The situation would have been almost funny if it hadn’t mattered so much.
A faulty electrical connection could leave a motorcycle stranded.
An engine shutting down without warning could catch a rider at the worst possible moment.
Ace had refused to ride the Harley until he understood the problem.
Now he was beginning to realize just how important that decision had been.
Emma handed the spray bottle back.
“Can we turn everything off first?”
“Already done.”
She reached toward the connector.
And every mechanic in the garage leaned forward.
Emma separated the electrical connector carefully, using only the pressure needed to release its locking tab.
The two halves came apart.
She angled them toward the light.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
The contacts weren’t visibly destroyed.
There was no dramatic corrosion covering the entire connection.
No melted plastic.
No broken wire dangling free.
The senior mechanic narrowed his eyes.
“What are we looking for?”
Emma turned the connector slightly.
“Look around the edge.”
Ace leaned closer.
She held the flashlight so the beam fell across the weather seal.
A faint irregular line appeared in the material.
It was so small that Ace initially mistook it for a manufacturing seam.
Emma shifted the light.
The line became clearer.
A tiny split followed part of the seal’s edge.
The damaged section was barely noticeable unless the connector was held at the right angle.
A hairline crack ran through the weather seal.
The senior mechanic exhaled.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Emma pointed carefully.
Ace stared at the damaged seal.
He could hardly believe something so small might be responsible for a problem that had defeated an entire garage.
“That’s what let the water in.”