"Bonjour, Clotilde."
Clotilde winced.
"My name is Major Dieter Hellstrom, and I assure, Mademoiselle, there is nothing to be frightened of."
She bit her lip; everything about the set up made her uneasy; the dark, damp interrogation room; his overly friendly manner; the emotionless guard standing in the corner.
"Now, I only seek to ask you a few questions." He paused, and looked up at her, smiling, before continuing, "Your sister, Marie Rousseau, has been implicated in the murder of one of our Privates, a certain Sigmund Wader."
Clotilde gasped. Her hand began to shake, and she moved it under the table to hide it from view.
"So, Clotilde, where is your sister?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" He said, sitting back and pursing his lips.
"No."
"When did she leave your home?"
"Yesterday. Yesterday morning."
"Do you have any idea why she might have left?"
"No."
"No idea? Not at all?"
"No."
He smiled saccharinely, and said, "Well, it is my understanding that you are acquainted with Colonel Landa?"
Clotilde flinched, "Yes."
"Well, he has told me that he met Marie in the village of O- yesterday, and shortly afterwards ran into you. Why did you go to O-?"
"To visit a relative." She answered flatly.
"Which relative?"
"My aunt."
"Her name?"
"Juliette. Juliette Dupont."
"You know, it's funny, that's the same reason Marie told Colonel Landa."
Clotilde's jaw dropped.
"Surely you would have met her, that is, Marie, if you were in O- at the same time?"
"I must have just missed her." Clotilde answered.
"Now, the thing is, Clotilde, we tracked down this Madame Dupont, and she said that she hadn't seen either you or Marie since you were children."
Clotilde froze. She couldn't think of an answer.
"Now, Mademoiselle, please tell me why Marie went to O-, and this time I want to know the truth."
Clotilde's mouth trembled violently.
Hellstrom repeated himself, this time more sternly, "The truth, Clotilde."
"We had an argument-"
"Why?"
"She wanted…she wanted to go after Landa."
"Why?"
"She wanted revenge."
"Why?"
"He shot my – our - parents."
"Ah, yes, resistance members." He said, smiling brightly.
An image of the two corpses flashed into her mind, and tears began to pour from her eyes. She remembered Landa standing in the back of the room, smirking at her, and she balled her hands into fists.
"Now, Clotilde, what do you know about the Basterds?"
She furrowed her brow, and replied honestly, "I've never heard of them."
Hellstrom chuckled, "Unfortunately, Mademoiselle, I find that very difficult to believe. Especially…especially considering your current track record with the truth."
Clotilde closed her eyes. There was nothing she could say that would improve this situation.
"I'm afraid we'll have to try a more intense form of interrogation." He said, smiling widely.