Interrogation of Eleanor

She had no idea when she might see him again. These were desperate times. No one ever knew from day to day what might happen. He held her shoulders and shook her hard. "Listen to me Eleanor, this is very important that you do not write this down or divulge to anyone! Not another living soul! If we are separated, you must make your way to Frankfurt as quickly as possible. Repeat the name of the place to me three times" he demanded in a hurried voice.

Tears welled in her eyes as she replied, "Frankfurt... Frankfurt, Frankfurt. Reggie... I'm so scared! What is going to happen to me? To....us?"

Sweat poured down the sides of his face as he continued his instructions, "Here are your papers and travel arrangements. You are the caretaker of the Munich institute for the aging returning from holiday. Your alias name is Lori."

"When you arrive in Munich you must make sure you are not being followed. Then you will hire a driver to take you to Frankfurt. Go to the police station and hand the director these." Reggie handed her five one ounce gold Kugerands. "After you give him all five, request that he give you one back in good faith. That is the signal. They will bring you to me. But..."

Eleanor looked up at him now crying, "But what...?"

Reggie looked down at the floor and spoke in a serious tone, "You must hide these coins somewhere on your body. There are many desperate people out there who will try to rob you on your journey. Please, do not lose them. One more very important detail..."


"What?" Eleanor asked with open tear filled eyes.

Reggie looked deep into her eyes and said sternly, "Eleanor... if you are interrogated, and you tell them you are to meet me in Frankfurt, I will be killed within the hour. You must not tell! My life depends on it!"

Eleanor fell onto him clasping him tightly, "Reggie, please don't leave me! I'm too frightened to do all of this. I just can't do it Reggie!"

Reggie grabbed her by the arms and shook her hard, "Listen to me! Now is not a time for crying! You must be strong! You can do this!" He looked at the glazed face looking back at him. He wondered if he had made a big mistake arranging this back up plan. But he could not imagine a life without her, so he had nothing to lose. She meant more to him than life itself.

There was a knock at the door of her small apartment. Reggie pulled her to him and kissed her lips one last time. He walked to the door and took one look back. Eleanor had tears running down her cheeks and one hand extended out towards him. "Goodbye Eleanor" He opened the door and stepped out closing it securely behind him.

Eleanor ran to the door and threw her body onto it, bolting the lock. She was shaking. Her eyes were so filled with tears she could hardly see. She walked into the bathroom and placed her hands on the sink staring into the mirror. What had she become? She felt so alone, so frightened. She could see the fear in her own eyes. She did not want things to turn out like this.

She took a deep breath. She opened her eyes wiping the tears away with her hands and repeated to her self in the mirror, "Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Frankfurt. She took a tissue and wiped the mascara from her cheeks. She opened her hands and looked at the five gold coins. Fear overcame her and she began to cry again.

Eleanor ran into her bedroom and began to pack her suitcases. She wondered if it would be possible to hide the coins somewhere in her luggage. She decided not to, and placed them on the dresser while she packed. She knew if Reggie had not returned by 5pm that she would then be, all on her own. She looked at the clock on the dresser next to the gold coins, it was already 3pm. She realized this could be the longest two hours of her entire life.

After packing her suitcases she looked at the five coins and began to think about how she might hide them. She looked around the apartment for something to put them in. She quickly rummaged through the drawers in her kitchen. She could not find anything useful.

Eleanor then looked in the bathroom. She saw a pair of stockings she had laid aside, one of them had a run and she could no longer wear them. But silk was in such short supply she could not bear to throw them away. She picked up the good stocking and trimmed it with her scissors and put the five gold coins inside. She drew the open end up and quickly stitched it closed.

She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. She then closed her eyes, lifted her dress and put her hand down between her legs inside of her panties. Wincing sharply she slowly pressed the small bundle of coins up inside her vagina. It did not feel natural at all. Her whole body was shaking with fear. She could not believe she was contemplating making this trip. She had never traveled anywhere all on her own before.

Eleanor looked at the clock. It was now 5pm. She began to cry. She knew things had not gone well at his meeting. She knew deep inside that the group had decided to flee, and that Reggie was not able to convince them to bring her with them. She fell to her knees with her face in her hands crying. Why was this happening to her?

