Chapter 12---The Mystery Continues

LeBeau, having just finished the dinner dishes, was putting them away when the door to barracks two opened and Major Guthrie strode inside, closing it behind him. The minute he entered it became so quiet one could almost hear a pin drop; in fact, the silence was deafening. Every pair of eyes were on him. Ignoring the prisoners, Guthrie looked around the barracks until he found the man he sought.

LeBeau, standing near the sink, glanced over at Carter. "Hey, Andre, see what happens when you don't lock the door? All sort of things wander in."

Guthrie simply stared at the small Corporal whose own eyes never left the Major's.

Kinch, Carter, and Newkirk were all seated at the commons table with the trio playing gin and Hogan, holding a cup of coffee with one foot on a bench, watching. Each man stopped what he was doing and glared at the intruder with all the hatred they could muster. Ignoring the stares, Guthrie approached Hogan. As he drew close, Carter, Kinch and Newkirk all jumped immediately to their feet and positioned themselves between the Major and their commander. LeBeau hurried over and joined them. Guthrie paused to take in the scene.

"I wouldn't take another step, Major," Newkirk said menacingly.

"Filthy Bosche!" spat LeBeau.

"I'd turn around and leave if I were you, Major," Kinch said his eyes and face flashing dangerously.

"You're not welcome or wanted here," Carter added.

Guthrie clasped his hands behind his back, waiting. "Colonel Hogan, I wish to speak with you privately if I may."

Hogan remained as he was, and took a drink of coffee not looking at the Major. "You and I have nothing to discuss, Major," he said.

"But we do, Colonel. I'm afraid I must explain my earlier actions." He took a step forward.

Newkirk held up a hand. "I wouldn't if I were you, mate," he said coldly. "After what you've done, you're bloody crazy if you think we're gonna let you anywhere near the Gov'nor."

Hogan, letting out a deep breath, finally looked over at Guthrie. "I'm afraid whatever you have to say to me you'll have to say from where you are. See, my men are a bit protective of their commanding officer, Major." He made no attempt to have his men stand down; not because he didn't want to, but because he wasn't up to tangling with Guthrie again so soon and his men knew it. Besides, Hogan could tell they were determined to keep the two men apart no matter what.

Guthrie let out a deep breath as well. "Very well. I must apologize for overstepping my bounds with you in the cooler earlier. I regret being so rough with you for that was not my intention. I have an image with the Gestapo that I must protect. As I told you earlier, it would look suspicious if I spent time here and did not interrogate you at all. And I'm sure you're aware the Gestapo can be rather, how would you say, creative with their interrogation."

Hogan's face was unreadable. "Tell me, Major," he said, "How far would you have gone with your so-called creative interrogation if Klink hadn't intervened?"

Guthrie looked pained. "I would like to believe I wouldn't have hurt you. Please believe me and accept my apology. I was being truthful when I told you I need your help finding von Herwarth and the journal."

"And just why should I help you now?" asked Hogan.

Guthrie sighed. "Colonel, I will find von Herwarth with or without your help. But it would be much easier with your help. Surely there must be someway I can prove to you how much I regret what happened."

"Yeah," Hogan said with a lopsided grin. "You can slither back under the rock from which you came."

Furious, LeBeau took a step forward. "I'm ashamed to call you a Frenchman!" he hissed.

"Calm down, Louie," Hogan said putting his foot on the floor and putting a hand on the Frenchman's shoulder. LeBeau was clenching and unclenching his fists in anger. Hogan's other hand rested on Newkirk's shoulder when the Englander punched his palm with a fist. "Newkirk, settle down." He looked at Guthrie. "Major, I think it's better if you leave this barracks before something happens one of us might regret."

Whatever Guthrie was thinking his face didn't reveal anything; yet there was something in his eyes that sent a shiver through Hogan. He stared hard at the American officer. "Very well, Colonel," he said with a sneer. "But we are not finished yet. You will help me I promise you." Then, he abruptly turned and stormed out of the barracks, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sighing, Hogan collapsed onto the bench as his team sat down around him.

