Grave Danger

Molly Doran arrives home and finds Frank Harkness waiting. He has previously used the name Mitch Philpott to obtain information about former officers, exploiting her recognition of a supposed colleague. Now he demands access to the Park’s systems. Molly tries to resist, but the threat of physical harm leaves her facing a visitor who already understands the organisation well enough to use her knowledge against it. The quiet authority she exercises in the archive offers little protection when he brings the threat into her own home.

Flyte has River in custody after finding him at David’s house. He asks her to circulate the photograph recovered at Les Arbres, arguing that it connects the men in France to the bombing. She sends it to Giti rather than leaving the evidence confined to their conversation. River also wants a short opportunity to speak to his grandfather. Those requests put Flyte between the person she is transporting and the senior officers expecting her to deliver him. Taking his evidence seriously does not mean she has accepted his right to run the investigation alone.

At headquarters, Whelan’s enthusiasm for transparency has collapsed as the implications of the cold-body identities become clearer. He and Taverner now share an interest in containing the scandal. His attempt to explain the situation through a presentation is interrupted by the information Giti has been asked to assemble. The photograph points towards a connected group rather than an isolated bomber. Meanwhile, Harkness’s access gives him a way to follow River’s movements. The officers debating what to conceal are themselves being watched through the systems they control.

Lamb and Catherine take David to his wife’s grave. Lamb uses the old man’s fear that he killed River to push him towards an explanation of the French exchange. David admits that the woman Chapman retrieved was his daughter. He supplied Harkness with what he wanted so that she could be brought home, despite knowing the kind of operation Harkness was building. The deal links a family rescue to resources that supported later violence. David’s desire to protect his own child has become part of the danger now surrounding his grandson.

The team at Slough House follows the attacker’s movements, using records and camera footage to find what happened after Lamb hit him with the taxi. Moira’s administrative contacts help move the search forward, while Coe punctures some of the assumptions sustaining his colleagues. Harkness leaves Molly alive with messages intended for senior people and sends Patrice back into action. Flyte’s convoy becomes the next target. A dustbin lorry crashes into a car and Patrice attacks the Dogs. He knocks Flyte unconscious and frees River from his restraint only to force him into another car’s boot. River’s transfer to official custody has ended in a new abduction.