Chapter 41

Carter, not indicating whether he had even heard Newkirk's outburst, remained frozen in place, his eyes devoid of any life whatsoever.

"I…I didn't…didn't mean…" he let the Lugar slip from his fingers and fall to the floor near his feet. "I…I'm sor…sorry."

Suddenly, chuckling was heard from behind LeBeau; it was Hogan number two.

"I've beaten Hogan at last," he smirked. "I finally made him pay for making my life hell when I was with the 504th. And now that he's gone, I will make sure his operation is exposed and the rest of you pay the price. Starting with you frog." He glared down at LeBeau.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" asked a still shocked Olsen.

"He's got to pay for throwing that bucket of water on me. Say goodbye, frog," his finger tightened on the trigger.

LeBeau suddenly stomped his foot down as hard as he could on the instep of his captor who loosened his hold just a bit allowing the Frenchman to break free and dive under the table as Hogan number two fired at the little Frenchman who yelped as he felt pain in the back of his right shoulder. Still, he managed to crawl out from under the other side of the table as the barracks door burst open, and a German guard known as Sergeant Bauman, stormed into the barracks, rifle pointed menacingly at Hogan number two. Hogan number two immediately tossed his weapon on the lower bunk and raised his hands. He wasn't finished with the Frenchman yet, but getting himself shot wouldn't serve his purpose any. Shortly afterwards, Bauman was joined by Sergeant Schultz, Corporal Langenscheidt, Private Kohler, Private Mauer, and Private Krieger. Schultz's eyes widened in horror when they landed on the bloody body of Colonel Hogan.

"Wha…what happened here?" asked a horrified Schultz.

"Colonel Hogan was shot," murmured Olsen shakily.

"Is he…is he…." Langenscheidt stammered, feeling moisture forming in his eyes but managed to control. It would not do well for him to be seen mourning an American prisoner. Also, Sergeant Bauman was not one of the 'tame' guards and he knew it as did Schultz.

Newkirk and Kinch both looked up at the Corporal and nodded. They kept their bodies in front of Hogan's as if trying to protect him from further harm. Then Newkirk pointed angrily at Hogan number two. "And he's the bloody bastard what done it! And he shot LeBeau as well!"

Hogan number two shook his head. "Come off it, Newkirk. We all know your Sergeant Carter was the one who shot Hogan."

Schultz's eyes shifted to the Frenchman who now was sitting on the bench out of reach of the phony with some help from Baker. LeBeau was clutching one shoulder and grimacing in pain as blood oozed between his fingers. LeBeau tried not to look at it not wanting to faint right now; there was time to faint later.

Schultz looked over his shoulder at four of the guards. "You, go and get the Kommandant right away, you, get Sergeant Wilson and have him come to barracks two, and you two, gather the weapons and cuff the prisoners." Nobody moved right away. "Schnell!" the large guard found himself shouting in a voice harsher then he intended. The guards rushed out of the barracks as fast as possible to carry out their assigned tasks.

Langenscheidt ran as fast as he could to the Kommandantur only to see Klink hurrying down the stairs having heard the shots.

"Was ist los, Langenscheidt?" the Kommandant asked adjusting his cap on his head.

"Come quick, Kommandant! Colonel Hogan has been shot and killed!"

Klink's jaw dropped as his monocle fell from his eye and was caught in one hand. "Hogan?" he stammered. "Which one?" he asked nervously and afraid to hear the answer.

"It is Hogan number one!"

Klink gasped. "Let's go," he ordered, alarmed. He nearly ran all the way to barracks two with Langenscheidt, breathing hard, following him. Arriving at the hut, Klink stood just inside the open doorway and took in the scene that met his eyes. He cringed at the bloody sight on the floor first, and felt like he had been punched in the gut. He never, ever thought having two Hogans in camp and trying to determine which was the real one would ever come down to this. His eyes then shifted to Hogan number two who was being handcuffed by Private Mauer, then to Carter who was handcuffed with one arm being held by Private Krieger. He saw Sergeant Wilson attending to the diminutive Frenchman who was obviously in great pain. "Why is Sergeant Carter handcuffed?" he asked.

