## Scene: Whispers in the Coffee Shop **Setting:** A quaint coffee shop in Alborn, MN. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and apple pie fills the air. Maria sits by the window, her camera resting on the table beside a half-eaten pastry. She flips through photos on the camera's display, a troubled expression on her face. Hunter enters, a man on a mission, and spots her. He approaches her table. **Hunter:** (Direct, with a slight Midwestern drawl) Excuse me, ma'am. Mind if I ask you a few questions? **(Maria looks up, startled. She sees Hunter’s badge and straightens up, clutching her camera instinctively.)** **Maria:** (In rapid, worried Spanish) Lo siento, no entiendo. ¿Habla español? (I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Do you speak Spanish?) **(Hunter frowns, taken aback. He pulls out a chair and sits down, keeping a polite but professional distance.)** **Hunter:** (Slowly, as if to a child) No… no Espanol. English? **(Maria shakes her head, her brow furrowed. She gestures at the camera and then points towards the town square, visible through the window, her expression panicked.)** **Maria:** (Spanish, urgent and distressed) Plaza… fotos… peligro… (Square… photos… danger…) **(He tries to decipher her words, picking up on "fotos" and "peligro". He pulls out a notepad and shows it to her.)** **Hunter:** Photos? You take pictures? Plaza? **(Maria nods vigorously, relief washing over her face for a moment. She points to a photo on her camera - a blurry image of a shadowy figure in the town square. Her hands tremble.)** **Maria:** (Spanish, voice cracking) Si, fotos. Peligro! No bueno! (Yes, photos. Danger! No good!) **(Hunter stares at the photo, his jaw tightening. He doesn't understand her words, but her fear is universal. Before he can press further, his phone rings. He glances at the caller ID, his expression turning serious.)** **Hunter:** (Gruffly) Duty calls. You stay put, you hear? Important. **(He points a finger at her, then at the chair, as if laying down the law. Maria, though confused, nods quickly. She clutches her camera close as Hunter answers his phone with a curt "Miller." He walks away, speaking in hushed tones, his gaze flickering back to Maria with a mixture of concern and suspicion. Maria watches him go, fear and confusion battling on her face. She clutches her camera tighter, her heart pounding in her chest.)**