“I find that I lent him £100 first of all. Two months after that—he not having repaid anything—I lent him £200. Then there was a further item of £300 in April, part of which he seems to have paid back to me later on in order to square up for the interest which he hadn't paid.”
“What security had you for these loans?”
Again the moneylender's eyes narrowed for a moment; but his manner betrayed nothing.
“Up to that time, I was quite satisfied with his prospects.”
“And after that he borrowed more from you?”
“Apparently.” Spratton made a pretence of consulting the file. “He came to me in June for another £500, and of course the interest was mounting up gradually.”
“He must have been making the money fly,” Flamborough suggested with a certain indifference. “I wish I could see my way to splash dibs at that rate. It would be a new experience. But when it came to figures of that size, I suppose you expected something better in the way of security?”
Despite the Inspector's casual tone, the moneylender seemed to suspect a trap.
“Well, by that time he was in my books for well over a thousand.”
He appeared to feel that frankness would be best.