Heel Strike: A Road Warrior Mystery

A lifelong friendship triangle is stretched to the limit when RW is asked to return to the Islands. Grace, who he has known since college needs his help looking into alleged misconduct by her husband, Owen, an educator for the local junior college. What complicates the matter is that Grace’s son, Jordan, is a senior in high school and being touted by colleges off the island that are willing to give him an opportunity to play football. She doesn’t want anything to interfere with her son’s dreams and internalizes this secret from Jordan. RW and Owen are long-time trail racers and competitors, both meeting in the same Midwestern college decades ago. Owen became a successful business man, researcher, and science teacher while RW has circled many professions from above like a scavenger eager to pick at the left overs. “Uncle” RW had been the father that Jordan never had until Grace and Owen married. RW has been aware of their rocky relationship for years. Grace confides in him but prefers to keep out of Owen’s earshot. RW has always tried to maintain his distance because he still has feelings for her. He agrees to investigate with the help of his cohort savant, Merle, and uncovers a lurid layer of deceit that has a personal history of its own. RW races against time to save the family and discovers missing links to his past that spiral into a vortex where survival is an unknown staple. Heel strike is the term that describes running too fast downhill where the runner relies on heel-first steps to prevent going out of control. When utilized properly, the runner is efficient and safe. When the mechanics are uncharted, the race has the potential to be deadly.