A Taste of Vengeance – Part 4
By Diane Maher
Back in Honolulu, the phone rang in the UNCLE agents' hotel room. Napoleon had just fixed himself something cold to drink, sat in the chair in front of the air conditioner and Illya took the call. He frowned as he listened to the person on the other end of the line and nodded several times.
"We'll be there shortly," Illya replied.
"What is it? Who was that?" Napoleon inquired and then took a gulp of his drink.
Illya didn't answer immediately as he was pulling on his bulletproof vest. "It was Hogan. He's asked us to come to their hotel room at the Ilikai."
"Did he say why?" Napoleon asked. He put down his drink and stripped off his shirt to put on his vest as well.
"No. He sounded worried," replied Illya.
When the two agents finished dressing, they left their hotel room and rode the elevator down to the lobby. Napoleon signaled for the valet to bring their car from the garage. "Let's go," he said.
Shortly, Napoleon and Illya arrived at the Ilikai, went up to the couple's suite and knocked. After a moment, Hogan opened the door and allowed them to enter.
"What's going on, Hogan?" Illya asked.
Hogan glanced over his shoulder briefly before replying, "I think Karla is being framed for murder."
Napoleon noticed Karla standing on the balcony and staring out over the city towards the sea. A breeze blew through her hair and she looked lonely despite Hogan's presence in the room. Napoleon asked, "Who would want her framed for murder?"
Hogan shrugged and replied quietly, "Anyone who hates Germans, I guess. I really don't know, Napoleon, but I intend to find out and clear her of these ridiculous charges. I hate to see her brooding like this." Hogan was doing his best to hold back his emotions, but nevertheless a tear ran down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand.
"Let's sit down, you look tired," Napoleon said as he looked again at Karla who was still staring towards the ocean.
Hogan sat on the bed, put his elbows on his legs, his head into his hands and stared at the floor. He whispered, "I don't know what McGarrett will do."
Napoleon asked, "And you want our help to clear her name?"
Hogan nodded and briefly described the visit of McGarrett and Kelly earlier in the week. "We were followed to the hospital when we visited our boss the next day after they came here. I feel so frustrated."
"Is it safe to talk here?" inquired Napoleon.
Hogan replied, "Yes. Karla checked the suite for hidden microphones after McGarrett's recent visit and is going to check the phone for a bug in a minute."
Karla came back into the room and greeted their guests, "Hello Napoleon, Illya." She then walked over to the phone, sat on the couch and started unscrewing the handset. Hogan went over and sat next to her.
"Hello," they each replied.
Karla had disassembled the phone's receiver by this time and found that everything appeared to be in order. "There's no listening device here, Robert. However, they may have ordered a wire tap on our phone," she commented as she reassembled the phone's receiver. "I guess I sound paranoid."
"No not at all. When one is being hunted, one must be cautious," Napoleon commented.
"I understand completely," Karla said.
"I hate not knowing what's going on and why. And worst of all, I feel powerless to stop it. Do you know what I mean?" Hogan asked.
With a nod, Napoleon replied, "Illya and I will help you in whatever way we can."
Just then, the phone rang. Karla reached over and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
A male voice said, "Karla Hogan? This is the British embassy calling."
"Yes, this is she. What can I do for you?" Karla stood and looked at Hogan, worry evident in her expression.
"The ambassador just received a call from London. There has been some trouble and the person who called gave us this number where you or your husband could be contacted in case of an emergency. We can give you the details when you arrive here. Do you need a ride?"
"No. We'll come as soon as I get off the phone with you." Karla then hung up. Her voice trembled with fear as she whispered, "Oh, no." She slowly sat in the chair next to the couch and closed her eyes. Hogan looked at her, concern on his face.
"Will you please excuse us for a few minutes?" Karla asked, then stood and headed into the bedroom where she and Hogan could talk privately.
When they were alone, Hogan asked, "What is it? Who was that?"
"It was the embassy. There has been some trouble back home," Karla replied hoarsely as she suddenly had a bad feeling. She pulled out a sheathed dagger and strapped it to her calf.
