# Voice Sheet: The Café on Main Street *The scene opens at Birchwood Café on Alborn's main street. Marie sits alone at a small corner table near the window, scrolling through photographs on her camera's display screen. A half-finished café au lait sits beside her. Hunter enters, badge clipped to his belt, and notices the young woman with the camera. He approaches her table.* --- Hunter: "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter Graves, Alborn PD. Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Marie: *glances up from her camera, offering a polite but uncertain smile* "Bonjour... euh, pardon?" Hunter: "Detective Graves. I'm investigating some incidents in the area. I noticed your camera — were you out taking pictures near the old Lindgren farmstead yesterday evening? A woman went missing out that way." Marie: *her eyes widen, and she sets the camera down, her hands trembling slightly* "Mon Dieu... une femme a disparu? J'étais là-bas hier soir pour photographier le coucher de soleil. J'ai entendu quelque chose — un cri, je crois — mais je pensais que c'était un animal. Oh, c'est horrible, c'est vraiment horrible..." Hunter: *leans back slowly, brow furrowed* "I... I'm sorry, I didn't catch any of that. Do you speak English?" Marie: *shakes her head apologetically* "Non, je suis désolée. Je ne parle pas anglais. Pas du tout. Je suis française — étudiante. Euh..." *she gestures at herself* "France. Française." Hunter: "French. Okay. Alright." *rubs the back of his neck* "Well, this complicates things. Look, can you — do you understand me at all?" Marie: *stares at him with earnest, worried eyes, then slowly shakes her head* "Je ne comprends pas. Je suis désolée, monsieur." Hunter: *sighs, then points at her camera* "Your camera. Pictures. Can I see?" *makes a viewing gesture with his hands* Marie: *follows his gesture, looks down at her camera, then back at him — a flicker of understanding crosses her face* "Ah! Les photos?" *she picks up the camera, turns the screen toward him, and begins scrolling through images — sweeping shots of golden fields, the tree line at dusk, the silhouette of the old farmstead against a bruised sky* Hunter: *leans in, studying each image carefully* "These are from yesterday? That's definitely the Lindgren property..." *points at one photo* "That one. Can you stop there?" Marie: *pauses on the image he indicated — a wide landscape shot of the farm at twilight; in the far background, near the treeline, there is a blurry figure, barely visible* "Celle-là? Oui... Attendez — oh mon Dieu. Regardez, là, dans les arbres. Je n'avais pas remarqué avant. Il y a quelqu'un. Quelqu'un était là-bas." *her voice shakes, and she points at the figure with a trembling finger* "Quelqu'un... là." Hunter: *squints at the small screen, then looks at Marie's pale face — he can read the fear clearly even without understanding her words* "There's somebody in those trees, isn't there? You didn't notice that when you took it, did you?" Marie: *clutches the camera against her chest, eyes glistening* "J'ai peur, monsieur. J'étais seule là-bas. Cette personne... elle m'a peut-être vue aussi. Est-ce que je suis en danger? Est-ce que c'est la personne qui a fait disparaître cette femme?" Hunter: *holds up a calming hand* "Hey. Hey, it's okay. I don't know what you're saying, but you look scared, and I get it. You're safe right now." *taps the table gently, then points to himself and then to her* "I'm going to help you. Help. Okay?" Marie: *takes a shaky breath and nods slowly, seeming to understand his tone if not his words* "Merci... merci, monsieur." Hunter: "I need to get that photo from you. Is there any way —" *mimes plugging something into a computer, then points at the camera* Marie: *watches his pantomime carefully, then nods* "La carte mémoire? Oui, je peux vous la donner." *she opens the camera's side panel, ejects the small SD card, and holds it out to him* Hunter: *takes the card carefully* "Thank you. I really hope that means what I think it means." *pulls out a business card and slides it across the table to her* "That's my number. If you see anything — anything at all — you call." Marie: *takes the card, studies it, then looks up at him with worried eyes* "Je vais essayer. Mais comment est-ce que je vais vous expliquer si je ne parle pas —" *Hunter's phone buzzes loudly. He pulls it from his pocket, glances at the screen, and his expression hardens.* Hunter: *into the phone* "Graves... Yeah. Where? ...How long ago? I'm on my way." *hangs up and stands abruptly, looking down at Marie* "I have to go. Another one." *he pauses, guilt flickering across his face — she's sitting here frightened and can't understand a word he's saying* "Stay in town. Stay where there are people." *gestures around the café, then points at her, then at the other patrons* "People. Stay." Marie: *nods slowly, clutching his business card* "Soyez prudent, monsieur le détective. Faites attention à vous." Hunter: *holds her gaze for a moment, then nods once — a soldier's nod — and turns toward the door* Marie: *watches him go, then looks back down at her camera, at the empty slot where the SD card had been, and whispers to herself* "Qu'est-ce qui se passe dans cette ville?" --- *Hunter pushes through the café door into the gray Minnesota afternoon, the SD card tucked securely in his jacket pocket. Behind him, Marie sits alone again, her café au lait now cold, her hands still trembling around a business card she cannot read.*