What…
And you are?
I've come about the money.
Jamal's or Demetrio's?
Demetrio's.
Tell the greedy arsehole to go fuck himself.
The first of the month, that was the arrangement.
Will do.
Might not mention the bit about fucking himself though. Huh?
You know how sensitive he is.
This language school setup, it fool anyone?
So, now we are having a conversation, huh?
Well, I need to stay long enough to convince Demetrio
that we discussed the ins and outs of your financial obligations.
He's outside?
Yeah, he's in the car.
You weren't actually on today's list.
Yeah, we just happened to be passing.
It's busier than it looks. The school.
We get a lot of inquiries. You'd be surprised.
You'll be surprised how little that surprises me.
Surely Demetrio will be wondering where you are.
No. He'll be reading the paper, scratching his balls.
You know Demetrio.
Not as well as you.
Probably not.
Which is strange, huh?
As I just made him up.
So, if you have finished playing games,
would you mind either fucking off or telling me what you want, Jackson Lamb?
So, what do you want with me?
A little chat about old times, Nikky.
Everything I knew, I gave up when I came in from Moscow.
Oh, yeah. I remember.
Yeah, I saw the tape of your debrief.
You… Couldn't shut you up.
I… Are there things living in this?
I was fucking nervous, okay? Walking in as a defector.
Knowing if I don't give you enough, you throw me back out.
What do you think my side would have done with a traitor?
The ultimate torture, made you listen back to yourself.
Do you… D… You sleep here as well?
That is grim.
Why are you here?
What is it you want me to talk about?
Cicadas.
Is it really worth locking this place up? A burglary could improve it.
How do you know me? I never met you in the field.
I'd have remembered your perfume.
Amongst my fellow exiles,
your name has come up on more than one occasion.
I'm flattered.
Well, the next time you see your old KGB mates,
tell them I never think of them.
Not once.
Hey, has anything else come through
on where the bald man went after he got off the train?
I'm not your PA.
I'm not asking you to get me a pain au chocolat.
I'm asking for an intel update.
Why do you need an intel update?
Because I'm in the Cotswolds.
Lamb wanted me on the trail while it was still warm.
So, if there is an update, it would be handy to know.
So, I am your PA?
Only if it stands for "prickly arsehole."
There is no update. I told you everything we know earlier.
Bald guy walks towards the taxi office with a few other passengers.
Some cabs drove off, but it was too dark to see which, if any, he was in.
Thank you, Shirley.
I'm only telling you so you'll stop bickering like a pair of absolute cocks.
I don't bicker. I play judo with words.
No worries, Dinah. Barbek can help you with the bags.
Yes, onto the train. I'll tell him. I got it all written down now.
All right, then.
Whereto, my love?
Hi. Sorry. Don't actually need a car.
It's a bit of a long shot this,
but I'm actually just trying to track down my uncle.
He's been a bit erratic since my aunt died.
He goes walkabout all the time. It's really quite worrying.
All we know is that he got on a train two nights ago from Oxford Parkway,
and we just haven't heard from him since.
So, I wondered if he had gotten off here
and maybe come in and ordered a cab.
He's quite distinctive looking.
He's completely bald, quite a big man, 50s.
I remember.
- Yeah? - Yeah, quiet night.
Couple of days back, and he was the last fare.
Oh, thank God.
Do you remember where he went, then?
I do. He went straight back to Oxford Parkway.
Did he really? Right.
Do you think maybe I could speak to the driver,
just to double-check exactly where he dropped him?
Kenny's on a run right now,
but he'll be having his brekkie in the caff around the corner after.
- Kenny. Right. - Yeah.
- Thanks very much. Thank you. - That's all right, love.
So, who are we meeting again?
Should be in your head by now, Min.
No, it is in my head. I'm just… I'm testing you.
Nevsky.
Nevsky's representative, whose name is Russian?
Fuck's sake, Min.
Sorry. It's just…
It's been a while since I've had to remember anything important, sorry.
Yeah. Pashkin. Arkady Pashkin.
That's who we're meeting.
That's Nevsky's representative, isn't it?
Eventually, but today we're meeting Pashkin's security.