"Isn't that a bit drastic?" Hogan asked.
"I don't think so. Right now, it's the only weapon I have," Karla replied.
"As long as the embassy staff can't see it, that's fine." Hogan had always preferred to use a gun and she assumed he now carried his spare one in his holster. Before leaving, he decided to change clothes. He put on a pair of white pants and a pair of loafers as it would hardly do to show up at the embassy wearing shorts and sandals and looking like a beach bum.
"Am I presentable?" asked Hogan with a wink.
Karla's eyes roamed over his body. With a nod, she replied, "It will do. At least we won't stick out like sore thumbs wearing these outfits." She picked up her purse and they returned to the living room where the UNCLE agents were patiently waiting.
"Can you guys give us a ride to the British embassy without us being seen with you?" Hogan asked.
"Yes. Come on. There are some stairs we can use that bypass the lobby entrance and go straight to the garage," Napoleon replied. They headed out the door, went to the stairwell and headed down to the garage.
Soon, they were at the UNCLE agents' car. Karla and Hogan hid in the back seat and Napoleon and Illya got in front. Illya started the car, put it in gear and left the garage. He didn't see anyone following them, although he noticed a brown car with a man sitting in it apparently observing the front of the hotel.
"We're several blocks away from the hotel. It's safe to come up now," Illya said.
"No, it's better if we're not seen with you until we're at the embassy," Hogan commented and gave them the address of the British embassy. It was a fifteen-minute drive from the hotel.
"I noticed a man in a brown car parked outside the hotel when we left. Was that your tail?" Illya asked.
"Yes. I don't know who he is or who he's working for, but the longer they think we're there, the better off we'll be," replied Hogan.
Soon, they were approaching the British embassy. "We're almost there. I can see the entrance from here," Napoleon commented.
Hogan and Karla slowly sat up in the back seat. They each had their papers with them. At the entrance, Karla rolled down the window and explained that she had received a call from the embassy regarding an emergency in England and that they were to give her more information upon her arrival here. They were admitted to the compound, the car parked and Hogan and Karla entered the building. The secretary asked for their papers, they produced them and were admitted to see the ambassador. Illya and Napoleon waited with the car outside.
* * * * * * *
When he heard that there had been a theft at the MI-6 agents' home in England, Chin Ho Kelly had a hunch. It told him to call the chiefs of all the islands' police forces and ask them to check in their gun theft report records for a theft of any Walther make of gun. He knew it was a long shot, but upon returning to his office after taking Steve the new information regarding Robert Hogan, he found he had a message to call the chief of police on Kauai.
Kelly made the call to the chief of police on Kauai, who said, "We had two people who reported guns of that type stolen, back in 1955. However, they were tourists visiting here from London and the weapons were never found. We took their fingerprints so we could check them against those taken at the scene, but there weren't any additional prints found, so they were discarded after six months."
Kelly closed his eyes briefly in frustration. "What were their names?"
"Just a moment," the chief turned the pages of the report in front of him, found the names and continued, "Robert and Karla Hogan."
Kelly's brow furrowed. "Does the report say what their occupations were?"
The chief replied, "No. Like I said, they were tourists. You know how strange tourists are."
"Yeah, thanks," Kelly replied with a laugh, then hung up. "Some tourists!"
Moments later, Steve returned to his office, looking stressed. Kelly stood and followed him into his office.
"Well, Chin, due to some new information I received just before leaving Diamond Head, we now know there is a fugitive in our midst."
"What do you mean by that? Who?"
"After you left, there was a call from Interpol. They said that there had been an anonymous tip sent to them about five other murders in England and Europe. The slugs from those bodies were compared to the one from the weapon with Hogan's fingerprints on it found at the site of the murdered retired MI-6 agent."
"And?" prompted Chin.
"They matched. Hogan is the fugitive," Steve said as he looked at him seriously. "And I was worried about his wife being an ex-SS officer! We're going to have to bring them in for further questioning. Contact Duke and have him bring them here."