Eleanor decided to wait until 5:30 just to be sure. She removed the tickets and looked at them. She had plenty of time. Her train did not depart until 6:30pm. Her whole body began to shake now. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest. She walked around the apartment looking at all of the possessions she was leaving behind. She knew she could not take them or she would be recognized as fleeing. They would eventually end up in the hands of those who were less fortunate, those who had no where to run to.

She looked at the clock, it was 5:45. She knew she had to go now. Eleanor looked out the window onto the street below. The sun was setting now. Leaves blew down the street around the feet of the people busily walking. She put on her scarf and walked out of her apartment locking the door behind her.

Eleanor walked briskly to the train station. She had to hurry now. She forced back the tears as she walked past the different shops and restaurants she had gone to for years. Eleanor realized she may never see them again. Her heart pounded as she thought about the dangers of this journey she was undertaking.

She arrived at the station. There were soldiers everywhere. Eleanor adjusted her scarf to hide her face as much as possible. She handed her ticket to the conductor and boarded the train. As she sat on the train, armed soldiers walked up and down the passenger cars. One of the soldiers stopped in front of her and asked to see her papers. Eleanor nervously reached into her bag.

The impatient soldier reached down and grabbed the bag from her and began pouring the contents onto the floor. He sorted through the small pile and picked out her passport. He quickly opened it and looked at her. "Remove the scarf Madame" he motioned with the barrel of his rifle.

Eleanor, with her hands shaking, reached up and began to untie the scarf. Impatiently, the soldier reached over and ripped the scarf from her head and threw it to the floor. He held the passport up and compared the photograph to her face. "You are a pretty woman, no?" the soldier commented in a serious tone.

Eleanor said nothing. She looked forward clutching her hands together tightly.

"A pretty woman such as yourself should not travel alone" the soldier commented throwing the passport to the floor with the other contents of the purse. He walked on to the next passenger car.

Eleanor took a deep breath and began to place her belongings back into her bag. Her hands were shaking and she felt like her heart would beat right through her chest. She sat back in her seat and looked out the window. Soldiers where everywhere.

She heard the whistle of the train blow. She smiled and took a deep breath. She had made it through the first difficult part of the journey. The train slowly began to move jerking forward bit by bit.

Suddenly, without warning, the train began to stop. The brakes screeched and the train came to a standstill. Two soldiers entered the passenger car and walked up to Eleanor. One of the soldiers was an officer with a pistol belt. The officer pulled a small photograph from his shirt pocket and looked at it. He then looked at Eleanor, "Madame, you will come with us..."

The other soldier picked up her suitcases. Eleanor remained in her seat staring forward. "Madame, please do not make this difficult" the officer demanded grabbing Eleanor by the arm. Eleanor felt her heart in her throat. She slowly stood up and stepped into the aisle. The two men walked her off of the train. The passenger car had moved beyond the station platform. An Army jeep was parked on the field next to the passenger car. The two soldiers helped Eleanor Take the last step from the railcar to the dirt, each soldier taking an arm. They escorted her to the jeep.

The officer placed a handcuff onto Eleanor's wrist, then placed the other cuff on his own wrist. "Madame, please climb into the back seat to the far side of the jeep, I will be seated next to you. We are taking you in for questioning."

The other soldier took out a blindfold and placed it over Eleanor's eyes and secured it. Eleanor could hear him get into the driver's seat and start the engine. They drove down a very bumpy and dusty road for what seemed like an hour or more. Occasionally the jeep would come to a stop and the officer would speak to someone on the road.

Eleanor was feeling very helpless. She wondered if Reggie even made it out of town. Perhaps he was captured as well, or even killed trying to escape. Eleanor wondered if her documentation would be enough to convince whomever would be questioning her. She tried to fabricate details of her story, her supposed position with the Munich Institute for the aged, her vacation, explanations for the various articles in her luggage. She tried to pack as a tourist as much as she possibly could.

