Silently, like shadows among the trees, Hogan and Staller made their way through the woods towards the emergency tunnel entrance.
Newkirk was returning the car to the motor pool, and would make his own way from there back to the barracks. It was a relief to all three, when he dropped them off. He hadn't said anything, but he had to be aware of the tension between the two officers.
Karl Weber had not returned with them, holding fast to his intention to return to Düsseldorf and warn his Underground colleagues of the traitor within their midst. As agreed, Hogan had given him the radio frequency and a code word, so he could contact them if he needed help. It was risky, but Weber had been an agent for long enough to know how to take care of himself.
He was probably right, too. The double agent hadn't turned up for his meeting with Klink. It looked like he had spotted Weber, after all, and had been spooked. If that was the case, things were likely to get very warm in Düsseldorf in the next couple of days.
Hogan came to a halt, within sight of the tree stump. There was no sign of anything unusual within the camp. The lights were out in all the barracks, the guards were walking their usual patrols, while the spotlights on the sentry towers made slow passes across the compound and the surrounding area. Everything seemed in order.
He sent Staller down the ladder first, and followed a few seconds later. He was only a couple of feet down when he sensed that something was wrong. He couldn't say what it was that tipped him off. There was something in the smell of the earth, something about the noise of his feet against the rungs of the ladder, something slightly different to what he was used to. By the time he reached the foot of the ladder and found Kinch waiting, he already knew.
"Cave-in?" he asked tersely.
"That's part of it," replied Kinch with equal brevity. "There was an accident in the lab."
"Carter?"
"The medic's still with him. We moved him up to your quarters. The tunnel to Barracks 5 collapsed, we almost lost Mills and Kellet down there."
Hogan wasted no time. He pushed past Kinch and headed for the barracks. Kinch waited for Staller to follow before he brought up the rear.
The major stopped abruptly as they reached the junction with the branch tunnel leading to Barracks 5. The air seemed thicker here, and weighed down by the smell of freshly exposed earth mixed with the lingering dust and smoke particles from the explosion.
"I thought you said Carter's little explosions didn't cause any cave-ins," he said, his voice catching in his throat.
"I don't remember saying it was an explosion," Kinch threw back at him.
"It's pretty damned obvious, isn't it?"
"Okay, hold it, both of you." Hogan interrupted. "Kinch, are the guest quarters safe?"
Kinch hesitated. "Probably better if the major comes up to the barracks," he replied at last.
There was obviously more to this, but Kinch wasn't prepared to talk in front of Staller. Hogan let it go for now, and started up the ladder.
The atmosphere in the barracks was sombre. As it was past lights out, the hut was in darkness, but Hogan could just make out that Mills was sitting on his bunk, leaning against one of the posts, with a couple of the other men standing by. He didn't bother checking on Kellet, but went on into his office.
LeBeau, standing by the bunk holding a flashlight, looked up as the colonel appeared, and Wilson, the camp medic, turned his head briefly. "It's not as bad as it could have been," he said, anticipating Hogan's query. "As far as I can tell, anyway. He won't let me examine him. Can you talk some sense into him, Colonel? LeBeau tried, but he won't listen."
So Carter had come round, anyway. That was something. But under the circumstances, it would probably have been better if he'd stayed unconscious until Wilson had finished checking him out. Hogan moved towards the bunk, displacing LeBeau from his post at the bedside.
Carter had withdrawn to the far side of the bunk, close to the wall. A strip of gauze, held in place with tape, covered some kind of injury just below his hairline. There was a dazed, half-panicked look about him, as if he didn't know where he was or what had happened.
"Carter." Hogan spoke very quietly. "It's okay. Wilson just needs to check whether you're hurt."
Carter's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head. "I'm fine." He glanced towards the door. Kinch had followed Hogan into the office, but Carter didn't even look at him. Instead his gaze fixed on Staller, who was peering round the edge of the door. Carter's lips closed tightly, and a dark flush chased the pallor from his face.
"Kinch, can you show Major Staller the spare bunk?" said Hogan quickly. "LeBeau, why don't you make coffee? I think a few people need it."
"Oui, colonel," murmured LeBeau. He handed the flashlight over and slipped out, leaving only Hogan and the medic in attendance.
Carter slumped, his resistance dropping away as soon as the room was cleared. "Colonel..." he began. A few seconds later, he tried again. "Colonel..."
"Take it easy, Carter," said Hogan. "Just let Wilson give you the once over, and then you can rest up."
After a moment, Wilson leaned forward. "I'm just going to have a look under your shirt, Carter." He waited for a few seconds before he started the examination, and this time Carter submitted. If Wilson was aware of the tension in his patient's body, he didn't say anything, and he made it quick.
