Free Firebase Freedom by William W. Johnstone Page B

call to prayer.
    In fact, though from some distance it looked as if they were being reverential, they were anything but, because they carried on a conversation throughout the ten minutes of “prayer.”
    â€œEddie, Keith’s mama asked me if I knew where he was,” a boy named Timmy said.
    Keith Leslie was one of the three boys who had been killed that morning. All three bodies had been picked up and taken away. As a result, none of the families of those who had been killed knew what had happened to them.
    â€œWhat did you tell them?”
    â€œI said I didn’t know.
    â€œThat’s good. Don’t tell them anything.”
    â€œDon’t you think their own parents should know what happened to them?” Carl, one of the other boys asked.
    â€œYou think they aren’t going to find out? They just don’t need to find out from us,” Eddie said.
    All the time the boys were talking, they were bowing repeatedly.
    â€œThat don’t seem right,” Carl said.
    â€œListen guys, you can’t tell anyone that we know about this, not your brother, sister, parents, or best friend.”
    â€œYou think they’ll tell on us? My mom or dad would never tell on me,” another said.
    â€œThat’s not the point, Burt,” Eddie said. “Anyone we tell is going to be involved, and then they’ll be in danger. Do you want the police to come looking for your mother and father?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThen do like I say, and don’t say a word about this to anyone.”
    The “prayers” were just finishing when a car stopped out front.
    â€œEddie, what do you think this means?” Burt asked.
    â€œNothing,” Eddie said. “Everyone, sit down and be holding a Koran. I’ll talk to them.”
    Two bearded men, each of them wearing dishdasha , walked up to the garage where, by now, the boys were all sitting on the floor, each of them holding a copy of the Koran.
    â€œSalaam ,” Eddie greeted the two men. He saluted them. “Obey Ohmshidi.”
    â€œAlaykum,” one of the two answered. “Obey Ohmshidi.”
    â€œWe have just finished with the prayers,” Eddie said. “Now we are reading the Koran. Would you like to join us?”
    â€œYou are Eddie Manning, aren’t you?”
    Eddie felt his blood run cold. “Yes, sir.”
    â€œYou played something called ‘quarterback’ last year. I am told this is an important position in the infidel game of football.”
    â€œI was backup quarterback.”
    â€œI am also told you would have been starting quarterback this year. This, too, is said to be important.”
    â€œIt was important before I learned better. Now I have learned that football is evil and a sin against Allah, so I have no wish to play the game. I don’t want to sin against Allah.”
    â€œSuppose a group of young men gathered to play the game, not for a school and before large crowds, but on an empty lot somewhere? Would that be a sin?”
    â€œI don’t know, I’ve never thought about it like that.”
    â€œThere were some boys playing football on an empty lot this morning. When some of Allah’s warriors went to arrest them, they ran. They all got away.”
    When the man said “they all got away,” he stared closely at Eddie to gauge his reaction. Eddie knew that three of the boys had not gotten away, but he gave no indication of that knowledge.
    The two men stood there for a moment longer, then they started back to their car.
    â€œPeace be upon you,” Eddie called, but neither of the two men looked back.
    â€œAnd may a pig shit on your next meal,” Eddie added under his breath. The other boys snickered, but didn’t laugh out loud for fear of being heard.
    â€œThey know it was us,” Carl said. “They know we were the ones playing football.”
    â€œThey don’t know anything,” Eddie said. “They were