Run: 2026-02-19-01KHVPDYJF8EW8H60QFN8FX6QG

Hunter: (Approaching the cafe table, flashing his badge with a stern, rigid posture) "Excuse me, ma'am. Detective Hunter. I'm investigating the recent disappearances around the apple festival. Mind if I ask you a few questions about where you were last night?" Melanie: (Looking up from her camera, her face suddenly pale, shaking her head frantically) "Oh! Entschuldigung, ich... ich spreche kein Englisch. Sind Sie von der Polizei?" Hunter: (Squinting, lowering his badge slowly) "Uh. Right. German? Dutch? Look, miss, do you speak *any* English? At all? It's important. Missing persons." Melanie: (Her hands trembling as she clutches the camera strap, her voice tight with panic) "Es war furchtbar! Ich wollte doch nur die Landschaft fotografieren. Die Apfelbäume im Mondlicht. Aber dann... dann habe ich gesehen, was passiert ist!" Hunter: (Sighing heavily, his military posture stiffening in frustration) "Ma'am, take a breath. I don't understand a single word coming out of your mouth. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Melanie: (Frustrated by the language barrier, she rapidly clicks buttons on her camera, then shoves it across the cafe table toward him, tapping the small digital screen) "Hier! Sehen Sie sich das an! Schauen Sie doch! Ich stand am Rand der Plantage, und da war diese... diese dunkle Gestalt im Wald." Hunter: (Leaning down to examine the tiny screen, his eyes narrowing as he realizes what he's looking at) "Well, I'll be damned. You were out by the orchards? Is that... is that someone dragging a coat? Or a person?" Melanie: (Tapping the glass screen with a shaking fingernail, tears welling in her eyes) "Da! Sehen Sie? Er hat ihn mitgezerrt. Ich wusste nicht, was ich tun sollte. Ich hatte solche Angst." Hunter: (Nodding slowly, pointing at the camera, then giving her a firm, reassuring look) "That's evidence. Good catch. Very... uh, good picture. I need to get this to the station. We need a translator—" Hunter: (His stark cell phone ringtone cuts him off. He pulls the phone from his jacket pocket, expression hardening.) "Hunter. Speak to me. [...] What? You found another abandoned car? By the county line? [...] Dammit. Lock down the perimeter, don't let anyone in. I'm five minutes out." Melanie: (Watching his sudden shift in demeanor, pulling her camera back slightly) "Was ist los? Müssen Sie gehen? Was ist mit dem Mann auf meinem Bild?" Hunter: (Standing up quickly, holding a flat palm out toward her to signal her to stay put) "Look, I have an emergency. I gotta roll. Stay right in this chair. Do. Not. Move. I'll send Deputy Evans—he has a smartphone translation app. Just... keep the camera safe. Don't touch the buttons. Understand?" Melanie: (Swallowing hard, intuiting the urgency in his commanding tone despite not knowing the words, and clutching the camera to her chest) "Ich... ich verstehe nicht, aber... okay. Ich bleibe hier. Bitte, finden Sie ihn."