“As I mentioned when we were down there, your cousin owed a good deal more money than I do,” Thomas said. “Not only that, but his debt was his own, whereas mine came from my father. And what’s more, his debt was accumulated quickly, whereas mine came upon our family slowly over several years.”
“What difference does that make?” Henry asked.
“All of those things make someone a much more likely target for a debt collector,” Thomas said. “So it does surprise me that a debt collector is pursuing me now. It seems as though someone has decided to act at random, rather than waiting for the usual provocations.”
“Or perhaps Richard was the one who was treated unusually,” Duncan pointed out. “The fact that your cases are different proves nothing.”
“That is true,” Thomas said. “But Richard mentioned something else that caught my notice.”
“What’s that?”
“Crowle,” Thomas said. “Simon Crowle.”
“Who?”
“That’s the name of the debt collector who came for him,” Thomas said. “I’m not surprised you didn’t notice. He only mentioned it in passing. But it stood out to me, because Crowle’s name is never too far from my thoughts. Crowle is the debt collector who has been pursuing me as well. Of course I became alert when I heard the name.”
“But I don’t understand,” Duncan said, frowning. “Why would the same debt collector pursue you both? It doesn’t make sense. You live nowhere near one another.”
“You heard the way Richard described Crowle’s strategy,” Thomas said. “Crowle increases his demands on the people who owe him money, requiring that they pay him more and more, faster and faster, until they can no longer keep up. Eventually, they are forced to seek alternate means of income, under threat of harm to themselves, their lifestyles, or even their loved ones. Many turn to illegal activity.”
“Are you saying that Richard only resorted to his crimes out of a desire to protect himself and Lady Valeria?” Henry asked, frowning.
“I don’t know,” Thomas said. “I don’t know Richard. I. Don’t know what he would have done if left to his own devices. But I am convinced that Crowlewantedto see him turn to a life of crime. That way, he would know that he could always maintain control over Richard. He would know that he could insist on continued payments for the rest of Richard’s life, and that Richard would have to comply at the risk of having his crimes exposed.”
“I see,” Henry said.
“I believe Richard would have done what he did anyway,” Duncan said. “Our family didn’t see it coming, but we probably should have. It was the kind of person he was, even in childhood. He was always willing to break any rules, do whatever he had to do, in order to have his way. I didn’t expect him to do anything illegal, but I’m not at all surprised he did. I suppose he probably required only the slightest convincing from this Crowle man.”
Thomas nodded. “I can believe that of him,” he said. “And it wouldn’t be the same for me. I would resist, with everything I had. I don’t want to be sucked into a life of illegal activity.”
“But if Crowle threatened you—” Henry began.
“If he threatened me, it wouldn’t matter,” Thomas said. “But I see now that he might be willing to threaten the people I care about. He might be willing to threaten Lady Valeria. And of course I would do whatever was necessary in order to keep her from harm.”
The three men were silent for a moment, contemplating that.
“She was right,” Thomas said. “She was right to send me from her company, to keep her distance from me until this was all resolved. I’m far too dangerous for her to be around, at least until I’ve settled matters with Crowle.”
“But what do you intend to do?” Henry asked.
“Do you have the money to pay him back?” Duncan asked.
“No,” Thomas said. “Nowhere near it.” He had thought of selling a few of his possessions—that would get him partway there. But it wouldn’t be enough to erase his debt completely, and Crowle would keep coming for him.
He had had another idea—what he thought was a better one. But he wanted his friends’ opinions on it before he acted.
“What Crowle’s doing is illegal,” he said. “He’s more than just a debt collector now. He’s pressuring people into committing crimes for his own profit.”
“Yes,” Duncan said at once, and Thomas could tell that his friend had followed his thoughts. “You mean to turn him over to the constables.”
“If he can do it to those who owe him money, there is no reason I can’t turn around and do the same thing back to him,” Thomas said. “He’s never had to worry about retribution before, because by the time anyone really understood what he was doing, he already had his hooks in them. But this is different. He doesn’t have anything to hold over me yet. I can go to the constables and report him.”
“But… can you?” Henry asked, frowning. “I mean to say—would they believe what you told them?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Well, I don’t mean to be negative,” Henry said. “It’s just that it would be to your benefit, wouldn’t it, to see Crowle arrested or even hanged.”
