Chapter 18:
The first forty-eight hours after Hogan left for the hospital in Berlin, Kinch, Carter, Newkirk, and LeBeau were all quiet, despondent, and withdrawn from social life. All they did was sit in the barracks and grieved over their loss of their colonel. If they weren't doing that, they were trying to distract themselves with other individual activities. Playing gin was the most popular one. Surprisingly, Walters seemed to leave them be, but the four of them were still very cautious and observant whenever the man came around.
A few days went by after that, and LeBeau and Newkirk were outside playing a game of basketball. For the moment, the little Frenchman was practicing his free throws, while Newkirk stood behind the basket and rebounded for his friend.
"What are we gonna do about Walters, Pierre?" LeBeau asked, focused on making his shot. He threw the basketball and made a 'nothing but net' shot.
Newkirk grabbed the ball and dribbled it a little, while answering his friend.
"I don't know. I'd sure love to kill the man, but apparently that ain't an option." He bounced the ball back to the Frenchman and watched him.
LeBeau shifted position to the right a little and dribbled the ball.
"Oui. Filthy bosche should be ashamed of what he did to poor André. How can anyone murder someone in such a cruel way, let alone make someone else watch you murder someone?" He made a shot, but it missed like several of the other ones he had made today.
"Same reason why you would shoot someone dead just for making sure they'd keep their mouth shut." Newkirk passed the ball back to LeBeau again.
The little Frenchman again attempted to make a basket, but missed having the ball hit the rim, spin around a while, then fall back onto the ground.
"Bon sang," LeBeau muttered. (1)
Newkirk caught the ball and tried spinning it on his fingertips. He was getting the hang of it, when Kinch and Carter made their way over to them.
"How's it going, Newkirk?" The tall sergeant asked.
"Oh, you know...boring."
"Can we do something, Kinch? I'm getting really bored." Carter groaned.
For the past two days, the four of them had done nothing more but do the same thing over and over again: basketball, gin, or work assignments given by Klink.
"We could think of how to get rid of Monsieur Bosche here," LeBeau suggested, with a snarl.
"Kinch, can't we just...you know…" Newkirk took his hand and pretended to slice his neck, while making a noise with his throat.
"Look, I wanna kill the guy just as much as you guys do, but that's not how we work. You all know that." Kinch answered, crossing his arms.
"Would sure make this job a whole lot more simpler if we just killed him." LeBeau murmured.
"Yeah, then have General Burkhalter and Major Hochstetter get involved with how one of us managed to kill another prisoner, expose the operation, and have us all placed in front of a firing squad. Do you really want that, Louis?"
LeBeau sighed and hung his head.
"Hey, Kinch," Carter said. "Speaking of Burkhalter, wasn't he supposed to come visit Stalag 13 by now?"
"I was listening in on a phone call Klink got this morning. Apparently, Burkhalter's meeting in Kiel is running longer than expected. He won't be back for at least another couple weeks."
"Bloody charming," Newkirk grumbled.
"What about Hochstetter?" LeBeau groaned, crossing his arms.
"Klink said yesterday that today he would make his final decision on what to do regarding Private Schneider. From what I've heard, doesn't sound like he's getting off with a warning. Hochstetter's pissed that someone tried to do his job and more so over the loss of a fellow German," Kinch said.
"I think the man needs a new hobby." Newkirk replied.
"Like knitting," LeBeau added.
Carter frowned and looked to Kinch.
"How do you think Colonel Hogan's doing, Kinch?"
"From what I've heard from Dr. Trommler, they're currently trying a new medication on the Colonel. Other than that, I've heard nothing."
"Sure wish he were here right now," Newkirk sadly said.
"Oui. He would know what to do about all of this." LeBeau spoke.
"Colonel Hogan always knew what to do. That's just who he was. He was the brains of it all...sure wish I could see him again," Carter said, depressed.
"Once this whole thing with Private Schneider blows over, I'll try and see if Klink won't let us go up to Berlin sometime next week and visit with the Colonel." Kinch answered.
"Aren't we gonna try and save Private Schneider, Kinch?" LeBeau questioned.
"I told Klink a couple of days ago about the incident that went on in the infirmary involving Walters and the methamphetamine. He said he would look into it, but that doesn't mean anything for sure."
"Hopefully our 'fearless' Kommandant will pull through for us for once." Newkirk murmured.
"Hey, Klink may be a huge fraidy cat, but he's been there for us before," Carter said.
LeBeau turned to Newkirk.
"He's not wrong, mon ami. Klink's been there to pull a few strings here and there for us. He's not a complete bosche."
Newkirk gave a heavy sigh and nodded.
