Chapter 8 — Caleb reads the threatening text message on Trey’s phone — Then Trey explains the blackmail scheme
Caleb strode across the grass with heavy, determined steps.
He stopped three feet away from his son.
“Hand over the phone, Trey,” Caleb said, holding out his open palm.
Trey clutched the device tighter against his chest.
“You can’t just take my phone,” Trey protested, his voice cracking.
“Give me the phone right now,” Caleb repeated, taking another step forward.
Vincent walked up behind Caleb, keeping his distance but blocking any path back toward the house.
Trey looked between the two men.
Realizing he had nowhere to run, he pressed the power button to lock the screen and reluctantly placed the phone into his father’s hand.
Caleb looked down at the illuminated display.
The unread text message sat right at the top of the notification center.
The sender was listed only as a ten-digit mobile number with no contact name.
Caleb tapped the notification to open the message thread.
The text glowed against the dark screen in bold white letters.
“Stay quiet about the storage unit or your father’s car gets keyed to scrap,” Caleb read aloud, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
Trey stared at the ground, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
“Who sent this, Trey?” Caleb demanded, thrusting the screen toward his son’s face.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Trey whispered, shaking his head.
“You always have a choice,” Caleb snapped.
“He told me if I didn’t hold the box and leave the jacket on the porch, he would smash the windshield and slash the tires,” Trey blurted out, tears welling in his eyes.
“Who is he?” Vincent asked calmly, stepping closer to read the message history.
“I don’t know his real name,” Trey confessed. “He just told me to call him by his initials, but I know his number.”
Vincent pulled out his own smartphone from his jacket pocket.
He looked down at the sender’s digits displayed on Trey’s screen.
“Read the number to me,” Vincent said, preparing to dial.
Caleb held the phone steady while Vincent punched the ten-digit sequence into his own keypad.
“Let’s see if he is still answering,” Vincent said, pressing the call button and switching the phone to speakerphone.