As soon as Hogan came out of the cooler, Kinch, who was loitering outside the barracks, strolled across the yard to meet him.
"It's all organized, Colonel," he said. "The liquor's been stashed, right where you told us to put it."
"Good. So now I can tell Klink where to find it. That should lower his blood pressure a little."
"You think he'll let Mills out of the cooler?" asked Kinch.
"Maybe, if I give him a push. But if it means going back to Barracks 18, he's better off where he is, for now."
"Did he happen to mention why he copped to the burglary?" asked Newkirk, joining them in time to hear this.
"Yes, he did. Turns out we weren't as smart as we thought," replied Hogan. "I'll give you the full story, but first I have to go and square things with Klink." He set off again, but stopped in his tracks. "Kinch, while I'm gone, have a word with Carter. Ask him if he can remember a Lieutenant Smith from when he was at 182 Squadron. Yeah, I know, it's a long shot. There were probably half a dozen guys called Smith."
"And chances are he'll get them mixed up," added Newkirk. "What's this chap Smith got to do with anything, Colonel?"
"Later, Newkirk. It's a long story, and I don't want to make a serial out of it. But I'll tell you this much," said Hogan grimly. "We're going to have some work to do."
Leaving them to make what they could of that, he continued on his way, ascending the steps of the Kommandantur at a brisk pace. He passed through the outer office with no more than a wink at Klink's pretty secretary, and knocked on the door of the inner sanctum, barely waiting for a reply before barging in.
"Can I have a word, sir?" he asked.
Klink, with a pencil in hand and a requisition form in front of him, scarcely looked up. "Yes, come in, Hogan," he muttered distractedly.
Hogan had already done so. He stood in front of the desk, regarding Klink's papers with interest. "Ordering some more bottles of Schnaps?"
"For your men to steal, I suppose," Klink grumbled. "No, Hogan, I'm getting a new padlock for the officers' mess. I'd like to fit them to every barracks door, as well."
"Oh, you don't need to do that, sir," said Hogan. "No burglar's going to break into the barracks. There's nothing in there worth stealing."
"The idea, Hogan, is not to keep criminals out," replied Klink, through gritted teeth. "It's to keep them in. And if I had any money left in the camp budget, I'd do it. Unfortunately...never mind."
"I can guess." Hogan made himself comfortable on the nearest chair. "The work on the new buildings came to a sudden stop a couple of days ago. They've run over cost, right?"
"That's none of your business," Klink snapped. Then, just as Hogan expected, he confirmed it. "There's a shortage of building materials, which means everything costs more and takes longer to get here. Half of what we pay for never arrives, it ends up on the black market. Meanwhile, General Burkhalter rings every day, demanding to know how soon they'll be finished. He has no idea of the difficulties I have to contend with." He finished with a fretful grunt, and an impotent sweep of his fist.
It was good news as far as Hogan was concerned. The fifteen men in Barracks 18 were giving him enough trouble, he could do with a break before another two huts full of new prisoners turned up to complicate his life. "Well, maybe I can cheer you up, Kommandant," he said. "I've just been over at the cooler having a long chat with Mills."
"Ah." Klink leaned back in his chair. "Did he give you the names of his partners in crime?"
"No, he sticks to it that he acted alone."
"Ridiculous. I don't believe it." Klink straightened up, and dismissed the claim with a wave of his hand. "There must have been more than one man involved."
"Well, if so, he's too loyal to squeal on them. And when you think about it, sir, that's kind of admirable," observed Hogan. He could see disagreement in Klink's eye, and hastened to turn the conversation. "But he did tell me where he hid the loot."
"Ah, so he's finally decided to show some sense. I must confess, Hogan, I'm quite curious," said Klink. "My guards searched every inch of Barracks 18, including all the usual places you prisoners come up with for your contraband, but they found nothing."
"That's because he didn't hide it in the barracks." Hogan stood up, and began to walk slowly back and forth. "He found somewhere better. Somewhere close at hand, but where there was no risk of anyone coming across it by accident. Somewhere the guards would never think to look. Somewhere so obvious..."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Hogan, just get to the point."
Interrupted in mid-flight, Hogan put on a wounded look. "I'm only trying to build the suspense, Kommandant."
"If I want suspense, I'll read the latest news from the Russian Front," snapped Klink. "Tell me where it is, or you'll join Mills in the cooler."
The ill-used air descended into petulance. "Oh, all right, he hid them under the floorboards of one of the unfinished huts."
"I see," nodded Klink. "Very clever. This man is obviously smarter than he appears."
"He's very, very sorry," said Hogan. "He told me he doesn't know why he did it, but my guess is it was a mental aberration, brought on by the stress of finding himself in the toughest POW camp in all of Germany. Now, it's my considered opinion that you should show a little compassion, and let him off lightly."
He had been deliberately tactless, and it worked. Klink stood up, glaring at him. "Oh, you do, do you? Well, I intend to make an example of him. He will stay where he is for thirty days, and the other new prisoners can learn from his misfortune."
"Aw, gee, sir, that's harsh. After all, he did own up."
"Only because he knew he couldn't get away with it. It's not up for argument, Hogan," snapped the Kommandant. "Mills' sentence stands, thirty days. And I can promise you, I will not be so lenient in the future. Dismissed."
"You're a hard man, Colonel," remarked Hogan. He started towards the door, but stopped. "Oh, by the way, sir, about my finder's fee. I was thinking, maybe ten percent of the recovered goods would be fair..."
"Dismissed, Hogan." Klink strode to the door and flung it open.
"Well, that's the last time I help you solve a tricky case," said Hogan reproachfully, and made his exit, leaving Klink to order a renewed search.
He walked quickly across the yard. But as he entered the barracks, he stopped, his eyes narrowing at sight of an unexpected visitor. Kinch caught the look, and hastened to explain: "Adams has just come over to ask about Mills, Colonel."
"Is he okay, sir?" Adams burst out.
"He's fine," replied Hogan. "The bad news is, he's drawn thirty days in solitary for that little caper."
"But he didn't do it."
"You and I both know that. The trouble is, Klink doesn't. And I can't tell him where Mills really was last night without causing even more trouble." Hogan shrugged, as if resigned to the situation. "Okay, it's not fair, but there's not much I can do about it."
"You've spoken to him, haven't you, Colonel?" Adams hesitated, discouraged by the colonel's apparent lack of concern. "Did he say why he did it? I mean, did he tell you why he got himself thrown in jail for something he didn't do?"
Hogan regarded him keenly for a few moments before he answered. "He didn't say anything at all. I might as well have saved my breath. I'm sorry, but if he won't come clean with me, then I can't help him."
He felt, rather than saw, the sudden tension amongst his men. But Adams, flushing at the implied snub, didn't notice. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.
"Okay, get back to your barracks. And don't worry about Mills," said Hogan. "A few days in the cooler won't hurt him. Dismissed."
Faced with an officer who, to all appearances, had lost interest in the matter, Adams didn't have the nerve to persist. With a puzzled, disappointed air, he left the barracks,
"What's up, Colonel?" asked Kinch, as soon as the door had closed.
"The Gestapo have an informant in camp," said Hogan. "Probably one of the new prisoners. I can't rule any of them out, not even Adams. And if we don't play it safe, it won't just be Mills who'll suffer for it. A lot of other lives will be on the line, including ours. So until we know for sure, everyone in Barracks 18, including Adams, is a suspect."