Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXPEN4SS7JGWA94418NY0MX

Here’s the dialogue formatted as a **voice sheet** for your cozy mystery scene, capturing the tension, language barrier, and subtle clues between Selvi and Hunter. --- ### **Scene: The Café in Alborn, MN** *Setting: A quiet, rustic café with the hum of a coffee machine in the background. Selvi sits by the window, her camera in hand, scrolling through photos with a furrowed brow. Hunter approaches, his expression serious but not unkind. He slides into the seat across from her without asking—detective’s prerogative.* --- #### **VOICE SHEET** **Hunter:** *(leaning in slightly, voice low but firm)* "Miss… Selvi, right? Mind if I ask you a few questions? You were near the old mill yesterday afternoon." **Selvi:** *(startled, gripping her camera tighter, responding in rapid Hindi)* "अरे वाह! आप कौन हैं? मैं कुछ नहीं जानती… मैं बस तस्वीरें ले रही थी! वहाँ तो कुछ… कुछ *गड़बड़* थी!" *(Oh no! Who are you? I don’t know anything… I was just taking photos! There was something… something *wrong* there!)* *(Her voice cracks slightly. She glances toward the door, then back at Hunter, eyes wide.)* **Hunter:** *(frowning, rubbing his temple—this isn’t the first time he’s hit a language wall)* "Look, I don’t know what you just said, but I need you to *slow down*. You were at the mill. Did you see anyone? Hear anything?" *(He pulls out a small notepad, flips to a blank page, and slides it toward her along with a pen. He taps the page twice, then points at her camera.)* **Selvi:** *(understanding his gesture, she exhales shakily and scribbles in Hindi: **"एक आदमी—काला कोट, टोपी। उसने मुझे देखा। फिर… गायब हो गया।"** (A man—black coat, hat. He saw me. Then… vanished.)* *(She pushes the notepad back, then fumbles with her camera, pulling up a blurry photo of a shadowy figure near the mill’s broken fence. She turns the screen toward Hunter, her finger trembling as she points.)* **Hunter:** *(squinting at the photo, then at her notes. He recognizes the Hindi script but not the words. Frustration flashes, but he keeps his tone steady)* "Is this the guy? Black coat, hat?" *(He mimics putting on a hat, then pretends to button a coat.)* "Tall? Short? Did he say anything?" **Selvi:** *(nodding vigorously, then shaking her head, mixing Hindi and desperate gestures)* "हाँ, हाँ! लंबा… पर वह *अजीब* था। जैसे… जैसे वह वहाँ नहीं था। और उसकी आँखें—" *(Yes, yes! Tall… but he was *strange*. Like… like he wasn’t really there. And his eyes—)* *(She mimes covering her own eyes, then shudders, hugging herself.)* **Hunter:** *(his phone buzzes. He glances at the screen—**"New lead. Old barn. NOW."**—and curses under his breath. He stands abruptly, tossing a business card on the table.)* "Stay in town. Don’t go back to the mill. If you remember *anything* else—" *(He points at the card, then at her, then the door.)* "Call me. Or draw it. *Whatever works.*" *(He hesitates, then adds gruffly,)* "And… lock your doors tonight." **Selvi:** *(whispering in Hindi as he walks away, half to herself)* "वह जानता है… वह जानता है कि मैंने उसे देखा।" *(He knows… he knows I saw him.)* *(She clutches her camera to her chest, scanning the café as if the man in the black coat might step out of the shadows at any moment.)* --- ### **END SCENE** --- ### **Notes for Tone/Delivery:** - **Selvi:** Starts **nervous but polite**, escalates to **fearful urgency** (voice shakes, rapid Hindi). Her body language is **closed-off** (hunched shoulders, protective of her camera). - **Hunter:** **Controlled frustration** (tight jaw, clipped words), but his **marine instincts** keep him from raising his voice. His **gestures** become broader when words fail. - **Subtext:** Selvi’s **blurry photo** and mention of the man’s **"not-real" presence** hint at something **supernatural** (or a very skilled stalker). Hunter doesn’t dismiss her fear—just her **language**. --- ### **Mystery Hooks for Later:** - Who is the **man in the black coat**? (A suspect? A ghost? A red herring?) - Why did Selvi’s **camera capture something Hunter’s eyes didn’t**? - Will Hunter **learn basic Hindi** to communicate with her, or will they find another way?