## Scene: Whispers in the Cafe **Setting:** A cozy cafe in Alborn, MN, filled with the aroma of freshly baked apple pie. **(Melanie sits at a table near the window, her brow furrowed as she scrolls through photos on her camera. Hunter approaches, his demeanor weary but focused.)** **Hunter:** (Clears his throat) "Excuse me, ma'am. Mind if I ask you a few questions?" **(Melanie startles slightly, looking up at Hunter with wide, apprehensive eyes. She mutters something under her breath in quick German.)** **Melanie:** "(Es tut mir leid, ich verstehe nicht. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?)" *I'm sorry, I don't understand. Do you speak German?* **(Hunter frowns, taken aback by the foreign language. He pulls out a chair and sits down, his expression softening slightly.)** **Hunter:** "Ma'am, I need to ask you about what you saw last night. At the festival, by the apple cider stand?" **(Melanie's eyes widen further, and she shakes her head rapidly, her words tumbling out in a panicked rush of German.)** **Melanie:** "(Nein, nein, ich habe nichts gesehen! Ich schwöre! Ich habe nur Fotos gemacht!)" *No, no, I didn't see anything! I swear! I was just taking pictures!* **(Hunter leans back, completely lost in the torrent of words. He pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache building.)** **Hunter:** "Look, I... I don't understand a word you're saying. Do you speak English? Español? Anything?" **(Melanie wrings her hands, fear etched on her face. She holds up her camera, pointing at the screen and then at the apple festival poster on the cafe wall.)** **(Hunter stares at the images, then at Melanie, a glimmer of understanding flickering in his eyes. She was just a tourist, taking pictures.)** **(Suddenly, Hunter's phone rings. He sighs, glancing apologetically at Melanie.)** **Hunter:** "Duty calls. Look, I gotta go. You try and find someone who speaks, uh... German? And stay out of trouble, alright?" **(Melanie nods quickly, relief washing over her features. Hunter gives her a curt nod and rushes out of the cafe, leaving Melanie alone with her camera and a growing sense of unease.)**