Free Ransom at Sea by Fred Hunter

before this one, I guess to get away from us. Truth to tell, I don’t think he wanted to be seen with us, more’s the pity for him!” This was said in Driscoll’s usual, jovial manner, but Emily sensed a degree of hurt behind the words: a lifelong hurt.
    â€œNot-So-Dismal Jack,” he continued, “otherwise known as Jackson Brock, is still in this little hidey-hole of a store. Sells scented soaps and things. The stink started to get to me. I had to come up for air.”
    It was at that moment that Brock emerged from the store carrying a small red shopping bag.
    â€œSorry I took so long, Driscoll, but they had a very big selection,” he said in the wide-eyed manner that was peculiar to him. It seemed to Emily that Jackson Brock always looked as if he’d just heard something that had seriously thrown him for a loop.
    â€œOh!” he exclaimed when he noticed the two women. “Hello. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
    â€œSo you’ve found something already?” Emily said with a glance at his bag.
    He spread the handles wide and showed the contents to her. “Yes. Soap. They have many flavors—er, aromas—of them in there.”
    â€œAnd a bottle of lavender,” she said, peering into the bag.
    Brock closed it, his cheeks flushing a deep crimson. “Yes. I’ve been having trouble sleeping, and … of course now, in a strange bed. I thought it might help. It’s supposed to be very good for that … spraying it on the pillow.”
    â€œYes, it is,” Emily said kindly. “And it does work.”
    â€œI have a friend who is an aromatherapist,” Lynn interjected. “She recommends it to everyone who’s having trouble sleeping. She says the scent is very relaxing, and you find yourself dropping right off.”
    Brock’s cheeks had returned to their natural color. “I’m glad to hear that.”
    â€œWell, that’s all interesting,” Driscoll said. “Now, how about the two of you coming on with us?”
    â€œI’m afraid we can’t,” said Emily. “We have quite a bit of shopping to do, and some of it is for—” She lowered her voice. “Personal items.”
    Driscoll recoiled slightly, and he silently worked his jaw as if bracing for the unwelcome eventuality of a further explanation.
    â€œSo you will excuse us?”
    â€œOh, yes, yes!” he blustered, stepping to the side so they could easily pass. “Enjoy yourselves!”
    â€œWe’ll see you back at the boat,” Brock added.
    The two pairs headed in different directions. When there was some distance between them, Lynn chuckled. “Personal items?”
    â€œWell … anything we’d be buying for ourselves could be considered personal items, couldn’t they?”
    â€œI’ve always said, you’re a very sly woman!”
    â€œTell me something, Lynn. Do you really know an aromatherapist?”
    She laughed. “I know a lot of people. There must be one among them somewhere.”
    When they reached the corner where Emily had seen Stuart Holmes, she stopped and looked up the side street. The corner building was an old-fashioned drugstore with a row of apartments on the second floor. The entrance to the shop opened onto Main, while the door to the apartments was on the side of the building. Behind the building was a parking lot, after which the street ran into the residential district, where homes were surrounded by trees and shrubs.
    â€œEmily? What are you looking for?” Lynn asked.
    â€œHm? Oh! Nothing. I was just wondering what was in this direction.”
    â€œWell, there doesn’t appear to be any shops that way. There are some in down that way.” Lynn gave a nod in the opposite direction of the side street, which led down to the harbor. “Why don’t we go that way?”
    Emily agreed, and they crossed Main and headed down the side