Guys, thank you so much - you were right on. There was water on both sides of the trunk; I was able to remove the module and air dry it as well as the interior of the car. I will wipe it with Isopropyl alcohol as suggested and will resume work tomorrow on reinstalling the module. I disconnected the battery first, of course. Will update once I get further into these repairs.

Thank you all so much again for your time and advice - I greatly appreciate it.