# Voice Sheet: Café Encounter **SETTING:** *A small café in Alborn, MN. MARIE sits at an outdoor table, reviewing photos on her camera. HUNTER approaches, notepad in hand.* --- Marie: *(looking up, startled)* "Oh! Bonjour..." Hunter: "Hey there. Mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm Detective Hunter with the Alborn Police Department. There was an incident near the old Miller property last night. Were you anywhere in that area?" Marie: *(troubled, speaking rapidly in French)* "Quoi? Je... je ne comprends pas. Parlez plus lentement, s'il vous plaît." Hunter: *(pauses, squinting)* "I'm sorry, what? Do you speak English?" Marie: *(shaking her head, gesturing nervously at her camera)* "Non, non... Français seulement. Je suis étudiante. I... I am student. From France." Hunter: *(rubbing his face)* "Okay... English. You don't speak English. Great." Marie: *(noticing his frustration, speaking slowly and deliberately, heavily accented)* "I... photo. Camera. For... school project?" Hunter: *(pointing at the camera, then making a sweeping gesture)* "Photos? You take photos around town?" Marie: *(nodding eagerly, then her expression darkens)* "Oui, oui, mais... *mais hier soir, j'ai vu quelque chose de terrible près de la forêt. Quelqu'un a crié. J'avais peur.* I was... afraid." Hunter: *(leaning forward)* "You were afraid? What happened? Where?" Marie: *(pointing vaguely toward the edge of town, speaking in distressed French)* "Là-bas, près des arbres. Il y avait une ombre... quelqu'un qui courait. *Je n'ai pas osé suivre. C'était trop sombre.*" Hunter: *(frustrated, speaking slowly and loudly as if volume will help)* "Trees. You saw something by the trees?" Marie: *(nodding vigorously, clutching her camera)* "Oui! Yes! By trees. Dark. Very... *très* dark. Someone running. I was scared." Hunter: *(making notes)* "Did you see who it was? A man? A woman?" Marie: *(shaking her head, her voice trembling in French)* "*Je ne sais pas. Tout était si noir. Et puis j'ai entendu un bruit comme... comme quelqu'un qu'on traîne.* I did not... stay. I left quickly." Hunter: *(frustrated)* "You left? You didn't call anyone?" Marie: *(defensive, rapid French)* "*Je ne savais pas quoi faire! J'avais peur! C'est un pays inconnu pour moi.* I... I was alone. I was frightened." Hunter: *(sighing, pulling out his phone to make a note)* "Okay, okay. Did you take any photos? Any pictures of—" *(His phone BUZZES. He glances at it, his expression hardening.)* Hunter: *(answering the phone)* "Hunter here... Yeah? When? That's the third one... I'm on my way." *(He ends the call and looks back at Marie, his jaw clenched.)* Hunter: "I have to go. Stay in town, okay? Don't leave. We'll need a formal statement. Maybe find someone who speaks French." Marie: *(confused but anxious)* "Oui... yes... I stay. But... *est-ce qu'il y a quelqu'un d'autre qui a disparu?* Is something bad happening?" Hunter: *(already standing, pocketing his notepad)* "I'll be in touch." *(He walks away quickly, leaving Marie alone with her camera, looking shaken and worried.)* --- **END SCENE**