Chin turned to leave and Steve continued, "Did you want something?"
Turning back to face Steve, Chin replied, "Yes, but I guess it doesn't mean anything now."
"What is it?" asked Steve.
"I just spoke to the chief of police on Kauai. A Robert and Karla Hogan from London reported their Walthers were stolen while they vacationed there back in 1955. I gave him a description of the couple and he confirmed their identities from the report."
"The same two people?!?" asked Steve, incredulous. "Now, that adds another new twist to the plot. Contact Duke and we'll get this settled yet."
Steve saw a telex on his desk that May had just placed there. It was from Interpol. When he picked up the paper, he held a wanted poster for the arrest of one Robert Edward Hogan. According to it, Hogan was wanted for the murders of four people in Europe and two more in England. He was considered a fugitive, armed and extremely dangerous. Shaking his head, Steve asked himself, "If Hogan's a fugitive, can Karla be far behind?" He looked at the wanted poster once more. "Perhaps the victims here knew about the couple being fugitives."
* * * * * * *
Wo Fat was waiting at the airport in Honolulu for one passenger to deplane from the flight from Los Angeles. Soon, he saw the man he was looking for; Rudolf Freiberger was carrying a young, blonde haired girl who appeared to be sleeping. He walked over as the man came into the terminal; they picked up his one piece of luggage and went to Wo Fat's car.
"Your report?" asked Freiberger.
Wo Fat replied, "Everything is going according to your plan. The items were found at the murder scenes and because of my agent monitoring the activities of the Five-O office, I have learned that many inquiries have been made with regards to the Hogans' backgrounds recently. It seems that the man is in trouble due to some anonymous tip to Interpol regarding five other murders in Europe and England besides the one where the weapon with his prints was found."
Freiberger smiled wickedly. "Yes, I believe they have already issued a wanted poster for him now. What about her? Have the authorities here arrested her yet?"
"No, McGarrett has a soft spot for pretty women. Someday, that will be his downfall. However, the couple is under surveillance right now."
"Verdammt!" Freiberger swore. "It will have to do for the moment. Let's go to the hotel. I will arrange for your payment to be sent to your Swiss account tomorrow."
* * * * * * *
Duke entered the Ilikai hotel after speaking with Chin on the radio and had the steward open the door to the Hogan suite when there was no response to his knocks. Upon entering, he found it empty. He reached for the phone and called Steve McGarrett's office. May buzzed Steve at his desk.
"Duke's on the line," she said.
"Put him through." Steve turned on the speaker.
Duke reported, "Steve, I'm at the Ilikai, suite 1777. They're gone."
"What?!?" Steve asked, incredulous.
"That's right, Steve, they're gone," replied Duke.
Steve slammed a fist on his desk and demanded, "How did they get out?"
Duke heard his boss' anger. "I don't know. I've been in front of the hotel all day watching the garage entrance and that is the only way out via car. I had Kono watching the lobby and they certainly didn't get out that way."
"What about the back?" asked Steve.
"I've got some plainclothes officers around the back of the hotel. I haven't heard anything from them."
"Great, now the Hogan's are running and someone here is helping them. Thanks, Duke. I'll put out an APB for them." Steve found the pages of his report with the couple's descriptions on it so he could send them with the APB.
Duke hung up and returned to his car. Just as he did, he saw a car pull up in front of the Ilikai with Wo Fat's henchman driving. *I wonder what Wo Fat is doing here? * Duke thought as he observed the passengers in the car, Wo Fat, an older man, who looked to be in his mid-sixties and a young, blonde haired girl about ten years old sitting next to him. The older man and the young girl got out of the car along with Wo Fat and entered the hotel. Duke followed them inside at a discreet distance, observed them register and once they had left, showed the hotel clerk his badge and asked what room the people he had just registered had been given. Once he found out, he returned to his car and called Steve back on the radio.
"Steve?" asked Duke.
"Yeah, Duke?" replied Steve.
With a grin, Duke continued. "You won't believe who just checked into the Ilikai."
