Chapter 23---Setting Things in Motion

Hogan hungrily ate the still warm beef broth while a contented smile appeared on LeBeau's face as he watched his commanding officer eat. After the last spoonful, Hogan handed the empty bowl to the little Frenchman.

"LeBeau, that was delicious. I didn't realize how hungry I really was."

"Merci, mon Colonel. Now, you must get some sleep and be sure to keep the ice pack on your throat."

"Later," Hogan remarked, getting to his feet. "Louie, I want you to remain here and monitor the coffee pot in case Metzger gets any phone calls or a visitor."

"Oui, Colonel," LeBeau replied. A look of concern suddenly appeared. "But where will you be?"

"Kinch and I will be in the radio room speaking with the contact pretending to be from Switzerland. I need to set up the scenario I want Metzger or whoever he's got monitoring our radio to overhear." Hogan then motioned for Kinch to follow him.

"But Colonel, you were advised to rest your voice," LeBeau protested. "Wilson's orders."

Hogan, now standing with his hand on the doorknob, looked back, rolling his eyes. "LeBeau, I'll rest my voice later. Right now…"

But LeBeau would not budge. "Colonel…" he interrupted, grabbing the ice pack from the bunk where it lay and held it out to his commanding officer. "You don't rest your voice now, you may not have a voice later when you need it. Besides, I will tell Wilson."

Hogan's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare," he said with a hint of anger he really didn't feel.

Mindful he was still holding the ice pack and an empty soup bowl, LeBeau managed to cross his arms and stare at his commanding officer. "Try me, mon Colonel," he stated. He could tell from the look on Hogan's face that he believed him.

Hogan, sighing, glanced at Kinch who was looking somewhat amused at the Frenchman's bold stand. From the look on his CO's face, Kinch knew Hogan was looking to him for support. And if that's what Hogan wanted, he wasn't going to get it.

"Sorry, Colonel," he said. "But I agree with LeBeau. You need to rest your voice as much as possible. All you have to do is write out what you want said and I can relay it to the contact. You can even be there and briefly give permission for the contact to speak with me. But you're gonna need your voice for the actual conversation. And if you don't rest it now, when the time comes, like LeBeau said, you may not have a voice to use."

Sighing in exasperation at being outnumbered, Hogan held out his hand to LeBeau who, with a satisfied grin, placed the ice pack in the Colonel's hand. It was then Hogan opened the door to his quarters and with Kinch behind him, walked into the common area.

The two men immediately noticed Carter and Newkirk seated at the table. Newkirk, his broken hand in a hard cast, was playing solitaire, and Carter was watching. Both men looked around when they heard the others approach.

"Newkirk, I thought you were asleep?" asked Hogan holding the ice pack to his throat.

The Englander smiled. "I got tired of sleeping, sir," he replied. "Besides, who can bloody well sleep with all the ruckus you chaps make anyway?"

"Sorry," Kinch apologized.

"I'm not," Newkirk replied. "Thanks to that bloody bastard, I feel sorta left out of the loop, if you know what I mean?"

"I know, Newkirk," Hogan managed to get out. "And I'm sorry as well."

"Never mind me, Gov'nor," Newkirk's eyes showed his concern. "Why aren't you resting, sir?"

Hogan shook his head. "Don't you start. I got enough from Kinch and LeBeau. But unfortunately, I have something I must do." He and Kinch walked away and in the direction of the double bunk. Hogan struck the hidden mechanism and watched the lower bunk rise and the ladder drop. As Hogan stepped over the bed frame and put one foot on the ladder, he noticed Carter approach and stand beside Kinch, looking at his commanding officer, concern written on his face.

Hogan's face softened. He smiled. "I promise, Carter. You'll be the first person I ask for should I need help."

Carter smiled in relief. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Colonel," he replied. He then returned to the table and sat down.

Metzger slammed the door as he entered the bedroom. He was livid as he removed his coat and hat and hung them on the coat tree. He immediately went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a full glass of brandy and quickly downed it. He refilled the glass, but held it in his hand as the anger intensified.

"So, Klink," he said aloud to the air. "You called Burkhalter about me, did you?" He smirked. "You will pay for that. When I bring down Colonel Hogan and his operation, I will see to it that you and Burkhalter are both caught in the same trap." He downed the second glass of brandy and slammed the empty glass so hard on the cabinet that it broke. "But first, I must make a phone call." Turning, he approached the nightstand and turned on the lamp. As he picked up the receiver, he suddenly froze as he saw it. He slowly replaced the receiver and bent over to look more closely at what caught his attention. He chuckled at he reached for and pulled it off the base of the lamp. Holding it up closely, he examined it.

"So, Hogan, you thought I wouldn't find your listening device. I should make you pay for this. But I have more important things to address. However, I will let you wonder overnight what I will do tomorrow. But until then…" Dropping the device on the floor, he crushed it beneath his boot heel. "That is what I think of your device." He then picked up the receiver.

In the radio room, Hogan motioned for Kinch to switch to their emergency frequency and ask for the contact General Butler had chosen. While Kinch was doing that, Hogan was busy writing on Kinch's clipboard pad what the scenario was that would be played out.

"Papa Bear to Goldilocks. Papa Bear to Goldilocks. Come in Goldilocks."

"This is Goldilocks, Papa Bear. What can we do for you?"

Kinch recognized the voice as that of the same person he had spoken to hours ago and had to chew out. "Goldilocks, we need to speak with the White Knight right away."

There was a pause on the other end. "One moment, Papa Bear."

Kinch looked up at Hogan who shook his head as he let a wry grin appear. He had heard about Kinch's problem with this contact when they were contacting General Butler.

"This is White Knight, Papa Bear. Go ahead."

Hogan motioned to Kinch to give him the microphone and headset. He held one end of the headset to his ear and spoke into the microphone. "Papa Bear, White Knight. My second-in-command, Sergeant Kinchloe, will relay what must be said as I am under doctor's orders to rest my voice due to a run-in with the target in question. You have my permission to talk freely with Sergeant Kinchloe as you would with me. But I will be nearby just in case."

"Understood, Papa Bear."

Hogan handed the headset and microphone back to Kinch and pointed to the script he had written. "Tell him this scenario will be carried out tomorrow. I'll have a better idea of the exact time after roll call."

"Gotcha, Colonel," Kinch replied adjusting the headset. He glanced at Hogan who sat down on the bunk Kinch kept in the radio room and pressed the ice pack against his throat. His throat right now was very sore.

"Okay, White Knight," Kinch began looking at the information Hogan had written. "This is what the Colonel wants…"

Metzger listened to the voice over the receiver. "So you've heard nothing as far as Hogan's getting the ammunition back from this contact in Switzerland? I see. Well, thanks to the Kommandant of this camp, Colonel Klink, contacting General Burkhalter, I now only have seventy-two hours to conclude my so-called investigation. So I will have to turn up the heat under Hogan to get him to move faster before I kill him. No, I don't need you to come here. I can handle things. Just keep monitoring their radio. I will contact you sometime tomorrow. Auf Wiedershen." He hung up the phone and thought about what he was going to do tomorrow sometime after roll call. He smirked. What he had planned would be something that Hogan would never forget.