Free Incitement by David Graham

support at this meeting because it exonerates the inaccurate predictions of more than one of the attendees. But the truth is, ascribing Kosovar involvement for these
incidents is questionable, bordering on irresponsible.”
    She tried to placate him but he continued, talking over her.
    “For the record, I want to stress my objections. Any link between these attacks is pure speculation. I suggest what we have are a number of unrelated local rivalries that have flared up
within a particular time span and which Agent Mesi then misinterpreted. All I can concede is that it’s a coincidence that they all share common features.” Allenby’s tone was as
dismissive as the look he levelled at her. “Incidents like this probably happen more regularly than we know. The fact that we caught these on our radar and that they coincided with Plan Coca
kicking into top gear means they’ve been attributed more significance than they warrant. The shortages we’ve experienced were predicted by those of us who had a little more faith in
Plan Coca.”
    “So you’re one hundred per cent happy to dismiss the possibility of any escalation? You’re recommending, for the record, that we drop this here?” Mesi asked, angry by
this stage but trying not to show it.
    “No, that isn’t what I said. Of course we need to look into it,” Allenby backtracked, realising that he could be exposing himself to future difficulties. “It’s just
that we need to keep things in perspective. We’re under-resourced as it is and barely able to keep pace with real, concrete problems. I’m questioning the benefit of pouring too much
effort into what’s probably going to be a wild goose chase.”
    “There may be something to that view,” conceded Marshall. Seeing that the meeting was deteriorating into argument, he stood up to signal its close. “I tend to agree with Will
that the Kosovar link is a long shot but I also think it’s unrealistic to say that none of these incidents are connected. I’m going to have Diane spend some time seeing if the Kosovar
theory can be corroborated or dismissed. If in the course of her work she needs any assistance, I know I can count on each of you to give her total cooperation. I think that’s it, there are
dossiers for each of you to pick up on the way out.”
    The train doors closed and Mesi watched the platform slowly disappear. The combination of lack of sleep and nervous anticipation, followed by the events of the day, had taken
their toll. Drained, she sank deeper into the seat and resolved to get an early night: something quick to eat when she got home then straight to bed. Although tomorrow was Saturday it made little
difference; she would be working every weekend for the foreseeable future.
    The events of the meeting were still playing on her mind. While her presentation had gone well, the rest of it had been mixed. Why had Marshall referred to her as a specialist rather than as the
head of TAIT? Was there any significance in this omission in front of the external audience? Did it show a lack of commitment on his part to the team or was she simply reading too much into it?
Marshall certainly had other things on his mind. While he may not have shown it outwardly he must be feeling some strain. After all, if the worst scenario came to pass and a conflict occurred, one
that detracted from Plan Coca, it would have happened while he was at the DEA’s helm. His professional legacy could be at stake, so perhaps the introduction had simply been a result of
understandable preoccupation.
    More significant had been her inability to avoid being pulled into the dispute. Even before she had begun her presentation, she could see the way the two camps had naturally aligned themselves
on opposite sides of the table. She had known then that some clash was inevitable but she had hoped they would leave her out of it. Unfortunately, once Schutterop had forced her to speculate on the
cumulative effect of the