- Are they in here too? - Oh, my God.
Okay.
- Piotr. - Right, yes.
- Kyril, who work for Pashkin… - Okay. Yes, I get it, yeah.
- …who works for Nevsky. Got it? - Yes. Yes.
- Need some flash cards? Okay. - No, thank you. It's fine.
- Where are you going? - I'm gonna cycle.
Oh, no. Come on, Min, there's no time.
I'll wisp through the traffic. It's fine. I'll be quick.
Okay. Well, you better not be late.
I won't be late for old Lenin and Rasputin. Don't worry.
It's all in my head.
So, Sally tells me
that you took my uncle back to Oxford Parkway two days ago.
I took a lot of people to Oxford Parkway two days ago.
I get the impression that you're trying to get me to give you money, Kenny.
That's not very public-spirited of you, seeing as my uncle is not a well man.
I don't think your uncle wants you to find him.
So, you did take him back to Oxford Parkway.
I don't think he's your uncle either.
Right.
Didn't take him to Oxford Parkway.
So, where did you take him, Kenny?
You got more in there?
- How much is this gonna cost? - Well, that's the thing.
Your uncle, or whatever he is to you,
as soon as he gets in the cab, he gives me a new destination.
But he pays me the fare to Oxford Parkway plus a little bit more,
so if someone comes looking,
I'm to tell them I took him to Oxford Parkway.
So, I'd feel like I was breaking a deal.
- Unless… - Unless I pay you what he did.
You catch on quick.
And how much was that?
200.
Tw…
Cashpoint over there.
Call it 240, why don't we?
Double Scotch, and a red wine.
House red? Got merlot, cabernet or…
No. The shittiest one. Ta.
Put another one in there.
Cicadas.
Why did you mention them in your debrief?
I thought it was an ace up my sleeve. But nobody seemed to care.
I want to know what you would have gone on to say
if they hadn't had lost interest.
I would have told them… I heard Popov's plans for the cicadas,
from the man himself.
You don't believe me?
Go on then. Talk.
It was an ordinary workday.
Not long before the Wall came down.
I was in the cubicle.
The conversation I overheard was between two men.
The first one said, "I don't want my cicadas abandoned.
The funding, the support, must continue."
And the other said, "It will be hard."
Then the first one said, "Tell them this is from Popov."
- That was it? - Yeah.
They stepped in, exchanged these words, stepped out.
What did he look like? Popov and his goon.
I told you. I was in a cubicle.
- I mean, didn't you turn your head? - It was toilet cubicle.
You overheard all this while you were taking a shit?
I assume.
That wasn't the memorable part of the experience.
Did you recognize the voices?
Not the one I took to be Popov.
But the other one was maybe familiar.
But I cannot be sure.
Name?
Andrei Chernitsky.
And what did he look like?
Like a killer.
If you saw his eyes… from a distance too.
A big bull. A big bald bull.
Hey.
- Nice of you to show up. - Just getting the miles in.
- I said you'd be late. - Oh, come on.
- I'm here on time, aren't I? - No, "on time" means 20 minutes early.
- You know that. - Okay.
I had to do the whole security lap by myself.
Sorry.
Right, that looks like them. Piotr and Kyril.
Who are they again?
Not funny.
Okay.
Well, let them come to us.
So, we understand that Mr. Pashkin arrives tomorrow.
He is in New York right now.
We will liaise with you on security for the meeting.
You doing a bug sweep?
Yes. We'll do that the day before.
We'll sweep for bugs, disable the cameras and seal the room.
We will accompany you.
Well, that won't be necessary.
No, it is.
What, you don't trust us?
Look, mister…
- Sorry, I've… - Harper. It's Min Harper.
You say it like, "Bond. James Bond."
Do all English agents say it like that?
We're with the Department of Energy.
Of course.
Okay, how about you both put your dicks away?
- Okay, dicks away. - Great.
And whilst we're about it, no guns either.
Guns?
Yes, like the ones that you're both carrying now.
We're not carrying guns.
You can come on the bug sweep. But no guns.
And after the sweep, you will present a report to Mr. Pashkin in his hotel.
