"Well, the goons may have come up empty-handed, but we did better," said Kinch, emerging from the tunnel just before noon.
It had come as no surprise to Hogan that Barracks 2 was the second hut to be searched, after the guards had ransacked Barracks 18. In fact, it was a bit of luck that they did. Once the search party had moved on, leaving complete chaos behind, it was safe to start his own investigation of the raid on the officers' mess. He'd sent Kinch and Newkirk to track down the perpetrators and retrieve the stolen liquor, while their barracks mates cleared up the mess.
"Carter, watch the door," said Hogan. Then he turned to Kinch and Newkirk. "Who was it?"
"That bunch of wasters in Barracks 5," replied Newkirk. "They hid the booze down in the tunnel."
"And it didn't occur to them that burgling the officers' mess might just attract unwanted attention?"
"I don't think those guys really get the whole cause and effect idea, Colonel," said Kinch dryly. "We confiscated the bottles. Are we gonna clear Mills?"
Hogan folded his arms. "I don't think it'll do any good. He already confessed, so even if we finger the real culprits, Klink'll assume Mills was part of it. Or he'll wonder why Mills is ready to take the blame for a misdemeanour he had no part in."
"I'm wondering about that myself," said Newkirk. "It's not like he's got friends in Barracks 5."
"Maybe he wanted to get sent to the cooler," suggested LeBeau. "He's had a rough time with the other prisoners, maybe he just wants to get away from everyone."
"Could be," said Hogan, but he seemed dissatisfied. "Either way, as things stand I'd rather Klink didn't start taking too much interest in Mills, at least until we've gotten the whole picture ourselves."
"Schultz is coming," Carter put in at this point.
Kinch struck the side of the bunk to close the tunnel entrance, and by the time the sergeant of the guard arrived everything in the barracks was in order. Nevertheless, he peered around with a degree of vague, unfocussed suspicion. Finding nothing untoward, he grunted under his breath.
"Colonel Hogan, the Kommandant says I can take you to the cooler to talk to Mills now," he said.
"Thanks, Schultz. I'll be right with you." Hogan turned back towards Kinch. "Okay, this is what I want you to...Schultz, do you mind? I'm trying to talk to my men."
"You know, it's not nice to listen to other people's conversations," added LeBeau in disapproving tones.
"I wasn't listening. I was just standing here," protested Schultz.
Newkirk gave a cynical laugh. "A likely story!"
"But it's true. You know I have one firm rule. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing."
"And you're better at it than anyone I know, Schultz," said Hogan. "Tell you what, I'll overlook it this time, but don't let it happen again. Kinch..." Hogan murmured a few instructions, while Schultz stood aside, studiously ignoring the conversation.
"...and make sure it's done before I get back. Okay, Schultz, let's go." Hogan zipped up his jacket and ushered Schultz outside.
"How's the search going?" he asked, as he crossed the yard towards the cooler.
Schultz heaved a sigh, and threw out his hands. "We searched every corner of every barracks. What do you think we found? Nothing."
"Maybe you should start on the guards' barracks," said Hogan. "Between you and me, Schultz, those guys can't be trusted."
"I know. I work with them," replied Schultz emphatically. "But since Mills already confessed, we know it wasn't the guards this time.
"Well, I guess that settles it."
They had reached the cooler by this time. Schultz exchanged a few words with the sentry on duty, then escorted Hogan inside. On the way down the stairs, Hogan paused. "Listen, Schultz, can you give us a few minutes in private?"
"It is against regulation," rumbled Schultz. "You will put me into trouble."
"Okay, if you say so." Hogan gave an indifferent shrug. "Just it seems to me that Mills will be more willing to talk if he knows there are no guards within earshot. With you hanging round, it'll take a lot longer to get anything out of him, and I'm in a hurry to get back to the barracks. LeBeau's making those little apple fritters for lunch, and I don't want to miss out."
"Apple fritters?" Schultz's eyes brightened.
"Yeah, but at this rate they'll all be eaten by the time we get there. Of course, if you went over there now, you could get your share, and make sure LeBeau saves some for me. After all, it's not like Mills is going anywhere."
Schultz wavered. "If the Kommandant finds out..."
"Then he'll end up with all the fritters," replied Hogan. "So you'd better get in first, Schultz."
He watched Schultz with interest, as duty battled with appetite, and lost. "I will come straight back," he said. Then he mounted the stairs with surprising agility, and disappeared.
As Hogan had expected, Mills had been put into one of the small, open-barred cells closest to the stairs, where the guards could check on him without having to go all the way down. He was sitting on the narrow cot, leaning against the wall, but as Hogan approached, he opened his eyes, then stood up.
Hogan rested one hand against the bars. "Klink's given me permission to talk to you," he said. "I'm supposed to be asking you to tell me who else was involved in the break-in. But what I really want to know is why you confessed, when I know perfectly well that you had nothing to do with it."
Mills flushed. "I'd prefer not to say, sir," he murmured.
"I thought as much," said Hogan in a level tone. "But I'm going to ask anyway. Back in the barracks, you were just about ready to talk to me, when Schultz barged in. Don't hold out on me now." He paused, trying to read the man's expression. "Listen, Mills. I want to help you. But you have to trust me, and you can start by telling me why you're taking the fall for those idiots in Barracks 5."
"You'll think it's crazy," said Mills after a few seconds. "It's just, when the Kommandant said he was going to have the place searched..."
"Go on."
"Last night, I thought I saw something." Mills glanced at Hogan. "But most likely I was just dreaming."
"What was it?" said Hogan.
Mills hesitated, and glanced around the cell. "They're not listening, are they?"
"The Krauts don't have these cells bugged, Mills. Any time one of my men is in here - and they're in here a lot - they make a thorough sweep. This is probably the safest place to talk in the entire camp." Hogan finished with a soft chuckle.
Mills still seemed to have doubts, and his voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke. "I dreamt I saw something under one of the bunks, something that looked like the start of a tunnel. Pretty stupid, I know. But when Klink ordered the search this morning, I thought, well, if there really was a tunnel, and the Krauts found it..."
"So you thought if you confessed, maybe they'd skip the search?"
"I don't know. I guess so."
"Well, seeing as you couldn't tell Klink where the liquor was, they searched anyway. Not that they found any tunnels," observed Hogan. He was watching closely, but even so he almost missed the faint shadow of disappointment which crossed Mills' face. It was on the tip of his tongue to confirm that the tunnel was no dream. He restrained the urge. There would be plenty of time for that later, once he knew for sure whether Mills was on the level.
"Tell me about the transit camp," he said.
Mills shook his head. "Nothing happened at the transit camp," he repeated stubbornly.
"Mills..."
"I was never there." The words came out abruptly, as if Mills still didn't want to say them. Hogan, taken by surprise, fell silent, and after a few seconds Mills went on. "It was somewhere else. They only brought me to Oberursel so I could be transferred here."
"Who? The Gestapo?" Hogan waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. "Mills, talk to me. I already figured out they'd worked you over, and I'm guessing it was pretty bad. I'm not surprised you don't want to go back over it. But whatever it was they wanted from you, I need to know about it."
Mills' eyebrows drew in, as he argued it out with himself. "There's something else you need to know first, if you don't know it already," he said in a low voice. He glanced at the stairs, then moved closer to the bars, gripping one of them with his hand clenched so tightly that the knuckles showed white.
"The Gestapo have a man in this camp, working for them. One of the prisoners. I don't know who it is. It could be anyone." Mills' voice shook, and he met Hogan's gaze, his eyes shadowed with the suspicion he clearly wanted to dismiss, but couldn't. "For all I know, it could be you, Colonel."