"Ruddy bastard!" Newkirk exclaimed. He looked at his commanding officer. "You all right, Colonel?"

"I'm okay," Hogan said massaging his forehead with his fingers.

"What do you think he meant, Colonel, when he said you will help him?" LeBeau was nervous.

"Sounds like a threat to me, sir," added Kinch, worried.

"The Major will soon learn I don't respond to threats," said Hogan with a steady voice. "But I'll say one thing, he's rapidly not winning any popularity contests with me. Kinch, get on the horn to the underground. Find out when tomorrow night they can pick up Mrs. von Herwarth."

"Yes, sir," Kinch replied getting to his feet heading for the double bunk; he slapped the hidden mechanism.

"And I want to have a little chat with her husband. I think it's time we got some answers. Gentlemen, if you'll follow me." Hogan said. Then followed by Carter, LeBeau and Newkirk, the Colonel headed for the open tunnel entrance. "Baker, watch the door in case our not so favorite Gestapo Major returns."

"Yes, sir," said Baker as he hopped off his bunk, cracked open the door and stood watch.

Guthrie talked to himself as he stormed back to the guest quarters. That smug, arrogant bastard of a Colonel; how dare he refuse him! Walking up the steps of the guest cottage and through the door, Guthrie slammed it behind him and turned on the lights. Apparently this was going to be more difficult than he thought. Walking into the bedroom he turned on the lamp beside the bed. Kneeling down, he reached under the bed and pulled out an attaché case, then sat on the edge of the bed and opened it. He pulled out two bulky file folders: one was marked: COLONEL ROBERT E. HOGAN; the other: VON HERWARTH, and laid them both on the bed followed by the folders of the other Jewish prisoners. Picking up the one with Hogan's name on it he opened it and spread its contents on the bed. His eyes fell on the 3x5 black and white held in place with a paperclip. Removing it, gazed at the smiling face looking back at him and smirked.

"Unfortunately, Colonel, I need your help with von Herwarth," he said studying the photo. "The underground said you were very suspicious, intelligent, and cunning and they were right. But I cannot succeed without your help; and you will help me. I promise you that. But I need to get inside your head, Colonel; to think as you think; to know what you know. I need to be one with you." He slipped the photo back under the paperclip and began going through the contents of the file. There has to be something here I can use to make Hogan see things my way. There just has to be.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Picking up the receiver he put it to his ear. "Major Guthrie." His body suddenly straightened. "Guten Abend, sir. I am well, danke. And yourself? Gut." He sighed wearily as he listened to his superior's ramblings. "Not yet, sir. We had a meeting scheduled with von Herwarth last night but he didn't show. I understand sir that the longer it takes to find him…. Jawohl. I will do whatever I have to, sir, to retrieve the journal. Nein. Colonel Hogan is proving to be more difficult to convince. He is a very suspicious man, and I'm afraid I went a bit overboard earlier today with my questioning of him, and now he is even more suspicious than before. Jawohl, I realize we need his help to recover the journal. Nein, sir, if I use it now there is no way he will ever trust me after that. And sir, I'm not quite ready to use it as I still may be able to convince him without it. But I will not hesitate if I have no other choice. Danke. Auf wiedersehen. Heil Hitler." He hung up the receiver, picked up the attaché case again and removed a small rectangular box. Opening the box he gazed uncomfortably at its contents.

Hogan and the others found von Herwarth sitting alone in a chair in one of the tunnels reading a magazine. He looked up when he heard footsteps surprised to see the American Colonel standing before him, a serious look on his face. Putting down the magazine he got to his feet.

"Where is your wife, von Herwarth?" Hogan asked looking around.

"She is in another tunnel resting. She was feeling tired so I suggested she get some sleep."

"Good. By the way, just so you know. London agreed to your demand. You wife will be leaving here tomorrow night and will be picked up by plane the following night."

