"If Ryan did not record, what is his reason for not doing so?"

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to record a phone conversation unless you alert the other party that you're recording them. Plus think about it, you get a call and you're not thinking you need to record anything because most people don't make death threats over the phone. In fact I'd be more skeptical if there WAS a recording. Then I'd be like how did Ryan know Alefantis was going to blow his top.