Which hotel?
Ambassador.
What, you guys staying there too?
Once Mr. Pashkin arrives, we'll join him in The Ambassador, yes.
But for now?
Excelsior, Excalibur. Something like that.
Forgive me. I'm very stupid with names.
Well, good luck driving around every hotel in London beginning with "E."
You, I like you. You're funny.
Don't forget to let us know which hotel…
Of course. Is it possible to get a taxi from here?
Yeah. There's a taxi rank just in the corner over there.
Lovely to meet you.
- Well, I don't trust them. - You're not supposed to.
It's part of the game.
Min, all that matters is that we do our job.
- What are you doing, Min? - Doing my job.
Sorry! I'm sorry!
I saw you.
You got here first then left to keep me waiting.
Well, that's because I knew you were watching and waiting
so you could arrive after me.
What a pair we are. Made for each other.
If this bench marks my coat, I'm going to send you the cleaning bill.
You can get coats cleaned?
Yeah.
Coats cleaned, teeth fixed, hair washed.
I know it's news for you.
I've been busy lately.
It's possible I've let myself go.
What do you want with Nikolai Katinsky?
Did he go crying to Mummy?
Promise I didn't hurt him.
Although I'm not sure all that booze I bought him did him much good.
You can talk.
I wanted to go over a few points from his debrief.
That was almost 20 years ago.
Katinsky was from the shallow end.
No information that we didn't have already from other reliable sources.
We were only hanging on to him because of the swaps.
Dickie Bough dropped dead the other night.
I know.
Dogs went over it. It is what it looked like.
Old drunk drops dead. Cautionary tale.
Well, he left a note on his phone. Cicada.
Jesus.
Now the only ex-KGB to offer us anything on cicadas was Katinsky.
Cicadas was a nonsense.
Katinsky overheard someone talking about cicadas, back in Moscow.
About keeping them in place after the fall.
That someone was Popov.
Popov was a nonsense.
Now, the person talking to Popov
matches the description of the person I think killed Dickie Bough.
What?
I thought you were Billy Big Bollocks tracking a murderer.
What you doing at a cashpoint? You off to a strip club?
How did you find me?
Service phones are trackable.
Okay, why did you find me?
Bored.
'Cause he's got a mental age of seven.
I'm paying the taxi driver because he knows something.
Knows how to spot a sucker.
Brilliant. Okay, bye now, Roddy.
Keep up the vital work shitting on everyone else from the sidelines.
What were you gonna say?
I was gonna flame him with a blitzkrieg of zingers.
Is that a second breakfast?
Well, you were taking your time.
Right. Where did you drop him?
Upshott.
What's "Upshott"?
Couple of hundred houses, a church, and a pub.
- Right. Where in Upshott? - Church.
Did he meet anyone?
Not that I saw.
Well, did he get in a car? Did you see him go in a house? What did he do?
Once he's paid the fare and got out the cab, I lose interest.
Well, you might have seen something as you drove off.
Well, I didn't.
Who is he?
How'd he know you was coming to look for him?
He's my uncle.
I am trying to deal with 100,000 people marching to shut down the city
and a Home Secretary who wants them to riot,
so he can go big on law and order.
I do not need you digging around the past.
Well, it's not really the past, Diana. Is it? Dickie's lying on a slab right now.
- Well, what was Dickie to you? - Nothing.
I didn't even like the grubby little fucker.
But that's not the point.
He was a joe, and that counts for something.
Not to you and the stiffs at the Park.
But I'm gonna get the bastard that got him.
And how do you think you're gonna do that?
You don't have the resources or the budget to run an op from Slough House.
- No. But you're gonna approve one. - Why?
Well, for one thing, your boy Spider's been poaching my team,
and I feel I'm owed payment in kind for that.
Not that the two in question are worth shit,
but you understand the principle.
Do you seriously think I'm gonna let you go live
just because Webb is using one of, what you call, your shit horses?
I need a workable cover, Diana.
I can put one together myself,
but it will take a week or two, and I need it now.
I also need a… an operating fund.
I don't know. A couple of K should do it.
You owe me.