"Herr Kommandant, the prisoners are saying Hogan number two shot and killed Hogan number one, and Hogan number two is accusing Sergeant Carter of the shooting, so I thought it best to cuff both of them," Schultz explained.

"Excellent, Schultz," Klink replied. He glanced at Wilson. "Are you certain that Colonel Hogan number one is deceased?" he asked grimly.

"Yes, sir," Wilson replied not looking up from his patient. "He was shot five times in the upper torso." He swallowed hard. "But Corporal LeBeau will be fine. However, he won't be able to attend roll call for at least twenty-four hours."

"Very well. But Schultz will check to make sure he is here for both roll calls. And I want to be kept updated on his condition."

"Yes, sir."

Klink just nodded sadly and then turned a glare onto Carter. "Carter, did you shoot Colonel Hogan?" He noticed Carter didn't seem to hear a word but continued staring with a blank expression. "Sergeant Carter, can you hear me?" Again no response.

"He has been like that since we were here, Herr Oberst," Bauman replied. "We retrieved these." He held out the Lugars for Klink to see. "One was found on the floor near Sergeant Carter's feet, and the other was tossed onto that lower bunk by this officer." He gestured at Hogan number two. Klink turned his hard eyes onto Hogan number two.

"Where did you get these weapons?" Klink asked. There would be hell to pay once General Burkhalter learned about this, of that Klink had no doubt. He could see the Russian front in his future and he inwardly cringed. "Answer me!" He was angry.

Hogan number two smirked. He wasn't worried. Once Gower and van Kueren learned about what happened, they would both return and have him freed from the cooler, and then he would take care of LeBeau and expose Hogan's operation. He'd just have to make sure Klink contacted the Gestapo and speak with van Kueren.

"Newkirk stole the weapons, Kommandant," the phony replied still smirking. "I bet he got 'em from the ammunitions building."

Newkirk shook his head and started to get to his feet but was stopped by Kinch's hand on his arm. The Englander looked at his friend before looking up at Klink. "That bloke's gone 'round the bend he has, sir. If I had stolen those weapons, do you think I'd still be here? I'd be on me way to jolly ole England by now." He swallowed hard. "Besides, he had them hidden in his footlocker. You bloody bastard, isn't it enough that you shot and killed the Gov'nor? You have to go blamin' Carter and me as well?"

Klink turned his attention back to Hogan number two. "I have to suspect anything that comes out of your mouth since you've been accused of killing Colonel Hogan. But until things are resolved regarding you and Sergeant Carter, I will confine Corporal Newkirk to the barracks." He turned his back on the gruesome sight on the floor. "Take these two to the cooler," he gestured to Mauer and Krieger who both led their prisoners out of the barracks followed by Bauman and Kohler leaving Klink, Schultz, and Langenscheidt. "Schultz, Langenscheidt, I want both of you to confine all prisoners to their barracks before news of Colonel Hogan's death spreads."

"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant," both guards saluted and left the barracks with Klink pausing in the doorway.

"Don't you think you should check with me first?" a voice asked.

Klink turned around preparing to respond when his eyes bulged and his jaw dropped; he also found himself speechless. Standing between Kinch and Newkirk with five blood stains on his shirt, was Colonel Robert Hogan, an amused grin on his face.

"Hogan? You're alive?" stammered the Kommandant, stunned. As far as he was concerned, Hogan had come back to haunt him from beyond the grave.

Hogan, wrapping his arms around himself, sighed. "I hope so. I mean, I'd hate to think I'm really dead and this is heaven," he said sarcastically looking around the barracks before looking back at Klink.

The Kommandant glared at Wilson. "You swore he was dead! What have you got to say for yourself, Sergeant Wilson?" he hissed.

Wilson looked at Klink and shrugged innocently. "I made a mistake?"

