Chapter 3: Caught In The Act

While everyone was out enjoying the nice weather, Hogan decided to wander around Barracks 2 seeing if he could find any evidence to identify the traitor. He felt awkward snooping around his men's stuff, but he didn't know of any other way to try and find some evidence. Since Wright and Christopher were the only people on the list he hadn't confronted yet, he decided he would start with Wright's stuff. As soon as Hogan reached his footlocker, the barracks' door opened.

When the door hit the lockers behind it, Hogan nearly jumped out of his skin. When he heard Schultz's voice he relaxed a bit. "Ah, there you are Colonel Hogan. Kommandant Klink wants to see you in his office."

Hogan released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "How come?"

Schultz shrugged his shoulders "I don't know. He just asked me to come and get you."

Hogan looked back at the footlocker and then followed Schultz to Klink's office.

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Hogan stood outside of Klink's office and knocked and waited to be invited in.

"Come in" Came Klinks voice from the other side of the door. It bothered Klink in the past when Hogan would barge in without knocking, and now he missed seeing Hogan's casual laid back nature.

Hogan stood almost at full attention in front of Klink's desk."Wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, Hogan, I did. Have a seat please." He waited for Hogan to be seated before he continued. He noticed Hogan sat ridged in the chair and seemed on edge and tired, nothing like his usual relaxed nature he was used to seeing. Since the encounter with Koch a few months ago, he hadn't been the same. Klink had seen many of the prisoners who had been broken at the hands of the Gestapo and Hogan was the first one he had seen who had recovered so well. Hogan's actions now reminded him of the first time he walked through Klink's door.

To anyone who didn't know Hogan, they wouldn't know that there was anything wrong. He was doing a good job at trying to act like the old Hogan, but Klink had been his jailer for a couple of years and during that time, he had gotten to know Hogan's character very well. He hated to see such a man, or any person for that matter, tortured constantly by his demons and he often wished there was something he could do to make Hogan's demons go away, but there was nothing he could do. At least nothing that wouldn't get him shot or sent to the Russian front.

Nonetheless, both of them still had a job to do. Right now Klink's job was to make sure that there was no monkey business going on in his camp. "You know they say when children are making noise there isn't as much to worry about as there is when they are silent."

Hogan looked from side-to-side trying to figure out where that came from. "Yes, Sir, I have heard that, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Plenty. You and your men have been very quiet lately, nothing mysterious or unexplained happening. That makes me wonder what you and your men are really up to. There better not be any planning of escapes going on."

Hogan gave a slight laugh. He was amazed Klink was having this conversation with him. If something was going on he got blamed and if it was quiet he got blamed for it. "If you want, Sir, I'll ask the guys to be more suspicious." Hogan snapped his fingers and pointed at Klink. "I'll get them started on an escape tunnel and you can try to find it if you want."

"Aha!" Klink stood up and shook his finger at Hogan. "That means that you are working on an escape tunnel. I will find that tunnel, Hogan, and I will make you along with every person in the barracks pay. You can save everyone a lot of time and trouble by telling me where it is, and I will see about reducing the sentence."

Hogan scratched his head for a moment. "Sir, I am not a rat fink. All I can tell you is that the escape committee hasn't okayed any tunnel digging. If someone is digging a tunnel, it is without the committee's approval."

Klink walked around to the front of his desk and stood in front of Hogan looking down at him. "Laugh and joke all you want. We will see who gets the last laugh when I find that tunnel. Dismissed."

Hogan stood and gave an almost regulation salute and left the Kommandantur.

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When Hogan stepped outside, he noticed Wright arguing with a guard. Hogan walked up to the two. "Is there a problem here?"

Wright just glared at the guard "No,Sir. All is under control," and walked off before Hogan could say anything else. He turned to the guard and was going to say something, but he had walked off also.