"All right, Duke, I'll bite," Steve said.
"Wo Fat," said Duke.
"Wo Fat?" There was a touch of surprise in McGarrett's voice. He did not expect that. "What's he doing here? Who else was with him?"
"An older man, in his mid-sixties and a young girl, I would say she's about ten years old."
"Good work, Duke. Keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't leave without us knowing about it."
"Will do, boss."
* * * * * * *
"Now what, Steve?" Chin asked as he hung up.
"Why did the Hogans leave their hotel suite? Why is Wo Fat here?" Steve asked.
"Wo Fat is here? What for?" asked Chin, puzzled.
"Good question. The Hogans probably realized they were being watched and ran before we could arrest them. Where do we start looking?" Steve replied. "With the introduction of Wo Fat into this case, now we know of someone who would want the intelligence leaders dead. Hogan was right about that -- someone from a rival intelligence agency -- Wo Fat."
Chin said, "That makes sense. Oh, by the way, when we first started the wire tap on their phone at the hotel, I heard the man Hogan called in England say that he had checked on their home and that there hadn't been any more break-ins. Hogan also asked if the man was nervous."
"Well, until we can find Hogan, we're up the proverbial creek." McGarrett thought for a moment, then continued, "Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. If you were going to be gone for an extended period of time and you had one or more children who were going to stay at home with a friend, wouldn't you give them a phone number where you could be reached?"
"Yes. So?"
Steve continued, "If you were going to another country, wouldn't you also give them the number of your country's embassy where you were going in case of an emergency?"
Chin shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose I would."
At that moment, the officer monitoring the phone tap to the Ilikai entered the office and handed Chin a piece of paper. "Thanks," he said to the officer, then turned back to Steve. "The Hogans received a call from the British embassy about twenty minutes ago."
"What was it about?" inquired Steve.
"They didn't say. However, Karla Hogan said they would go there as soon as they got off the phone."
"Good, now we know where to start looking for them. If they're really going there, it will make dealing with this a lot easier." Steve handed Chin the wanted poster from Interpol to look at. Chin's eyebrows went up in surprise as he read the document.
"I'll have May check for the address and phone number of the British embassy here in Honolulu," Chin responded after returning the wanted poster to him. Steve nodded as he was on the phone.
Steve said, "Jonathan, I have some news with regards to this case."
"Oh?" asked Kaye.
"Yes. We have a fugitive wanted by Interpol in our midst."
"Who?"
"Robert Hogan of MI-6."
There was a brief pause before Jonathan replied. "I'm surprised. That was the last name I expected to hear. I'm canceling the rest of this meeting."
"Thanks. Will you inform Mr. Waverly of UNCLE? He can contact Napoleon Solo or Illya Kuryakin much quicker than I can. We may need their help to bring Hogan in."
"He ran? Do you have any idea where he is?" asked Kaye.
"Yes, but he might not go there and could be anywhere. We're on our way to check out the place and I've got to go, Jonathan. Good-bye."
"Good-bye, Steve," Kaye hung up and went to inform Mr. Waverly about the recent developments in the case.
* * * * * * *
Hogan walked back outside the embassy building and over to the car where Napoleon and Illya stood waiting. "The two of you should leave and return to your hotel," said Hogan.
"Are you sure? Won't you need a ride back to your hotel?" asked Napoleon.
Hogan shook his head. "We'll manage. Thanks for getting us here in one piece and more importantly, unnoticed. I have a feeling that all hell is about to break loose and it's best if you're not here or anywhere near us when it does."
Napoleon drove the car out of the embassy compound and parked it about a block away. Illya's communicator beeped just then. He opened the device and answered, "Kuryakin here."
"Mr. Kuryakin, is Mr. Solo with you?" Mr. Waverly asked.
"Yes."
"I need you both to listen carefully. I've just been informed by Jonathan Kaye that your friend from MI-6 is wanted by Interpol for six murders in Europe and England. All were either current or recently retired MI-6 agents."
