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Chapter 15

By midday the next day, the core crew all knew what Kinch and LeBeau had discovered. Newkirk had immediately become defensive and snappish in response to the unwanted sympathy. He'd gone out to pace around the fenceline instead of facing his friends. His harassing of the tower guards had more of a vindictive flavor to it. Kinch had needed to go distract him to stop his pacing back and forth in front of one tower.

The second time Kinch had been alerted to Newkirk causing some of the gate guards to have hysterics over his pointed studying of the gate construction, he'd sighed heavily. "At least I have something to tell him." He waved Olson off when the other American offered to go corral the irritable Brit. "No, I'll get him."

Newkirk was indeed standing and staring balefully at the gate guards. They were trying to order him away and he was moving back one inch at a time. Kinch noticed how tightly they were gripping the heavy rifles and immediately went up to put an arm in front of Newkirk. "Hey, you want to come away from the gates?" Kinch tried nodding encouragingly.

"Not really." Newkirk didn't budge and the guards looked at each other and shifted closer. "Come on, you buggering Krauts..." he spoke under his breath.

"Newkirk..." Kinch moved between the gate and Newkirk carefully. "Come on, walk with me. I have something to tell you." He bent slightly, knowing he loomed over the smaller man. "Come on, Peter. Let's walk." He put a hand out, stopping just shy of touching the other man. "Let's go." His tone was firmer than he normally used. Kinch rarely would even attempt to issue an order, rank notwithstanding. A Negro didn't order a white man around, even in the military, even in a POW camp and even when that man was his friend. Kinch however, would on a very rare occasion manage to say something in such a way that made it clear it was an order. Considering the amount of respect he had in the camp, those rare occasions were always noted and he was obeyed.

Newkirk was someone who relished every opportunity to flaunt authority. But his eyes flickered up to Kinch's face and the Cockney was the one to lower his gaze. Kinch had his respect without the military rank entering into it. He did send one last glare to the guards before he turned to walk away. The guards exchanged relieved looks and sighed heavily. They liked their tame prisoners who never threatened violence and seemed mostly content to live within the fences under Colonel Hogan's relaxed command. Strange events aside, the posting here was not unpleasant, especially considering the alternatives.

Kinch nudged Newkirk slightly as they headed for the barracks. "Contact from London, they're talking to the Colonel now. Maybe we'll finally get a mission." Kinch was hoping so. If they kept the Brit busy maybe he wouldn't have as much time to brood.

"Good. Maybe they'll explain why they've kept us sitting on our bloody 'ands all this time." Newkirk stepped into the main barracks and all but tripped over Carter. "You ruddy git! Carter! You nearly made me bust me bloody 'ead open."

Carter untangled himself from Newkirk. "Sorry but I was just coming to find you two. The Colonel wants everyone in his office." He stumbled over one of the benches attempting to get up.

Newkirk grabbed him by the back of his flight jacket and stood him up. "You really are the living end! Come on." The two of them entered Hogan's office just behind Kinch. "What's London got for us, guv'ner?" Newkirk elbowed LeBeau over on Hogan's lower bunk to sit. "Maybe a nice bridge for me mate Carter to blow up?"

Hogan tapped a pencil on his desk a few seconds before turning to them. "Sorry. London's orders are for us to sit tight and don't do anything to draw any attention. So no escapes, no town visits, no 'monkey business'." Hogan let them moan about that for a moment before holding up a hand for quiet. "They're dropping new codebooks just two miles from camp tonight."

Newkirk's voice rose above the others. "I volunteer to go out and retrieve it, sir!" There was a slight hubbub as the others vied to be the one chosen as well.

Hogan raised his voice. "Hold it! No one is going out. The Underground is sending their own man. We are sitting in camp like good little POWs." He listened to them grumble. "But..." Hogan smiled as all the attention focused on him. "After tonight, then it's back to business as usual."

Carter beamed happily. "What do you think will be the first target? Boy, I've got some really nice TNT made up and when it goes off..." He used his hands to mime explosions. "Pow! Boom!"

LeBeau smiled at him. "You're so disturbing, Carter."

"I think you mean, 'e is disturbed." said Newkirk. Carter gave him a shove, still grinning. "Leave off, you pyromaniac."

"If you keep calling me names, I might set your bunk on fire." said Carter.

"It's your bunk too, you know." pointed out Newkirk.

"Oh." Carter looked fairly crestfallen over that. "Well I wouldn't actually set you on fire anyway." His attention went back to Hogan. "Colonel, what about downed fliers? What if some of the planes get shot down?"

"We'll deal with that when it happens. London's orders are clear. We lay low and let the Germans take their patrols and troops elsewhere until after the agents get those codebooks." Hogan sat up straighter. "But then we'll get new orders. So enjoy the last day off." The obvious dismissal sent all of his men headed out of his office. "Newkirk, I'd like to talk to you a minute."

Newkirk cast a guilty look at Kinch as his friend left. He suspected that Hogan was ready to give him a pretty serious reprimand for harassing the guards. He stiffened up. He hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't supposed to be coddling the Germans anyway.

Hogan waited until the door was closed behind the others before he gestured towards the lower bunk. "Do you want to sit down?"

"No. If it's all the same to you, I'll stand." said Newkirk.

Hogan tried not to be amused at the hints of sullenness in the Brit's tone. "I'm not going to yell at you, Newkirk." He waited for the expression of surprise to appear and immediately be suppressed. "I wish I had better news, but when I was on with London, I asked them to check on your family. In fact, I leaned on them pretty heavily, after all, I can't have my finest thief distracted, right?" His tone made it clear that the excuse was only to London and not from Hogan personally.

"But London told me that they couldn't find one displaced civilian." said Newkirk quietly.

"Unfortunately, that's the answer I got too. Well, they said they'd try to look into it but not to expect any real results." Hogan watched Newkirk's face fall a bit before he covered and put on his usual careless expression. "I'm sorry I don't have better news."

"No, Colonel, it's okay. Thankee for trying." Newkirk finally met his eyes. "I mean that. I appreciate you trying. It's just..." He inhaled deeply, struggling for control. "It's killing me... not knowing." He forced himself to relax, looking away. "Well, there's nothing for it then."

"No, not right now. But we'll find something out... somehow. Don't lose hope." Hogan wanted to reach out, to do something to take away that hopeless gaze, to help. Right now, all they could do was wait.

"Yes'sir." Newkirk turned to leave and then paused. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes. You can go." Hogan let him get the door open before he added. "Just don't antagonize the guards more than you absolutely have to."

That got a ghost of a smile. "Yes'sir. Not more than I 'ave to."

End Chapter

Thank you for reading. And yes, I like Kinch!