Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8TRDXC9TWNE43JDQJ0EK1P

# Scene: The Language Barrier ### Setting: *Hilltop Café, Main Street, Alborn, MN — Late Morning* --- *Marie sits alone at a corner table near the window, scrolling through photos on her camera. A half-finished croissant and a café au lait sit beside her. Hunter enters, badge clipped to his belt, scanning the room. He spots her and approaches.* Hunter: "Excuse me, miss? I'm Detective Hunter Brandt with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office. Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Marie: *(glancing up from her camera, offering a polite but uncertain smile)* "Bonjour... pardon, je ne... um..." Hunter: "I'm talking to everyone who was near the fairgrounds last Tuesday evening. A young woman went missing — Carolyn Dietrich. Blonde, mid-twenties. Do you remember seeing anything unusual that night?" Marie: *(her expression shifts, the color draining from her face — she clearly recognizes the name or the description)* "Oh... la femme blonde? Oui, oui — je l'ai vue! Mon Dieu, elle a disparu? J'étais là mardi soir, je prenais des photos du festival et... et j'ai vu quelque chose de très étrange. Il y avait un homme — un homme grand, avec une veste sombre, et il la suivait. Elle avait l'air effrayée." Hunter: *(leaning back in his chair, blinking)* "I'm sorry — I didn't catch a word of that. Do you speak English?" Marie: *(shaking her head, visibly frustrated with herself)* "Non... non, je suis désolée. Anglais... très peu. Rien, vraiment." *(She gestures helplessly and holds up her camera, showing him a photo from the festival grounds.)* "Regardez — ici. La femme. Là." Hunter: *(leaning forward, squinting at the small screen)* "Wait — is that the fairgrounds? That's... hold on, is that *her*? Is that Carolyn?" Marie: *(nodding vigorously)* "Oui! Oui, c'est elle. Et là —" *(she clicks to the next photo, pointing at a dark figure in the background)* "— cet homme. Vous voyez? Il la regardait. Il la suivait, je crois. J'avais peur — j'avais très peur." Hunter: "There's someone behind her in this shot. A man. You *saw* this? You saw this guy?" Marie: *(trembling slightly, wrapping her arms around herself)* "Il faisait nuit. J'ai entendu... j'ai entendu un cri. Quelqu'un a crié, et après — plus rien. Le silence. J'ai couru. Je ne savais pas quoi faire. Je suis désolée, je suis tellement désolée..." Hunter: *(running a hand through his hair, exhaling hard)* "Okay. Okay, I can see you're shaken up. I believe you saw something. I just... I can't understand you, and I don't think you can understand me either. This is a first for me." Marie: *(eyes glistening, she touches the camera protectively)* "Les photos... je peux vous donner les photos. C'est tout ce que j'ai. S'il vous plaît, trouvez-la. Cette pauvre femme..." Hunter: "The photos. You want to show me the photos. Yeah — yeah, I think those might be evidence. Can I... can I take this?" *(He mimes holding the camera, raising his eyebrows.)* Marie: *(pulling the camera back slightly, hesitant, then nodding slowly)* "D'accord... mais c'est mon appareil, il est très important pour moi. S'il vous plaît, faites-y attention." Hunter: *(gently taking the camera, nodding reassuringly)* "I'll be careful with it. I promise. I just need—" *His phone buzzes loudly in his jacket pocket. He holds up a finger to Marie and answers.* Hunter: "Brandt... Yeah. Where? The north side of the lake? How long ago?" *(His jaw tightens.)* "I'm on my way. Ten minutes." *He hangs up and stands abruptly, pulling a business card from his pocket and placing it on the table in front of Marie.* Hunter: "Look, I have to go. Something just came up. But I need to talk to you again — *really* talk. I'm going to find someone who speaks French if it's the last thing I do in this town." *(He taps the card.)* "That's my number. Call me. *Phone.*" *(He mimes holding a phone to his ear.)* Marie: *(taking the card, clutching it tightly)* "Oui... téléphone. Je comprends." *(She watches him head toward the door and calls after him softly.)* "Monsieur? Soyez prudent. Cet homme... il est dangereux. Je le sens." Hunter: *(pausing at the door, looking back at her — not understanding the words but reading the fear plainly written on her face)* "...Yeah. I hear you." *He pushes through the door and is gone. Marie stares down at the business card, then at the empty chair across from her, and slowly raises her camera again — her hands still shaking.* --- *End of scene.*