"What if they don't want to?"

"They are free to live in peace under Sharia with us."

"But they must live under Islamic law?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"It is our destiny. Your destiny. The world's destiny. It is written in the Koran. It is the-"

"Will of God."

"Yes."

"Your world is black and white, isn't it? There's no room for disagreement, is there? No room for other points of view? No room for tolerance? Christians and Jews in America are told to be tolerant of Muslims, but you don't seem very tolerant of Christians and Jews."

"Why should we be tolerant of stupidity?" The Imam pointed at the book on the floor. "It is either written in the Koran or it is not. Allah either said it shall be done or he said it shall not be done. It is either right or it is wrong. God is not tolerant of Christians and Jews, why should we be?"

Scott studied the man sitting just a few feet away. He held a harsh view of the world, of his religion and others. He was a danger to religious tolerance, but was he a danger to the community?

"The witness is excused."

The Imam stood, stepped down from the stand, bent over, and picked up the Koran. He dusted it off as one might a historical antiquity then carried it to the defense table. His lawyer leaned away.

"Closing arguments. Mr. Turner."

Frank walked to the podium.

"Your Honor, I will address the four factors set forth in the Bail Reform Act. First, the nature and circumstances of the offense. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. We all agree it's an evil offense. The problem for the government is factor two, the weight of the evidence. The problem is, there is no evidence. The government's got nothing. I've had nothing before, so I know nothing when I hear nothing. And we heard nothing from Agent Beckeman in this courtroom today. The third factor, the defendants' history and character, clearly weighs in favor of release. The defendants have no prior criminal offenses on their records. They've never engaged in acts of violence. They've never possessed weapons of violence. They've never been charged with violent crimes, or any crimes. As Mr. Mustafa said, they were good boys. And they're good men. The defendants have nothing in their past or present to indicate that their release would pose any danger whatsoever to the community. These men should be released today on their personal recognizance. Failing that, we ask that you release them subject to conditions. Strap GPS monitors on them. Put them under house arrest. Do whatever is reasonable. But release them to their families. That is only fair when there is no evidence whatsoever of their guilt. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Turner. Mr. Donahue."

The U.S. Attorney replaced Frank at the podium.

"On the website for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, it states: 'Our District's core priorities are, one, protecting Americans from terrorism and other threats to national security, both at home and abroad; two, protecting Americans from violent crime ... ' That is my job. That is what I do. That is what I'm trying to do today. Protect the American people from violent terrorism. Protect them from him"-he pointed at the Imam-"Omar al Mustafa. Mr. Mustafa has written and preached in favor of jihadist revolution for years. Yes, he has a right of free speech, but this is violent speech. And now he decided to practice what he preaches. Your Honor, a federal grand jury indicted Mr. Mustafa and twenty-three co-conspirators for conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. They plotted to blow up Cowboys Stadium during the Super Bowl in just sixteen days. One co-conspirator, Aabdar Haddad, resisted arrest and was killed. Under the Bail Reform Act, indictment on such offense raises a statutory presumption that the defendants should be detained pending trial, that is, that there are no conditions that the court may impose on the defendants' release that will assure their appearance at trial and the safety of the community. Yes, under the Constitution, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But, Your Honor, do you really want to put these men back on the street, twenty-three men under indictment, twenty-three men whom a grand jury said more likely than not planned to use weapons of mass destruction here in America? Yes, they have clean criminal histories. So did the nine-eleven hijackers-right up until they flew those planes into those towers."

The drone pilots sat in Arizona and brought death to Arabs ten thousand miles away as if they were playing video games. After a day of killing Muslims, they went home to mama and the kids and watched sports on cable television, so happy with their lives in America, as if they had not destroyed entire families' lives in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria. As if they were entitled to kill anyone anywhere anytime.

But they were not entitled to kill Abdul's father.

The errant missile had killed many fathers in the village, men who had been plotting the future of the village not terrorist attacks, just as drone missiles had killed thousands of innocent Muslims in the Middle East. But to the Americans, all Muslims look alike. All Muslims think alike. All Muslims want to kill Americans. All Muslims are terrorists in waiting. So America must kill all Muslims. They meant to kill terrorists; instead, they created terrorists.

"Judge Fenney has a big decision to make," Professor Johnson said.

Abdul jabaar sat on the back row next to his little brother.

