Run: 2026-03-11-01KKFF5BVSF0MJ5J7D879B7XVZ

# ☕ The Corner Bean Café — Alborn, MN The small café smelled of roasted coffee and cinnamon. Melanie sat alone by the window, her camera resting on the table, scrolling through photos of the local woods. She paused on one — a strange figure half-hidden among the trees near the apple orchards. Hunter spotted her through the glass, recognized the nervous energy from his years of interrogations, and stepped inside. **Hunter:** "Excuse me, ma'am? Mind if I sit down? I'm Detective Hunter, Alborn PD." *He pulled out the chair across from her without waiting for an answer.* **Hunter:** "I've been asking around town about the disappearance last Tuesday. Looks like you were out near Miller's Orchard that evening. Anyone else see you out there?" *Melanie looked up, startled. She clutched her camera and spoke quickly, her voice trembling.* **Melanie:** "Oh Gott — Sie sind ein Polizist? Ich — ich war draußen, um Fotos zu machen. Landschaftsfotografie, das mache ich immer. Aber dann habe ich etwas gesehen… jemanden… er stand einfach da zwischen den Bäumen, hat mich angestarrt. Ich habe Angst bekommen und bin weggelaufen." *She flipped the camera around and showed him the blurry photo of the figure.* *Hunter stared at her blankly, then at the photo. He leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck.* **Hunter:** "…Right. Okay. You're not from around here, are you?" **Melanie:** *She shook her head, frustrated, switching to very broken English.* "I — no — Deutsch? German? I speak… Deutsch." **Hunter:** "German. Huh. Well, that's… not ideal." *He gestured to the photo on her camera screen.* **Hunter:** "Now, this picture here — can you tell me about this? Who's in this photograph?" **Melanie:** *She pointed at the figure on the screen, then at herself, miming a camera and walking.* "Ich war dort, bei den Apfelbäumen. Ich habe Fotos gemacht. Dann — dieser Mann — er war plötzlich dort. Er hat sich nicht bewegt. Er hat nur… zugeschaut. Es war unheimlich. Danach hörte ich, dass jemand vermisst wird. Ich denke, das hat etwas damit zu tun." **Hunter:** *He squinted, utterly lost.* "I got 'apple' and… nothing else. Look, I don't speak German. Not a word. But this figure in your photo? That's the closest thing we've got to a lead." *He pulled out a small notepad and a pen, sliding them toward her.* **Hunter:** "Can you write it down? Where you were, what time, what you saw — anything." **Melanie:** *She nodded eagerly, grabbing the pen. She began writing in neat, careful letters — in German.* "Ich war gegen halb sechs dort. Er stand im Schatten, neben der alten Scheune…" **Hunter:** *He glanced at the page, frowning.* "…That's not helping." *He pulled out his phone.* **Hunter:** "Hang on. I'm calling Dr. Petra Langford — she teaches over at the community college. Speaks a little German, I think. Maybe she can—" *His phone buzzed in his hand before he could dial. The screen read: SHERIFF REEVES.* *Hunter's expression hardened immediately. He held up a finger to Melanie.* **Hunter:** "Hold that thought." *He answered, standing and walking a few steps away.* **Hunter:** "Hunter here. …What do you mean 'another one'? …Where? …Miller's Ridge? That's — yeah, that's near the orchard. I'm on my way." *He hung up and turned back to Melanie, grabbing his jacket off the chair.* **Hunter:** "Listen — I have to go. Don't leave town, okay? That's important. I need to talk to you about this photograph." *He pointed at her camera, then at his own eyes, then at her — the universal gesture for "I'm watching you" that somehow also meant "stay put."* **Melanie:** *She hugged her camera to her chest, eyes wide.* "Wieder jemand? Ist wieder jemand verschwunden?" **Hunter:** "I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but stay right here. I'll find someone who can translate." *He dropped a business card on the table beside her notepad and rushed toward the door.* **Hunter:** "Don't go anywhere!" *The bell above the café door jingled as it closed behind him. Melanie stared at the door, then down at the blurry photograph on her camera screen.* **Melanie:** *Whispering to herself.* "…Das war er. Ich weiß, dass das er war." *She turned the notepad around and added one more line in careful English, using her phone as a translator:* **"THE MAN IN PHOTO. I SAW HIM BEFORE SOMEONE DISAPPEARED."** *She underlined it twice and set the pen down with a trembling hand.*