Klink stomped his foot and shook his fist in anger at his American counterpart. "Hogaaaaannnn! After you change I demand you report to my office so I can find out why this charade and whether I should have you thrown in the cooler for the duration of the war, or let the Gestapo take you tomorrow as they plan!" He turned and stormed out of the barracks, slamming the door behind him.

Once Klink and the guards were gone, the men gathered around Hogan slapping him on the back, on his shoulders, and all talking at once. Hogan smiled for a moment before holding up both hands and asking for quiet.

"I appreciate the welcome back, really," said Hogan. He then clapped Newkirk on one shoulder. "But it wouldn't have worked if Newkirk hadn't found those weapons our friend hid in Schultz's room, and replaced the real bullets with blanks. And to LeBeau for the red vegetable dye packets inside my shirt."

"And to Carter for remembering where to shoot you," somebody said. There was laughter from the men, including Hogan.

Then, Hogan turned to Wilson, a serious look on his face. "Will LeBeau be all right, Joe?"

Wilson nodded. "He should be fine, sir. But he'll have a nice bruise and be a bit sore for a few days."

Hogan's eyes then fell on his diminutive Corporal who looked up at his commanding officer sheepishly. "LeBeau, you took a big risk doing what you did. You're lucky you weren't hurt worse."

"Sorry, mon Colonel."

Hogan slowly smiled. "Don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're gonna be okay." He then turned and headed to his quarters. He stopped and turned when he heard Wilson's voice.

"What is it, Joe? You said LeBeau would be all right."

"And he will be, sir," Wilson replied. "But now I want to have a look at you."

"Me? What for? I'm fine."

"You might be alive, but you may not be fine, sir," Wilson said stubbornly. "I need to check you out and see about those bruises."

Hogan sighed, exasperated, and rolled his eyes. "Fine. You can examine me while I change. Satisfied?"

"Yes. After you, Colonel," Wilson smirked.

"Just don't take too long," Hogan frowned knowing he had lost out to the medic this time. "I have to get Carter released from the cooler, and Klink's order regarding Newkirk rescinded." He then headed to his quarters and went inside with Wilson following.

Returning to his office, Klink slammed the door shut. After removing and hanging up his coat and cap on the coat tree, he marched to his liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of Schnapps, and downed it in one gulp hoping it would calm him; but it didn't. So, he poured another glass and downed it as well before slamming the glass down on the silver tray, marched to his desk, and sat down. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why Hogan number one would allow such a cruel charade to be performed. And to think, he himself was actually grieving the loss of his American counterpart in private only to find out it was all a lie. Klink slammed his fist down on his desk.

"Damn that man!" he shouted to the open air. Just then, there was a knock on his door. "Come in," he ordered as he straightened up in his chair, eyes focused on the door as it opened. Hogan, now wearing a clean shirt and his trademark leather jacket and cap tilted back on his head, looked in.

"You wanted to see me, Kommandant?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes, I did. Come in and close the door. And I suggest you wipe that grin off your face immediately."

"Whatever you say, sir," Hogan replied stepping into the office and closing the door. "You're the boss." He then collapsed into the chair near Klink's desk, crossed his legs, and wrapped his clasped hands around his top leg. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Klink was stunned as he slowly got to his feet. "You have the nerve to ask me what's up?" Walking around his desk, the Kommandant sat on one corner facing the American and folded his arms, glaring at Hogan. "Hogan, of all the things you have pulled, this has got to be the cruelest one ever."

Hogan arched his eyebrows. "But sir…."

"It was despicable!"

"But sir…."

"And I want an explanation before I decide your punishment!" Klink waited for an answer, and when he didn't get one, he exhaled through his nose. "Well, are you just going to sit there? Haven't you got anything to say for yourself?"

"Oh, it's my turn now? I didn't want to interrupt." Hogan pyramided his fingertips together. "First of all, Kommandant, while I agree that this charade was sort of on the cruel side, it was a necessity if we were going to follow your plan and expose him."

"Hogan, don't try and…wait, try and expose whom? And what plan?"

"Have you forgotten that my namesake was close to Corporal Gower who turned out to be a Gestapo plant?"

