**Scene: The Cozy Corner Café in Alborn, MN** *The late afternoon sun casts a warm golden glow over The Cozy Corner Café, where Maria sits at a small corner table. Her camera is perched on the tabletop, surrounded by a half-empty cup of coffee and scattered photos of the town. She flips through her photography as if searching for answers within the frames. Her brow is knitted with worry.* *Hunter approaches, with his usual briskness, and pulls up a chair across from Maria. He offers a small nod but doesn't waste any time getting to the point.* --- **Hunter:** "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter. Mind if I ask a few questions about the recent event here in town?" **Maria:** "Perdóneme, no hablo inglés. Estoy preocupada...". *Her voice falters, and she gestures anxiously at the photos, her eyes pleading for understanding.* *Hunter furrows his brows, clearly unable to make sense of her Spanish.* **Hunter:** "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Did you see anything? Anything unusual that you can show or... tell me about?" *He looks at the photos, hoping for a clue.* *Maria shakes her head, overwhelmed, and tries again, pointing to a photo of a familiar street in Alborn, which looks eerily empty.* **Maria:** "Aquí... algo malo pasó. No sé... qué pasó... pero me asustó." *Hunter rubs the back of his neck, clearly puzzled. He studies her face, noting her distress.* **Hunter:** "Okay, okay. Maybe you can show me... anything in the photos?" *He gestures to the pictures spread out before her.* *Maria sifts through the images once more and points at the picture of a man who appears to be disappearing around a corner, part of his figure oddly blurred.* **Maria:** "Ese hombre... lo vi... y ahora no está." *Hunter nods slowly, trying to piece together her meaning. He lets out a small sigh of frustration, willing to try harder, just as his phone buzzes.* **Hunter:** "Hold on a second." *He retrieves his phone, checking the caller ID, then back to Maria with an apologetic look.* "I have to take this call." *Maria watches him stand, feeling the language barrier keenly but appreciating his effort. Hunter steps away, already answering the call, leaving Maria to ponder the mystery amidst her photos once more.* --- *End of Scene*