Run: 2026-03-03-01KJTZJKB1ZCH2GV9374YCY0AC

### Full Scene The crisp Midwest autumn air of Alborn, MN slipped through the screen door of the Bell Tower Corner Cafe, mingling with the sweet, buttery scent of apple cinnamon rolls cooling behind the counter. Strings of paper apple lanterns—strung up for the town’s annual fall festival—dangled above scuffed Formica tables, casting soft red and green glows over the quiet, nearly empty cafe. Melanie sat hunched over a rickety wooden table by the window, her prized full-frame landscape camera propped open in front of her. Her thumb traced the edge of the LCD screen, where a blurry late-night snap of an overgrown abandoned orchard just outside town glowed dimly; she’d taken the photo hours after one of Alborn’s three recent missing hikers was last spotted, and her hands still trembled faintly at the memory. A half-finished mug of hot cocoa sat untouched beside her gear. Hunter, a broad, gruff former marine with a faded denim jacket and a police badge clipped to his belt loop, pushed open the cafe door, his work boots thudding softly on the linoleum. He’d spent the morning tracing leads on the latest mysterious disappearance: 22-year-old Lila Mae Carter, the barista from the town’s only corner coffee shop, who’d vanished after her closing shift two nights prior. He spotted Melanie alone at the front table, her expensive camera a clear sign she was either a local enthusiast or a visiting study abroad student, and settled into the seat across from her without preamble, his posture tight with focused frustration. “Sorry to bother you,” he said, his voice deep and graveled with Midwest roughness, “but I’m Detective Hunter with the Alborn PD. I’m investigating Lila Mae Carter’s disappearance. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary in the past 48 hours?” Melanie’s wide, blue-gray eyes flicked from his badge to his face, and when she registered that he was speaking directly to her, she froze for a beat before her face twisted into a shaken, troubled expression. She began to speak rapidly, her natural German accent thick, her voice trembling with quiet panic. --- ### Dialogue Voice Sheet Melanie: "Was sagen Sie? Ich verstehe nicht! Ich bin nur hier, um meine Bilder anzusehen. Ich habe nichts Seltsames gesehen, ich schwöre es!" Hunter: "Ma'am? I didn't catch that. Can you speak English? I need to ask you a few questions about Lila Carter." Melanie: "Ich verstehe kein Englisch. Ich kann nur Deutsch sprechen. Gestern Abend habe ich in der Nähe des verlassenen Obstgartens fotografiert. Da war etwas... etwas Ungewöhnliches. Ich habe es auf meiner Kamera gespeichert." Hunter: "Wait, you speak German? Alright, listen—can you show me that photo? The one you took near the orchard?" Melanie: "Ja... ja, hier. Schauen Sie mal." Hunter: "Whoa... that's a dark SUV. The license plate's partially obscured. Did you get a better look at it?" Melanie: "Nein, es war zu dunkel. Ich hatte Angst. Ich habe nur diese eine Aufnahme gemacht." Hunter: "This is a big lead, thank you—" [Hunter’s belt radio buzzes loudly, cutting him off. He fumbles to grab it, pressing the talk button quickly] Hunter: "Hunter here... go ahead. Right, we got a confirmed location on the black SUV... yes, I’m en route now. Be there in ten minutes." [He snaps off the radio, stands up sharply, and slings his jacket over his shoulder] Hunter: "I need to go immediately—this is critical. Thank you for your help. I’ll have a German-speaking interpreter follow up with you later today. Stay within town limits, alright?" Melanie: "Ja, ich werde. Vielen Dank."