That capsule from the pigeon

[thekumquat]

At the end of Thuggery, Patrick realises he has the capsule of drugs, presumably pretty pure cocaine, from the pigeon they found, and hands it to Peter, in exchange for his rosary being returned to him.
"Souvenir? Fair exchange is no robbery..."

What do people think would happen to it eventually?

My feeling is Peter would persuade Patrick to sell it to someone in London, as Patrick lives there most of the time and may well go to school there later, mostly because I can't conceive of any scenario where a certain P. Marlow plus an ounce of Class A substance doesn't go horribly wrong, but open to all suggestions.

Google suggests that wholesale cocaine in the early 80s was being sold for around £200 a gram, so I suspect they would be tempted to try to sell the stuff. Or would they chuck it in the river, never to be seen again until a swan started choking on it?

Comments

[lilliburlero]

Does this innocent enquiry mean you are writing more fic? Yes please!

I think there was a bit of discussion along these lines during the 2014-15 readthrough, including one horrifying scenario in which Peter hides it in the Shippen for it to be unearthed and sampled by an inquisitive Fob.

I'm thinking getting caught with that sort of quantity of coke with intent to supply carries a possible life sentence? And could even Anthony Merrick's machinations get them out of that one? *blanches* NO LADS JUST SAY NO

But also, so delicious as a fic prompt...

[thekumquat]

It may take a while - I wrote *one* little character study in response to an ignored prompt, happened to be sharing anecdotes of teenage clubbing experiences at the same time, looked up the name of the local dealer to see whether he'd become a management consultant, artist or dead, and turns out he is related to someone quite famous and some obsessed teenagers have produced quite the Wiki on him. And that much of what he gave people to believe at the time was pure bollocks.

Patrick Merrick meets someone who talks a lot of bollocks - that works...

Next thing I know I've got about 30k of novel fragments on my phone and *think* I know how to fit them together.

Don't hold your breath.

[thekumquat]

Looking it up, under 150g of cocaine is category 3 of 4 where 4 is least serious (up to 5g coke), and supply within the UK, if you aren't managing other people, 2-4 years. If making clear profit and involving others, 3-7.

If you have split it so have under 5g,then it's between a 'high level' community order and 3 years.

That's for adults. For the PM Society, a YOI is possible but unlikely, but there would be a criminal record from caution or discharge. Of course, they will, like you, probably assume life imprisonment is the standard response and act accordingly (recklessly...)

[lilliburlero]

I'm kind of relieved to know the courts don't actually wallop people as hard as I was imagining - I can never make much sense out of sentencing - but yes, I can totally see them catastrophizing (possibly in a way that involves their legendary firearms non-safety record, or the other one in the pair of Cousin Ambrose's throwing knives.)

[mrs_redboots]

Peter, being Peter, would probably either (a) put it on his dressing-table and forget about it, only to have it discovered by his mother tidying his room after he's gone back to school, or (b) also not really thinking, put it into his school trunk, to have it discovered by the matron at a routine drawer inspection..... In neither case would he have any idea of selling it - it wouldn't occur to him - but official panic ensues.

[mrs_redboots]

How does one edit comments? I meant to write "In neither case would he have any idea of selling or using it...."

[nineveh_uk]

I'm going to attempt the non-catastrophic version...

Peter's worst mistakes often seem to come when he is afraid of losing face. But that isn't a risk here. Patrick gave it to him, he can't ask for it back. No-one knows he has it and can dare him about it. Peter realises he doesn't know how to sell it himself, and though he is not the world's best amateur psychologist grasps that asking Patrick to sell it is a non-started because he would start to go off on something about leading people into sin*. He gets rid of the harness, which is something he doesn't want, shoves in in an envelope in a place that won't be looked for, and goes back to school.

Because Peter does in fact have one sensible friend! Selby. Back at Dartmouth he tells Selby what has happened. Should he dump the stuff or what? Selby being both sensible and possessed of fewer hang-ups than seemingly anyone else in the novel he grasps that they are in no position to sell it, that taking it to school would be disastrous, and that they should either get rid of it, keep it for the future (should e.g. Peter end up at University in stead of in the navy), or use it themselves. So next holidays he visits or Peter visits him that is just what the do. They have some extremely entertaining evenings and use the stuff over time, or if they worry about the risk, flush it down the loo.

*What he doesn't grasp is that Patrick has deliberately shoved it to Peter because otherwise he absolutely would have taken it himself.

Nice theory

[thekumquat]

I like this. I'm not convinced Selby is quite that sensible, just more sensible than Peter...

Of course a value of sensible that involves using uncut cocaine would fit that view nicely!

Agree Patrick quite likely shoved it onto Peter to resist temptation.

[jackmerlin]

Peter is still nervous about hunting in RAH, isn't he? Because what he could usefully do is use a pinch of cocaine on hunting mornings as the original 'jumping powder', and astonish his family by becoming rather a 'thruster' out hunting.

[thekumquat]

Genius!

[jackmerlin]

The Marlows are of course famous for thinking that rules that apply to other people don't apply to them; but I hope Peter and Patrick would see the hypocrisy involved in trying to sell the drugs themselves - having risked their own lives, and Lawrie's 'honour', in trying to stop Jukie and co selling them.
Using them, on the other hand, would be different. The capsule has fallen into their hands as it were; if they hand it in to the police it will only be destroyed. So I can see Patrick and Peter daring each other to try the cocaine - as an experience that they persuade themselves they really ought to try at least once. I can also see them rather pompously refusing to let Lawrie have a go though if she tried to join in - just think of the chaos Lawrie on cocaine could cause!