The banging had paused for a moment and then started up again.
‘Viens. Come.Dépêche-toi. Hurry up.’ Maman urged me out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the dining room on the middle floor of the building. She pulled out a chair from the dining table and indicated for me to sit down. ‘When they come up, you’re not to say anything unless they speak to you. Do you understand?’
I nodded vigorously. The nerves were a jumble in my stomach and tingling to my fingertips. ‘Why do you think they are here?’
Maman looked at me. ‘I would have thought that was obvious. Edgar.’
Before I could ask anything else, I could hear more raised voices and the sound of booted feet trampling at speed up the wooden staircase. Two soldiers burst into the dining room, rifles in their hands. Maman let out a small cry of alarm. I stifled mine and refused to let myself flinch as the soldiers stormed across the room. One of them grabbed Maman’s arm and shoved her into the chair next to me.
Papa came into the room, flanked by a French police officer and a German officer. Unsurprisingly, it was Hauptmann Kranz.
It was the police officer accompanying him who made me gasp. It was Alphonse! His eyes didn’t meet mine but remained fixed straight ahead. What a coward that he couldn’t look me in the eye.
‘Please, Monsieur Leroux. Take a seat,’ said the officer. He gave a small nod toward Maman. ‘Madame Leroux.’ Then he turned his attention to me. ‘Fräulein.’
Unlike Alphonse, Kranz met my gaze. I don’t know why he insisted on referring to me with the German equivalent to mademoiselle, but for whatever reason, he addressed me that way. ‘Bonsoir, monsieur,’ I replied, noticing the tremble in my voice, which I hated myself for.
‘I am sorry to call on you so early in the morning,’ said Kranz, without a trace of regret. ‘But I was hoping I would find Edgar here. Alas, I don’t see him.’
I kept my gaze on Kranz, not wishing to blink or to avert my eyes for fear of giving anything away.
Papa spoke. ‘Edgar didn’t come home last night,’ he said. ‘We don’t know where he is.’
‘Why do you not know where he is? Did he not say?’ Kranz slowly circled the table, and I saw Maman tense even further as he walked behind her.
‘Non.He just went without saying goodbye,’ said Papa.
‘Where did he go?’ There was a sharpness to Kranz’s tone. His heels dug into the floorboards with every precise step he took, before coming to a halt at a space at the table.
‘We don’t know,’ replied Papa.
‘Not good enough!’ shouted Kranz, making us all jump. ‘I will ask again: where is your son?’
‘I do not know. That is the truth,’ repeated Papa.
With that, Kranz grabbed my hair and yanked my head backwards, nearly pulling me off my chair. I cried out in pain, gripping the roots of my hair.
Maman went to leap to her feet, but she was roughly pushed back down and held there by one soldier. From the corner of my eye I could see Alphonse, and yet he still wouldn’t look at me.
Kranz yanked harder and then, still holding me by the hair, dragged me to my feet. ‘I will ask you again, Monsieur Leroux: where is your son?’
Papa got to his feet, and the other soldier trained his rifle on him. ‘We don’t know,’ he said in a calm voice that countered the look in his eyes.
Kranz turned to Alphonse. ‘Why don’t you ask your girlfriend where her brother is?’
Alphonse looked up at the German, who was several inches taller and broader than he was. There was uncertainty on Alphonse’s face and this time he threw a glance my way. He stuttered initially. ‘Na … Nathalie … t-t-tell them … t-t-tell them where Edgar is.’
‘I don’t know,’ I insisted.
Kranz let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘This is getting us nowhere.’ He threw me to the floor. ‘Get on your knees,’ he ordered, jabbing me between the shoulder blades with the toe of his boot.
I did as I was told. The only relief was that they had not asked me to stand. My legs were shaking with fear and I didn’t think they would hold me.
‘Ask her again. If she says she doesn’t know, shoot her,’ Kranz said to Alphonse.
‘NO!’ screamed Maman, only to receive a slap from the soldier. She clasped her hand to her face.
‘W-what?’ There was genuine fear in Alphonse’s voice.
