AI Here’s the dialogue formatted as a **voice sheet** for your cozy mystery scene, capturing the tension, language barrier, and underlying unease between Marie and Hunter.
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### **VOICE SHEET – CAFÉ SCENE**
**Setting:** *A quiet café in Alborn, MN. Soft hum of conversation, clinking cups. Marie sits alone, fiddling with her camera, her expression distant. Hunter approaches, his posture rigid, detective’s badge subtly visible.*
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**HUNTER** *(gruff, no-nonsense, leaning slightly over the table)*
"Miss? Mind if I ask you a few questions? You were near the old mill yesterday afternoon, weren’t you?"
**MARIE** *(startled, gripping her camera tighter, responding in rapid French)*
"Pardon? Je… je ne comprends pas. Pourquoi me parlez-vous? Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé?" *(Her voice wavers—nervous, almost fearful. She glances toward the door.)*
**HUNTER** *(frowning, straightening up)*
"Look, I don’t know what you just said, but I need you to answer in English. You *were* there, right? Near the mill?"
**MARIE** *(more agitated, switching to slower but still French, as if he might understand through sheer emphasis)*
"Non, je *ne sais pas* de quoi vous parlez! Il y a eu… un problème?" *(She swallows hard, her fingers trembling as she adjusts her camera strap.)*
**HUNTER** *(exhales sharply, rubbing his temple—frustration bleeding through)*
"Lady, I ain’t got time for this. *(pulls out a photo, slides it across the table)* You see this guy? Tall, dark jacket? He was last seen near where you were taking pictures."
**MARIE** *(gasps, recoiling from the photo—her chair scrapes loudly. French spills out in a rush, panicked)*
"Mon Dieu—*c’est lui*! Il m’a… il m’a suivie hier! J’ai couru, je—" *(She cuts herself off, pressing a hand to her mouth, eyes wide.)*
**HUNTER** *(leaning in, voice dropping to a growl)*
"Hold up—*he followed you*? *(grabs his notepad)* Start from the beginning. Slow. Use hands if you have to."
**MARIE** *(mimes someone watching her, then running, her words a frantic mix of French and broken gestures)*
"Hier… près de la rivière! Il *regardait*—comme ça!" *(She points at her own back, then makes a running motion, her breath shallow.)*
**HUNTER** *(watching her closely, jaw tight—then his phone rings. He glances at the screen, curses under his breath.)*
"Stay put. *(into phone)* Yeah? …I’m on my way." *(To Marie, already stepping back)* "Don’t. Move."
**MARIE** *(whispers in French, to herself—desperate)*
"*Attends… s’il te plaît, ne me laisse pas ici…*" *(She hugs her camera to her chest, scanning the café like a trapped animal.)*
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**END SCENE**
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### **NOTES FOR DELIVERY:**
- **Marie:** Starts **guarded**, grows **increasingly frantic**. Her French should sound **natural but urgent**—less "textbook," more **colloquial** (e.g., dropped pronouns, fragmented phrases). Physicality: **fidgeting with her camera**, **glancing at exits**, **hunching shoulders** when scared.
- **Hunter:** **Clipped, military precision** in speech. Grows **more impatient** as the language barrier thwarts him, but there’s a **subtle shift** when he realizes she’s genuinely terrified (his voice drops, posture changes from **interrogative to protective**).
- **Subtext:** Marie knows *something*—but is it about the disappearance, or her own encounter? Hunter’s **phone call** is the **hook**—who’s on the other line? Another victim? A breakthrough?
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Would you like any adjustments to tone or pacing? Or additional context for their next interaction?