Julian stood on the back patio of his lake house in Dallas, Texas.
The large mansion glowed brightly against the dark evening sky.
He held an expensive bottle of red wine in his hand.
Many wealthy guests were laughing near the poolside bar.
Julian looked around the crowded yard for his mother, Eleanor.
Eleanor was sixty-eight years old and walked with a slight limp.
She had lost her husband three years ago after a long battle with illness.
Since then, Eleanor lived quietly in her small lakeside cottage nearby.
Julian had invited her to this party to celebrate his new promotion as CEO.
His software company had just signed a fifty million dollar contract.
Everyone in town wanted to talk to the young billionaire tonight.
Julian smiled politely at a banker who congratulated him on his success.
Yet his eyes kept searching the dark edges of the yard.
He wondered where his new wife, Victoria, had gone as well.
They had been married for only six months after a quick romance.
Victoria was thirty years old, elegant, and loved expensive green silk dresses.
She always talked about the estate and the broad family inheritance.
Julian loved her deeply, but Eleanor had always remained somewhat distant toward Victoria.
Eleanor suspected that Victoria cared more about the family money than about Julian.
Julian had dismissed his mother's worries as simple jealousy from an older parent.
He poured another glass of wine and set the bottle on a table.
The soft sound of music drifted across the manicured lawn.
Julian noticed that Victoria was no longer standing near the outdoor bar.
He walked toward the long wooden dock that stretched out over the deep water.
The lake was dark and cold during late autumn nights.
A chilly breeze blew through the tall pine trees along the shoreline.
Julian adjusted the coat of his gray suit as he stepped off the grass.
He took a few slow steps down the wooden wooden dock.
The sounds of the party grew quieter behind him.
He suddenly heard a strange splashing sound coming from the end of the dock.
Julian stopped walking and listened closely to the darkness.
He heard a faint cry for help mixing with the water sounds.
His heart beat faster inside his chest as panic took hold.
He grabbed the wine bottle again and moved quickly toward the noise.
The dark shadows of the trees made it hard to see ahead.
He saw a figure in a green dress standing near the edge of the lake.
She was holding a long wooden stick out over the dark water.
Julian realized that someone was splashing wildly down in the cold lake.
The person in the water was gasping for air and crying out.
Julian recognized that desperate voice instantly.
It was his mother struggling in the deep water.
Victoria was leaning forward, watching the struggle with a quiet smile.
She was not trying to pull Eleanor out of the water at all.
Instead, she was keeping the stick just out of the older woman's reach.
Julian felt a wave of absolute horror sweep through his body.