Chapter 6
Dean walked the grounds, ducking under low branches, heading away seeking solitude. He fled mostly from the idea of celebration. Once into the wooded area surrounding the lodge and its gardens, he switched off his phone and quickened his pace. Without a clue as to direction, he walked onward, until sound fell away.
Silence. Dean stopped, closed his eyes, and breathed.
The world was seldom silent, though. A cool breeze stirred his hair, blowing his fringe across his face, whistling a little through the trees, branches creating a canopy. Birds sang. Something in the undergrowth moved, created a rustling. Amid all this, something tinkled like music.
Water.
Dean opened his eyes, tuned into the sound, and headed to where shrubs bordered a slope. On the other side, an embankment l
