Run: 2026-03-12-01KKFPCF5V91WRZ7P5XFJ8561B

# ☕ The Coffee Cup Café — Alborn, MN *Marie sits at a corner table, scrolling through the photos on her camera. The soft hum of the café fills the air. Hunter approaches, pulling out the chair across from her.* Marie: "..." *(She glances up briefly, offering a polite but distracted nod before returning to her camera.)* Hunter: "Excuse me — ma'am? I'm Detective Hunter, Alborn Police. Mind if I ask you a couple of questions?" Marie: "Pardon ? Je... je ne comprends pas l'anglais. Vous parlez français ?" *(She sets the camera down, looking at him with wide, uncertain eyes.)* Hunter: "I'm sorry — I don't... I don't speak whatever that is. French?" *(He pulls out a small notebook, clicking his pen.)* "Look, I just need to ask about the town fair last Saturday. Were you there?" Marie: "La foire... oui, oui, j'étais là. J'ai pris des photographies. Il y avait... quelque chose d'étrange. Une femme — elle a crié, et puis... plus rien. Elle a disparu." *(Her hands tremble slightly as she gestures toward her camera, her expression troubled.)* Hunter: "I'm gonna be honest with you — I don't understand a single word you're saying." *(He rubs the back of his neck, scanning the café for help.)* "Can anyone in here translate?" Marie: "Non, non, attendez..." *(She turns the camera around, scrolling to a photo — a grainy image of a woman near the apple stalls, looking over her shoulder. Marie taps the screen urgently.)* "Regardez. Regardez bien. Elle — elle est partie. Après la foire. Personne ne l'a revue." Hunter: "Wait — hold on." *(He leans forward, squinting at the camera screen. His expression shifts from confusion to sharp focus.)* "That woman... is that Linda Oster? She's one of the missing persons on my list." Marie: "Oui ! Oui ! Linda — c'est ça !" *(She nods vigorously, relieved he recognizes something. Then her face darkens.)* "Elle avait l'air... terrifiée. Comme si quelqu'un la suivait." Hunter: "Okay, I got the name. Linda. But I need more. Can you —" *(He mimes writing, pointing at her camera.)* "Can you send me these photos somehow?" Marie: "Envoyer ? Oui, oui — courriel ?" *(She mimes typing with her fingers.)* Hunter: "Email. Yeah, email. Good." *(He scribbles his address on a napkin and slides it across the table.)* "You're really onto something here. I just wish I knew what you were trying to tell me." Marie: "Je souhaite que vous parliez français aussi." *(She sighs, managing a small, weary smile.)* Hunter: "Yeah, I'll bet you do." *(He offers a rare, thin smile back.)* *His phone buzzes sharply in his jacket pocket. Hunter pulls it out, his face hardening as he reads the screen.* Hunter: "I gotta go. New lead — another disappearance, just reported." *(He stands, tucking his notebook away.)* "Send those photos, okay? And... stay safe. Whoever's doing this isn't finished." Marie: "Une autre personne... ?" *(Her eyes widen. She clutches her camera to her chest.)* "S'il vous plaît, faites attention, détective." Hunter: "I don't know what you said, but... thanks." *(He gives a curt nod and strides toward the door, phone already pressed to his ear.)* *Marie watches him leave, then looks down at the photo of Linda Oster still glowing on her screen. The café suddenly feels a lot less warm.*