Body in the Woods (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Alison Golden, Jamie Vougeot Page B
Authors: Alison Golden, Jamie Vougeot
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smiled.
“You’re sharp, Reverend. I suppose talking couldn’t hurt.”
“Of course.”
Robert nodded, staring at his teacup as he galvanized himself to say things that he had not told anyone.
“It’s Harper Jones.”
“What about her?” Annabelle said quickly, her tone full of worry.
“Oh, no… Nothing like that,” assured Robert when he saw the fear in Annabelle’s eyes. “It’s just that… she’s married.”
Robert looked up, deep pain written across his face. Annabelle searched it for some clue as to what exactly the problem was and shook her head when she couldn’t find one.
“I’m sorry, Robert. What’s the problem?”
Robert sighed again. “I’ve never been very good at explaining these kinds of things.”
“It’s fine. Just take a deep breath, and start from the beginning.”
Robert did as he was told before speaking again.
“We met just under thirty years ago. I was doing a Ph.D. in biological anthropology at the time. Harper was an undergraduate studying medicine. I remember I had visited the library in search of a specific book, and it wasn’t on the shelves. I looked around, and there she was, angelic, yet magnificent. Her skin was almost luminescent, and the determined, penetrating manner in which she read her book was so striking. She had the very book I intended to read.
“Well, over the coming weeks, in the library, this happened again, and again, and again! Sometimes she would seek a certain book that I had already taken from the shelves and had begun to work from. Other times I would arrive at the library and find her using the very one I had come for. We’d exchange knowing nods and patiently wait for the other to finish. Sometimes we would talk, and each time we did we discovered we shared more than a few interests and ideas. It was no coincidence. It was fate!
“We discovered that we had a mutual love of history. We were both enamored with the idea of unlocking the mysteries of things that had once been alive. Our fields were different, but our passions were almost perfectly attuned. We soon began to help each other in our work, Harper’s rationality and clarity of thought combining with my rather creative and intuitive approach. Two people with different personalities but the same goals. We were perfectly balanced. There was only one thing we could do…”
“What?” Annabelle interjected, wide-eyed.
Robert looked up with sorrow in his brown eyes.
“Fall in love.”
The words hung in the air like the final note of a symphony, resonating in Annabelle’s mind. Dr. Brownson continued, “Of course, Harper caught the attention of most men on campus. She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She still is. But Harper has always been a formidable creature of intellect. For us, our love of history and love of ideas easily transformed into a love for each other. We were inseparable for the few years we were together. A more perfectly matched pair you couldn’t find! We lived in our very own world of study and simple pleasures. We didn’t even argue or disagree as normal couples do. Our only disagreements were academic, and we resolved them using rigorous research and the scientific method. That may sound staid to many, but to two people in love with knowledge, it was the ideal relationship.”
“What happened?” Annabelle asked, eventually.
“To put it simply, Reverend, life happened. I have always been an academic at heart. I still am. I love the musty smell of university libraries. The hallowed halls of institutes dedicated to the sole pursuit of pure knowledge. To surround myself with others who are just as focused upon the furthering of science and wisdom as I am is blissful to me. I am, to put it bluntly, a stuffy professor, and always have been. Harper, on the other hand…”
“Likes to get her hands dirty,” Annabelle added, helpfully.
“Precisely,” nodded Robert, sadly. “She wanted to see the world. To put her knowledge to work in the
“You’re sharp, Reverend. I suppose talking couldn’t hurt.”
“Of course.”
Robert nodded, staring at his teacup as he galvanized himself to say things that he had not told anyone.
“It’s Harper Jones.”
“What about her?” Annabelle said quickly, her tone full of worry.
“Oh, no… Nothing like that,” assured Robert when he saw the fear in Annabelle’s eyes. “It’s just that… she’s married.”
Robert looked up, deep pain written across his face. Annabelle searched it for some clue as to what exactly the problem was and shook her head when she couldn’t find one.
“I’m sorry, Robert. What’s the problem?”
Robert sighed again. “I’ve never been very good at explaining these kinds of things.”
“It’s fine. Just take a deep breath, and start from the beginning.”
Robert did as he was told before speaking again.
“We met just under thirty years ago. I was doing a Ph.D. in biological anthropology at the time. Harper was an undergraduate studying medicine. I remember I had visited the library in search of a specific book, and it wasn’t on the shelves. I looked around, and there she was, angelic, yet magnificent. Her skin was almost luminescent, and the determined, penetrating manner in which she read her book was so striking. She had the very book I intended to read.
“Well, over the coming weeks, in the library, this happened again, and again, and again! Sometimes she would seek a certain book that I had already taken from the shelves and had begun to work from. Other times I would arrive at the library and find her using the very one I had come for. We’d exchange knowing nods and patiently wait for the other to finish. Sometimes we would talk, and each time we did we discovered we shared more than a few interests and ideas. It was no coincidence. It was fate!
“We discovered that we had a mutual love of history. We were both enamored with the idea of unlocking the mysteries of things that had once been alive. Our fields were different, but our passions were almost perfectly attuned. We soon began to help each other in our work, Harper’s rationality and clarity of thought combining with my rather creative and intuitive approach. Two people with different personalities but the same goals. We were perfectly balanced. There was only one thing we could do…”
“What?” Annabelle interjected, wide-eyed.
Robert looked up with sorrow in his brown eyes.
“Fall in love.”
The words hung in the air like the final note of a symphony, resonating in Annabelle’s mind. Dr. Brownson continued, “Of course, Harper caught the attention of most men on campus. She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She still is. But Harper has always been a formidable creature of intellect. For us, our love of history and love of ideas easily transformed into a love for each other. We were inseparable for the few years we were together. A more perfectly matched pair you couldn’t find! We lived in our very own world of study and simple pleasures. We didn’t even argue or disagree as normal couples do. Our only disagreements were academic, and we resolved them using rigorous research and the scientific method. That may sound staid to many, but to two people in love with knowledge, it was the ideal relationship.”
“What happened?” Annabelle asked, eventually.
“To put it simply, Reverend, life happened. I have always been an academic at heart. I still am. I love the musty smell of university libraries. The hallowed halls of institutes dedicated to the sole pursuit of pure knowledge. To surround myself with others who are just as focused upon the furthering of science and wisdom as I am is blissful to me. I am, to put it bluntly, a stuffy professor, and always have been. Harper, on the other hand…”
“Likes to get her hands dirty,” Annabelle added, helpfully.
“Precisely,” nodded Robert, sadly. “She wanted to see the world. To put her knowledge to work in the
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