I do this and it's done and dusted…
- Absolutely. - Right?
Wipe the slate clean.
You might wanna wipe your coat while you're at it.
I think you sat in some bird shit.
It's Kenny from the taxi.
Someone showed. I told them the church like you said.
Now send me my money.
Who'd you call, Kenny?
Who you…
Oh, fuck.
What the f…
Don't you fucking dare.
Okay, Kenny…
you're really starting to piss me off now.
So let's make this quick.
Either I choke you till you pass out,
or I can make you throw up all over your lovely taxi.
Or you could just open your mouth.
Good choice.
You're a greedy man, Kenny. Two breakfasts and this.
Right. So would you like to tell me where you dropped him?
I took him to an airfield.
Is that the truth?
Yes.
Okay.
- Let's go there then. - Fuck.
Oh, shut up. Just breathe in and out, in and out.
You'll be fine. Let's go.
So, it was the same guy on this number that you drove to the Flying Club?
I don't know. I left a message.
He told me if someone showed and challenged the Oxford Parkway story,
I should tell them I dropped him at the church,
and they'd pay me some more money.
Right. How much? And how were they gonna pay you?
500 quid. Via PayPal.
F… Well, that account will be linked to a fake ID.
That will be impossible to trace.
What are you?
A copper?
Don't worry. I'm one of the goodies, if that's what you're asking.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
The bald man, on the other hand, not so sure.
- Would you like a beverage, sir? - No, he wouldn't. Thank you.
Slow Horses.
What have you heard?
Well, nothing from you.
- They're handy for deniability. - So are you.
Maybe I should send you to Slough House.
I've been putting something together.
I've used the Slow Horses to insulate you. I think you'll like it.
Making it sound like a surprise party.
I hate surprises, and I don't like parties.
I've been exploring the possibility of a meet
between you and Ilya Nevsky.
Right.
Nevsky is off-limits. You should know that.
We have an arrangement with Moscow.
We don't engage with him. They don't kill him.
So I imagine you have a good reason
for wanting to destabilize international relations.
We hedge our bets.
We don't wanna needlessly antagonize the current regime
by cozying up to one of its major critics.
But equally, we don't want a President Nevsky one day taking power
with a grudge against Britain 'cause we never helped him.
We've stopped them from seizing his assets.
- He should be grateful for that. - And I know he appreciates that.
He's just wondering if we might do more to bring about change.
How do you know this?
I was approached by a cutout
who put me in touch with Nevsky's number two, Arkady Pashkin.
- We're meeting on Saturday. - Who else knows?
- Nobody. - Harper? Guy?
All they know is they're running security.
Keep going.
I want regular updates. All the details. Good and bad.
Of course.
And if the Slow Horses misbehave, you can send them back to Lamb.
Only you can go with them.
Ma'am.
Bit out of our price range, I'd say.
Unless we sell a couple of kidneys… Your kidneys.
- You're such a… - What?
- Hello, you. Hello? - Yeah, what?
Is this 'cause I went off and followed them?
'Cause they didn't spot me.
Did you find out where they were going?
No. Not exactly.
So you could have just been killed for nothing then.
I was on my bicycle.
Anyway, I smashed my calorie burn by mid-morning.
- That's not funny. Not funny anymore. - I'm not saying it was.
Thousands of people cycle in London every day. They don't all get killed.
Most of them aren't middle-aged idiots trying to prove a point, are they?
Anyway, I proved my point
because the reason they mumbled the name of the hotel is
'cause they're staying in a doss house on the Edgware Road.
You don't know for sure. You said you lost them.
Well, okay, but thereabouts.
Who lives here then?
Ilya Nevsky. Here.
The boss of the guy that Spider's gonna meet.
So whilst you were having your little midlife crisis,
I decided to do some actual work.
Okay. Pretend we're looking at maps.
Over there, back there maybe?
- I think it was that way. - I think it's this way.
I don't think Spider would want us here.
Spider asked us to run background security.
I'm running background security. I want to see how paranoid he is.
Which is very.
God, if you were that security-conscious,
and wanted a secret meeting, would you go through a guy like Webb?