"So what?" Klink asked, his confusion appearing as his anger began to lessen. "You are obviously close with Schultz."

"True. But there's a big difference."

"What difference?"

"I'm not a Gestapo agent. But I digress. Kommandant, you told me once that in order to figure out which one of the two of us was the real Colonel Hogan before the Gestapo took over, we had to force his hand and make him expose himself."

"I did?"

Hogan looked at Klink disbelievingly. "You're putting me on, Kommandant. I just find it hard to believe you don't remember your own idea to expose Gower, van Kueren, and the phony. It was brilliant, sir. Absolutely brilliant. Wish I had thought of it."

"It was? You do?" Klink's chest began to stick out as Hogan began spinning his yarn.

"Yes, sir. You told me that to keep the Gestapo from getting involved and making the Luftwaffe the laughing stock of the German military, you were going to give the phony Hogan enough rope, as we Americans say, to hang himself."

"I did?"

Hogan shook his head in amazement. "You're so modest, Kommandant. Never one to seek out the credit or brag."

"Of course not," Klink replied getting to his feet, and walking back around his desk sat down. "I am a very modest man indeed. I don't like to toot my own horn." He didn't see Hogan roll his eyes skyward. "You say I came up with this plan to expose the phony Hogan, Corporal Gower, and Captain van Kueren?"

"Yes, sir. See, you said you had to have proof before you could expose the Gestapo's plan to prove your incompetence and disloyalty. So you decided to let him think you believed he was the real Hogan just to see what he would do. And since you already suspected Corporal Gower might be a spy sent here probably by Hochstetter to help him, you let him be able to contact Captain van Kueren who you suspected was carrying out the Major's orders and secure the weapons that were used. In fact, you were positive the Major was really pulling the strings behind the scenes. The difficult part was informing my men that we had to allow the phony to kill me so he would think his plan was successful. I decided to use Carter as the one to shoot me because I suspected the phony would take pleasure in using one of my own men to kill me. You decided to play it out that way, sir, or the phony would never have fallen for it."

"But Sergeant Carter was seen quite often with the phony."

Hogan sighed. "That was part of your plan too, sir. You decided to have Carter pretend to believe the phony was for real, and then report to me what he had discovered, and then I was to report to you."

"But, Hogan, you never reported anything to me," Klink said becoming suspicious. "This entire thing could have been avoided if you had just come to me and I could have locked our friend up in the cooler."

Hogan shook his head. "I didn't tell you for your own protection, sir." He noticed Klink looking at him, puzzled. "See, we discovered the phony planned to shoot you as well if he even suspected you knew what his plan was, so I didn't report what we knew for your own safety. We couldn't let anything happen to our beloved Kommandant who means so much to us. And if something happened to you, Major Hochstetter would have taken over this camp. And we couldn't have that. Not on your life." He saw Klink's body stiffen, and knew he had him where he wanted. "Sir, how about releasing Carter from the cooler and rescinding your order to have Newkirk and the other prisoners restricted to the barracks."

"Forget it. My orders stand until I conclude my investigation of this matter."

Hogan shrugged. "I just hope you know what you're doing, sir. I mean, it'd be a shame after all this brilliant planning to save the Luftwaffe from embarrassment, and solve the problem as to who is the real Hogan just to see everything go down the drain by keeping Carter in the cooler and Newkirk restricted to the barracks." He got to his feet and gripped the doorknob opening the door. "It's been a pleasure having you as our Kommandant, sir. Please keep in touch."

"Hogan, wait!" Klink held a hand out. "Come back here and close the door." Hogan did as instructed and sat back down.

"Sir?"

"What did you mean by keeping in touch? Where am I going?"

"Well, by keeping Carter in the cooler, and Newkirk restricted to the barracks, Major Hochstetter, or maybe that Captain Fuchs, will take over the investigation and will convince the General that you are incompetent and are the reason the Luftwaffe is the laughing stock of Germany because of your inability to solve this. And once Burkhalter hears that, off you go on a one way trip to Stalingrad." Hogan saw Klink stiffen. "But, just think how impressed General Burkhalter would be knowing that you resolved the Luftwaffe's problem keeping the Gestapo out of it. I bet you'd even make General for this."

