Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8JGHTSMJCJJN7ZA9HWY96

**Maria:** (Eyes fixed on her camera, fingers tracing the lens. When Hunter approaches, she jolts slightly, then leans forward, voice tight with a mix of nerves and distress—mostly in Spanish, with shaky, halting phrasing.) "¿Puedes... ayudarme? I saw something. Last night. A girl. Crying. By the apple orchard. She was *so* scared. Then... then she was gone. Like the others." (She fumbles with her camera strap, flipping to a blurry, grainy photo of the orchard at dusk, a faint shadowy figure lingering.) **Hunter:** (Brow furrowed, shifting his weight. He doesn’t speak Spanish; he only catches a few words like "ayudarme," "saw," "last night," and his face falls.) "Wait, uh—María? I don’t... I don’t understand Spanish. At all. Just basic phrases, and that’s it." (He holds up a hand, sheepish but earnest.) "I’m Hunter, a detective. You must be new here—people around town say you’re visiting from Spain. Is everything okay? Are you hurt?" **Maria:** (Her shoulders slump, and she sets the camera on the table, gesturing wildly with both hands—toward the town, then the woods behind it, then her own chest.) "No. No, I’m not *hurt*. But *they’re* missing. The girl. Then Mr. Gomez. And Mrs. Torres. No one believes me. I tried to tell the sheriff, but he just... he just smiled. When I showed him the photo." (She trails off, voice cracking, and her lower lip trembles. She reaches into her bag, pulling out a crumpled napkin with messy, hasty writing—words in English, not Spanish, that Hunter recognizes as "Apple Festival—Sat 10am.") "I wrote this. The sheriff said it was ‘a kid’s drawing.’ But the girl—she had this. She was holding it, like she was *begging* for help." **Hunter:** (He leans in, squinting at the napkin. Now it clicks—"Apple Festival" is tomorrow, a town staple. He looks up, urgency in his voice.) "María, I think I get it. You’re scared. And you saw something important. The festival—it’s tomorrow. Maybe that’s why she had that. Do you remember what she looked like? Any details? Height? Hair color? A scar? A jacket?" (He’s trying to help, but gestures vaguely—English, not Spanish—and Maria shakes her head, tears spilling over.) **Maria:** (She presses a hand to her mouth, overwhelmed. Through sobs, she manages a broken English phrase.) "She... she had a *ring*. On her left hand. A... a star. Like the apple festival logo." (She points to the napkin, then to her own hand, miming a ring. Hunter’s eyes widen—he knows exactly which ring she means. It’s a family heirloom the sheriff’s daughter wears.) **Hunter:** (His phone buzzes wildly in his pocket. He checks the caller ID, curses under his breath, and turns to leave. He pauses, glancing back, voice soft but firm.) "Stay here. I’ll be back. I’m not letting anyone hurt you. And I *will* find out who’s taking these people." (He dashes out, phone to his ear, already barking orders—"Sheriff, get to the cafe! Bring the girl in!"—but Maria, exhausted, only sees his determined back and clutches her camera tighter, trembling.) **Voice Sheet Summary:** - Maria communicates *entirely in Spanish* (with Halting/Emotional Phrasing), showing fear and distress. - Hunter, who doesn’t speak Spanish, misinterprets her gestures and limited English, but grows urgent as he connects her clues to the case. - The scene ends with Hunter leaving for an emergency call, leaving Maria vulnerable but hopeful.