"What? Are you serious, sir?" Napoleon looked at Illya after he snatched the communicator from him.
"Always. Hawaii Five-O has issued an APB for the Hogans. Where are you now?"
"We're about a block away from the British embassy. When did this happen?" asked Napoleon.
"We were informed just now as the two of you had escorted them here upon their arrival. No one else here will be notified, pending the investigation of Hawaii Five-O. Also, the rest of the meeting has been canceled due to the occurrence of the unfortunate events of the past few days," said Waverly.
"What do you want us to do?" asked Napoleon.
"Remain where you are and inform Steve McGarrett if the two MI-6 agents show up there. I will be leaving on the next plane to the mainland. As soon as this matter with Hogan is settled, return to headquarters at once."
"Yes, sir," Napoleon responded slowly, and then returned the communicator to Illya who closed the device and replaced it to his pocket. "That's great! Now we've assisted two fugitives to get to where our authorities really have no power to get to them, their embassy."
"Hogan wasn't kidding when he said all hell was about to break loose," Illya commented.
Napoleon decided to return to the Ilikai. He started the car and put it in gear.
"What are you doing? Mr. Waverly told us to stay put!" asked Illya.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Why would they need to go to the British embassy? Obviously, something has happened back home and this is the only place that could be contacted without our authorities knowing about it."
Illya considered that as they returned to the Ilikai, then he remembered the picture with the three children in it that Karla had shown him. "You don't suppose...?"
"Yeah, one or more of their children have been kidnapped?" Napoleon replied as he drove to the hotel.
Shortly after they left, several unmarked police cars arrived at the front of the British embassy. They were admitted and entered the compound.
* * * * * * *
Inside the embassy, the ambassador admitted Robert and Karla Hogan to his office. When the couple was seated, he explained what had happened and that the authorities in England thought that one of their children had been kidnapped. They had a description of the man from James Roberts and a composite sketch of the kidnapper had arrived in the diplomatic pouch from London that morning. He handed the paper to Hogan, who looked at it and shook his head negatively before handing it to Karla.
"This reminds me of someone. I just can't place who." She paused, and then looked closely at it. "Do you have a piece of tracing paper and a pencil that I might borrow?"
"I think my secretary does," the ambassador replied.
In a moment, Karla was at the window with the tracing paper and the sketch. She outlined what was already on the paper, but instead of only gray hair, put in a mustache. When she pulled both pages from the window, she looked at the two of them. The one in her left hand was the tracing paper and the one in her right hand was the original sketch. Suddenly, she recognized the man in the picture she had drawn.
"I recognize this man! His name is Colonel Rudolf Freiberger, a member of the SD during the war. My best friend, Andrea married him in 1935. They had a son later that same year."
"Is there a reason that this man would be after either of you?" the ambassador asked.
Before they could answer, there was a knock on the door. The secretary entered the room and said, "Sir, there are two police officers here to see you. They insist on seeing you right this instant. Are you available to see them?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, we'll continue our discussion shortly, please make yourselves comfortable," the ambassador said to the Hogans. They went and sat on the couch on the other side of the room.
The two men entered and walked straight to the ambassador's desk.
"Ambassador, I'm Steve McGarrett and this is Chin Ho Kelly of Hawaii Five-O," McGarrett began as he pulled out his identification and handed it to the ambassador.
"Sir, we're looking for one of your citizens in regards to this wanted poster issued by Interpol," McGarrett began as he handed the ambassador the wanted poster. "Have you seen this man recently?"
The ambassador looked at the wanted poster the police officer handed to him and it had Hogan's name and picture on it. He could hardly deny it as all the officer had to do was turn around and see the object of the wanted poster. "Well, as a matter of fact, yes. We were just speaking when you arrived," he motioned for Hogan to come over to the desk.
Both Steve and Chin turned around and saw their fugitive approaching the desk.
The ambassador handed Hogan the wanted poster with his picture on it. "What is this?" Hogan asked in disbelief as he sat in the chair next to the ambassador's desk and looked at it. He looked first at the ambassador, then at McGarrett and Kelly. "This can't be!! There's no reason for me to have killed these people!"
