Annabelle let the pile down again gingerly. Lucas Riley must be the world's worst housekeeper.

Still, something didn't fit the rest of the scene. Other than the mess in the bedroom and living room--an obvious ransacking job--the apartment was clean, no pizza boxes littering the coffee table or discarded newspapers or girlie magazines carpeting the floor. Someone kept this place up. And if he had a housekeeper, why hadn't she done the dishes? Something didn't add up until Annabelle followed the evidence before her eyes to the obvious conclusion.

He hadn't been here for a few days.

This struck her as the most likely explanation. And it made Erin's story of his disappearance more troubling.

And those flying points of light? They weren't UFOs. Were they?

Annabelle dropped down in the big recliner facing the entertainment center, letting everything settle down in her head.

There aren't any UFOs, Annabelle. You make those stories up, remember? Still, something had flown out of the closet, close enough to her head that she could still hear the...how could she describe it?

Twinkle? No. It was a tinkle.

It was time to check herself into the hospital where she and Erin could spin yarns all day long. Only now she believed there was something to the situation besides self-delusion.

I am not nuts. Once didn't convince her, so she repeated it, a sanity mantra.

There was nothing more to find here. Not even a clue about where Lucas Riley spent his free time. With a deep breath, Annabelle started to get up, when the phone rang.

After three rings, the recorded message came on asking the caller to leave his name. No wonder Erin didn't want to admit what a snake he was. Lucas spoke in a rumbling bass tinged with the faintest hint of an accent; so faint she couldn't quite place it. It was about the sexiest thing she'd ever heard.

At least that was her opinion before she heard the caller's voice.

"Lucas? You'd better be pickin' up that phone, boyo. Come on, now, pick up!"

Deeper, richer, the accent a bit stronger, perhaps because of irritation? As seconds ticked by, the caller waited. Annabelle caught her breath, waiting with him, hoping he'd speak again.

"All right, you want to play that game, do you? Fine. Lucas, this is your brother, Gaelen. I'm in my office. I just got a call to a convocation, and you're invited, too, lad, if you can fit business into your busy social calendar. I have no idea what it's about, only Eochy said it was urgent. So get your rear up there."

Gaelen hung up, leaving Annabelle to shake off a feeling of loss. It was ridiculous. She didn't even know the man. Just because he sounded sexy and handsome didn't mean he was.

Still, such a voice couldn't be wasted on an unassuming man. It had to be just one piece of a total package. And quite a package it must be.

Oh,stop it! She leaned back in the recliner and drummed her fingers on the worn arms. Concentrate on the other Riley brother.

Of course, to find Lucas Riley she could use his brother. The added bonus brightened the whole scenario.

Peeking through the pile of bills and papers on the coffee table by the telephone, Annabelle searched for an address book or a telephone book. There was a university catalog.