Chapter 4: Not in My Camp
Colonel Hogan threw the headphones onto the table. "London's not going to help are they?" Asked Kinch.
"Oh they're going to help alright. My orders are that if I think she is a liability, we have to get rid of her!" Hogan almost yelled. "How on earth can they ask that of us?"
"Sorry Colonel. What do we do now?"
"We try to keep Hochstetter away from her. Now I know why Hochstetter hasn't paid me a visit in three months. He's been to busy. Lets give him something else to think about."
"Have the rest of the guys meet me in my office. Wait can't do that any more. Have them meet me down here." Kinch left to do as ordered.
A few minutes later, Kinch returned with the rest of the men. "London is not going to help us get Maria out of here, and too risky for the underground. We are going to try and keep Hochstetter away from her. We are going to give him other things to preoccupy himself with. We are going to do more sabotage activity, and leave clues to point him and a bunch of different directions. Carter, how are we on explosives?"
"Boy, do I have some beauties…uh sir."
"Fine." Hogan pulled out a map of the area and pointed out the different locations they will target.
Kommandant Klink sat quietly in his office reading Maria's file. Every once in a while, the file got too graphic and Klink had to stop reading. How can some one do that kind of stuff to another person? Klink asked himself. He had just started reading what happened to her just before she was brought to Stalag 13. What he read was so grotesque; that he lost everything he had just eaten for dinner. Poor girl. A person cannont go through that and be the same again. She will always have the mentel wounds that will never heal.
Over the next couple of weeks, the sabotage action in that area doubled. Near one of the bridges that blew, there was a note that read, "This is for Papa Bear!" Near the gates to a munitions plant there was another note that read, "Do you believe in ghosts?" More and more of these weird notes were being found at the targeted sites. "Bah!" Hochstetter yelled. "Some one is trying to make a fool out of me! Lieutenant! I want you to investigate this matter. I want every one involved. Alive would be better so I can make them pay for this. If you fail me, then you will be the one that will pay!" The Lieutenant thought to himself, I wonder if it is possible to volunteer for the Russian front? It will be better than if I fail Major Hochstetter.
During this entire time, Maria lay unconscious on her bunk. Colonel Hogan stayed by her side in his spare time, looking for some improvement. Every once in a while she would let out a moan, but that would be it. Dr. Klinger and Wilson both said her remaining unconscious is probably for the best while her body heals. When she did wake though, how much healing will her mind need.
It has been three weeks since Maria arrived at camp. Hogan as usual spent his free time sitting by her bed. He heard her moan as usual, but this time she opened her eyes and thn closed them again. By now all the bruises were gone and just a few cuts remained. Her eyes were dull. Almost had a haunting look to them. Colonel Hogan had seen that look many a time from some of the other POWs the Gestapo would bring to camp. "How is she?" Klink stood in the doorway and asked with genuine concern.
"Her eyesopened briefly, but she is still unresponsive."
"Colonel Hogan, I hope you believe me when I say this, but I am truly sorry for what happened to her."
Hogan turned around and looked Klink in the eye. He could tell that Klink meant it. "Thanks Kommandant. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"There is a farmer not to far from here who needs help bringing in his harvest. He supplies most of Hammleburg with its produce. I have been ordered to provide a work detail to help out. I have talked to the farmer about us keeping some of the vegetables. He agreed. For every 20 bushels, we can have one. I know I can't force any of you to work. If your men help, I will give each man an extra slice of white bread for a week and 30 min extra electricity each night for a week. Sorry Colonel that is all I can afford."
"I will talk to the men and get back to you later today."
KOMMANDANTUR
"Come in Colonel."
Colonel Hogan walked into Klink's office and gavehis usual lazysalute. "I talked to the men and they agreed to the terms, when do we leave?"
"Get them ready to leave now. Since Sergeant Shultz is not here, Langenscheidt and Berlitz are going to accompany you."
Colonel Hogan had 25 men load into the back of the two trucks waiting by the front gate. After they left, Colonel Klink went back to doing paperwork and trying to find away to save money.
"Kommandant, Why is Major Hochstetter's car parked in front of barrack 2?" Asked Shultz as he walked into Klink's office.
Klink looked up from his paper work at Shultz then the clock. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. He had worked through lunch. Then it dawned on him what Shultz had asked. Klink hurried to the window to see for himself. "Shultz, get your riffle and meet me at barrack 2". Shultz did as ordered. Klink threw open the door to barrack 2 and rushed immediately to Maria's room and threw open that door. He was appalled at what he saw.
Major Hochstetter wason top ofMaria. Without thinking about the Russian front or any of the other kinds of trouble Hochstetter could cause him, He ran over to the bed and threw Hochstetter off of her. Hochstetter's goon started to go toward Klink when Shultz raised his riffle. "What to you think you are doing? I will not tolerate this type of behavior! Get out of my camp immediately!"
"Klink you cant threaten me. Do you know what I can do to you? I can have you sent to the Russian front, or maybe I will just bring you in for questioning." A smile appeared on his face as he thought about being able to question Klink.
