Chapter 14---Setting The Trap
Leaving the Colonel's quarters, Hogan slapped Kinch on the shoulder. "Kinch, contact the underground in Hammelburg and set up a rendezvous for the day after tomorrow for 2200 hours outside the abandoned electrical plant to pick up part one of the information on the German counter offensive."
"Right, Colonel," Kinch replied heading in the direction of the double bunk and slapped the hidden mechanism. As Kinch climbed below, the barracks door opened and an exhausted but smiling Captain Milner strolled inside. He saw the men looking at him.
"What's going on? Colonel?" Milner asked.
Hogan approached the Captain and put a hand on his shoulder. "Captain Milner, just the man I want to see," he said in his most cheery voice. "How would you like to accompany me on a mission day after tomorrow?"
"What kind of mission, sir?" Milner hoped he sounded and looked excited.
"Well, we have an assignment that's going to require meeting with three different underground units in three different areas on the same night. Kinch and Newkirk will be in Schweinfurt, Carter and LeBeau will be in Karlstadt while you and I will meet with the Hammelburg underground."
Milner raised his eyebrows. "Are you certain you want me to come along with you, Colonel? I mean there are more experienced men here who would be better suited to go with you than me."
"I know that, Captain," Hogan kept his face impassive and his voice friendly. "But the more you go out with us on missions, the more experience you gain. Plus, after enough experience, I might have you be in charge of a mission outside the wire. And as I've said, you handled yourself well the two previous times and I was impressed by how you kept your head both times."
Milner let out a deep breath. "Wow," was all he could utter. "I'd be glad to go on this assignment, sir."
"Good man," Hogan replied. He turned and, grabbing a coffee cup, poured himself a cup of lukewarm coffee and took a drink. He sat down at the table along with LeBeau, Carter and Newkirk. The Englander broke out his deck of cards and began shuffling. He glanced up at Milner. "Care to join us for a game of gin, mate?"
"No thanks. I better take a shower."
"Oh right," Newkirk replied cheerily. "I saw part of the ruddy game. Who won?"
"Barracks fourteen I'm afraid," Milner sighed reaching for a towel. "Beat us by two points."
"Bloody embarrassing," Newkirk commented as he dealt out cards to himself, LeBeau and Carter.
Milner shrugged as he trudged off to the showers leaving the others at the table. A few moments later the men at the table looked around as the lower bunk went up and Kinch climbed back into the barracks. He struck the hidden mechanism and watched the bunk drop over the tunnel entrance.
"It's all set, Colonel," he said. "Your contact will be Athena. She'll meet you at the designated place day after tomorrow at 2200 hours. Her recognition code will be 'the moon is bright tonight.' And your response will be 'only when the stars are shining brightly.'"
Hogan rolled his eyes. "They've got to be kidding."
Newkirk chuckled. "Blimey, Gov'nor. These recognition codes get cornier every time. Who writes these bloody things anyway." He suddenly smiled and laid down his cards. "Gin."
Hogan smirked as he watched LeBeau and Carter throw down their cards. "Whoever it is obviously has no sense of humor." He took another drink of coffee.
After pouring himself some coffee, Kinch joined the others at the table. "Colonel, I still wish you'd let one of us go with you or at least follow when you and the Captain leave."
"I haven't changed my mind about that, Kinch," Hogan said. "My orders are still the same."
"I must agree with Kinch, mon Colonel," LeBeau chimed in. "Especially when we don't know what the Capitaine is up to."
"Look. I know you guys are worried about me and I appreciate your concern. But it's not your job to look after me."
"Beggin' the Colonel's pardon," Newkirk interjected as he re-shuffled the cards. "But it is our job to look after you. You take all the risks, you have all the responsibility, and when it comes to keeping you safe, we feel it is our job. And nothing you say is gonna make us feel any different, sir."
Hogan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He drained his coffee cup, got up, and refilled it before sitting back down. He stared into the dark liquid.
"You okay, Colonel?" Carter asked, concern on his face.
Looking up, Hogan noticed each of his men watching him with concern and worry on their faces. He managed a small smile. "I know what you guys are trying to do and I appreciate it. But I'm not changing my mind."
"Well," Newkirk replied as he dealt the cards to LeBeau and Carter again. "You can't blame us for tryin' Gov'nor."
As the water in the shower beat down on Milner's body, he thought about the upcoming mission. He wondered why Hogan had made a point of telling him it would just be the two of them meeting with the Hammelburg underground.
