## Scene: Cafe Confusion **Setting:** A quaint cafe in Alborn, MN, filled with the aroma of freshly baked apple pie. **(MARIE sits at a table near the window, her brow furrowed as she scrolls through photos on her camera. She's dressed in stylish yet practical clothes, a far cry from the local fashion. Enter HUNTER, a tall, imposing figure with a worn leather jacket and a badge clipped to his belt. He approaches Marie's table.)** **Hunter:** ( gruffly) Excuse me, ma'am. Mind if I sit here? **(Marie looks up, startled. She stares at Hunter with wide, questioning eyes.)** **Marie:** (Softly, in French) Pardon, monsieur? **(Hunter frowns, leaning in slightly as if that will help him understand.)** **Hunter:** You got somethin' against speakin' English, lady? Look, I just need to ask a couple of questions. About the apple orchard, the, uh… **(He mimes someone picking apples).** **(Marie’s eyes widen further. She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and speaks rapidly in French, her words tumbling over each other. Her hand gestures towards her camera, then towards the town square, her expression distraught.)** **Marie:** L'homme… Verger… Disparu! Photos… Je l’ai vu! **(Hunter runs a hand through his hair, completely lost.)** **Hunter:** Look, I appreciate the… whatever it is you’re sayin’. You speak English? Espanol? Anything I might recognize? **(Marie shakes her head, her eyes welling up with frustration. She points at her camera again, then at herself, and mimes writing.) **Marie:** Photos… Marie. Comprendre? **(Hunter glances at the camera, then back at Marie. He catches a glimpse of panic in her eyes and softens.)** **Hunter:** Easy there, Marie. Look, I don’t understand a word you’re sayin’. How ‘bout we try this another time, yeah? **(Just then, Hunter’s phone rings. He glances at the screen and sighs.)** **Hunter:** Duty calls. Look, you stay put, alright? Someone from the station, someone who speaks… well, whatever you speak… will be by to talk. **(He gives her a reassuring nod, though he feels a stab of frustration. This might be the break he needs, if only he could understand her.)** **(Hunter turns to leave, then pauses and looks back at Marie. He points at her camera, then gives her a thumbs-up.)** **Hunter:** Good pictures, though. **(He rushes out of the cafe, leaving Marie to stare after him, a flicker of hope in her eyes.)**