"When it comes to murder, there is always a reason. You're wanted for these six murders, two of which were committed in England and I'm going to have to take you in for questioning, and then hold you until you can be extradited to England," McGarrett said flatly. He hoped that Hogan didn't try to escape as they hadn't heard from Napoleon or Illya.
Karla was also shocked as she stood and walked over to her husband, stood behind him and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. He was so shocked at seeing his face on the wanted poster that he hadn't moved. "Ambassador, if I may continue about the picture?" Karla asked.
"Oh, yes, certainly," the ambassador replied. "Mister McGarrett, we've been informed that one of the Hogan children has been kidnapped and I was giving the Hogans what information I have and was about to help them contact their other two children."
"This man was Andrea's husband. After the war, Andrea and Friedrich, who was Freiberger's brother, were engaged in the trade of military secrets, in short, espionage. Robert and I were among eight MI-6 agents who were involved in the sting operation which resulted in their arrest. I was called to testify against them at their trials. They were convicted as a result of my testimony and executed shortly afterwards." Karla paused for a moment before continuing, "We were present at their executions, along with the other six agents who had been present at their arrest. Freiberger may have been at the trial, I don't remember. He wasn't at their executions, but maybe he had someone there who told him who attended or took pictures of everyone present. It could explain the occurrence of these events now. He may believe that I am the one solely responsible for the death of his wife and brother. As a result, he is taking his vengeance out on my family to get to me."
McGarrett looked at Karla Hogan. "Yeah, he may have seen your actions as a betrayal not only of Germany, but also of your best friend."
"By that time, Mr. McGarrett, I no longer considered her to be my best friend. Her philosophy of life changed during the war and I didn't share her beliefs anymore. Because of the drastic change in German philosophy as a whole and the fact that I disagreed with it, I was in deep trouble with the SD in 1943 -- despite being a Colonel. Shortly after I realized this, I was sent to a POW camp in the southern part of Germany, one Luft Stalag 13, to check out the story of a man who could supposedly predict what city was to be bombed on a given night. My superior from Berlin, Friedrich Freiberger, came to Stalag 13 and ordered my execution as a traitor to the Fatherland. However, I met Colonel Robert Hogan there and he helped me to escape to England. He saved my life," Karla finished. She looked down and smiled at her husband and gently rubbed his shoulders when she said this. They were extremely tight and felt like steel cables.
"Would this Freiberger have any reason to go after your husband?" McGarrett asked calmly.
"The only reason I can think of is because he was also involved in the arrest of his wife and brother. You said you have a wanted poster for Robert? Does it list the victims' names?" asked Karla.
"Yes, it does," McGarrett replied. He took it from Hogan and handed it to her.
When Karla looked at the names, she recognized them all. "These are the other six MI-6 agents involved in the sting operation! And now, I believe that Freiberger has kidnapped one of our children. Ambassador, do you know which one it was?"
"The one I spoke to was a boy. He said his name was Robert Hogan and that Andreas was all right."
Karla closed her eyes in despair. "Oh, no! Our daughter Karla's been kidnapped!"
"Ma'am? Do you have a recent picture of your children?" Chin asked.
"Yes, I do," Karla replied and pulled a color photo out of her purse. "This is Robert, Andreas and this is Karla. They will be thirteen, eight and eleven, respectively, later this year."
"Steve! Duke said that Wo Fat had just checked into the Ilikai with a man in his mid-sixties and a young girl with blonde hair who he thought was about ten years old. Could the man be this Freiberger and their daughter?"
"I don't know, but I think Duke would recognize her if he saw her picture. Let's go. Will the two of you please come with us?"
"Yes. If there is any chance that this is our daughter, then we must do everything in our power to get her back safely," Hogan replied, all concern for his own welfare vanished instantly upon learning that his daughter's life was in danger.
The four of them left the embassy building, climbed into McGarrett's car, left the compound and headed for the Ilikai.
* * * * * * *