Chapter 13:
It was around 5:00 p.m. when Carter and Kalina finally reached Hanover. Their train had been delayed four times back in Hammelburg, but the sight of the large city was a deeply welcomed sight to both of them. The steam engine came to a gradual halt, giving a couple of whistles as it stopped beside the platform. A noise Kalina had loved since a little girl.
Once the train station patrolman had given the 'all clear' to get off, Carter and Kalina followed a pack of people off the train car, grabbed their suitcases, then began their search for their contact. Nels had described him as a young man around 27 years of age, had slick brown hair, and deep blue eyes. He would be wearing an SS colonel's uniform.
The duo walked further into the station, the sound of the steam whistle echoing from behind. They looked left, right, high, low, but so far their search had turned out to be unlucky. Carter and Kalina looked at a map of the train station in the terminal area, but even that provided little use. After about seven minutes of searching and walking around, Carter and Kalina came to a halt at a nearby ticket booth and turned to one another.
"Carter, where is he?" The little Klink asked.
"That's what I'd sure like to know," Carter said, adjusting his fedora. "You remember if Nels gave us a name for this guy?"
"He didn't know his real name. All he said is that his code name is Black Star."
The sergeant pursed his lips and again tried to scan through the numerous people coming and going, then spotted a lonely SS officer standing beside a pole, arms crossed as he was checking his nearby surroundings for something in particular. Carter pointed to him.
"You think that might be him?" He asked softly.
"It's worth a shot," Kalina said. "You remember the code signal?"
"Sure do." He waved his hand over his shoulder. "Come on."
Carter and Kalina resumed walking and casually turned in the officer's direction. When they were less than several feet from each other, the officer spotted them standing there and observed them tediously. He watched as Carter tipped his hat, crossed his arms over his chest in an 'X' formation, then put them back down at his sides.
The officer looked around like he was checking for something, then looked back at the two of them and crossed his heart and spun his finger around in the air for a brief second. A sense of relief immediately came to Carter and Kalina, and they met their contact halfway.
"Thank God," Carter said, shaking the man's hand. "Boy, for a minute there, we thought we'd never find you."
The man chuckled. "I was starting to think the same thing. Name's Konrad."
"Carter and Kalina," the sergeant said softly, pointing to each of them while making sure no one else was listening. "Going by the names of Antony Claus and Klara Kästner."
"Carter, Kalina, it's very nice to meet both of you," Konrad said. "You're Papa Bear's men?"
"Jawohl, Sir," Kalina answered. "Do you know where General Burkhalter is?"
"Unfortunately, I do not. But the man I'll send for you knows this city like the back of his hand. If he can't locate your general, no one can." He gestured for them to follow. "Come. Your hotel isn't far from here. The sooner you're settled, the sooner I can get in touch with my contact."
Carter and Kalina did as ordered and followed Konrad out of the train station and to his staff car parked about a block away. They quickly boarded inside, and Konrad was pulling away from the curb in seconds. Once a little ways away from the station, Konrad looked up into his rear view mirror at the duo briefly before turning his eyes back to the road.
"You two are looking for a Luftwaffe general then, no?" He asked.
"Yes, Sir," Kalina said softly.
"A little peculiar looking for a Luftwaffe general for help."
"Trust me, you don't wanna know about the guy currently running Stalag 13. An American officer gone bad."
"Real bad," Carter added. "He wants to take over all of Germany and call it Imperial America."
"He's making American Nazis and plans on murdering every German in the country. People who disagree with his movement, too. Even if they're fellow Americans like he is."
"Donnerwetter," Konrad gasped, his face painted with horror. "How did he gain command of an entire POW camp?"
"That's another thing you don't wanna know," Carter said.
The agent shook his head, completely appalled. So appalled that he was beginning to experience nausea just by imagining what it was this monster was doing. "As much as I want you two to knock out this Bastard, what is a Luftwaffe general going to do to take him out of commission?"
"General Burkhalter can send in an entire division of soldiers to go to Stalag 13 and get Hanley and his men to surrender," Kalina explained. "It'll be near impossible for his men to fight off an entire Luftwaffe division surrounding camp."
"Wouldn't it have been more logical to go to the Gestapo for that kind of thing?"
"Oh, you don't know Burkhalter," Carter said. "He's good friends with Himmler himself. He can pull all sorts of strings with his connections."
"He's friends with Reichsführer Himmler?"
"You better believe it, boy."
Kalina looked out her window into the evening crowd on the streets, then frowned and looked back at Konrad, anxiety beginning to flutter inside her stomach again. "How much further until we get to our hotel?" She inquired.
"Not much further, my dear," Konrad told her. "About a couple more minutes, and you'll be shown to your room and given further instructions."
The teenager fell back against her seat and swallowed a growing knot in her throat. She wrung her hands nervously and began to feel nauseous, when Carter noticed her discomfort and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry, little buddy," he said. "We'll find Burkhalter in time."
"I'm worried about Papa, Kinch, Newkirk, and LeBeau. Schultz and Langenscheidt, too."
"They'll hold on until we get back. They're tough cookies, you know. Especially Newkirk."
Kalina gave a small smile, and the car came to a slow halt alongside the street.
"Here we are, my friends," Konrad said. "The Leine Inn."
