Chapter 40---Hogan's Troubles Continue

Major Hochstetter grumbled nonstop as he continued driving back to Hammelburg from Dusseldorf. He felt like such a fool when he had arrived at the office of the Dusseldorf Gestapo and finding out that nobody had called Hammelburg, nor did anybody in the Dusseldorf Gestapo pick anybody up for questioning concerning Metzger's death. In fact, they weren't even looking into it. Hochstetter immediately sought out his close friend Major Braun. Hochstetter was beginning to think he had been duped, and after speaking with Braun, he was more certain than ever. Hochstetter recalled the meeting with his old friend.

It was while visiting with Braun, the Major inquired who, in Hochstetter's opinion, would do such a thing. Hochstetter smirked as only one name came to mind: Hogan. When Braun inquired as to why Hogan would do it, Hochstetter explained that in his opinion, Hogan had killed Metzger and he had proof such as dried blood on a pair of Hogan's shoes which Klink and Burkhalter both claimed came from Metzger beating one of Hogan's men. He added that another of Hogan's men had his hand broken by Metzger; both of which gave Hogan a motive. He concluded with finding the partial shoe print and was positive Hogan's shoe would match.

"Tell me something, Wolfgang," Braun advised his friend, leaning back in his chair with arms folded across his chest. "Why will this General Burkhalter not allow you to arrest Colonel Hogan?'

"I don't know," was Hochstetter's response. "But the General has made it clear without proof he can accept, he will not permit me to either arrest Hogan or take him back to Berlin with me."

"Seems to me then you only have only one recourse open to you," Braun explained. "If you can't arrest Hogan in the camp, then you must get him out of the camp in order to arrest him. That way you can always claim he was arrested after escaping. I am certain the General won't be able to argue against that."

"Ja," Hochstetter agreed. "I just have to come up with a way to lure Hogan out of the camp and then arrest him both as an escaped prisoner and for murder."

"I know you will come up with something, my friend," Braun replied with a cunning smile. "I know you will."

Hochstetter continued driving. He had been thinking since he left Braun's office; so far without success. There had to be a way to lure Hogan out of camp; some way to get around Burkhalter. Then he smiled evilly. An idea was beginning to take shape. Suddenly Hochstetter knew what he was going to do and there would be no way Hogan would be able to pass it up.

"And then I will have you, Hogan," he sneered.

"Colonel, I have General Butler on the line," Kinch advised from the radio room.

"Thanks, Kinch," Hogan replied from his quarters. He switched to the red light. "General Butler, Colonel Hogan here."

"Good hearing from you, Colonel," Butler replied. "How are you? I heard you had a run-in with the Gestapo regarding this incident with Metzger."

"Two broken ribs, but I'll live," Hogan explained, the throbbing in his side was beginning to return. "I just wanted to update you on what's happening."

"Go ahead, Colonel."

In as few words as possible, Hogan filled in Butler on what was happening since they last spoke, including Hogan's run-in with the Gestapo and the blackmail by Skyhawk."

"Colonel, let me ask you something."

"Yes, sir?" Hogan asked, suspecting what Butler was going to ask.

"From what I understand, you're the only one who's ever seen this Skyhawk and knows what he looks like. Would I be asking too much if I ask you his identity?"

Hogan sighed. He took as deep a breath as he could and winced as pain shot through his side. He held his side with his free hand.

"General, Skyhawk's true identity is that of SS Major Karl Jaeger."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Is this the same Major Jaeger who serves under Field Marshall Kiersted's staff?"

"The one and the same," Hogan replied.

"Colonel, how does this Jaeger figure into this?"

Hogan shifted in his seat before continuing. "Over the last six months, I had begun hearing rumors that Metzger was planning something, although nobody seemed to know what. I had the underground in Berlin keep an eye on him, and report anything unusual in case there was a problem. There was nothing for three months. Then I heard from the underground that Metzger had been seen meeting repeatedly with someone who was heavily involved in the black market by the code name of Skyhawk. As I was the only one who had previously met with Skyhawk, I gave a description to the underground who checked and verified my description matched that of an SS Major Karl Jaeger, who just happened to be a good friend of Metzger's. I then suggested the underground speak only with me about this at this point. I didn't want to inform my men until I knew exactly what I was dealing with. General, I believe Metzger hired this Jaeger to help him get his art collection back and help in framing me as a traitor to London. I also suspect Jaeger killed Metzger to get the collection for himself. In addition, General, I believe after he gets the collection he will try and kill me."

"From what we know of Metzger, he's been basically a loner. Why would he team up with this Jaeger to begin with, Colonel?"

"Both Metzger and Jaeger are both involved in the black market, and I'm in the process of using that information to make it appear Metzger was killed by a black market operative. I've also come up with a plan that'll not only get rid of Jaeger, but prove he killed Metzger."

"What do you have in mind, Colonel?" Butler asked, a hint of worry could be heard in his voice.

"I'm going to give Jaeger what he wants with one exception. The boxes and crates will all be empty except for five or six of them which will be packed with explosives powerful enough to kill him."

