Run: 2026-02-16-01KHM5JJF9EZCY9NT1F4YXCJF5

**Voice Sheet: Cafe Alborn** **(SCENE START)** **(SOUND of a small town cafe - quiet chatter, clinking dishes, distant espresso machine hiss. ISABELLA sits at a small wrought-iron table, a half-empty cappuccino beside her. She stares intently at the digital screen of her professional camera, her face pale. She zooms in on a photo, her breath catching. HUNTER approaches, his footsteps measured and heavy.)** **Hunter:** (Politely, but all business) Excuse me, miss? I’m Detective Miller. I’m hoping you can help me. I understand you’re a visitor here, and you’re often out with that camera. I’m investigating the… incident at the old orchard last night. Did you happen to be in that area? See anything unusual? **(Isabella looks up, startled. Her eyes are wide, haunted. She doesn’t understand his words, but his tone and official demeanor are clear. She clutches her camera closer.)** **Isabella:** (Voice trembling, rapid Italian) *Mi dispiace, non parlo inglese. Ma… questa fotografia. L’ho scattata ieri, vicino al frutteto, prima del tramonto. C’era una luce… non era normale. E poi, dopo, ho sentito un urlo. Un urlo soffocato, come qualcuno… come qualcuno che veniva portato via. Ho la pelle d’oca.* (I’m sorry, I don’t speak English. But… this photograph. I took it yesterday, near the orchard, before sunset. There was a light… it wasn’t normal. And then, after, I heard a scream. A muffled scream, like someone… like someone being taken away. I have goosebumps.) **(Hunter leans in slightly, trying to parse her meaning, but is utterly lost. He frowns, frustration evident.)** **Hunter:** (Slowly, louder, as if volume will bridge the gap) The. Orchard. Last night. Did. You. See. Anything? A person? A vehicle? **Isabella:** (Shaking her head, more distressed. She turns the camera screen toward him, pointing a shaky finger at a blurred, overexposed spot in the corner of an otherwise serene landscape shot.) *Guardi! Guardi qui! Non è un riflesso del sole, ne sono sicura. Era come… una forma. E l’aria era diventata fredda all’improvviso. Ho avuto paura e sono corsa via. Dovrebbero chiudere quel posto.* (Look! Look here! It’s not a lens flare, I’m sure of it. It was like… a shape. And the air went cold, suddenly. I got scared and I ran. They should close that place.) **(Hunter stares at the photo, then at her frightened face. He sees her genuine fear but can’t understand the cause. The information is locked behind a language barrier. He rubs his temple.)** **Hunter:** (Softer, trying to be reassuring) I can see you’re upset. It’s okay. I just need… (He mimes taking a picture, then points to her, then to the window in the general direction of the orchard.) …what you saw. **Isabella:** (Misunderstanding his gesture, thinking he wants the camera. She pulls it back protectively.) *No, no! Le foto sono mie! Sono l’unica prova!* (No, no! The photos are mine! They’re the only proof!) **(Just as Hunter is about to try another tack, his police radio crackles to life on his hip. He holds up a finger—‘wait one’—and turns slightly away.)** **Hunter:** (Into the radio) Miller. Go ahead. **(A distorted voice replies over the radio: “Detective, we need you at the station. Now. They found something by the train tracks.”)** **Hunter:** (Sighs) Copy that. On my way. **(He turns back to Isabella, his expression now one of urgent distraction. He pulls a business card from his wallet and places it on the table.)** **Hunter:** I have to go. Here. My card. If you… remember anything. Or find someone who can translate. Please. **(Isabella looks from the card to his retreating back, her mouth slightly open, the words of warning stuck in her throat. She looks down at the damning photo on her screen again, then out the window toward the silent, menacing orchard.)** **Isabella:** (A whispered plea to the empty space where he stood) *Ti stavo avvertendo…* (I was warning you…) **(SCENE END)**