First Impressions - RIVER CARTWRIGHT

Chapter 1

“Ma’am, I think we’ve got a problem?” The nervous desk sergeant wrung his hands as he hovered outside the open plan office door at Aldgate station. “It’s about the fella in the cells. He wasn’t taking the piss, he’s MI5. Well, sort of anyway.” DI Lexie Andrews looked up from her laptop,

“Shit. I’ll be down in 5. Move him to an interview room please. And for godsake remove the cuffs.”

River was bloody freezing, he’d been full of adrenaline – running as fast as his legs would take him when his mark had disappeared and he was left to crash head first into two police officers helping a tourist. Heart pounding, manic eyes and sweating he certainly hadn’t helped the cause of not getting arrested. And then there was the total lack of I.D. And the gun shoved into the back of his jeans.

Lamb was going to have a field day with this one. He was sat in the cell, legs splayed, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands when the cell door opened with a dull clunk. The young officer who’d booked him in was stood in the doorway with a set of keys.

“If you could come with me sir, we’re just going to one of the interview rooms and I’ll get rid of the cuffs.” Well, that hadn’t taken too long. His watch was sat somewhere in a locker, but he knew he’d only been in the cell for around an hour. The sun, which had been low in the sky when he was arrested, had just settled beneath the horizon.

“You ran my name and prints?”

“Yes sir, all confirmed.”

“So can’t I just go?”

“We’ll just be a couple of minutes, if that’s ok?” the officer looked so earnest, River hadn’t the heart to get too angry. He stood with a sigh and weaved through the dingy grey corridors. Within a couple of minutes, the door which had been left slight ajar was pushed open.

“Mr. Cartwright? Apologies – do you go by agent? I’m DI Lexie Andrews, I’m the only one left to come with the grovelling apology I’m afraid – the officers who arrested you originally have gone back out to a disturbance.”

“River is fine, I get it – no ID, no phone, they had no way to know who I really was. Not thoroughly anyway.”

“Thank you, that’s very gracious. You may not have had a phone, but they certainly did, and they’ll be reminded of that when they get back. It’s not like ‘I’m an MI5 agent’ is a common tactic for avoiding arrest around here.”

“No harm, gave me a chance to get my breath back.” River replied with a wry grin.

“Well, we are forever in your debt – if there’s anything you need from us in terms of feet on the ground, just give me a call.” Lexie slid her card across the table with an additional number handwritten across the top, “that’s my mobile number in case your request falls on deaf ears here.”

“Appreciate it, thank you.” Lexie reached into her back pocket and handed him his watch,

“I think this is all you were booked in with?”

“Yeah, helpfully my ID and phone are back at Slough House.”

“Your gun is locked away, I’ll get Lewis to give it back as you leave. I didn’t realise MI5 have an office over this way to be honest. Do you want a lift back, I’m on my way out anyway?”