Chapter 31-Questions Answered
Hogan had barely entered the barracks when he was greeted by four pairs of worried eyes staring at him. As soon as he closed the door, Olsen quickly went to the door to stand watch. The last thing any of them needed was Guthrie making an unscheduled appearance. Hogan didn't have to guess what was wrong because he knew. He knew the men were only concerned because of how he was reacting since he had read the journal and then talked with von Herwarth.
"Is there anything we can do, Colonel?" asked LeBeau watching Hogan grab his coffee cup off the table and make his way to the pot belly stove, pouring himself a cup of hot coffee. Turning, he placed a foot on the bench while staring into his coffee cup as if he would find answers in the dark liquid. Then, he leaned forward resting one arm on the thigh of his bent leg. He took a sip of his coffee, continuing to stare into space as if he hadn't heard the Frenchman.
"Colonel, did you hear LeBeau's question?" asked Kinch, more worried by his commander's response.
"I heard you and him," Hogan said softly. "And I don't mean to ignore you, LeBeau, it's just I've just got a lot on my mind right now."
"Can we help, Gov'nor?" asked Newkirk softly. He didn't like seeing his Colonel so down and depressed. If they could just get him to open up about the contents of the journal and of his conversation with von Herwarth. He didn't think he had ever seen the Colonel so down as he was right now.
Hogan shook his head. "No. There's nothing any of you can do. I just have to think about a few things." He took another drink of coffee.
"What about von Herwarth, Colonel?" asked Carter. "We still gonna move him outta here tomorrow after evening roll call?"
"That's another thing I have to think about," Hogan responded. "Also, I haven't spoken to von Herwarth yet about what part he's going to play in getting rid of Guthrie. But I will in plenty of time."
"Colonel," Olsen suddenly called out causing Hogan and the others to look in his direction. "It's Guthrie, sir. He's heading in the direction of the guest quarters, and there's somebody with him but I can't tell who it is."
"Can't be another Gestapo," said Kinch curious and worried. "We would have known if a car pulled in."
"Doesn't look like another Gestapo though," Olsen replied, his eyes glued to the door watching.
"Coffee break," Hogan announced as he stood up quickly followed the others getting to their feet and following him into his quarters where the Frenchman hurriedly plugged in the coffee pot as the others gathered around Hogan's desk. They were greeted only by silence.
"I don't hear anything, sir," said Carter.
"Give the bloody Kraut a chance to get into his ruddy guest quarters why don't you?" asked Newkirk with a touch of annoyance in his voice.
"Just pipe down, all of you," Hogan ordered, a bit harsher than he planned when they heard a door close over the speaker. It was shortly followed by the sound of a phone.
"I wonder who he's calling?" asked Carter innocently.
"Shhhhh," said both Kinch and LeBeau together. Carter was about to reply, but a stern look from Hogan and he shut his mouth.
"We will talk after I make a phone call." There was a pause. "Major Hochstetter? Major Guthrie. I believe I will have von Herwarth and the journal by tomorrow evening. Ja. I was lured out of Stalag 13 by a phony telephone call from somebody claiming to have seen von Herwarth and his wife in town only to find out it was an obvious ruse. Do I know why Hogan would do that? Ja, I think so. I believe Colonel Hogan was behind the ruse to get me out of camp so he could sneak von Herwarth and the journal into camp. I firmly believe von Herwarth, his blond whore, and the journal are somewhere in this camp."
"I knew that filthy Bosch was working for Hochstetter," LeBeau mumbled angrily.
"Blimey, affectionate bastard ain't he?" Newkirk joked. "Glad we got her out of Germany when we did."
"Quiet," Hogan ordered. "I want to hear this."
"Major, I'd like to ask you a favor. Well, once I have von Herwarth, his wife and the journal, I want to remove Colonel Hogan and Corporal Newkirk from camp and deposit them in a labor camp, then have both that idiot Klink and his bumbling Sergeant Schultz sent to the Russian front. But Major Hochstetter…jawohl Major. I can have Klink and Schultz sent to the Russian front, but bring Hogan, Corporals Newkirk and LeBeau, and Sergeants Kinchloe and Carter to Gestapo headquarters. Jawohl, Major. I will do as you wish. Heil Hitler. Auf Wiedersehen." There was a pause as the men heard the phone being hung up. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Major. No, Colonel Hogan and his men will all be sent to a labor camp instead."