"Hogan, there's two things I'm hearing. One, I get the impression you still haven't told your men who Skyhawk really is. And two, I sense there's something you're not telling me," Butler added. "What is it?"

"I'd rather not discuss it, sir," Hogan replied. "But I will say that this plan will have its risks."

Butler knew that was the most he was going to get out of Hogan. He sighed. "Very well, Colonel. But be careful. I get the feeling from what you've told me that this Jaeger is not to be trusted."

"I will, sir. Papa Bear out."

"Goldilocks out."

Hogan glanced at his watch. They still had three hours before Skyhawk would contact them. He switched to the white light. "Kinch, get someone to monitor the radio for now and c'mon back up stairs. After breakfast, you, Newkirk and LeBeau are gonna have to start getting those boxes and crates. When it's close to twelve o'clock, you can return to the radio and prepare for Skyhawk's call."

"On my way, Colonel," Kinch replied. Hogan switched the microphone to the 'off ' position. He slowly got up, straightened as best he could because of the throbbing in his side, took as much of a deep breath as he could before opening the door to his quarters and walking out. He noticed Newkirk and Carter seated at the table already eating breakfast each with a cup of hot coffee in front of him. Hogan poured himself a cup of coffee and slowly sat down at the table. LeBeau placed a plate in front of him containing scrambled eggs, bacon fried to a crisp, and two slices of golden brown toast. There was a saucer on the table with butter on it. Hogan took a sip of coffee at the same time the lower bunk rose and Kinch appeared seconds later from below. The radioman approached and sat down at the table; LeBeau placed a plate in front of him along with a cup of hot coffee. Only when everyone had been served did the Frenchman get his own plate and cup of coffee. He joined the others at the table.

"This is delicious, LeBeau," Hogan remarked, chewing on a piece of crispy bacon.

"Merci, mon Colonel," the Frenchman replied with a wide smile.

"Boy, it sure is, LeBeau," Carter added.

"Just like me mum use to make," Newkirk chimed in.

"Really good, Louie," Kinch said stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Merci, all of you." By now, LeBeau's smile was even wider and his chest puffed out with pride

Kinch grinned and Newkirk's eyes rolled in exasperation.

The radioman glanced at the Colonel. "What happened with General Butler, Colonel?" he asked.

"Nothing much. I just filled him in on a few things and brought him up-to-date on where things stand."

Kinch nervously glanced at the others before again looking at the Colonel. Hogan noticed the strange look Kinch had.

"What's on your mind, Kinch?" Hogan asked.

Kinch nervously licked his suddenly dry lips. "Colonel, I didn't intend to listen on your conversation with Butler, and I only heard the first part of it."

"And?" Hogan asked, his eyes studying Kinch. His second-in-command could tell from the Colonel's eyes that there was no anger in them.

"And we were…that is, I was wondering why you never told us that Skyhawk really was an SS Major."

The others paused at that news and it was so quiet you could have heard a person breathing. Hogan slowly drank his coffee.

LeBeau, Carter, and Newkirk all exchanged concerned looks before their eyes all fell on their commanding officer.

"Skyhawk is SS, mon Colonel?" asked an incredulous LeBeau.

"Colonel, that could've been bloody dangerous for you and for all of us as well," Newkirk chimed in.

Carter was stunned beyond words. "Colonel, how could you face an SS officer by yourself without letting us help? You could've gotten yourself arrested or killed."

Hogan buttered a slice of toast and took a bite. "I didn't mention it because I needed to know what this SS Major's game was and try to keep all of you out of it so that if anything went wrong, I would be the only one caught." His eyes shifted to Kinch. "Kinch, exactly how much did you hear?"

"I wanted to make certain you didn't lose the General with this hookup before I disconnected myself. I was about to disconnect when I heard the General ask you about Skyhawk's identity. I admit I was curious since you never told us anything about him. I heard you tell the General who he was. At that point, I disconnected myself from the call immediately. Please believe me when I say I never intended to eavesdrop on your conversation."

"I know you didn't, Kinch," Hogan replied softly as he stuffed a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "And I'm not angry. In fact, I'm glad you heard because it helped me decide how we can use this information to our advantage."

"How's that, sir?" asked Newkirk.

Hogan sighed before he began. "Skyhawk is really SS Major Karl Jaeger who is under the command of Field Marshall Heinrich Kiersted."

"Blimey," Newkirk interrupted. "That's big brass there."

"Exactly," said Hogan. "Last year, I began hearing rumors about Metzger again after we had taken that art collection from him, but I had no idea what he was up to. So, I asked the underground in Berlin to check around and see what they could find out and report back only to me. I didn't want any of you involved in this unless there was no other way."

"So that was why you had us give you privacy in the radio room when the underground in Berlin contacted us."

"Precisely. I wanted to know what I was facing. There was nothing for three months. Then, it was reported that Metzger had been seen repeatedly meeting with someone who was heavily involved with black market activities, code name Skyhawk. Since I was the only one who knew what Skyhawk looked like, I gave the underground in Berlin a description. They checked and got back to me that my description matched an SS Major named Jaeger who was a good friend of Metzger who is also involved in the black market. I now suspect Jaeger killed Metzger and I also suspect once he gets this supposed collection back he's gonna try and kill me because he knows I'm the only one who can identify him."

