Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8TNDP8S8PEKPMMEVPWJSQK

# Scene: The Lakeshore Café — Alborn, MN *Late morning. Marie sits alone at a corner table by the window, scrolling through photos on her camera with trembling hands. A half-touched croissant and a cup of coffee sit beside her. Hunter enters, badge visible on his belt, scanning the room. He notices her and approaches.* --- Hunter: "Morning, ma'am. Detective Hunter Brault, St. Louis County. Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Marie: *(looks up, startled, eyes red-rimmed)* "Pardon? Je… je ne comprends pas." Hunter: "I— okay. English? Do you speak English?" Marie: *(shaking her head slowly)* "Non… non, je suis désolée. Je ne parle pas anglais." Hunter: *(sighs, pulls out a chair and sits anyway, speaking slowly)* "I'm a detective. De-tec-tive." *(taps his badge)* "I'm looking into what happened last night. Down by the orchard on County Road 7? You were seen in the area." Marie: *(her eyes widen at the mention of the orchard; she clutches her camera tighter)* "Le verger? Oui— oui, j'étais là-bas. Mon Dieu, c'était horrible. Il y avait… il y avait quelqu'un dans les arbres. Une silhouette. Et puis cette femme— elle a crié, et après… plus rien. Le silence. Rien que le silence." Hunter: *(leans back, completely lost)* "I… didn't catch a word of that. Not one. You're French?" Marie: "Française, oui." *(nods, then lifts her camera, turning it toward him, pointing urgently at the screen)* "Regardez! Regardez ça— les photos. J'ai pris des photos cette nuit." Hunter: *(leans forward, squinting at the camera screen)* "Photos? You took photos out there? May I— can I see?" *(gestures carefully toward the camera)* Marie: *(nods vigorously, scrolling through dark, grainy images of apple trees at night)* "Là. Vous voyez? Cette ombre, entre les arbres. Ce n'est pas un animal. C'est une personne. Et ici—" *(scrolls to the next photo, hand shaking)* "—ici, on voit quelqu'un qui traîne quelque chose. Quelque chose de lourd." Hunter: *(studies the photos, jaw tightening)* "That's… that's a figure. Right there between the rows. And what's that— what are they dragging?" *(points at the screen)* "This. What is this?" Marie: *(voice cracking)* "Je ne sais pas! Je ne sais pas ce que c'était. J'avais tellement peur. Je me suis cachée derrière le muret en pierre et j'ai couru. J'ai couru jusqu'ici et je n'ai pas dormi de la nuit." Hunter: *(rubs his forehead, frustrated)* "God, I wish I could understand you. You're clearly shaken up. You saw something, didn't you?" *(mimes eyes with two fingers, then points toward the window in the direction of the orchard)* "You *saw* something." Marie: *(nods emphatically, tears forming)* "Oui! Oui, j'ai vu quelque chose! Quelqu'un a disparu dans le noir. Comme ça—" *(snaps her fingers)* "—pouf. Disparu." Hunter: "Disappeared? Was that— did you just say 'disparu'? Like… disappeared?" Marie: *(surprised he caught the word, nodding fast)* "Oui! Disparu! Disparu!" Hunter: *(pulls out a small notepad, scribbles something, then slides it across the table with a pen)* "Can you draw what you saw? Draw?" *(mimes sketching on the pad)* Marie: *(takes the pen hesitantly, begins to sketch — a rough outline of the orchard rows, a tall figure, and a second smaller shape on the ground)* "C'était comme ça. La grande silhouette était là… et la personne par terre, ici." Hunter: *(studying the drawing intently)* "Two figures. One standing, one on the ground. That matches the Patterson scene." *(under his breath)* "Third one this season…" Marie: *(watches his face darken, her voice dropping to barely a whisper)* "Vous comprenez maintenant? Ce n'est pas normal, ce village. Quelque chose de mauvais se passe ici. Je le sens." Hunter: "I don't know what you're saying, but I believe you. I can see it in your face." *(gently)* "You're scared. I get it." Marie: *(wipes her eyes, manages a faint, fragile smile)* "Vous êtes gentil. Même si je ne comprends rien à ce que vous dites." Hunter: *(a small, weary smile back)* "Yeah. Same to you, whatever you just said." *A moment of quiet between them. Marie takes a sip of her cold coffee. Hunter glances at the drawing again, then back at her camera.* Hunter: "Listen, I'm going to need copies of those photos. Photos—" *(mimes clicking a camera, then points to himself)* "—for me. Can I—" Marie: "Mes photos? Vous les voulez?" *(hesitates, then nods slowly)* "D'accord. Oui. Si ça peut aider à retrouver cette personne… oui." Hunter: "I'll take that nod as a yes. Thank you. I'll get someone down here who speaks—" *His phone buzzes loudly. He glances at the screen, and his expression shifts.* Hunter: *(standing abruptly)* "Brault here." *(listens, face going pale)* "Where? …When? I'm on my way." *(hangs up, looks down at Marie)* "I have to go. Something's come up." *(points to her, then the table)* "Stay. Please. Stay here." *(mimes sitting)* Marie: *(alarmed by his sudden urgency)* "Qu'est-ce qui se passe? Quelque chose de grave?" Hunter: *(already pulling on his jacket, pausing just long enough to make eye contact)* "I'll be back. I *will* be back." *(taps the table twice with his knuckle, then points at her)* "Don't go anywhere." Marie: *(watches him push through the door into the gray Alborn morning, murmurs to herself)* "Faites attention à vous, Monsieur le Détective." *She looks down at her camera. Her thumb finds the scroll wheel and lands again on the dark photo — the shadow between the apple trees. She stares at it, and her coffee goes cold.* --- *End of scene.*