It is under the radar, isn't it? It's not going through the usual channels.
All right. Can you not tear off like that again, please?
I won't.
- How much further then? - 'Bout half a mile.
So did he say anything else, our man, or did he just give you instructions?
What, like small talk?
- Yes. - No.
- What accent did he have? - I don't know!
- Polish, maybe. - Right. Polish specifically?
All right, Czech then.
Jesus Chri… There is a difference, you know.
- Well, I'm not an expert, am I? - No. No way.
Right, so he got on a plane?
I don't know.
- What do you mean you don't know? - He got out and went into the club.
- And did he meet anyone in there? - Don't know.
There's that "don't know" again. It's really annoying.
Who did he meet?
There was a car parked up. It could have been his.
Right. Did you get a make of the car or a plate?
I didn't take much notice. I was texting my missus.
Telling her I was calling in sick the next day as I'd had a windfall.
- Right, how far is Upshott from here? - About two miles that way.
Okay.
Here.
You're not going to speak to my wife, are you?
Why? What else have you done?
I told her it was less that I got.
Blew a couple of hundred on the dogs.
Still, I made that back off you.
Right.
Well, you can stay here and take me back to the station after.
For free.
Roddy. Can you trace a mobile number?
Well, obviously.
I think I've got Dickie's killer's number.
I'm waiting.
Right, it's 0700-900-917.
Well, what you got there is a missing digit.
Can you check it's not the one stuck up your arse?
No, it's not missing. It just… It…
It got a bit smudged, all right?
So that's 07 and then, yeah, that could be a one or a seven.
So just run both of them.
Get out of my ear, and I'll get back to you.
Did he say whose number it was?
- Sorry, who are you again? - That's Lamb's joke. Dick.
Roddy, could we hurry this along?
- Guess where the phone is. - Estonia.
Hey.
- He's in Estonia. - All right.
Well, I think I know how he got there. I'm at Upshott Flying Club.
Hold on. I'll ring you back.
Kenny…
Oh, fuck.
Yes, you've got lovely abs.
- You think? - Yeah.
Why, thank you.
What do you wanna order for dinner?
Shit. Sorry…
What?
Well, I can't 'cause I promised Lucas I'd take him for dinner tonight.
Are you joking?
No. I'm allowed to see my son, aren't I?
Yes, you're allowed to see your son. Don't do that.
But we're supposed to be working. We've got the bug sweep tomorrow.
I know. But, it's fine. It will be fine.
- I did tell you. - No, you didn't tell me.
And I don't want it just to be fine. I want it to be perfect.
- I really did tell you. - Then how come I can't remember?
- Well, perhaps you've forgotten. - Really? I'm the one that forgets things?
Oh, really? That's quite boring, the whole "Min forgets things" shit.
No, I'm sorry. This is actually fucking annoying.
It's been ages since I've done a bug sweep,
you've probably never done one, and we need to brush up.
Well, I thought we already did brush up?
Oh, fuck off. You deliberately didn't tell me you were going out later
so I'd still have sex with you. Come on.
I mean, you're crediting me
with a level of calculation I do not possess.
Okay, sure. Yeah. You're an instinct man.
Like when you took off on your bicycle
because a bodyguard couldn't remember the name of his hotel.
- I was being professional. - No, you weren't.
You were being a dick, and it could have cost us the detail.
Right. Well, I don't even know if I wanna do this detail.
I don't know if I wanna work for Spider.
So you'd rather stay at Slough House working for Lamb?
That's you all over. Take the easy way out.
- Slough House isn't easy. - You do what you wanna do.
I'm not gonna end my career at Slough House.
Did I say I want to end my career at Slough House?
You said you preferred to stay there than work for Spider.
No, I said I didn't know if I wanted to work for Spider.
I don't know what I said. Why are we arguing?
Because you're going out when we should be working.
You're being a bit ridiculous. I'm not going to see another woman.
- I'm taking my son out. - As if you could get another woman.
Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.
- Didn't mean it. - Look, fair enough.
I can come back later, and we can work on this.
Or maybe it's best I just stay at mine tonight.