"You know something, Carter? You gotta be about the luckiest man around," he said when he finished. "Whatever kind of providence watches out for explosives experts must work overtime when it comes to you."
"Yeah. Lucky," mumbled Carter. "Real lucky."
Wilson straightened up, and glanced at Hogan, raising his eyebrows. He wasn't stupid, he knew something was up, but he wouldn't ask. He moved towards the door, and Hogan followed.
"Mostly bruising, some of it pretty deep," Wilson murmured. "He won't be able to move tomorrow. I stitched up the cut on his forehead before he came to, but I'll have to change the dressing twice a day, and there's a risk of infection. You might want to see if you can get hold of some penicillin, just in case. Apart from that, just try to keep him quiet and let him get as much sleep as he can, till the shock wears off. I got some painkillers into him, that should help, and I've left some more with LeBeau. Oh, and I had a quick look at your other two guys, they should be okay."
"Other two...?" For a moment Hogan had no idea what the medic was talking about. "Oh, right. Mills and Kellet."
Wilson grimaced. "Kellet's complaining a lot, thinks his leg's broken. It isn't. He's got some scrapes and bruises, he'll be fine in a few days. Mills may have torn a ligament in his shoulder, he'll be out of action for some time. But they both came out of it better than they should."
Hogan nodded. "Thanks, Wilson. You better get back to your own barracks."
"Yes, sir. Uh...keep an eye on him, okay? He's pretty shook up, never seen him so edgy."
"I'll do that," replied Hogan.
As he opened the door to the main barracks, Newkirk, still in his civilian clothes, started forward. "Colonel - "
"Easy, Newkirk. He's okay." Hogan went to the outer door, and opened it slightly. "All clear, Wilson."
The medic slipped out, and crept away to his own hut.
"LeBeau, go sit with Carter for a while. Okay, Newkirk, you can go too, once you're in your own clothes. Kinch, how secure is the tunnel now?"
"We did some work down there, propping it up," replied Kinch. "Can't do much more till the air clears. But it's safe for now."
"Good. In that case, everyone get some sleep. We're gonna have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Hogan looked around to make sure everyone understood. It was too dark to read anyone's face, but the body language was clear enough.
Kinch, having directed Staller to his bunk, returned to the tunnel. Even with things the way they were, the radio still had to be manned. Hogan waited till the men were settled before he followed his radio man.
"Okay, Kinch, what happened?" he demanded.
"Honestly, Colonel, I'm not sure," said Kinch after a pause. "Carter was working down there. I went and checked on him, everything was fine. I sent Mills down about half an hour later. Next thing I knew, the whole lab went up. And believe me, Colonel, it was a big one."
"Any idea what caused it?"
"I asked Mills, he said he didn't know. But he was the last one in there, apart from Carter." Kinch hesitated again, then went on diffidently. "There was something I should have told you last night, but with everything that happened, I clean forgot. Staller was poking round the tunnels yesterday, he admitted he'd been in the lab. I'm not saying he had anything to do with last night's explosion..."
"...but you think he did," Hogan finished the sentence.
Kinch sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "No. Carter was pretty damn certain it was his own fault, when I asked him about it, and he ought to know. But it just seems like a big coincidence that it should happen again within twenty-four hours. And Staller's had it in for Carter since he got here. Colonel, something about this whole business stinks."
Hogan didn't answer at once. He leaned on the desk, his brow wrinkled and his lips pressed together, as he fitted Kinch's conjectures into the pattern he was already constructing.
"Okay," he said at last. "Let's assume you're on to something. But Staller would have to have a reason. I can't see him going to that length, risking his own safety and Weber's, and jeopardizing our operation, just out of pure malice. So why would he want Carter out of the way?"
He pinched his bottom lip, his frown deepening. Kinch didn't say a word.
Finally Hogan spoke again. "Staller never found the mole at 182 Squadron. What if he wasn't trying?"
"What do you mean, Colonel?" asked Kinch, after a moment.
"I mean, supposing the Krauts' inside man at the 182nd was actually the guy who was supposed to be tracking him down?" murmured Hogan. "What if the reason Staller never got anywhere with that inquiry was because he was the mole himself? And what if he thinks Carter knows something that could tip us off?"
It took even longer for Kinch to answer this time. "But Colonel - that would mean..."
"Yep." Hogan straightened up. "If I'm right, Düsseldorf isn't the only place where there's a problem. We may have a Nazi agent in the barracks, and he already knows enough to get us into a whole mess of trouble."