## Scene: Cafe Confusion **Setting:** A quaint cafe in Alborn, MN, sunlight streaming through the windows. **Characters:** * **Marie:** Sitting at a table by the window, her camera resting before her, a latte growing cold beside it. She wears a worried expression. * **Hunter:** Approaches Marie's table, dressed in a rumpled suit, his badge clipped to his belt. **(SOUND of cafe ambience - quiet chatter, clinking cups)** **(Hunter pulls up a chair opposite Marie, gestures to her camera with a small smile)** **Hunter:** Nice camera. You take pictures around town? **(Marie looks up, startled. She quickly switches from her native French to hesitant, heavily accented English, but stops short, realizing Hunter wouldn't understand. She switches back to French, a worried expression shadowing her face.)** **Marie:** **(In French, voice shaky):** Oui... photos... mais... terrible... (Yes... photos... but... terrible...) **(Hunter frowns, leaning back in his chair. His face is a mix of confusion and determination.)** **Hunter:** Ma'am, you understand English? **(Marie shakes her head, looking distraught. She points to herself, then back to her mouth.)** **Marie:** **(French):** Française. No Anglais. (French. No English.) **(Hunter sighs, running a hand through his hair. He pulls out a small notepad and pen from his pocket, scribbling something down.)** **Hunter:** Look, I just need to ask you... **(He shows her the notepad, which reads "Did you see anything strange?")** **(Marie stares at the note, her eyes widening. She takes a deep breath, then launches into a frantic explanation in French, gesturing with her hands. )** **Marie:** (French, rapid and distressed): L'homme... près du parc... il a disparu! La camionnette... rouillée... c'est effrayant! (The man... near the park... he disappeared! The van... rusty... it's scary!) **(Hunter tries to follow along, catching a few words here and there, but mostly lost.)** **Hunter:** Slow down, slow down. Van? What van? **(Marie pulls out her camera, frantically scrolling through the photos. She finds one and shows it to Hunter. The photo shows a blurry image of a rusty van parked near the park entrance.)** **(Before either can say anything more, Hunter's phone rings. He glances at the caller ID and sighs.)** **Hunter:** (To Marie) Duty calls. Look, I need to... (He points to her, then to himself, then mimes writing on a notepad.) You. Me. Talk later. Okay? **(Marie, still shaken but understanding from his gestures, nods slowly.)** **Marie:** (Softly) Oui... d'accord. (Yes... okay.) **(Hunter gives her a reassuring nod, then answers his phone, striding away from the table as he speaks.)** **Hunter:** Yeah, Miller, what's up? I thought we were meeting at the station... **(Marie watches him go, worry still etched on her face. The cafe ambience fades back in as she clutches her camera tightly.)** **(FADE OUT)**