The jeep finally came to a stop and the engine turned off. It was night time now. The air was cold and dusty. She could hear gunfire and mortar fire off in the distance. The smell of gunpowder permeated the air. "Madame, please step out of the jeep and come with me." the officer instructed.

Eleanor was led into a large canvas tent and seated in a small wooden folding chair. There were two other men in the tent, one seated behind a wooden field desk. The other sitting on a foot locker holding a notepad and pen. A single lantern hung from the center of the tent shining a bright pattern of light directly on Eleanor. The officer removed the cuff from his wrist and placed it on Eleanor's free wrist, cuffing her hands in front of her. He turned and stood in front of the desk.

The officer spoke, "Commander, we found her on a train to Munich with the others." Here are the belongings she had with her. He pointed to the suitcases and bag she had been carrying.

The commander took a deep breath, "That will be all, you are dismissed."

The two soldiers left the tent. Eleanor could hear the jeep start up and drive off.

The man with the notepad spoke, "Madame, do you know why you have been brought here?"

Eleanor said nothing. She could feel a deep sense of fear creep into her.

The man with the notepad stood up as he spoke, "You must know by now that we have captured Reggie. He struggled, there was a gunfight and he was killed. As aid was being given, he claimed his undying love for a woman by the name of Eleanor. This photo was found in his wallet." the man removed the blindfold and showed Eleanor the photograph.

Eleanor began to cry, holding her cuffed hands to her eyes.

The commander spoke in a determined voice, "Eleanor... I will ask this only one time... what was Reggie's final destination?"

Eleanor was surprised by this question. Why would they need to know this if Reggie was really dead? "I don't know, he didn't tell me..." Eleanor said looking down at the dirt floor of the tent.

The Commander took a deep breath, "Eleanor, men are dying on both sides of this war every hour of every day. You have information that will help us, information that could make this war end much sooner. Your reply to our first question confirms who you really are. Now that we are absolutely sure who you are, it is now just a matter of getting from you one simple answer... the name of the city your Reggie was headed to."

The commander stood up. "Since I am quite convinced of your identity, I will leave that task to the capable hands of the interrogator. Good day Eleanor" The commander walked out of the tent.

Eleanor's face sunk. She realized she had no experience being questioned, they had already tricked her into revealing who she was. She was still in horror over the possibility that Reggie might have been killed. She decided not to say another word, even if they killed her.

The interrogator lit a cigarette. He looked up at Eleanor. "Madame, tell me, why would such a beautiful young woman be found in an intimate relationship with a man as vile as Reggie?.

Eleanor said nothing.

The interrogator took a deep drag of the cigarette between his fingers and said, "You do not feel like talking about it. So, we will begin by searching your belongings while you think about what to say. Just in case you are wondering my name is Thomas. Now let's see what we can learn about you Madame..."

With that, Thomas opened the suitcases carefully. He slowly picked up each item and carefully placed it onto the top of the desk. "I can see that you must have left many of your precious belongings. There is nothing of great value in here. Surely you must have brought something of value with you, Madame, perhaps in your bag?"

Eleanor remained silent.

Thomas opened the bag. He carefully removed the items one by one. "Aha... what have we here? A passport with the identity of Lori? This is most unfortunate for you Madame. It is a crime to forge a passport, you are not Lori, and we have proven by your own admission who you really are. This is a serious crime, are you not aware?"

Eleanor said nothing.

Thomas looked up taking the last drag of his spent cigarette before flicking it to the ground and mashing it with his boot. "Madame, there is only a few train tickets, a poorly forged illegal passport, and enough cash for a few days travel at best. Surely Reggie would have prepared better than this. Did Reggie give you anything special to bring with you? If so, I do not see it in your belongings. Surely he explained it was of great value. Perhaps you have it hidden somewhere on your body? "

Eleanor just looked at the man with a tear rolling down her cheek. How would he know this? Why was he looking at her that way?

Thomas shrugged his narrow shoulders, "Madame, pardon... if so, I will leave the tent to smoke a cigarette while you retrieve this items which is hidden on you." Thomas removed the handcuffs and left the tent. Eleanor could see him in the entrance facing away from her. She did not know what to do. She thought if she did nothing, he would assume she had nothing.