"You are going to defy Major Hochstetter, Major?" a different voice asked.
"I'm not going to defy anybody, Corporal. The Major told me to bring that swine Hogan and the others to Gestapo headquarters along with von Herwarth, his whore and the journal. I will just tell him the Englander was killed trying to escape."
"And what of Colonel Hogan?"
"Him I will see delivered to the worst labor camp there is. His kind deserves no consideration whatsoever. I will tell the Major that the American swine attacked me after I shot and killed the Englander and then he and his men escaped, but I managed to recapture the others, but unfortunately, Colonel Hogan got away. The good Major will order search parties to look for him never realizing he is still in Germany in a labor camp." Hogan and his men imagined the Gestapo officer salivating at the thought.
Hogan didn't unplug the coffee pot, and wrapped his arms around himself. He had a thoughtful look on his face while inwardly shuddering at what he had overheard.
"Blimey, sir. He's plans on sending you to a bleedin' labor camp and us to ole Hochstetter." He shook his head. "All except me, that is."
"You can't let him do this, mon Colonel," LeBeau pleaded.
"I'm with LeBeau," Carter protested. "What d'you think, Kinch?"
"I'm not too thrilled about it either, Andrew," Kinch replied grimly. "But in my case, I probably will live long enough only to see Hochstetter."
The others began talking all at once not noticing Hogan close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose as the drum solo started again. He finally opened his eyes and held up a hand.
"Okay hold it! Nobody's being sent anywhere," Hogan said a bit harsher than he wanted. He glanced over his shoulder at Newkirk. "You up to a little spying tonight?"
Newkirk glanced at the others before turning back to Hogan. "Who do you want me to spy on, Gov'nor?"
Hogan grinned. "Guthrie. We know he has somebody with him in his quarters and he's obviously not Gestapo, so it could be our spy. We need to find out who before tomorrow evening. Hang around outside his quarters and see if you can find out who it is. Can't guarantee Guthrie will reveal his name for us to hear. If you find out, don't confront anybody; just come straight back here. Besides, once we find out who it is, we can perhaps use that person in our plan to dispose of Guthrie. Now go and be careful."
"On me way, sir," the Englander replied jumping up and leaving the small room.
After Newkirk departed, the others turned their attention back to Hogan who had a smirk on his face. The drum solo had lessened a bit.
"What have you got in mind, Colonel?" asked Kinch with an amused smile.
Hogan's eyes shifted to his second-in-command. "I want to work out the details and talk with von Herwarth first, Kinch. But believe me when I tell you Guthrie won't know what hit him until it's too late."
Newkirk, cracking open the barracks door, peeked outside and quickly shut it just before the searchlight passed by. Having inwardly calculated how much time it took for the searchlight to pass by, Newkirk cracked open the door again and, seeing everything was safe, quietly left the barracks and kept to the shadows while making his way in the direction to the guest quarters he knew the Gestapo Major was occupying. Reaching his destination, the Englander sagged against the wall of the guest quarters and heaved a silent sigh of relief while putting a hand over his heart knowing twice he had almost been caught by the searchlight patrolling the compound and once he unexpectedly stumbled across two guards smoking and talking; obviously on an unauthorized break, with no way to get past them without being noticed. Fortunately, luck was on his side, and both guards soon walked away continuing to talk and smoke.
Glancing over his shoulder and seeing nobody, Newkirk kept low and edged his way along with eyes glued to the open window in front of him. He figured he would get a good look at the German Corporal and then get back to the safety of barracks two hopefully without any trouble. Now next to the window, Newkirk, keeping himself pressed against the wall as much as possible, looked through the narrow space between the window and the frame separated by hinges and tried to get a view of the spy. But all he could see was part of his back and that the uniform was gray and from the insignia on the one shoulder he was Luftwaffe.
"So why did you bring me here, Major?" the Corporal asked nervously. He would never admit to anyone that the Major made him extremely nervous; scared in fact would be an even better description. He began to wonder why he even agreed to work with him to begin with. He walked over to the open window and with palms resting on the sill, looked out into the darkness of the dimly lit compound.