Hogan watched the two men walk their separate ways wondering what had taken place. He felt like he should look into the matter more because it wasn't like the guards to pick a fight with the prisoners and it wasn't like any of the prisoners to start a fight with a guard. Hogan made mental notes of the occurrence so he could review it later with everything else he discovered. For now he would let the matter go.

Hogan walked into the barracks hoping to continue his search, but foundNewkirk, LeBeau, Hopper, and Knox sitting around the table drinking coffee and talking. Guess I will have to wait until later. Hogan walked over to the stove and poured a cup of coffee when Corporal Muller walked in.

"Can we help you?" Hogan asked supprised to see Muller. It wasn't unusual to see guards in the barracks, but it was unusual seeing gate guards in the barracks.

All Hogan got as a response was a growl. Muller walked all around the room and opened the door to Hogan's room. After a few minutes of looking around the barracks he left.

Newkirk looked at the others and then finally at Hogan "Wonder what 'e wanted?"

"Might have been looking for Christopher," answered LeBeau from the stove where he decided to start making dinner.

Hogan walked up to LeBeau and folded his arms "Why would he be looking for him? Prisoners and gate guards don't have reason to socialize."

LeBeau shrugged. "Carter and I saw him talking to Muller yesterday"

Hogan paced a little. "Do you know what about?"

LeBeau shook his head. "No. Didn't think much of it. Why?"

At that moment Christopher came up from the tunnels. "Why were you in the tunnels?" Hogan asked a bit too forcefully.

"I was taking care of personal business." Christopher answered defensively

Hogan couldn't miss how defensive Christopher's response was and realized it was because of the way he asked the question. He took a deep breath to calm his actions. So far, Christopher hadn't done anything to disserve being yelled at. He took another deep breath and slowly let it out as he realized his patience with people was shorter than it need to be.

He decided to find out what was going on between Christopher and Muller in private. "Christopher, can I see you a moment in my office?"

"Yes, Sir." Christopher responded and headed for Hogan's office.

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Once in the room, Hogan closed the door and motioned for him to take a seat. "Sorry about the way I snapped at you in there, but I can't help notice that you have been spending a lot of time in the tunnels lately. Want to explain?"

Hogan waited as Christopher took his time answering. "I have been feeling depressed lately and wanted to be by myself to do some meditating, Sir."

Hogan could relate to wanting to be by himself. He was thankful that he had private quarters where he could go to get away. "Some of the men saw you talking with Corporal Muller earlier. There isn't a problem is there?"

Christopher hesitated again before answering. "I heard he was having some problems and offered some counseling."

Hogan stood silently for a moment as he pondered Christopher's answers. If this was true, he knew Christophers stance as the elected camp Chaplin prevented him discussing details about a person who has come to him for counseling with anyone. Something however told him Christopher was lying, but he didn't have anything proving it. Yet. "Be careful talking with Muller. Don't forget that he is the enemy. You're dismissed."

Christopher saluted and left. Hogan saw Christopher immediately go outside and he suspected it was to meet with Muller. He decided to investigate further to see if there was any truth to Christopher's story.

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"I am going for a walk. I will be back later." Hogan announced to the men in the common room who had been staring at him trying to figure out what was happening and walked out.

Hogan snuck around following the two men, being careful not to act suspicious or be seen by Christopher or Muller. He hid behind a water barrel close to where Christopher and Muller stopped to talk. There was just enough room for Hogan to see between the wall and the barrel and he could hear the entire conversation with no problem.

"Do you have the rest of the stuff I asked for?" Christopher asked, looking around to make sure no one was around.

Muller pulled a package out of his coat and in heavily accented English asked, "Do you have the rest of the information I want?"

Christopher pulled out a couple of pieces of folded paper and handed them to him. Once he received the package, he hid it under his coat and made his way back to the barracks. He walked right past where Hogan was hiding and didn't see him.

Hogan crouched there for a while thinking about what he saw and not believing Christopher, a man who wanted to be a pastor, lied to his face. He was having a hard time believing Christopher would betray him and the rest of the prisoners. As he sat there he thought about what LeBeau had said about hearing someone exchange information for goods and wondered if it was the same ones.

