Chapter 9 — Evelyn dials the contractor using the business card — Until the contractor picks up and confesses to hiding the phone
Caleb picked up the printed paper receipt from the kitchen counter.
He scanned the black ink at the bottom of the page.
A direct mobile phone number was listed beneath the contractor’s company letterhead.
It matched the exact digits that had just sent the mocking text message.
Evelyn stood beside him, her chest heaving with lingering tension.
Call it again, she demanded, her voice shaking with anger.
Caleb pressed the green call button on the screen.
He held the device firmly against his ear.
The phone clicked over from a dead silence into a steady ringing tone.
One ring echoed softly through the quiet kitchen.
Two rings passed.
Then a gruff voice answered on the other end of the line.
Hello?
Caleb leaned closer to the receiver.
Why did you take my wife’s phone? he asked sharply.
A brief pause hung in the air on the other side of the connection.
A nervous chuckle followed.
Relax, man, the contractor replied defensively.
It was just a prank.
Evelyn grabbed the edge of the counter.
A prank? she shouted into the phone.
You broke into our home and hid my phone in a laundry basket!
The voice on the line sounded flustered now.
I didn’t break in, the contractor argued back.
I was testing the home’s security responsiveness like the owner hired me to do last week.
Caleb frowned deeply at the excuse.
Nobody hired you to test anything today, he countered.
You slipped it under the blankets while you were supposedly fixing the pantry door.
The line went silent for a few seconds.
I just wanted to see how fast you would notice, the contractor muttered before abruptly hanging up.
The dial tone buzzed harshly against Caleb’s ear.
He pulled the phone away and stared at the dark screen.
Evelyn crossed her arms tightly across her chest.
That doesn’t explain why he disabled the security camera in the hallway, she said.
Caleb walked back into the living room and tossed the phone onto the sofa.
He grabbed his own jacket hanging from the entryway coat rack.
He punched a quick number into his personal cell phone.
He held the device to his ear while pacing toward the front door.
He told local dispatchers the contractor’s name and company address.
He requested an immediate police dispatch to verify if the worker had a key or permission to tamper with their smart home system.