Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8V0CCQBQYWZ3P2Q722WPY8

# Scene: The Language Barrier ### Location: Birch & Brew Café, Main Street, Alborn, MN --- *Maria sits alone at a corner table near the window, scrolling through photographs on her camera's display screen. A half-finished café con leche grows cold beside her. Hunter enters, badge clipped to his belt, and notices her — a face he hasn't seen before in a town where everyone knows everyone. He approaches.* --- Hunter: "Afternoon, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter Gallagher, Alborn PD. Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Maria: *looks up, startled, clutching her camera slightly closer* "¿Perdón? No... no entiendo." Hunter: "I'm… a detective. Police?" *taps his badge and sits across from her* "I'm looking into some things happening around town. Were you here last Tuesday evening? Around the park, maybe?" Maria: *stares at the badge, then back at his face, recognition flickering — not of him, but of the word 'police'* "¿Policía? Sí, sí, entiendo policía. Pero no hablo inglés, lo siento mucho." Hunter: "I… okay. I'm not getting much of that. Do you speak English? English?" Maria: *shakes her head slowly* "No. No English. Lo siento." Hunter: *sighs, rubbing the back of his neck* "Alright. Well, let me try this another way." *pulls out his phone, shows her a photo of the town square at night* "This place. Were you there? You?" *points at her, then at the photo* Maria: *eyes widen, face paling* "Sí… sí, yo estuve ahí. Dios mío, fue horrible. Escuché algo — un grito, creo — y luego vi que alguien corría entre los árboles. Tenía mucho miedo. No sabía qué hacer." Hunter: *leans forward, brow furrowed* "I… ma'am, I can see you're upset. I wish I understood what you were saying. Can you — slow down, maybe?" Maria: *breathing faster, gesturing with her hands* "¡Había alguien ahí! Una persona, en la oscuridad. Se llevaron a alguien, estoy segura. Yo quería gritar, pero no pude. Me escondí detrás de un árbol y saqué fotos. ¡Tengo fotos!" *turns her camera toward him urgently, flipping to a dark, blurry image of a figure near the tree line* Hunter: *takes the camera gently, squinting at the screen* "What the hell…" *looks up at her* "You took this? Tuesday night?" Maria: *nods vigorously* "Martes. Sí. Martes por la noche. Esa persona… arrastraba algo. O a alguien. No lo sé. Tengo mucho miedo desde esa noche. No he dormido." Hunter: "Tuesday. I'm getting 'Tuesday' from that. And this photo — this is near where Danny Harwood went missing." *pulls out a small notebook, scribbles something, then looks at her with intensity* "I need to know what you saw. Is there anyone who can translate? ¿Translate? Uh..." Maria: *wrings her hands* "No conozco a nadie aquí. Estoy sola. Soy estudiante, de España. No tengo a nadie que me ayude a explicar esto." Hunter: *stares at her for a long moment, clearly frustrated — not with her, but with the wall between them* "Okay. Okay, listen—" *mimes holding a camera, then points at the blurry photo and gives a thumbs up* "Good. This is good. Can I…" *mimes taking the camera* Maria: *pulls the camera back protectively* "No, no, es mi cámara. Pero... puedo enseñarle más fotos. Mire." *scrolls through three more images — each darker and more disturbing than the last, the final one showing what appears to be a van with no plates* Hunter: "A van. No plates. Jesus." *writes furiously* "Ma'am, you might be the only witness I've—" *His phone rings. He holds up a finger apologetically.* Hunter: "Gallagher." *listens, jaw tightening* "Another one? Where? … Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way." *hangs up, stands abruptly, then looks down at Maria with a torn expression* "I have to go. But I'm coming back. Okay? I'm coming back." *points at her, then at the table, then back at himself* "Stay? Please?" Maria: *reads his gestures, nods slowly* "¿Quiere que me quede aquí? ... Está bien. Aquí estaré. Pero tenga cuidado, detective. Lo que sea que está pasando en este pueblo... es algo muy malo." Hunter: *holds her gaze, understanding the gravity in her tone if not her words* "Yeah. I think you and I are saying the same thing." *He turns and pushes through the café door into the grey Minnesota afternoon. Maria watches him go, then looks back down at her camera — at the shadow in the photograph — and quietly crosses herself.* --- *End of scene.*