Was indebted to (4)
I believe the answer is:
owed
'was indebted to' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for owed that I've seen before include "(Sum) due for payment" , "Was indebted" , "Was due to pay" , "to be paid" , "Was obliged to pay" .)