"I brought you here because I want to know what the American is up to," Guthrie hissed. "That is why I made you work with me, Corporal. You are close to the prisoners." He moved so close to the Corporal that Guthrie's warm breath was felt on the back of his neck and had the opposite effect on the man. Instead of making him feel warm, he felt a chill. Neither man noticed the Englander who leaned the back of his head against the wall out of sight and held his breath.
"Should you refuse to continue helping me, Corporal, you will deeply regret it. I have friends who can make you disappear without a trace. Or perhaps that pretty little girlfriend of yours? I heard you are going to ask her to marry you during your next 3-day pass when you go into town. I'm sure I would enjoy meeting her among other things." His voice was sickeningly sweet; but Newkirk could barely see the Corporal's lower jaw grinding in disgust and anger. The man turned around quickly and found himself face-to-face with the Major.
"You leave Aleit alone!" The Corporal begged. "She is an innocent. Promise me you won't touch her."
Newkirk's green eyes narrowed hearing the name; he had heard it somewhere before. A minute later his eyes suddenly widened as it came to him. He knew who the spy was and it was someone who knew a tiny bit about the operation, and like Schultz, had turned a blind eye to things. The Englander swallowed the growing lump in his throat realizing he and his mates were in big trouble if this Corporal decided to reveal everything he knew. But what Newkirk couldn't figure out was why he hadn't so far.
Guthrie smirked. "You have my word, Corporal. As long as you do what I want. Now, what is that American Jew up to?"
Newkirk bristled at the Gestapo's insult of his Colonel but held his tongue. Wouldn't do anybody any good to be caught now.
"He has done nothing so far, Major. I swear. I have been watching and listening as you ordered and there has been nothing except for one thing."
"And what is that?" Guthrie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I noticed him sitting outside the barracks earlier this evening. He appeared to be upset about something. But then Sergeant Schultz came. I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were talking about, but shortly afterward, Colonel Hogan went inside the barracks and Sergeant Schultz walked away."
Guthrie, turning away from the Corporal, slowly walked away from him. He appeared to be thinking. "Now why would Hogan be sitting outside the barracks after dark? And what were he and that fat tub of lard talking about? Very interesting."
"Do you want me to have Sergeant Schultz report to you, Major? Or perhaps I should try and find out from Colonel Hogan?" The Corporal asked walking slowly away from the window causing Newkirk to finally let out a deep breath he had been holding for awhile.
Guthrie turned towards the Corporal again. "It won't be necessary. The Gestapo will get everything they want from both he and that weakling Klink before they're sent to the Russian front." He placed a hand on the Corporal's shoulder and felt the younger man's body stiffen. "You will be well rewarded for your assistance, Corporal, once this is over. I know how to reward those who have been helpful to the Third Reich in dealing with its enemies." He smiled a chilling smile as thoughts flooded his mind of disposing of this Corporal afterward as he could present a problem, especially with his knowledge of what he planned on doing with Hogan and the British Corporal. "But now, it's best if you return to your post before you're missed. We are too close to snaring those who dare oppose or try and destroy Germany and our beloved Fuhrer to have problems now."
The Corporal swallowed hard. "Jawohl, Major." He sighed in relief as he turned and exited the quarters. Then all was silent inside.
Hearing the Luftwaffe Corporal leaving, and no further sounds from inside, Newkirk knew he should leave as well and get back to the barracks to report what he found out. He started to turn around when a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder from behind and another covered his mouth cutting off any sound as the Englander found himself being dragged away from the window.
Hogan unplugged the coffee pot and leaned forward with arms straight and hands facing downward.
"Mon Dieu!" LeBeau murmured in disgust. "II est mal pur, Colonel!" (1)
Kinch and Carter simply looked at each other, both too shocked to say anything. Finally, Carter looked at his commanding officer.
"What are we gonna do, Colonel?" he asked quietly. "We can't let him send Klink and Schultz to the Russian front or you to a labor camp, kill Newkirk and send Kinch, LeBeau and me to Gestapo headquarters."
Hogan didn't look up but felt the eyes of his men on him; he knew what had to be done despite it being against every fiber of his being.
