About an hour later, Kinch called for Carter. "Carter, The underground says, Wachtelschneider hasn´t left Gestapo headquarters. It seems, that he is going to ignore Hogans execution, so I need you to make a call to him and tell him about Hogan and your suspicion, okay?".
Carter nodded. Self-confident, he picked up the phone and waited for Wachtelschneider to pick up his phone.
"Heil, Hitler Herr Obergruppenführer Wachtelschneider. You are speaking to General von Kattenscheit, I already informed you about my inspections I believe? Yes? Fine. Now, I have discovered something that will present a problem to us, if the Red Cross comes and inspects our camps. In Stalag13 there is a Colonel of the US Airforce, called Colonel Robert Hogan. You colleague Major Hochstetter suspects him of treason and wants to shoot him. The problem is, I discovered that there is no real proof for this.".
He paused a moment as Wachtelschneider replied. Then he said "You heard of this? Ah yes, Colonel Klink phoned you, very well. And WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?". Carter shouted the last words and Kinch, who hadn´t suspected this nearly fell of his chair.
Again, Carter listened and then continued shouting: "SO A GERMAN COLONEL TELLS YOU ABOUT SERIOUS SUSPICION AND YOU HAVEN´T EVEN TRIED TO FIND OUT?".
Then he calmed down. "Herr Obergruppenführer, you will take action immediatly, come to Stalag 13 and investigate. I want you to be here tommorrow evening, that should be enough time. You will arrange everything for the meeting and make sure that Hochstetter and Klink are there with the so called proofs for the sabotage acts. If I ever again hear about such a lack of responsabillity from your side, you will find yourself on a VERY long holiday at the RUSSIAN FRONT. Heil Hitler!".
Kinch nodded. "Well done Carter. I believe he will come now. Now lets go to sleep. Everybody needs a rest, we have been working the entire night, morning roll-call´s in two hours.".
Carter went upstairs and told the others what Kinch had said. Schultz was startled. "What? Morning roll-call in two hours? And I haven´t slept a minute. LeBeau, it´s all your fault with your superb Apfelstrudel. Now, Hop, hop hop to bed, all of you.".
Then, suddenly realising something he turned to Newkirk. "Hey Engländer, where´s Kinchloe?".
Newkirk grinned. "Schultzie, ya really want to know? Wait I´ll give ya a tip. It ´as to do with the guv´nor. Got it?".
Schultz interrupted him with a panicking look in his eyes. "No, no, no Newkirk! Don´t tell me. I don´t see anything, I hear NOTHING.".
Just when he had said this, the bunk which hid the tunnel entrance slid upwards and Kinch emerged. "Hi Schultzie.".
Schultz looked at him, decided that it was better to know nothing and fled into Colonel Hogans quarters.
Grinning, all of them went to bed.
Meanwhile, in the solitary confinement, Hogan rolled uncomfortably onto his other side. He wanted desperately to get some sleep, but somehow his mind did not allow him to rest.
Every time he closed his eyes, he was woken up again by the steps outside the door. He knew that it were only the guards, but he could not shove away the fear, that they would come in, while he was asleep, come in and beat him up, before he would have had the chance to defend himself.
He looked to the small window with the iron bars in front of the glass and a part of a poem came into his mind. Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.
When he thought of this, he smiled a faint smile and shifted his crush cap under his head. The Gestapo could put him into prison, could torture him, but if he did not allow them to break him, he would be free, at least in his mind. And for the first time since days, he slept without having nightmares, without fear for the future.
He was woken up when he heard Klink shouting: "REPOOOOORT!". Roll Call.
He walked over to the window and looked outside. There they were, his friends. Nothing had happened to them, they were still safe. Then he saw, that Kinch looked over to the solitary and he could swear, that he had winked. Hogan returned to his bunk and waited.
Kinch and the others went inside the tunnel after roll call and contacted the underground. When Kinch looked up from the radio. "Wachtelschneider hasn´t left Berlin yet. What´s the mattert with him?".
Then Carter walked over to Kinch and put his hand on Kinchs shoulder. "Kinch, we told him to be here this evening, he won´t leave untill midday. Don´t worry, he´ll come.".
