Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYB6XXJBCBXT0XG54HNGCWP

Okay, here’s a voice sheet for the scene, aiming for that cozy mystery feel – a touch of confusion, a dash of tension, and a slow unfolding of the mystery. I've focused on capturing Maria’s linguistic barrier and Hunter’s bluntness. **SCENE: The Cozy Kettle Cafe - Alborn, MN** **Setting:** The Cozy Kettle Cafe is warm and smelled strongly of cinnamon and coffee. Sunlight streams through the large windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Maria sits at a small table near the back, meticulously examining a landscape photo on her camera screen, a furrow in her brow. Hunter stands awkwardly a few feet away, briefcase in hand. --- **VOICE SHEET** **1. Hunter:** (Gruff, slightly impatient) “Excuse me. You’re Maria, right? The student from Spain?” **2. Maria:** (Startled, turns, clearly overwhelmed. Her Spanish is rapid and laced with anxiety.) “¡Ay, Dios mío! ¡Sí! Soy Maria. Pero… es... ¿Qué quiere?” (Translation: "Oh my God! Yes! I’m Maria. But… it’s… What do you want?") **3. Hunter:** (Confused, squinting slightly) “Just… I wanted to ask you about last night. The apple pie contest. Did you see anything unusual?” **4. Maria:** (Her face pales slightly. She gestures frantically with her camera.) “La feria... la feria... El señor Henderson… Desaparecido! ¡Está perdido! De repente... nada. Una sombra… y luego… nada.” (Translation: "The fair... the fair... Mr. Henderson... disappeared! He's lost! Suddenly… nothing. A shadow… and then… nothing.") She gestures wildly to her camera, as if trying to capture a memory. **5. Hunter:** (Frowning, leaning closer) “Henderson? You saw something about Henderson? You understand me?” (He tries again, slower.) “Did you *see* Mr. Henderson disappearing?” **6. Maria:** (Shakes her head vigorously, tears welling in her eyes. She speaks quickly, increasingly distressed.) “No! No entiendo! Estoy muy asustada. La gente… la gente va y viene… y él… simplemente… se fue. Como… como un fantasma. Una sensación muy mala.” (Translation: "No! I don't understand! I'm very scared. People… people come and go… and he… simply… vanished. Like… like a ghost. A very bad feeling.") She clutches her camera tightly. **7. Hunter:** (Scratching his head, genuinely perplexed) “A ghost? Look, I don't speak Spanish. You said you were… studying here? So you saw something the others didn’t?” He pulls out his phone, glances at it, then sighs. “This is going nowhere.” **8. Maria:** (Voice cracking, gesturing to the photo on her camera) “La luz… la luz del atardecer… Me gusta la luz. Pero esa noche… La luz… era diferente. Oscura. Como… como una puerta.” (Translation: “The light… the sunset light… I like the light. But that night… the light… was different. Dark. Like… like a door.") She clicks the shutter repeatedly, as if trying to preserve the feeling. **9. Hunter:** (Into his phone, speaking into it curtly) "Yeah, it’s Hunter. Yeah, I'm still working the Henderson case. Look, I need to run. Something came up.” (He hangs up.) “I’m pulling the plug on this. Thank you… for nothing.” (He offers a stiff nod.) **10. Maria:** (Looking up at Hunter, a flicker of fear in her eyes. She whispers in Spanish, barely audible.) “¿Por qué? ¿Por qué no me cree?” (Translation: "Why? Why don't you believe me?") **11. Hunter:** (Turns to leave, without looking back.) “Just go back to school, miss.” **12. Maria:** (Reaches out a trembling hand towards him, then quickly pulls it back, returning to her camera.) (Quietly, to herself, in Spanish) “Debo recordar. Debo recordar todo.” (Translation: "I must remember. I must remember everything.") --- **Notes & Considerations:** * **Non-Verbal Communication:** I’ve tried to inject a lot of non-verbal cues – Maria’s body language, Hunter's expressions – to reinforce the communication challenge. * **Pause and Reaction:** Consider adding short pauses between lines, allowing the reader to feel the awkwardness and confusion. * **Subtlety:** I’ve deliberately left some details vague, hinting at something unsettling without explicitly stating it. This is common in cozy mysteries. * **Voice:** I’ve attempted to give each character a distinct voice. Hunter's is blunt and authoritative; Maria's is vulnerable and anxious. Would you like me to refine this scene further, perhaps adding a specific detail about the photograph or elaborating on Hunter's initial reaction?