Von Herwarth, with closed eyes, let out a deep sigh and smiled faintly. Opening them again, he noticed Hogan's eyes were narrowed and his face looked serious; he also noticed a discoloration on one of the Colonel's cheeks. "Colonel Hogan, what's happened? It seems you've been hurt."

Hogan glanced around at his men. "That's putting it mildly," he said. "I spent the better part of the day being a punching bag for our Major Guthrie. Now, I am not in the mood for anymore games and want some answers."

"Colonel Hogan, I told you I will not give you the journal until…"

"Colonel, let me talk with 'im," Newkirk spoke up punching his left palm with a fist. "I'll get you the answers you want."

"It won't be necessary, Newkirk. I can handle things. Look, von Herwarth, my men will tell you I don't like being dictated to by the people we help. And I especially don't like having my chain jerked like you're doing. So let's cut out the fun and games, and suppose you tell me what's going on and exactly why you have to get out of Germany. After all, your uncle is an important German diplomat. How come with that sort of connection you have to get out of Germany and what is so important in that journal of yours?"

Von Herwarth seemed to be debating with himself hoping that the American would let things go, but he quickly dismissed that thought when he saw Hogan's dark eyes boring into him. "Look, Colonel…." he began.

Hogan, tired, aching, and already irritable from his recent encounter with Guthrie, was becoming angry. He jabbed a forefinger into the man's chest. "No, you look, von Herwarth. You either start talking, or after we get your wife out of Germany, you're on your own." He glanced at his watch. "You've got one minute."

Von Herwarth rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Colonel Hogan I can't tell you…"

"Fifty seconds," Hogan kept an eye on his watch.

"Please, Colonel. As a Jew you should understand why I can't."

"Forty seconds."

"Please don't do this. They'll kill me if they catch me! Besides, you said London agreed to my request. If you abandon me what will they say?"

"I'll come up with something. Thirty seconds."

"Colonel, I'm begging you. Do not do this! Please! I need your help! Your organization is my only hope. I'm a dead man otherwise."

"Fifteen seconds. Better make up your mind what it's going to be, von Herwarth. Ten seconds."

Staring up at the ceiling of the tunnel, von Herwarth let out a deep breath of weariness. With a look of defeat he faced Hogan. "All right, I'll tell you everything as to why I must leave Germany."

Hogan looked at the forlorn man. "You just got in under the wire; four seconds left." He pulled over a chair and sat down, motioning for his men to find places to sit down. Once everybody was seated, von Herwarth sank back into his chair and hung his head for a moment before he looked up with pain in his eyes.

Guthrie had been pacing the bedroom for nearly an hour after receiving the telephone call from his superior. As soon as he had hung up the phone, he thoroughly went through Hogan's file for something, anything, that would give him an alternative to having to use what was in the rectangular box. But he had found nothing; absolutely nothing. At least nothing new anyway. He stopped pacing long enough and stared at the box sitting on the bed. He wasn't eager to use it's contents at all, least of all on Hogan. He had seen what happened after it was used on two other people and the effects would not be pleasant to witness nor suffer. But it seemed he might not have a choice if he couldn't convince the American to work with him somehow. His superior had ordered him to use the contents on Hogan now because it would make the American eager to help Guthrie catch von Herwarth and find the journal, but had agreed to let Guthrie try just a bit longer to gain the American's trust. But Guthrie knew it's contents were only for a last resort if all else failed. And so far everything had failed.

Picking up the box again he opened it, stared at the contents and sighed. There was no doubt what was in the box would work. Closing the box he put it back down on the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. There has to be another way other than this. There just has to be. There must be something I've overlooked with you, Hogan. But what? I've beaten you, locked up two guards whom I suspect look the other way where you're concerned, I've released one of your men as a show of good faith, I've even locked up the other Jewish prisoners in this camp and still you…. A sudden smirk appeared as Guthrie as he snapped his fingers. He quickly went through the folders on the bed until he found the one he was looking for. Snatching it up he opened it until he found what he was looking for. As his eyes scanned the information he realized he hadn't tried everything. This young man will do quite nicely and I must make certain Colonel Hogan finds out about my impending visit to one of his men.