"We have to kill him," he said softly staring at the coffee pot. "We don't have any choice. The spy as well."
LeBeau's head slowly turned to face Hogan. "You mean commit murder, mon Colonel?" he asked in a near whisper.
"You sure about this, Colonel?" Kinch asked quietly.
Hogan slowly stood erect and wrapped his arms around himself, a grim look on his face. He glanced at each of his men separately. "We have no choice," he repeated. "If we let him live he could expose us and you know what that means." The last sentence was more of a statement than a question.
"And the spy, Colonel?" asked Carter.
"Same thing. We can't take a chance with whatever knowledge he might have about us. If he knows anything about our operation he could be a danger," Hogan explained.
"But does it have to be murder, Colonel?" asked Kinch. "Can't we just send them both to London instead?"
Hogan slowly shook his head but didn't look at his second-in-command. "I'm not going to change my mind about this, Kinch." He let out a deep breath. "I suggest you guys go outside and relax because Newkirk should be back in a few minutes and we'll find out who the spy is and go from there."
The men acknowledged their Colonel's request and quietly left his quarters closing the door behind them. Alone, Hogan sat down on the bottom bunk, removed his crush cap, and ran a hand over his dark hair. He was still thinking about the journal.
Since he had had some time to go over things in his own mind, he slowly began to realize that not all the Germans they dealt with were bad; some were not even Nazis, and that he was wrong to clump them all together with the barbarians who….he couldn't even say or think about the atrocities. Hell, if the Germans he worked with in the underground didn't care, they would not be fighting against Hitler and his power. And Klink and Schultz were not Nazis; neither belonged to the Nazi Party and neither, while loving their country, approved of Hitler's policies or actions. And even Hogan had to admit he and his men were treated better here than they would have been at another POW camp. Klink was very humane, and that wasn't how an enemy who wanted someone, especially one of the Jewish religion, sent to a labor camp. Burkhalter was another story. Hogan didn't know whether Burkhalter was a member of the Nazi Party or not; he didn't even know if he approved of the 'Final Solution," but being a member of the higher ups, Hogan had to consider that the man probably at least knew about it even if he didn't approve of it. With Hochstetter there was no doubt whatsoever. Hogan hated all Gestapo and what they represented except for one. Captain Fritz Fuchs was the exception as he was anti-Hitler and a dear friend of Hogan and his men. He wasn't even sure if Fuchs belonged to the Nazi Party; it had never occurred to him to ask. And even if he was, he was one of the few men that Hogan respected and trusted with his own life and those of his men and who never asked for anything in return. And he had helped them on numerous occasions proving his loyalty to the Allies. It wasn't fair to associate him with the group of animals who committed these atrocities. So even if he did belong to the Nazi Party, Hogan didn't have a problem. It isn't fair to lump everybody together and blame all Germans for the actions of a few zealots. However, Guthrie doesn't deserve to live and neither does the spy who's been helping him. But I am making the right decision here by deciding they both should die.
"I am making the right decision," Hogan murmured wondering if he was trying to convince himself he was making the right decision. He shook his head, grabbed his crush cap and put in on, pushing it back on his head before getting to his feet. Checking his watch he suddenly realized Newkirk should have been back by now. Opening the door, he looked out into the common room and saw Kinch, Carter and LeBeau seated around the table drinking coffee. "Has Newkirk returned yet?"
"Non, mon Colonel," LeBeau replied. "We have not see him."
Hogan checked his watch again. "He should've been back by now. The spy left Guthrie's quarters a short while ago."
Carter, Kinch, and LeBeau exchanged concerned looks before Kinch looked at Hogan. "Maybe he noticed Guthrie is up to something and is trying to find out what it is."
"Oui. You did tell him to spy on him," LeBeau reminded his commander.
Hogan sighed wearily and feigned a smile. "You're both probably right. Newkirk is very thorough in whatever he does. Let me know the minute he returns."
"You got it boy…uh, sir," Carter said with a lopsided grin.
Hogan, closing the door to his quarters again, leaned against the door with his arms folded. Let's hope that's all it is, he thought.
(1) "Mon Dieu!" means "My God !" and "II est mal pur, Colonel" means "He is pure evil, Colonel." Both courtesy of Babel Fish.