Carter and Kalina looked out the window and were surprised to see an eight story building with fancy looking windows, a revolving door, and a bellhop greeting each visitor and helping them carry their bags. There was an awning attached to the main entrance lit up with lights and chandelier looking chains hanging off the sides.
"Boy," Carter said, he and Kalina closing the car door behind them. "You guys sure hooked us up at a nice place, here."
"It was Night Owl's orders that you were treated royally and comfortably during your stay here. I'm just a means of transportation around the city." Konrad replied.
The trio walked inside, and Carter and Kalina were instantly breath taken at the scene before them. The floor was tile marble, a spacious open area filled with sofas, chairs, and tables for occupants to use. The walls were dark brown and tan, but lamp lights were scattered throughout the lobby lightening the large room, a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
On one side of the room was a hallway next to a water fountain leading to one half of the ground floor rooms, the other side more rooms and a pool. Elevators were straight in the back in between the hallway, and a large oak wood desk with a golden name plaque sat off to the far right side, people checking in and out of rooms continuously.
"Holy cats," Carter said, his jaw hanging slightly.
"This place is more fancy than my uncle's house." Kalina added, slowly coming out of shock.
Konrad led the two to the front desk and made eye contact with the manager on duty. "Entschuldigung," he said. "I have a reservation for two under the name of Colonel Bauernfeind." (1)
The manager flipped through pages in his binder and quickly found the name. "Ah," he remarked, pointing down at the line filled paper. "Colonel Bauernfeind, room 722." He turned to the cubbies behind him, grabbed a set of keys, then handed them back to Konrad. The manager then pointed to the elevators. "Elevators are that way, when you're ready, Herr Oberst."
"Danke," Konrad said, with a nod, then turned back to Carter and Kalina. "Right this way, meine Freunde."
The group of three took the elevator up to the seventh floor, walked a little ways down the left hallway, then reached their room door, and Konrad let Carter and Kalina inside. Two queen sized beds with fluffy white comforters, a nightstand in between both beds, and a carpeted floor that complimented the silky white curtains on the room window. A decently sized bathroom with a walk-in shower was to the right, and a mahogany desk and phone book were off to the left.
"Gee," Carter said. "This place sure is a lot nicer than the barracks."
Kalina gave him a look. "Anywhere is better than the camp barracks."
"What are our instructions now?" Carter asked Konrad.
"You are to stay here until your contact can arrive here. You may do your own searching, but don't trail far from this hotel. I'll send word to him later tonight, and you should hear from him in a few days." Konrad explained.
"How long will it take for him to get here?" Kalina asked.
Konrad shook his head. "Shouldn't take too long. He's currently on assignment in Bremen. Soon as he gets word, he'll come here the minute his assignment's complete. His code name is Blue Panther, and he'll be wearing a black suit and fedora."
"So, if we won't meet Blue Panther for another few days, what are we supposed to do in the meanwhile?" Carter prodded.
"Do your own searching? Relax, see the city a little bit, as long as you stay near this area," the agent said. "Despite the fact that it might take a few days, he could come at any moment. In the meantime, my job has been accomplished. I bid you farewell and lots of luck in your hunt for Burkhalter. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions."
"We will," Carter said, with a nod. "Thank you very much."
"My pleasure." Konrad tipped his cap. "Goodnight." He watched the duo wave 'goodbye', then he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the sergeant and Kalina alone again.
The teenager turned her eyes to the hotel window and walked towards it until she was less than a foot away. Kalina shoved the curtains aside to reveal their five-star view of the city nightlife. The snow covered streets and buildings, lamp lights leading the way for night dwellers and patrons. The city itself was not as ginormous as Berlin was, but it was twice the size of Hammelburg and possessed many skyscrapers and towers. Most were dark for air raid protection, but the ones that were lit up painted the night skyline with color and vibrancy.
But despite the breathtaking view, it reminded Carter and Kalina of why they were there, and a long frown came to her face. She pressed her face against the window and looked up at the cloudy night sky, wondering where Hogan was wandering around tonight and if he was keeping watch over her friends and papa back at Stalag 13 while she and Carter were away. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she bowed her head and closed her eyes, her yearning for the colonel to come back to her again hitting her full force.
Seeing her distress, Carter walked over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as she let out a sniffle. "Where is he, Carter?" Kalina whimpered. "Where's Colonel Hogan when we need him most?"
"He's up there, buddy," the sergeant reassured her. "Maybe not showing himself tonight, but he's up there. He's not gonna let anything happen to us, you'll see."
Kalina shook her head. "I'm not worried about us, I'm worried about Papa. And Newkirk and Kinch and LeBeau. What's Hanley doing to them right now? What if they're in big danger?"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about them. Klink might be a fraidy cat, but he's not gonna give up Stalag 13 without a fight. And Kinch and the guys are stubborn and tough as nails. Trust me, they can fight for themselves. Hanley's not gonna push them down that easily, no siree."
More tears streamed down Kalina's face, but she tried her best to wipe them away. "I miss Colonel Hogan, Carter…I want Colonel Hogan back."
Carter took the little Klink into his arms and did his best to hold her like Hogan had when she was sad and scared. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. "He's here, little buddy," he promised her. "He's here."
(1) Entschuldigung - Excuse me