Hogan flexed his fingers to try to restore some feeling in them. The ropes that bound him to the chair he was sitting on were cruelly tight, and the cellar he found himself was freezing, not helped by his jacket and shoes having been removed. He tried to curl his toes inward and away from the damp cellar floor, but his ankles were bound to the legs of the chair and his feet were going as numb as his hands.
The two Gestapo men who had worked him over were gone, and Hochstetter now returned alone. Now for the questions, thought Hogan, having already noticed various items in the room that he expected were to be used on him in the near future. Hochstetter placed another chair opposite Hogan and sat down, smiling faintly. He didn't say a word.
After a few minutes of silence, Hogan was getting agitated. That's the idea, he reminded himself. He's trying to get you off guard. His body ached where it wasn't numb, and he was freezing. He was feeling odd too, light headed, almost floating. He couldn't be freezing to death yet, and he was reasonably sure he hadn't had any major blows to the head, so he wasn't sure quite what he was feeling. He glanced at Hochstetter, to see the man lick his lips, almost as if he was savouring something tasty. Hogan had a sudden irrational thought that Hochstetter was tasting him. His head swam as if in response. That's ridiculous, he told himself sharply. Get a grip.
Time to break the deadlock. "Much as I'm enjoying your hospitality, Major …"
"Yes?" said the Major softly.
"is there a reason for this visit?"
"Reason," echoed Hochstetter.
"Cos I think I might have missed lights out, and dad's gonna be mad."
Hochstetter nodded. "Probably."
"So why don't you cut to the chase and tell me what you want?"
"What I want," murmured the major.
"Yes!" snapped Hogan. "I can't help you, Major, I don't know anything."
The face before him broke into a beatific smile. "But I don't care what you know."
Hogan, seeing this, was suddenly more afraid than he'd ever been in his life. He swallowed. "They'll be looking for me."
"Not here."
"Won't you be missed?"
That creepy smile again. "I'm on leave." Hochstetter leaned forward and touched Hogan's bruised face, almost tenderly. Hogan felt dizzy again, as Hochstetter whispered, "We have plenty of time."
Hogan had another thought, as irrational as the previous one, but harder to disregard. This isn't Hochstetter, he thought. I don't know who this is.
Consciousness slipped away, and so he missed Hochstetter's friends returning, dragging Carter between them. Carter's eyes widened when he saw the Colonel slumped in the chair. "What have you done to him?" he yelled. "You leave Colonel Hogan alone, you hear me?"
The Gestapo men laughed, as Hochstetter picked up a baton that had been leaning against the wall and swung it suddenly into Carter's knee. There was a crack, and Carter collapsed, screaming. Hochstetter licked his lips, closing his eyes for a moment. The two men glanced at each other uneasily. Their superior did seem to be behaving very strangely. But they had their orders.