After a few minutes, Thomas turned his head towards her with his eyes closed. "Madame, are you decent? I must come back in now. I am finished smoking."

Eleanor just sat there.

Thomas stood in front of her looking down at her. "Well... you have nothing to show me? Madame, time is running out. I need to show progress. The commander will be returning any moment. Please, I beg you cooperate with me. It is much easier for both of us, no?"

Eleanor finally spoke up, "Reggie is not dead, you are lying to me!

Thomas smiled at her, "Madame... how would we have a photograph of you if we did not get it from Reggie? You saw how many soldiers were at the station. There was no escape. Not that he did not die trying. Please, just cooperate. You are in some serious trouble. A forged passport, no? Where did you get it from?"

Eleanor knew Reggie would not be so stupid as to carry a photograph of her. Besides, he may not have even taken the train. She knew it was more likely for him to drive instead. Surely he would know the train station would be crawling with soldiers looking for them

Suddenly, the commander walked into the tent carrying a coiled rope. "Well? Do we know Reggie's destination yet? Have you found anything?"

Thomas nodded sadly, "Sir we do not know. The Madame, she has decided not to cooperate."

The commander looked furious. He looked right into Eleanor's eyes while speaking to Thomas, "Secure five troops from the front line and have them report immediately to this tent."

Thomas put his hand on Eleanor's face gently, "Madame, will you please reconsider?"

Eleanor said nothing. Thomas slowly withdrew his hand, turned and left the tent.

The commander sat on the field desk with his arms folded holding the coiled rope and said, "Listen young lady, I don't have time for these stupid senseless mind games of Thomas's. You have between now and when those troops arrive to tell me the name of the city."

Eleanor knew from the tone of his voice that something very bad was about to happen to her. She did not know why the five men were being summoned, but she knew she did not like the sound of it.

The commander picked up the items on the desk and one by one threw them to the floor as he spoke, "You have something in your possession we are looking for. We know you have it."

Eleanor said nothing.

The five soldiers lined up outside the tent. Thomas entered the tent. "Sir, the men are assembled. But I must object to this."

The commander turned toward Thomas and waved the coiled rope toward the entrance of the tent, "Thomas, why don't you go take a break. Come back in an hour and we will see where things are at after we do things... my way."

"Yes sir" Thomas responded. He looked at Eleanor and pursed his lips as he walked out of the tent.

"Troops front and center" barked the commander. All five men quickly entered the tent and stood in rank and file facing the commander with their rifles slung over their right shoulders. "Men, this woman has sensitive information that could turn the tide of this war, yet she refuses to share it with us."

The troops were tall broad shouldered young men who only moments before had been stationed in a foxhole on the front line. Their sunburned faces were unshaven and dirty. Their lips were dry and cracked from exposure. Their uniforms had mud stains. Their boots were worn. Their hands were blistered. There was black dirt under their fingernails from clawing at the dirt around them.

The men stood at attention staring straight ahead into am imaginary nothing as the commander continued, "Men I want you to tie this woman to this field desk, remove her clothing, and proceed to rape her one at a time starting with you" He threw the coiled rope to the left most soldier in the line.

Without even a blink, the soldier handed his rifle to the troop next to him and stretched out the rope in front of him with two hands as he walked over to Eleanor.

Eleanor did not flinch, here eyes widened at the horror of what she had just heard.

The soldier placed the rope over both her wrists and quickly looped it around the wrists three times. Just as quickly, he flipped the extra length between her hands and around those three loops crossways and then tied it off. Eleanor was shocked at how quickly and precisely he had tied her wrists together.

The soldier jerked the rope hard making Eleanor jump to her feet. He drug her across the tent to the field desk and pulled her body over the top of it lengthwise. With her hands at one edge and her pelvis at the other edge. He tied the rope to one of the table legs, keeping her hands securely at the edge and then cut the rope with his knife.

He jumped to the other end of the field desk and kicked Eleanor's feet apart. He quickly lashed one ankle to one table leg, cut the rope, then lashed the other ankle to the other table leg. Eleanor was securely bound bent over the wooden field desk with no hope of escape.