"You make a point, Louis," he said softly.
Klink and Hochstetter were walking side by side outside around the Kommandantur discussing the situation with Hogan's shooting, Mueller's murder, and Private Schneider's punishment.
"Major, surely you don't mean that," Klink said, trying to persuade the hard headed Gestapo agent.
"Klink, the man is guilty of trying to attempt murder of a prisoner that should have been my pleasure, murdering one of your guards, and interfering with Gestapo matters. Private Schneider must face the consequences of his actions." Hochstetter answered, firm.
"Maybe a less lethal way of punishment, Major?" Klink hoped he could talk Hochstetter out of his original plans.
"Klink, you are too soft! This is why none of your men respect you! Sometimes you need to lay down the line with these men if they are to listen to your orders!"
Klink nodded furiously.
"Absolutely, Major Hochstetter. I could not agree with you more."
Hochstetter growled at the German colonel, and the two of them continued walking to the cooler.
The two men arrived to Private Schneider's cell, where two of Hochstetter's men were standing guard.
Schneider was sitting on his cot staring at the cold cement floor beneath him.
"Private! On your feet!" The major barked.
Schneider got to his feet quickly and turned to salute Klink first and Hochstetter next. Both replied with the same gesture. The Luftwaffe guard turned to look at his commanding officer. Klink was looking at him with sympathy and tried to ease as much fear he could from the man looking back at him.
"I'm sorry," Klink mouthed.
Schneider tried understanding what Klink was saying, but his attention quickly darted to Hochstetter, when the man spoke again.
"Private Adolph Schneider, you are hereby officially under arrest for getting involved in Gestapo matters, first degree murder of one of your fellow countrymen, and attempted murder. You will serve your punishment by facing a firing squad at Gestapo Headquarters in Hammelburg," he stated clearly.
Schneider shook his head, while his whole body tremored.
"Kommandant, I swear to you I did not shoot Colonel Hogan, and I did not kill Corporal Mueller! I would never do something unless you gave strict instructions to do so, Kommandant!" The private pleaded.
"Your precious Kommandant can not help you any longer, Private. You will be taken to Headquarters immediately." Hochstetter turned his attention to his two men guarding the jail cell. "Austerlitz! Dreher! Escort this man to the car. I will meet you there momentarily. If he tries to escape, shoot him."
"Jawohl, Herr Major," Dreher said.
Both of the guards opened the cell, handcuffed Schneider, and shoved him out of the cell.
"Let's go, swine." Austerlitz hissed.
The two men grabbed Schneider by the arms tightly and dragged him out of the cooler.
The private looked at Klink, begging for him to do something with his eyes.
"Kommandant! Kommandant, do something! I'm innocent I tell you! I didn't shoot Colonel Hogan! I DIDN'T SHOOT COLONEL HOGAN, KOMMANDANT! HELP ME!" Schneider shrieked.
Klink shuddered and tried as hard as he could to keep down the bile in his throat. He genuinely felt Schneider was innocent, but Hochstetter was someone you did not want to double cross with, unless that person happened to be General Burkhalter. The Gestapo major would do what he pleased, how he pleased, and when he pleased. Hearing Schneider scream and cry out for mercy, however, made Klink want to double over and get sick. He swallowed another knot in his throat and looked at Hochstetter. His eyes were pleading for another suitable punishment.
"Major Hochstetter, there must be another punishment that will fulfill both our needs. A week in Gestapo Headquarters prison? Three weeks locked up here in the cooler? Four weeks as your personal assistant?" Klink begged. He hoped that there was somewhere down inside of the Gestapo major that had a bit of humanity left regarding Schneider.
"Klink, I have made up my mind. The man will go under execution, and I will not comply to anything else." Hochstetter hissed.
Klink closed his eyes and fought back from shuddering.
"Yes, Major," he said, shaky.
"Good. I am off, Klink." Hochstetter replied. The Gestapo officer saluted the Luftwaffe colonel and stormed out of the cooler.
To himself now, Klink shuddered and held himself up by leaning against the stone cold walls of the cooler. It took all of his strength to keep him from sliding to the ground. An innocent man was about to die because of some sick mind framing him. Another man was dead from being stabbed to death by possibly the same man. Then there was Hogan in Berlin, who was currently fighting for his life. His life, too, did not look so well to most of the doctors currently treating him and trying to save him. His one real friend was lying in a hospital somewhere in Berlin dying. He had lost two people he cared for already and could possibly lose another one.
