He closed his eyes.
Then whispered.
"Please be alive."
The search team found the first important clue near an abandoned drainage channel.
A responder spotted tire marks leading away from the service road toward a low embankment.
The ground was muddy from recent rain.
Several branches had been broken.
And a small section of red-painted metal lay near the edge.
The responders secured the area.
Then followed the appropriate procedure for examining the slope.
The old mechanic remained behind the designated boundary.
A search officer brought him a photograph of the red fragment.
He stared.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
The shape was familiar.
So was the paint.
He remembered the distinctive deep-red finish his son favored when restoring motorcycles.
But color alone wasn't proof.
He asked to see the mounting area.
The photograph showed a small drilled hole beside the bracket.
The old mechanic swallowed.
"My son made those holes when he balanced the part."
The officer nodded.
Then asked whether the father could identify any other distinctive features.
He described the modification carefully.
The search team continued.
Several minutes later, a responder called over the radio.
They'd located a motorcycle down the embankment.
It was partially concealed beneath broken branches near an old concrete drainage structure.
The machine was damaged.
The front fork had twisted.
And the red fuel tank bore scratches from the fall.
The old mechanic heard the description.
His knees weakened.
He leaned against his truck.
For a moment, he could barely breathe.
Then the officer looked toward him.
"We've found the motorcycle. We haven't found the rider yet."
The old biker stared.
Then whispered.
"Keep looking."
The responder nodded.
The search continued.
The old drainage structure connected to a disused pump building farther downstream.
The building had been abandoned for years.
Its concrete walls were stained with moisture.
The roof sagged in places.
And brush had grown around the old service entrance.
The old mechanic remembered it.
He'd helped repair a motorcycle there in his twenties when the pump station was still operating.
He also remembered a narrow maintenance platform beneath the western wall.
The structure had once allowed workers to inspect water entering the culvert.
He mentioned it to the search officer.
The officer passed the information along.
Fire-rescue personnel approached the building carefully.
The ground was unstable.
And the damaged roof made entry hazardous.
They examined the structure from outside.
Then one responder noticed something beside a doorway.