Chapter 5 - The Discovery Beneath the Bridge
The roar of the churning river water drowned out the sound of the rescue boat's outboard motor as it edged cautiously toward the old wooden logging bridge. The structure had been abandoned for decades, its rotting timber pilings choked with massive piles of storm debris—uprooted trees, plastic bins, and thick tangles of river reeds.
Marcus stood at the bow of the inflatable skiff, holding a high-powered waterproof spotlight against the gloomy shadows beneath the bridge arches. Beside him, a search and rescue specialist named Chief Higgins scanned the water with binoculars.
"Cut the motor!" Higgins shouted over the din of the rushing current.
The boat drifted silently into an eddy just upstream of the debris jam. The smell of wet earth, decaying wood, and river silt hung heavily in the air.
"Look there," Higgins pointed his flashlight toward a dense thicket of broken willow branches wedged tightly against the eastern concrete pier. "Something's caught in the lower branches. It's wearing a dark heavy canvas jacket—the same kind described in the missing person bulletin."
Marcus's heart pounded in his chest. "Move us in closer, easy does it."
Using long aluminum poles, the rescue crew gently pushed away floating logs to clear a path. As the nose of the boat nudged against the debris pile, Natalie—who had insisted on joining the river team—held her breath, her hands clasped tightly together in silent prayer.
The figure wedged into the branches was motionless. The heavy canvas jacket was caked in thick, gray river mud, and dark hair was plastered across a pale forehead.
Chief Higgins scrambled out onto the slippery timber beam, anchoring himself with a safety harness held by two other crew members. He knelt down beside the body, pressing two fingers firmly against the side of the man's neck, searching desperately for a pulse against the cold skin.
For a agonizing few seconds, there was absolute silence on the river, broken only by the rushing water.
Then, Higgins looked up, his face breaking into a wide, breathless grin.
"He's breathing! He's alive! Faint pulse, but he's breathing!"
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A collective gasp of sheer relief echoed across the river. Natalie threw her hands over her mouth, tears of joy spilling over her eyelashes. Marcus let out a long, ragged breath he hadn't realized he was holding and immediately reached for his radio.
"Base, this is Detective Vance! We have him! Andrew is alive! Dispatch an emergency medical helicopter to the old logging bridge right now!"
