Run: 2026-03-11-01KKFG67SD7WEDG1G07QR8GZQX

# Voice Sheet: Cafe Scene *Melanie sits alone at a small wooden table outside the Alborn Corner Café, cradling her camera and scrolling through photos. Her brow is furrowed. Hunter approaches, badge clipped to his belt, coffee in hand.* **Hunter:** "Excuse me—mind if I sit down? I'm Detective Hunter Cole, Alborn PD. I've been told you were at the orchard this past weekend, around the time Amy Lindgren was last seen?" **Melanie:** *(looks up, startled, clutching her camera to her chest)* "W-was? Ich… ich verstehe nicht. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ich… ich bin erst seit zwei Wochen hier. Ich spreche kein Englisch." **Hunter:** *(blinks, pulls out a small notepad)* "Okay. Right. You're the German student. The one from the college exchange program." **Melanie:** *(nods quickly, eyes wide)* "Ja, ja—Deutschland. Melanie. Ich… ich bin aus Deutschland." *(Her voice trembles.)* "Sie… wollen Sie mich befragen? Ich weiß nicht, was hier los ist. Es ist alles so… verwirrend." **Hunter:** "I need to know what you saw at the orchard. Did you photograph anyone? Anything unusual?" *(holds up his own notepad, draws a clumsy picture of a camera and a person walking away)* **Melanie:** *(stares at the drawing, then at him)* "Sie wollen wissen, was ich fotografiert habe?" *(Her hands shake slightly as she lifts the camera. She turns the small screen toward him and scrolls through images—rows of apple trees, golden light filtering through branches, a scarecrow.)* **Hunter:** *(leans in, squinting at the screen)* "Yeah, yeah—scenic, very nice. But did you see anyone? A woman? Red jacket, about yay high?" *(gestures to his own shoulder height)* **Melanie:** *(suddenly goes pale. She pulls the camera back sharply.)* "Das Mädchen… ja. Ich habe ein Mädchen gesehen. Sie war… sie war allein. Und dann…" *(She presses her hand to her mouth, looking down at the table.)* "Es war so still. Zu still. Ich dachte, es wäre normal, aber jetzt… jetzt denke ich…" **Hunter:** "You saw the girl? What happened? Did she leave with someone?" *(He leans forward, pen poised)* **Melanie:** *(frustrated, voice cracking)* "Ich weiß nicht, wie ich Ihnen das sagen soll! Ich kann Ihnen das nicht erklären! Ich verstehe nicht, was Sie von mir wollen!" *(She suddenly flips through her photos to a particular image—a dark figure near the tree line, partially obscured—and pushes the camera toward him urgently.)* "DAS! Das habe ich gesehen! Dort, im Hintergrund!" **Hunter:** *(takes the camera carefully, studies the blurry figure in the background of the photo)* "Wait—who is this? This person—did you see where they went after this?" **Melanie:** *(shaking her head, wrapping her arms around herself)* "Nein. Nein, ich habe weggeschaut. Es war… es war mir unheimlich. Ich wusste nicht, dass es wichtig war. Ich wusste nichts!" *(Her eyes glisten.)* "Warum passiert das hier? Das ist eine kleine Stadt. Kleine Städte sind sicher. Das hat mir jemand gesagt." **Hunter:** *(quietly)* "It's okay. You're not in trouble. We just need your help." *Suddenly, Hunter's phone buzzes. He glances at the screen and his expression hardens.* **Hunter:** "I have to take this." *(He stands, setting a card on the table and carefully placing the camera back in Melanie's hands.)* "Keep that photo. I'll find someone who can translate—someone you can talk to properly. Don't delete anything, okay?" **Melanie:** *(clutching the camera, nodding slowly)* "Ja… ich verstehe." **Hunter:** *(already walking away, phone pressed to his ear)* "Yeah, this is Cole. Where? ...How long ago? ...Don't touch anything. I'm on my way." *(His voice fades as he crosses the street.)* *Melanie sits alone again, staring at the dark figure on her camera screen. Her hands are still shaking.*