hosts as they joke, feeling the alcohol take effect. An unnamed person enters, but Kyril distracts Min with more shots of vodka.

Lamb is drinking whisky in his office when Catherine appears. She has learned of a fuse box that was sabotaged the night before Dickie Bow died, meaning that the trains would be canceled and buses would be used instead. Catherine ignores Lamb’s insults, claiming that he wants her in Slough House because he is “paying off some debt” (146). Lamb’s secret guilt, she says, gives her an advantage. She suggests that the death of Dickie Bow is a thread dangled in front of Lamb to tempt him into action. Lamb insists that he already knew what Catherine knew. Cicadas had a relevance to him but “shouldn’t have meant anything to Bow” (151). The use of untraceable poison, Lamb claims, was an obvious attempt to catch his interest. The taxi driver was a “trip wire,” and Lamb knows that Shirley’s investigations were tracked. Catherine mentions the name Popov, then accuses Lamb of sending River into a situation that he knows is a trap. Catherine believes that Popov is a target Lamb will pursue relentlessly. Lamb assures her that no one will die.

Shirley wakes up unwell. She thinks back on the way her body crashed after she stopped taking cocaine. She has paranoid thoughts about Marcus. Craving sleep, she returns to the office. That night, she meets her drug dealer in a pub while thinking about the death of her career and her assignment to Slough House. She feels paranoid.

Nick Duffy, head of the dogs, is called out because a body has been found carrying a service card. A cyclist has been hit by a car. That the dead cyclist is from Slough House makes Duffy less interested in ensuring that there has been no foul play. Lamb and Catherine arrive and go straight to the body. Catherine asks Lamb who will tell Louisa that Min is dead.