Read False Prey: A Wildfire Novella (Wildfire Saga) for Free Online Page B

told me when I saw those cops drag you out of that church.”  
    “How the hell could I infect anyone—I’m not even sick!”
    Danny took out his notebook and his voice recorder.   He put the recorder on the table and clicked it on.   “Speaking of that, how’s about I get an exclusive interview, you know, since I saved you and all?”
    “Sure, sure,” agreed Sang.   “I’ll be glad to tell you everything.   I want the truth to get out so these ignorant hillbillies get punished for what they did to me.   I hope the FBI or someone comes down on them like a ton of bricks.”
    “Bricks for Brikston,” said Danny with a chuckle, “I like it.   Now—let’s start at the beginning.   What’s your full name?”
    “Thomas Edward Sang.”
    “Okay, gimme some background info on yourself, Tommy.   I probably won’t put most of this in the article, but I may be able to tweak the sympathy hook if you’ve got a sick grandma or something.”
    Sang shook his head.   “Not that I know of—I mean, Lola could be dead by now, for all I know.”
    “Lola?   Is that your grandmother’s name?” asked Danny.
    Sang smiled.   “No, it’s the Filipino word for grandmother.   I’ve called her that forever.   Kinda stuck as her name.   But she’s in Phoenix.   Haven’t spoken to her in a few weeks.   Then when the cell phones started acting screwy and dropping calls, all I wanted to do was talk to my wife…”
    Danny watched and waited as Sang’s face went through a range of emotions, starting with anger then shifting to worry, and finally settled on grief.   Like any good reporter, Danny knew sometimes it was best just to listen—he’d gotten his Pulitzer-winning story on the education system in Kentucky by refusing to speak just to fill the silence.   Silence usually encouraged the other person to reveal more than they would have otherwise.   So, he put out his cigarette and waited.
    Sang got a hold of his emotions and looked up.   “I have a wife and two kids back in Cincinnati.”   He rustled through the manila envelope from the police station that contained his wallet, rental car key, cell phone, and the loose change in his pockets when he had been arrested.   “Here,” he said, turning on the phone—the screen was cracked, but the image was of a lovely family, all smiling, adoring faces looking at the camera.  
    “Your wife is very pretty,” said Danny with a sympathetic smile.  
    “Thank you,” replied Sang with a bob of his head.   “Emalee…she’s…she’s mazing.   My kids…” his voice faltered again.   “Little Alex turns two next week…I thought I’d be home by now.”   He slowly lifted his legs onto the bed and put his head down on the pillow, lying on his back.   Staring at the ceiling he continued, “Janelle will be four next summer…”
    Danny scribbled down the names, then waited.   When Sang didn’t look like he was going to talk again, Danny had to prod him along.   “So, where do you work?”
    “I work for Syntronic.”
    “Is that some sort of computer company?   How do you spell that?” asked Danny, scratching at his notebook.
    “S-y-n-t-r-o-n-i-c.   We’re based out of Cincy.   I work at our global headquarters.”
    “What do you do there?” asked Danny.   He took a sip of coffee and winced.   It was horrible, but he hadn’t really expected fresh stuff from a gas station that was barely open.   “Oh, hey—you want your coffee?”
    Sang waved him off.   “Coffee’s nasty.”  
    “Probably a good choice.   Tastes like it was strained through dirt.   Anyway, what do you do for Syntronic?”
    “I’m in IT—product development, you know?   There was a company conference down in Lexington last week.   We were going to be taking over the university’s IT mainframe and running it for them.   Upgrading their library, digitizing every book in their collections…it’s going to be state-of-the-art, probably the best in the