Her nervousness increased the closer she came to the Shangri-La apartment complex. It was wrong, intruding like this and she wouldn't blame Niles for being angry with her, or even sending her away. But this was the only way she knew how to help him. He shouldn't be alone and she hoped that in time he'd understand that she cared about him.

Clutching the bag of still-warm, freshly baked scones, she entered the lobby and headed for the elevator that would take her to the fifth floor. The scent made her hungry and it was hard to resist not taking a scone for her own pleasure. Mr. Crane certainly was upset when he'd smelled the aroma of freshly baked bread and then learned that he couldn't have any of the finished products. But it served him right, the way he'd been talking about his son. The memory still had her fuming. Before he could argue further about why he deserved scones as much as the next person, she'd slipped out of the door, en route to see her friend.

As the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, she realized how vastly different the Shangri-La was than the Montana or even the Elliot Bay Towers. Clearly his new residence was nowhere near as upscale as he was used to, but at least it was home for now.

She approached his front door with caution and knocked quietly, but as she expected there was no answer. she tried a second time with the same results. After the third attempt, she reached into her purse for a pen and a piece of paper with the intent on leaving him a note. But something made her reach for the doorknob and her heart leaped in her chest when the door opened easily.

Something was definitely not right. Dr. Crane was the authority on safety and it wasn't like him to leave his door unlocked. The worry within her increased and she boldly entered his apartment. He was bound to be angry with her, perhaps even furious, but she'd deal with that situation later. Right now she had to make sure that he was all right.

Upon first glance of his living quarters, she realized that things were far worse than she ever imagined. Instead of being neat and orderly, the way he and his brother had always lived, the living room was littered with newspapers, unopened mail and a flickering television that was warm to the touch. Dr. Crane would never leave his television on and the station was one that he always said that he would adamantly refuse to watch. And yet, she had a feeling that the television had been on this particular station for quite some time, save for the fact that it was warm to the touch. Instantly she pointed the clunky remote at the surprisingly old-fashioned television and turned it off, the black screen bringing a small and very strange sense of relief.

"Dr. Crane?" She called into the emptiness. But her call was met with silence. This was becoming more and more disturbing with each passing second. Perhaps he had gone out to run an errand. Yes, that had to be it. But one look out the window told her otherwise. His BMW sat in the parking lot; the fancy car looking completely out of place among the Toyota's, Honda's and SUV's. Which raised the question of why.

It was almost mid morning and he should have been at work. Dr. Crane never missed work, not to her knowledge. Slowly she took another look around the living room/kitchen, surprised to find a sink full of dirty dishes. Although he would protest, she vowed to clean the place until it was spotless and she wouldn't take no for an answer. it was the least she could do.

"Dr. Crane? Where are you?"

By now her heart was beating so rapidly she could feel it in her chest. She moved faster through the small apartment, her worry increasing with each passing second. What if something had happened to him? What if he was...

The pounding of her heart became painful and she was finding it hard to breathe. Please let him be all right. She prayed silently. And she she finally reached his small bedroom, her body stilled at the sight.