"Lets get General Burkhaulter on the phone and see what he has to say about this."
Hochstetter thought about it and motioned for the guard to go with him. Before he walked out the door he turned to Klink "You have not seen the last of me Klink."
"Shultz stay here in front of her door. Do not let any one in there without my say so. If they try to get in…shoot them. I am going to call Dr. Klinger to come back."
That evening, the men arrived back at camp. They had just walked into barrack 2 as Dr. Klinger was coming out of Maria's room. Hogan stopped the doctor before she left "Did something happen. Is she ok?" Dr. Klinger only said "She is still unconscious" Hogan tried to enter Maria's room and Shultz stopped him. "What's going on Shultz?"
"Order of the Kommandant." Shultz said firmly.
"What for?" LeBeau asked curiously.
"Any questions will have to be asked to the Kommandant himself."
"Ay Shultzie it's us remember. Your buddies. Your strudel connection. What gives? You can't 'old out on us," Newkirk stated
"These are orders I am diffidently not going to disobey. It's for your own good."
"Ok fellas. That's enough. Let me go talk to Klink and find out what is going on." Hogan said as he left for Klink's office.
KOMMANDANTUR
"Fraulein Helga, Get General Burkhaulter on the phone. I do not wish to be disturbed. No one is to come in here, especially Colonel Hogan. If he so much puts one finger in my office your fired!"
"Jawol Herr Kommandant." This must be serious. I have never seen him this upset before. Helga Thought to herself.
"Hi Helga is Klink in?" Hogan asked sharply as he walked toward his door.
Upon seeing Hogan, she jumped up and stood in front of Klink's door. "You can't go in there."
"I have to speak to Klink and find out what is going on." Hogan said as he started to push Helga out of the way.
"I SAID you are NOT going in there. Kommandandt's order." Helga said with some force as she held her ground. "He said he would fire me if you put one finger in there."
"He wouldn't do that. You are to valuable."
"You did not see him when he went in there. I have never seen him this angry. Not even at you." Helga led Hogan back to her desk and got close to his ear. "All I can tell you is he wanted me to get General Burkhaulter on the phone."
"I want to see him as soon as he gets off the phone." Hogan turned around and left in disgust. I am loosing control of this camp. I need a vacation.
BARRACK 2
Hogan in his anger from not getting to see Klink slammed the door open and closed, getting every ones attention. They have never seen their commanding officer loose his temper like this before.
"Bad news sir?" Newkirk asked, but then regretted.
Hogan just glared at him. "Klink threatened to fire Helga if I go into his office. She said that he was angrier than all the times he has be angry with me."
"Wonder what got his so up set?" Carter asked innocently.
Hogan walked over to Shultz "I bet there is some one in this barrack that knows. Huh Shultz?"
"Colonel Hogan you have gotten a lot of information out of me in the past through bribery, blackmail and trickery. For your own safety I am not going to say a word. Please Colonel, don't ask me anymore." Shultz hung his head down and wiped a tear away.
"Hochstetter was here while we were out wasn't he?" Hogan asked while trying to control his temper. He did not want to take it out on poor Shultz.
Shultz just continued to stair at the floor, as the picture of what he saw when he and Klink walked into the room came to mind. Shultz was a very mild mannered man and it took a lot to get him angry, but as the scene kept replaying itself in his mind, his anger for Hochstetter grew and grew. The sorrow he felt for Maria is the only thing that kept his anger under control. Shultz's actions confirmed Hogan's suspicions.
"Fellas, I am going to be down stairs for a while. Keep me updated on Klink." Colonel Hogan went over to the bunk and tripped the latch that opened the entrance to the underground network of tunnels. The men just watched their commanding officer descend into the tunnel. Each man wondered what Hogan was going to do, but they knew better to fallow. They all hoped that he would not go on a headhunting mission for Hochstetter.
Shultz just put his hands over his eyes and started saying "I want to know nothing and see nothing. Boys please stop doing stuff like that around me. You put me in a bad position."
"Sorry Shultzie. That's what you get by being in here so much." LeBeau apologized.
"Nothing else we can do for now. Lets get cleaned up and hit the sack." Kinch more ordered than asked, since he was in charge when Colonel Hogan was absent.
"Do you think the Colonel will be ok?" Carter asked
"The gov'ner is a big boy. 'e'll be ok." Newkirk answered.
"You don't think he will…well he wouldn't right?"
"Na mate. 'e just needs time to 'imself. 'e'll be fine." I hope
The next morning the men were up early. None of them really slept. Kinch went over to the stove to poor himself a cup of coffee. He noticed Carter sitting on the edge of his bed just staring. Kinch fallowed his gaze and saw what he was staring at. Hogan was not in his bunk, and it was still made. "He probably just fell asleep downstairs. I'll go get him."
A few minutes later Kinch emerged from the tunnel. "We have a problem. I can't find the Colonel anywhere downstairs."
The men just stared at each other with a worried look on their face. "Could we have been wrong about him? After all he hasn't been acting like himself lately." LeBeau asked no one in particular.
"I don't know Louis. I just don't know." Kinch responded.