Desiring the Magic

By Tony Myers

In the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a man, James Johnston, has gone missing. The story quickly fills the local newspapers and becomes a captivation of the media. The fascination with the story is further fueled by the fact that the victim's brother, Dylan, is the lead investigator on the case. His search for his brother will lead him to places of peculiarity, illusion, and magic. In the end the case will be revealed to be much more than a simple missing person.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Myers
• Release date: May 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005321130

Tony Myers

Tony Myers is a fiction author and hospice chaplain. He enjoys looking for creative ways and illustrations to communicate truth. He and his wife, Charity, currently live in Waterloo, IA with their four kids.

Book preview

Desiring the Magic

The Story of a Lost Detective

by

Tony Myers

Desiring the Magic

Copyright 2022 by Tony Myers

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the author. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations.

www.tonymyers.net

Prologue

An Initial Reflection

Dylan Johnston sat at the table in his kitchen. Slowly he opened his journal and looked at the blank page in front of him. He paused a moment before putting his pen to the paper. He tried to begin writing, but the words didn’t come. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind. He was determined not to leave this spot until he was all caught up. There were more than a few entries he wanted to be sure to write before they faded from memory.

Oftentimes Dylan wondered if he was too old to be journaling. At the age of thirty-two, he still wrote consistently every week. The same as he had done since he was eight. Only his brother knew about this habit, and Dylan wanted to keep it that way. Being a detective on the local police force of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made it seem even more embarrassing. He couldn’t fathom what the others would think if they found out about his juvenile habit.

This evening particularly, Dylan found his thoughts scattered, difficult to put onto the page. Nevertheless, he knew the recent events would have to be chronicled. He sat back and thought a moment about where he would begin. He closed his eyes and rubbed the top of his head, feeling the quarter inch of hair from his recent buzz cut. Slowly his thoughts began to become vivid. Dylan sat forward with the pen to the page and began writing.

1

The Lead Investigator

Dylan drove as fast as he could to the scene. An anonymous tip had been supplied to him, and he was anxious to be one of the first on site. Others on the force would join him, and soon afterward the media would be tipped off to what was transpiring. He had to admit he was a little nervous, but he realized once the other officers were on the scene following his commands, his confidence would grow.

As he sped through the city toward the northern section of town, Dylan took a moment to straighten his tie and check his suspenders. He glanced to his passenger seat and saw his coat sitting beside him. He wasn’t sure if he’d wear it or not. Being June, the temperature was in the upper seventies, a little too hot for the coat. But yet wearing it did breed an air of professionalism.

Reaching down, he touched the badge attached to his belt. He had shined it recently and made sure there were no flaws. Being a part of the police force had been his desire since high school. Having that badge on his hip in many regards felt like the fulfillment of that desire. Memories of the day he received it flashed through his mind.

Dylan arrived on the scene. It was a single story, off-white home, probably no more than 1200 square feet. There was no garage, and the house only looked mildly taken care of. Dylan exited the vehicle and instantly a stern look formed on his face. He grabbed his coat and quicky put it on.

Two other police cars were already on the scene. Two officers were finding a spot to display yellow police tape, while two other officers were speaking with the elderly homeowners. The officers with the tape both stopped and stared as Detective Johnston emerged from his vehicle. He approached them. Good evening. Have you entered the residence yet?

The officers looked nervous. One cleared his throat before speaking. No, we just arrived a moment before you.

All right, Dylan nodded, surveying the scene.

It was only a minute later that other police cars arrived with lights flashing. The scene quickly became chaotic and then almost on cue… the media arrived as well. All eyes would be on Dylan as the lead detective in the case. The media especially would want to know what he thought and what he was planning. They loved this story because it was very personal to the detective.

For the past four months the media had only grown more fascinated with the disappearance of Dylan’s brother, James. The stories, speculations, and rumors were too extravagant to pass up. The whole state of Iowa had become captivated with the story. Many questions were asked and social media had a number of pages devoted to various theories. Above all of that, what made the story more enticing for them was that the lead detective on the case was the victim’s brother, Detective Dylan Johnston.

The media was further fueled by the strange clues found at various locations pointing to a larger narrative taking place. The symbols, artifacts, and strange writings were too much for the media to ignore. Many of them pointed out the obvious that it appeared that the case displayed aspects of the supernatural. In fact, a local news reporter had been recently suspended, suggesting that the local police and media ought to come together and start making a movie.

A senior detective approached Dylan. His name was Mike Dvorak, but everyone usually just referred to him by his last name. What do you know? Dvorak said, knowing Dylan had spoken in detail to the homeowners on the phone.

The two shook hands briefly before Dylan began his