As the door closed behind Shirley, Bertie looked at Harry, suppressing a giggle. “She might be having doubts about hiring you. I could see her frowning with that last question. Reminded me of Columbo.”
“Well, he always got the job done,” Harry said, looking down at the few notes he had jotted down.
“Hmm… you have an idea, don’t you?”
“I might,” he replied, grinning, and proceeded to tell her what he was thinking.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning Harry went out to 29 Maple Drive. First he inspected the house and grounds outside, including the small utility shed, but found nothing that looked out of place. Then he did a complete inspection of the interior but, again, found nothing out of place and he heard no ringing sound.
He intended to return after lunch but detour signs were in place as work crews were preparing to dig and fix a water leak. Harry had seen water on the side of the street when he arrived, but by the time he left, it was bubbling. That prompted him to postpone his return visit until the following afternoon.
That afternoon, as Harry and Bertie sat in the office, he suddenly looked across at her. “I wonder how long this ringing has been going on?”
“Mrs. Lowe said the owners hadn’t heard anything,” she replied.
“Yes, she did, but… I wonder if they would have noticed it?”
“Why wouldn’t they? You don’t have to be all that close to a phone to hear it ring.”
Harry nodded. “True, but think about it. I’m going to say there were five phones in that house – two parents and three kids. Would they have noticed an extra one ringing?”
Bertie’s eyes widened. “Oh! I see what you mean.”
“Exactly! One more phone among the known five, wouldn’t have been noticed. If one of them heard a phone ring, and knew it wasn’t theirs, they would simply have thought it belonged to one of the other family members.”
“So, it could be a phone after all. Well done, Columbo.” Harry frowned at her and she giggled.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry returned to the house after lunch the following day. He drove over the bump in the road where city crews had done their work and parked in the driveway. He walked into the house, carrying a folding chair, a newspaper, and a Tim Horton’s coffee. If he didn’t find the source of the ringing the first time, at least he had something to pass the time while he waited for the next ring. And, he sat down to wait.
Precisely at one PM, he heard what definitely sounded like a phone ringing, just as Mrs. Lowe had said. One ring only. To him, it sounded like it had come from the garage side of the house. He opened the connecting door and sat down to wait for the next ring.