Hogan's either setting a trap to catch me, Milner thought to himself, or he's trying to force my hand and get me to reveal myself. He chuckled. Doesn't matter really. I'll be by his side playing the dutiful backup until after we meet with the underground operative and start back to camp. I have my trap set for you, Hogan. You will never make it back to Stalag 13; I'll see to it. You will have appeared to have died as a result of an accident. But after I dispose of you, I will have to disappear from the area because of that Frenchman's suspicions. He smirked as he turned off the water and began to towel himself off.
Hogan paced the floor endlessly once inside his quarters; back and forth, back and forth. Though he would never admit it to anyone, he secretly was apprehensive about going out alone with Milner considering what his gut kept telling him. But he didn't want his men involved in any way. Even though he didn't want to die, Hogan felt he was expendable and his men were not. The operation could continue without him, and Kinch was a more than capable leader to take over for him. He suddenly smirked. There was nothing to indicate the Captain was out to kill him. Hogan began to feel he was letting his imagination run wild now. He rubbed the back of his neck, looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep breath as he analyzed everything he knew up to this point.
He wasn't trying to be a martyr, Hogan told himself. He simply did not want any of the men to get hurt or worse if the Captain did try something. But what if he didn't try anything? What if everything he was feeling was based on how LeBeau felt about the Captain. When Hogan thought about it, he now couldn't even be sure the Captain still had the journal even though he couldn't possibly figure out what else could've been buried in the tunnel where LeBeau had found that disturbed earth. Hogan was beginning to wonder if he was letting his imagination run wild. He had to admit the Captain had done nothing to arouse suspicion and did whatever was asked of him. And lying about a journal was not the worse thing in the world. But did lying about it mean necessarily that Milner was up to something?
Hogan admitted to himself it was the lying about the journal that possibly was eating at him. He never liked his men to lie to him. That was one thing he had made clear to Milner in the beginning. And if he was lying about the journal, then how could Hogan, in all honesty, trust him? He pulled out the chair from his desk and sat down, rubbing his face with his hands. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," he said. The door opened and Milner walked inside. "What can I do for you, Captain?" he asked.
"Can I sit down, Colonel?"
Hogan motioned towards the lower bunk. After Milner sat down, Hogan turned to him and waited.
"Colonel, I was thinking. Considering how LeBeau feels about me, wouldn't it be better if you took somebody else with you day after tomorrow."
Hogan folded his arms. "Captain, forget LeBeau for the moment. Is there some reason you shouldn't go on this assignment as my backup?"
"No, sir. It's just that whatever I do is not going to change LeBeau's mind about me, so I just thought maybe I should be replaced as your backup."
Hogan sighed. God he was tired. "LeBeau will come around, Captain. Just give him some time. As far as who I choose to go on assignments with me the final decision is mine, nobody else's. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir, Colonel."
"And as I said earlier, I have been impressed as to how you've handled yourself. Besides, this way the underground will become familiar with you and you with them."
The Captain's face brightened. "Just what is the mission, Colonel?"
"The underground has information on a German counter offensive. The information has been divided into three sections with three different underground units each having a section. Those underground units are in Hammelburg, Karlstadt and Schweinfurt. That's why the team is being divided as it is. We'll be able to obtain all three sections in one night and pass the information onto London."
Milner appeared confused.
"Something wrong, Captain?"
"Not really, Colonel. I was just wondering why the underground was doing it this way. Wouldn't it have been easier just for one underground to have everything?"
Hogan sighed. "It would be. But it's being done this way because if something should go wrong and one of the parts should be found by the Krauts, it will do the them no good as one part is no good without the other two."
The Captain smiled and nodded. "Smart move."
"Is there anything else you wish to discuss, Captain?"
"No, sir. That was it."
"Then you're dismissed, Captain. I have some planning to do for this assignment to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, sir." Milner got to his feet and started towards the door when Hogan's voice stopped him. He turned and looked back. "Colonel?"
"Try not to take what LeBeau says too seriously," advised Hogan. "He and the others are very protective of me. Just give him time to come around."
"I will sir. Thank you sir." Milner then walked out and closed the door leaving Hogan alone in his quarters. The Captain smirked standing outside Hogan's closed door before walking away.
Each man, unbeknown to the other, had a plan set and ready for the other. But only the plan of one of them would definitely result in the death of the other.