# Voice Sheet: The Café Encounter --- **[Setting: A small café on Main Street in Alborn, MN. Isabella sits alone at a corner table near the window, scrolling through photos on her camera. A half-finished cappuccino sits beside her. Hunter enters, badge clipped to his belt, and approaches her table.]** --- Hunter: "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter Graves with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office. Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Isabella: *[looks up from her camera, eyes uncertain]* "Mi scusi... non capisco. Che cosa ha detto?" Hunter: "I— sorry, do you... do you speak English?" Isabella: *[shakes her head slowly, gesturing apologetically]* "No, no... solo italiano. Mi dispiace. Non parlo inglese." Hunter: *[sighs, sits down across from her anyway, speaks slowly and clearly]* "Okay. Let me try this. I'm a detective. I'm looking into some disappearances around town. Were you here last Thursday night? Thursday? Night?" Isabella: *[her eyes widen at his serious tone; she catches the gravity in his expression and shifts uncomfortably]* "Giovedì sera... sì, ero qui giovedì. Ho visto qualcosa... qualcosa di brutto. C'era un uomo — stava camminando vicino al lago, e poi... è sparito. Così, dal nulla. Mi ha spaventata moltissimo." Hunter: *[stares blankly, then exhales through his nose]* "I'm not catching a single word of that. But you seem upset. Something happened to you? Something... bad?" Isabella: *[nods vigorously, clutching her camera to her chest]* "Sì, sì! Brutto! Ho cercato di dire alla polizia, ma nessuno mi capisce! Guardi—" *[she turns her camera toward him, scrolling to a photo]* "Guardi questa foto. L'ho scattata quella sera. Vede? L'uomo era lì, e poi... niente. Scomparso." Hunter: *[leans forward, studying the photo on the camera's screen — a dark lakeside shot, a blurred figure near the tree line]* "Wait. Is that... that's out by the reservoir. And that figure— hold on, can you go back? The one before?" Isabella: *[scrolls back, pointing urgently at the screen]* "Ecco. Vede l'ombra dietro gli alberi? C'era qualcun altro lì. Qualcuno che lo stava seguendo. Ne sono sicura. Ero terrorizzata. Sono corsa via e non mi sono fermata fino a quando non sono arrivata qui al caffè." Hunter: *[rubs his jaw, troubled]* "I wish to God I knew what you were saying. But these photos... that's definitely the north end of the reservoir. That's right where Jenkins was last seen." *[taps the camera gently]* "Can I— can I get copies of these? Copies?" *[mimes taking the camera, then giving it back]* Isabella: *[pulls the camera back protectively, then hesitates, studying his face]* "Lei vuole le foto? Per le indagini?" *[she slowly nods]* "Va bene. Ma ho paura. Quella persona tra gli alberi... penso che mi abbia vista. Penso che sappia che ero lì con la macchina fotografica." Hunter: *[notices her fear, softens his tone]* "Hey. Whatever's got you scared, I'm going to figure it out. I just need—" Isabella: *[grabs his arm, eyes intense]* "Mi ascolti. Non sono al sicuro qui. Da quella sera, sento qualcuno che mi segue. Passi dietro di me quando cammino a casa. Un'auto parcheggiata fuori dalla mia residenza che non avevo mai visto prima. Per favore... mi aiuti." Hunter: *[holds up both hands, speaking gently]* "Easy. Easy. I can see you're frightened. I don't know what you're telling me, but I'm going to find someone who can translate. We'll get this sorted. Just— stay here, okay? Stay?" *[gestures downward at the table]* Isabella: *[nods slowly, wrapping both hands around her cappuccino]* "Non vado da nessuna parte. Ma faccia in fretta, la prego." Hunter: *[pulls out a small notepad, writes his phone number, slides it across the table]* "That's my number. If anything happens, you call. Call." *[mimes holding a phone to his ear]* Isabella: *[takes the paper, tucks it carefully into her jacket pocket]* "Grazie. Capisco. Telefono." *[mimics the phone gesture back at him, managing a faint, weary smile]* Hunter: *[stands, studying the photo on her camera one last time]* "There's something in those pictures you took. I can feel it. If I could just—" **[His phone buzzes sharply. He pulls it from his pocket and answers.]** Hunter: "Graves. ...Yeah. ...Where? ...The orchard on County Road 7? I'm fifteen minutes out. Don't let anyone touch anything." *[hangs up, looks back at Isabella with urgency]* "I have to go. Another one. Dammit." *[points at her, then at the table]* "Stay. Here. Okay? I'll be back with a translator. Stay." Isabella: *[reads the alarm on his face, her own fear deepening]* "Un'altra persona è scomparsa, vero? Lo vedo nei suoi occhi. Stia attento, detective. Qualunque cosa ci sia là fuori... è pericolosa." Hunter: *[pauses at the door, looks back at her one last time — two people separated by language, connected by dread]* "Lock that door behind me if you can." Isabella: *[whispers to herself as he disappears down the sidewalk, turning her camera over in her trembling hands]* "Dio mio... che cosa sta succedendo in questa città?" --- **[End scene.]**