- Yeah, okay. Whatever you think is best. - Right. Bye.
River said he flew from Upshott.
I've checked the radar logs. Not at that time and date he didn't.
He flew commercial.
It must have been a morning flight. Heathrow's closest.
- Stay in your lane, Standish. - Sorry?
I'll track him. Relax. You do your thing, and I'll do mine.
My thing being making sure there's enough tea and bin liners
and handing out tasks you think I couldn't do myself?
I didn't wanna say it.
Fuck's sake, Ho. Who tracked Dickie Bough's killer on the CCTV?
The CCTV I hacked?
But you couldn't decipher what was on it 'cause that would involve reading people.
- She did that. - She got lucky. She's not an agent.
She's been around enough agents. She knows what she's talking about.
First flight out to Estonia
was nine hours after he was dropped off at Upshott.
Pull up CCTV footage of all flight check-in desks to Estonia.
Hello, buddy. Where are you?
Your mum's right. You do need to get that finished, don't you?
So, that's okay.
Yeah, well, let's speak tomorrow then.
Okay, I love…
You took your time.
Yeah. Well, I had to walk five miles. Thanks very much.
At least this time you've finished eating.
- Unlucky. - Great.
So what have you got?
Well, whatever his name is,
Dickie Bough's killer is now actually in Estonia.
But before he left, he made contact in Upshott.
- Who with? - Don't really know yet,
but it's definitely someone at the Flying Club.
And how do you know all this?
Well, he paid a taxi driver to cover for him, but I managed to break him.
I got the number that he gave him, which is now showing in Estonia.
So he knew someone would come looking.
And he took steps to cover his trail too.
Or he wanted the trail found.
How'd you jump to that?
Because if you uncovered the trail that quickly,
it couldn't have been that well-hidden.
Thanks.
So he kills Dickie…
in a way that doesn't even raise an eyebrow from the authorities,
but gets my attention.
But then he takes a taxi.
He could've hired a car with a fake ID
or, better still, stolen one.
Feels clumsy.
Why'd you think he'd wanna get your attention?
I don't know.
Sometimes the only way to work out why a trap has been set
is to walk into it.
Hope you've had your jabs. I'm putting you in the field.
Estonia?
You're not going to fucking Estonia.
You're going back to Upshott.
Find out who he spoke to at the Flying Club.
Find out if they're a cicada.
Here's your motor. Change of clothes are in the boot.
Here's your shiny new ID, cover story, funding package, and dossier.
Do not fucking lose it.
I had to swear undying allegiance to Darth Taverner to wangle that.
Dickie's killer's name is Andrei Chernitsky?
You already knew.
Yeah, cour… of course I knew.
Well, who's Nikolai Katinsky then?
Old KGB grind.
Came in after the fall.
He gave me Chernitsky.
Also has the added distinction of being the only other human being,
apart from the late Dickie Bough,
who claims to have seen Alexander Popov.
It's all in there.
What?
It's exciting.
From Upshott with love.
You know, "cicada" was a term for a sleeper
on the dark side of the Wall.
On our side, we called them dead lions.
But why now though?
That's what I don't understand. Why, you know, stay asleep this long?
Yeah, they play a long game, the Russians.
Have an incredible capacity for pain and sacrifice…
and grudges.
Fuckers never quit.
Check out this Flying Club business, yeah?
Yeah, I already did.
Man who owns it is a Duncan Tropper.
But he's got no known relatives beyond grandparents.
So, kinda feels to me like a classic red flag for a legend.
Well, it used to be.
I mean, the more blanks, the more suspicious it is.
I don't know, maybe this feels too suspicious.
- What does that actually mean? - Well, maybe he's expecting you.
All right, come on. Let's move.
I don't wanna be stuck out here all fucking night.
- You want me to drive you back to London? - No, thank you.
I am not spending two hours in a motor with you.
You can drop me at the station.
Right.
Fuck.
Mr. Harper, I think you're following me, yes?
I was just… I just…
You just what? You need more time to think up a story?
Do you feel what I have against your neck?
We have this proverb in Russia…
"A man who sticks his nose where it is not wanted
gets his head blown off."