"I was just in the courtroom for the Imam's detention hearing," the professor said. "I obtained a copy of the government's brief in support of detention and heard the FBI agent's testimony. The Imam's anti-American and pro-ISIS statements were the only evidence introduced against him. The government produced no evidence whatsoever directly connecting him to the alleged plot to blow up the stadium. Apparently the government wants to detain him pending trial and then convict and imprison him for exercising his right of free speech."

"When you tossed the Koran at him," Agent Beckeman said, "I thought Mustafa was going to come out of that chair and attack you."

"That was the plan." Mike Donahue turned to Scott. "He's going to walk, isn't he?"

Scott had asked counsel to his chambers for a conference. Agent Beckeman had tagged along.

"I don't want to release him, but this is a court of law. I need evidence."

"I want that son of a bitch bad," Agent Beckeman said. "And he is bad, Judge."

"Why don't you just kill the motherfucker!" Frank Turner said. "Don't you have a drone over Dallas? Scotty can let him out, and you guys can put a missile up his ass."

The U.S. Attorney and the FBI agent gave Frank looks of confusion.

"Aren't you his lawyer?" Beckeman said.

"Only because Scotty appointed me!"

"I'm sorry, Frank."

Frank waved him off. "I'm a big boy."

The four men breathed out a collective sigh and sat silent for a long moment. The FBI agent attacked the toffee bowl.

"I want that son of a bitch bad," Beckeman said.

"Then get him!" Frank said.

"You made me look stupid on cross-examination!"

"It wasn't hard."

"Fuck you, lawyer!"

"Easy, Agent Beckeman," Scott said.

"Tell me what you know."

"I can't!" Frank said. "He'll behead me if I violate the attorney-client privilege!"

"How do you know?"

"He told me!"

Frank bent over and buried his face in his hands.

"I want that son of a bitch bad," Beckeman said again. "Hell, I'd arrest him for jaywalking just to keep him off the streets."

Frank's head came up. He turned and stared at Beckeman with an odd expression.

"You ever watch The Untouchables?"

"With Costner?" Beckeman said. "Only about a hundred times."

"Watch it again."

"Why?"

"Just watch it."

Counsel and the FBI agent had just walked out of Scott's chambers when his phone rang. It was the attorney general. Again.

"Do you have me on your speed dial?" Scott asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Ah."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Ponder."

"Ponder? Who the hell ponders?"

"Judges."

"I was a judge for twenty years. I never pondered."

"I'm pondering this weekend and ruling Monday morning."

"How'd the detention hearing go?" Pea asked when Beckeman walked into headquarters.

"We're fucked." He sighed and looked around. "Any tacos left?"

"What are you going to do?" Bobby asked.

The crew had gathered in Scott's chambers for the Friday afternoon staff meeting.

"Hope the government finds some evidence against Mustafa by Monday at ten."

Scott had adjourned the case until then. When he would have to make a hard decision. He ate a toffee and fired one to Louis.

"He's bad," Carlos said.

"Yes, but I want the government to present evidence that ties his bad to this plot."

"You read what he wrote, heard what he said," Bobby said. "Leave his ass in jail. No one's going to feel sorry for him."

"I don't like him either, Bobby. But that's not the standard for detention pending trial. That's not the law."

"That's not all Muslims," Louis said. "We're not all like Mustafa."

"We?" Carlos said.

The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Louis for a long awkward moment then glanced at each other. Finally, Scott spoke.

"Louis-you're Muslim?"

"Yes, sir, I am." He turned to his best buddy. "Carlos, you're looking at me like I said I was gay."

"That might've been better. Damn, big man, you never told me."

"You never asked me."

Carlos turned his palms up. "You went to Hooters with me."

Louis shrugged. "I'm not a gay Muslim."

"Were your parents Muslim?" Scott asked.

"No, sir. I converted when I was twenty-five. I was on a path of hatred and meanness, just wanting to hurt people to stop the hurt inside me. Then I read about Cassius Clay. He was the same way, until he converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He found inner peace. I did, too."

"The government screwed him," Bobby said.

"Ali?" Carlos said.

"Oh, you've heard of him."

"I'm alive. What'd they do to him?"

"Back in the sixties, he got drafted for the Vietnam War. Refused to serve, said his religion prohibited his fighting. Now, every white college boy got a CO-conscientious objector-status, but the government said no to Ali. He wouldn't enlist, so they stripped him of his boxing privileges. Couldn't fight for four years, right in the prime of his career. Because he was a celebrity, he was black, and he was Muslim."

"I don't agree with Mustafa, what he says," Louis said. "I don't think that's Islam. He and those ISIS folks are taking a harsh view of the Koran."

"Is there a point to all this?" Carlos said.