Kinch nodded and went upstairs with the others. Then he said: "Boys, I´ll get Rickman and go to the solitary, we´ve got the permission from Klink to visit him twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. Meanwhile, I suggest you get some rest, all of you look really tired.".
Simultaneously, all of them shook their heads. Kinch smiled. Loyality.
Hogan growled as he saw Rickman appear. Then he said to Kinch: "What´s the matter with you lot, always bringing in Doctor´s for every scratch I get. I´m a grown up man, not a little kid.".
Rickman smiled and grabbed a syringe out of his bag. "But you instantly turn into one, Colonel, when you see this.".
Hogan retreated even farther into the corner. "Hey, there´s no need for this!".
Rickman shook his head. "Indeed not, I just wanted to remind you of your more childlike sides.".
Then he turned serious again and said: "Show me your head, how´s the wound?".
"It´s fine, thanks.".
Rickman sighed and then resolutely stepped over to Hogan and examined the wound. "Hmm, seems you were right for this time. I think we´ll leave it to that.".
Then Kinch, who had been waiting all the time came over and handed Hogan some food, which LeBeau had prepared. "We thought you might wanted to have something decent to eat.".
Hogan smiled thankfully, but before they could say anything more, the guard came in to get Rickman and Kinch, so their further conversation would have to wait untill this evening.
The day passed in a dull gaze of waiting for Wachtelschneider. Kinch was getting more nervous by the minute and the others had just started their twohundreth poker game of the day. If Carter and LeBeau would pay Newkirk all the money he had earned over the past few years, he would certainly be a multi-millionaire.
At five o´clock, Kinch could not bear the stress any longer and got down the ladder to make contact with the underground. When he came upstairs he was even more worried.
"Boys, listen. The underground says, that Wachtelschneider left two hours ago, he should be here by now. The problem is, that there has been a bombing raid and several bridges are destroyed. Nobody has heard from Wachtelschneider since and now we don´t know if he´s dead or just held up.".
Newkirk jumped in. "Then we ´ave to do somethin´ now. Shut down the operation, rescue the guv´nor and we´ll be off.".
Kinch shook his head. "Maybe you haven´t noticed, but Hochstetter has arrived and posted extra guards at the fence and in the cooler. There is no chance that we can go out through our tunnel or that we can get through to the Colonel.".
Now Carter spoke up. "And what do we do NOW? We can´t just wait here and do nothing.".
Kinch shook his head and said in a quiet voice: "I think we have to wait if Wachtelschneider makes it and meanwhile try to get Hochstetters tape exchanged. There is nothing more we can do.".
"I will go to Klink and try to find out where Hochstetter keeps the tapes. You lot, keep Schultz busy while I sneak outside.". Before they could reply, Kinch had gone.
Klink almost believed that Hogan was back to his normal routine, when he was in his office with Hochstetter and someone came into the room. Then his eyes dulled again, it was Kinchloe.
Hochstetters temper rose instantly. "KLINK! WHO IS THIS MAN!".
Kinch faced Hochstetter. "Sergeant James Kinchloe, US Army AirCorps, 0873747".
At the words US Army AirCorps, Hochstetter jumped out of his seat in temper. "ANOTHER AMERICAN! KLINK!".
Kinch said to Klink: "Kommandant, I want to speak to you, about-". He could not finish his sentence, as Hochstetter started shouting again.
"KLINK! YOU WON´T TALK TO ANYBODY BUT ME!". Again he jumped out of his seat, but this time bumping his head against the lamp, hanging right above his chair. The force of the hit knocked Hochstetter backwards of his feet and his cap was blown of his head.
As Kinch saw the cap fly, he noticed something strange. The cap fell as if it was a lot heavier then it looked. Suddenly Kinch realised The tape was in Hochstetters cap.
He leaned forward a bit, so he could have a look into the cap and indeed, there it was. Before Kinch could do anything, Hochstetter had grabbed the cap and placed it firmly back onto his head. Then he said: "Klink, I will now inspect the Barracks and the prisoners and they will be guarded by the Gestapo from now on. I myself will see to the prisoners in Barracks Two. ".