"Let me guess, mon Colonel," said LeBeau with a grin. "You want it to look like Metzger was killed by Jaeger over black market activities."

Hogan smirked innocently. He motioned with his head towards the Frenchman. "He's so smart for only being five feet tall isn't he?" He took a drink of coffee. "That's exactly it, LeBeau."

"Blimey, that's a smashin' idea, Colonel," Newkirk admitted. "There's just one problem, however."

"Yeah, I know," Hogan agreed. "Hochstetter."

"Right," Newkirk admitted. "He's not gonna give up until he proves you killed that Kraut General."

"Our only saving grace there is that he's not allowed into this camp," Carter said. "Because Klink has orders to arrest him and put him in the cooler if he gets past the front gate."

Hogan made a sound as he pursed his lips, lost in thought. "But if I know Hochstetter, he won't let that stop him." Hogan slowly got to his feet, but his stiff movement didn't escape the observant eyes of his men. They exchanged knowing looks. They all knew their commanding officer was trying to hide the fact he was feeling pain in his side from them.

"So what do we do about him, sir?" asked Newkirk.

"I don't know yet, Newkirk. But I'll come up with something." Hogan glanced at his watch. He finished his coffee. "We've got two hours before Skyhawk contacts us. If everybody's finished breakfast, we've got things to do. Everything has to be ready to go by this afternoon because tonight after evening roll call, we have to get these boxes and crates in that abandoned mine. And tomorrow night I meet with Skyhawk. Before I forget, Kinch, after everything's ready, we're gonna need a truck from the motor pool to get everything to the mine."

"We'll have everything ready on time, Colonel," Kinch said. "But after you speak with Skyhawk, you should get some rest."

Hogan looked at him. "I feel fine. I can rest later."

Kinch glanced at the others. "Colonel, we can all see from your face that you're in pain and that the effect of the morphine has worn off. If you're gonna be dealing with Skyhawk tomorrow night, you need as must rest as possible between now and then."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be all right when the time comes."

LeBeau got up. Seeing everybody was finished eating, he gathered the dirty dishes and put them in the sink. "Anybody want more coffee?" he asked.

"I'll take some," said Hogan as he poured a half-cup.

"Me too," Newkirk answered. Hogan poured a half-cup into the Englander's empty cup.

Kinch and Carter put their empty cups in the sink. LeBeau tossed a dishtowel across his shoulder and started washing the dishes.

Carter approached with a towel in his hands. "You wash and I'll dry," he said. "It'll go faster that way."

"Merci, Andrew," LeBeau replied.

Hogan chuckled at the exchange as he got to his feet and headed in the direction of his quarters. Kinch and Newkirk watched him leave.

"The Colonel's in pain again," Kinch said with a sigh.

"You saw it too?" Newkirk replied.

"Yeah. But he's so stubborn. I'm gonna speak with Wilson later today and see if he can give the Colonel some more morphine tonight without the sedative. At least the Colonel's pain will be manageable when he wakes up."

"But we have to do something when he meets with this SS Major, Kinch. The Colonel's gonna be in pain again by the time he leaves for his meeting because you know he won't take any morphine for pain. We can't let him go alone."

"And we won't. Newkirk," Kinch answered. "When the Colonel leaves for his meeting tomorrow night, we'll give him a five-minute head start, and then we'll follow him. If something goes wrong, we take out Skyhawk ourselves."

"What are we talking about, mon ami?" LeBeau asked Newkirk as he and Carter, having washed, dried and put away the dishes, joined the others at the table.

"We were discussing what we're gonna do tomorrow night after the Colonel leaves for his meeting with Skyhawk," Newkirk explained.

"We cannot let him go alone," LeBeau declared. "He is already hurting. I could see it in his face. He is trying to hide it but I could tell."

"I think we all could, LeBeau," Kinch said. "That's why five minutes after the Colonel leaves tomorrow night, we're gonna follow and if necessary, take out Skyhawk before he can hurt the Colonel."

But Colonel Hogan's gonna be awful mad if he catches us following him," Carter reminded them. "You know he's gonna order us to stay behind when he leaves."

"He probably will," Kinch told him. "But if he court-martials all of us he won't have a team left, will he?"

"Guess not," Carter replied, thinking about what Kinch said. "I was just thinkin' out loud." He let a embarrassed grin appear.

"The main thing is," Kinch continued. "Is that in his present condition with the broken ribs, Skyhawk will probably notice it right away. We did. And if that happens, the Colonel's gonna be in serious trouble. And if that happens, I will feel better with him having us as back up. So if anybody wants to back out, let me know now."

"One hand or not, count me in, mate," chimed in Newkirk.

"Me to, mon ami," LeBeau added.

"I'm in," Carter replied.

"Then we're agreed," Kinch said with a smile. "We back up the Colonel no matter what." He checked his watch. "We'd better get below," he told them. "We've got a lot to get ready before tonight."