He’d blamed a component.
Then another component.
And when the experts began their work, he’d described the engine failure without connecting it to the washing.
Now the fifteen-year-old girl had asked about the one detail he’d overlooked.
The mechanic nearest the diagnostic equipment stepped forward.
Ace didn’t answer immediately.
He was still looking at Emma.
She hadn’t moved closer.
She hadn’t smiled.
She simply waited, knowing that the wrong answer would send her back to the beginning.
Finally, Ace spoke.
The garage became silent.
The mechanic holding the forgotten coffee slowly lowered his cup.
Another man uncrossed his arms.
Someone near the back glanced toward the motorcycle’s seat.
Ace removed his hand from the handlebar.
“You’re saying water might have something to do with this?”
Emma looked directly at him.
“I think we need to find out.”
No one laughed now.
Because seventeen mechanics had spent three days searching for a part that had failed.
And the girl with the pink toolbox had just suggested something none of them had seriously considered.
What if the Harley wasn’t failing because a component was permanently broken?
What if it was failing only because something had gotten wet?
The story isn’t over yet.
Select “Next Part” below to see what happens next.
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Emma turned her attention toward the wiring running beneath the Harley’s seat.
The silence surrounding her was different now.