Finally finding a bit of strength from somewhere, Klink stood up straight again and quickly filled with rage. He knew it had to be Walters behind it all, now. The lieutenant had blamed someone else for shooting Hogan, the man was absent when Mueller's body had been found, and a gun fired twice found in Schneider's jacket assumed to be the weapon that was used on Hogan. He knew Schneider better than to shoot a prisoner by going 'trigger happy'. The private never did anything unless he specifically gave the man orders. Half of the time, Schneider did not even speak unless Klink directly spoke to him first. Perhaps the prisoners were right about Walters. He could believe it after putting up with the lieutenant's snarky, rude, arrogant, and aggressive behavior towards the other prisoners, guards, and he himself. The problem is with how little evidence he had other than his own assumptions, how would he prove that the lieutenant did it? For now, he would try to set things right. As soon as he left the cooler, Klink would track down the lieutenant and have a very intense interrogation with the man. He would do it for young Corporal Mueller, who died so bravely and protecting the others around him. He would do it for Private Schneider, who by tomorrow morning would be shot dead for a crime he had not committed. And most importantly, he would do it for his friend, who currently was struggling to survive and fighting so hard to come back to his friends and fellow prison mates: Colonel Robert Hogan.
Klink puffed out his chest, stood tall and held his ground, and made his way out of the cooler. He had three lives who deserved their justice, and he was determined to do so with everything he could do.
Hogan's men and Schultz watched Hochstetter with his two men take off with Schneider in their car. The five of them all knew the private's fate ahead of him.
"Poor mate," Newkirk sadly said.
"He didn't deserve this, mon ami," LeBeau said, shaking his head.
"I hope at least that he doesn't suffer for too long." Carter spoke, with a frown.
"I heard that Kommandant Klink was going to give him a promotion to corporal at the end of the month, too." Schultz sighed.
"Then we will remember him as Corporal Schneider, then," Kinch said.
They all nodded, agreeing with that. They would remember the man as Corporal Schneider and what he had done for the five of them in the time period they had known the man. The man who died with courage and bravery for something he had not even done.
Kinch turned his head and stared in the direction of the cooler. He saw Klink storming towards them. He was steaming hot. The radioman had never seen the Luftwaffe officer so angry in his life. To be honest, he did not even think Klink could get that angry. Whatever it was, he knew someone was in for it big time with the old German colonel.
Carter, LeBeau, Newkirk, and Schultz all turned to see what Kinch was looking at and gulped seeing how furious Klink looked.
"Blimey! What's wrong with Klink?" Newkirk gasped.
"He is fou aveugle," LeBeau said, stunned.
"Louis, what the bloody hell does that mean?"
"He's blind mad."
"Sure looks like it alright," Carter said, agreeing.
It was then Walters walked passed the five of them and was about to make his way around the Kommandantur, when Klink snapped his head towards the lieutenant and stormed in his direction.
"Lieutenant Walters," he ordered.
Walters turned around and tried feigning a smile.
"Yes, Kommandant," the lieutenant said, pleasant.
"Oh boy, he's gonna get it!" LeBeau cheered softly. The little Frenchman could hardly hold back from jumping up and down with excitement.
"Maybe Klink will do the job for us," Newkirk said, smiling.
"You get 'em, Kommandant!" Carter cried, loud enough for just the five of them to hear.
Kinch grinned from ear to ear and gestured for them to listen and watch more.
"Something the matter, Kommandant?" Walters asked, innocently.
"Lieutenant Walters, I want you in my office immediately! Any complaints regarding it, and I will have you locked up in the cooler and shot! Do I make myself clear?!" Klink hissed.
"Crystal clear, Kommandant," Walters said, smiling and through gritted teeth.
The German colonel turned to his sergeant of the guard.
"Schultz!"
The big guard made his way over to Klink.
"Yes, Herr Kommandant?" Schultz asked, eager.
"Escort this young man to my office. I want to ask him a few questions." Klink answered, glaring at the lieutenant.
Walters was giving Klink his best innocent look while on the inside, he had daggers in his eyes and was imagining the moment he would finally dispose of the German colonel.
"Jawohl, Herr Kommandant! I will do so immediately!" Schultz turned to Walters and glowered his eyes at the lieutenant. "You! Get moving! Kommandant Klink's orders!"
Walters snapped his head at the sergeant and peered his eyes at him. Not wanting to push his luck, he followed Klink up the stairs of the Kommandantur and disappeared inside with the two Germans.
"Come on! I wanna hear Klink give him a taste of his own medicine!" LeBeau cheered.
"Oh, I don't wanna miss this for all the tea in Britain!" Newkirk cried, rubbing his hands together, pumped.
The four of Hogan's men hurried inside to their commanding officer's room and turned on the coffee pot to listen in on their dear little 'friend'.
(1) Bon sang - 'Damn it' in French.