When Hogan started to head back to the barracks, he noticed Wright arguing with the same guard again. Hogan was going to stay out of it until he saw the guard grab Wright by the collar.

Something in Hogan sparked and he marched over to the two men. "Let him go," he demanded. The guard complied. "Now what is going on here? This is the second time I have seen you two arguing."

Wright was red-faced and breathing hard from the argument. He shook his head "Nothing, Sir."

Hogan stood in front of Wright and looked him in the eye, daring him to look away or not answer his question again. "Don't give me that Sergeant." Everyone knew that when Hogan started using rank instead of names he was highly upset and it wasn't wise to keep pushing him.

Wright stared back at Hogan and answered, "This dispute is between us. Let us handle it."

Hogan's voice got louder than he wanted to as he talked. He pointed to the guard. "I was going to until he grabbed you. It is my job around here to protect those under my command and I take that job very seriously. If a guard is overstepping his bounds I need to know about it and I will handle it." Hogan looked at the guard "And if a prisoner is getting out of line, I need to know about it and I will handle it."

"Colonel, this is between us. Just go away." Hogan stood there with his arms folded waiting for an answer. Wright started to calm down and he let out a long breath. "It has to do with a bet I made with him over the football game. I am a little short on paying him back."

Hogan thought a moment. He didn't expect this fight to be over a gambling debt because the guards were not allowed to fraternize with the prisoners, well with Schultz being an exception. "How much more do you owe him?"

Wright lowered his head and kicked at a rock by his foot. "A pound of coffee."

Hogan gave Wright a look that said he had a hard time believing all of this was over a pound of coffee, but he had nothing proving otherwise. "Why did you bet against us? I know we didn't practice as much Barracks 6 but still…"

Wright looked at Hogan wide-eyed and shook his head. "No Sir, it was from the 4 and 6 game." Wright gave Hogan a smile. "Do you think I could bet against the team that has the best back up quarterback in camp? I was sure we would end up playing against Barracks 4."

Hogan only gave a slight smile at the attempt at lightning the mood and turned to the guard. "I will see to it that he pays you everything. In the mean time, keep your hands off of my men."

The guard smirked and said, "As long as I get paid," and walked off.

Hogan turned back to Wright and gave him a stern look. "When we get our Red Cross packages next week, you will pay him. I don't know if anyone has any coffee left but if you have anything to bargain with, you can try to get it too him faster. I don't like any of my men owing the guards anything. Before you pay him though, I want to know you are going to give it to him because I am going to be on you until you do. Understood?"

Wright came to attention and saluted. "Perfectly, Sir."

Hogan returned the salute and gave him a slight nudge. "Get going and try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Sir."

Hogan watched Wright take off back for the barracks and realized something. For the first time since he had returned to Stalag 13 from Stalag 1 he got that involved with a dispute. Was the old Hogan trying to return? Time would tell.

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Hogan went back to his room to evaluate everything he had seen and heard. I have Wright who keeps arguing with the same guard. I know what he told me, but I am not sure if I believe him. There is Christopher who took a package and gave information to another guard. Kinch didn't want to get caught listening or talking on another frequency. Knox gets nervous every time I am around him and hides what he is writing. All have been acting suspicious, but who is the traitor? I am no closer to figuring this out and the deadline is getting closer.

Hogan walked over to the window and looked out at the trees beyond the barbed wire fence. Each of the escapee's faces flashed before him. He imagined what the scene might have been like as they were captured and executed. He hung his head as sadness tried to overcome him and wondered if he should be running the operation any more. The risks were getting bigger and the lives of the people at camp were too important to put into jeopardy.

He went over to the water basin and splashed cool water on his face as he stared at his reflection in the broken mirror. Rob you are making a difference. Look what you just did for Wright. Consider all the men who are alive today because of your operation. "But how many have died because of it? Hogan said quietly to the mirror.