"You're right. General Burkhalter would be quite impressed." A wide smile appeared on the Kommandant's face as dreams of a General's insignia on his shoulder and the prestige that went with it.

"But Newkirk may have stolen the weapons and Carter shot you; or appeared to have shot you. They have to be punished," Klink emphasized.

"Colonel, without Carter's participation, your plan wouldn't have worked. He was the logical one to pretend to shoot me since he got close to the phony, and the phony trusted him from the beginning. And as far as Newkirk is concerned, all he did was switch the live ammo with blanks after he found the Lugars in the phony's footlocker."

"That reminds me, Hogan. Just where did you get the blanks to begin with, eh?" Klink smirked.

Hogan smirked. "Let's see. Where did I get…oh, remember that nice Captain Fuchs who came here to question me, Newkirk and LeBeau? Well, he was nice enough to give me some blanks before he left. And it didn't seem polite to refuse a Gestapo gift."

"Hogaaaaannnn!" Klink slammed a hand palm down on his desk. "And just where is the live ammo?"

Hogan reached in his inside jacket pocket. "Right here, sir." He handed the Kommandant two magazines which held eight rounds each. "You'll find all the rounds are there. Besides, since it's obvious the phony is working for the Gestapo, how can you believe anything he says? He's done nothing but disrupt this camp since he arrived. He'd like nothing better than for Carter to remain in the cooler and Newkirk to be punished for what he's done. But I know you're too cunning and intelligent to fall for that trick."

A broad smile appeared on Klink's face. "You're absolutely right, Hogan. I am too cunning and intelligent to fall for such a stupid trick." He picked up the receiver of his phone. "Fraulein Hilda, have Sergeant Schultz report to me on the double." He then hung up. "You have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me, Hogan."

"I wouldn't even try, sir," Hogan chuckled. "I would hate to be embarrassed by brilliance." He looked around when the door opened and Schultz ambled in and saluted, not noticing Hogan at first.

"You asked for me, Herr Kommandant?"

"Yes, Schultz. I want you to release Sergeant Carter from the cooler, and inform Corporal Newkirk my order for him to be restricted to the barracks as well as all prisoners has been rescinded."

"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant." Schultz reached for the doorknob.

"I'll go with you, Schultz," said Hogan. "That is, unless you want Schultz to lock me in the cooler as well."

"How can I lock you in the cooler when you have helped me become General by implementing my plan to expose three Gestapo agents and uncover a plot by Major Hochstetter to undermine me? You are free to go, Hogan."

"Thank you, sir." Hogan gave a sloppy salute. He started to turn when Klink's voice stopped him. He turned. "Sir?"

"Hogan, what about the men who attacked you in the rec hall? I would never have wanted you to be hurt so badly. And how are you after the shooting? Has Sergeant Wilson checked you out?"

Hogan sighed wearily. "Unfortunately, Kommandant, I underestimated our friend. I never thought he would be able to convince any of my men to attack me like that. And yes, Wilson has checked me out. I'll have some nice bruises for awhile, and I'll be sore, but otherwise I'm fine. Also, I would request that those men and our friend remain in the cooler if you don't mind. I don't want them loose among the other prisoners. And one other thing, sir. I would prefer our friend not know I'm alive. Not yet anyway."

"Don't worry. None of them will set foot outside the cooler until further notice. And I'll pass the word to the guards as well," Klink assured the American. Hogan smiled weakly before he turned to Schultz.

Hogan then patted Schultz on the shoulder. "Let's go, Schultz."

"Jawohl, Colonel Hogan." Schultz turned the doorknob and suddenly froze, eyes widening. "Col…Col…Colonel Hogan?" He slowly turned and stared at the American with his mouth hanging open. "You…you…you are…alive? But…but…how?"

Hogan opened the door and grabbed Schultz by the arm. "It's a long story, and I'll tell you on the way to the cooler. Now let's go. I have to get back to my men."