Run: 2026-04-27-01KQ77DN99HZKVRJYQ7WS3V75A

Marie: "Je... oui, prenez la chaise. Mais je ne parle pas anglais, désolée. Je triais juste mes photos de paysages, et puis... je suis tombée sur celle-ci." [I... yes, take the chair. But I don't speak English, sorry. I was just sorting my landscape photos, and then... I came across this one.] Hunter: "Mind if I sit? Detective Hunter. I’m working the disappearances near the festival grounds. Barista said you’ve been at this corner table since sunrise, glued to that camera." Marie: "La pommeraie, oui. Il faisait un froid glacial. La brume descendait sur les vieux pommiers. J'ai entendu un cri étouffé, puis des branches qui cassaient. J'ai eu si peur que mes mains tremblaient..." [The apple orchard, yes. It was freezing cold. The fog was rolling over the old apple trees. I heard a muffled cry, then branches snapping. I was so scared my hands were shaking...] Hunter: "Right. Language barrier. Noted. You were out by the Macintosh grove last night? Near where the last person went missing?" Marie: "Je suis désolée, je ne comprends pas vos mots. Mais regardez l'écran... là, entre les troncs. Une silhouette sombre. Elle traînait quelque chose de lourd dans la terre gelée." [I'm sorry, I don't understand your words. But look at the screen... there, between the trunks. A dark silhouette. It was dragging something heavy in the frozen dirt.] Hunter: "The screen. You want me to look at the camera. Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got. ...Blurry fence line, cider press, frost on the grass. Wait. Is that a drag mark? And a torn piece of fabric?" Marie: "Oui, une trace ! Et ce tissu rouge, accroché à l'écorce. Je suis venue ici pour mon programme d'échange, pour capturer la beauté du festival des pommes. Pas pour photographier des... des enlèvements." [Yes, a track! And that red fabric, caught on the bark. I came here for my exchange program, to capture the beauty of the apple festival. Not to photograph... abductions.] Hunter: "Red fabric. Caught on bark. You’re shaking. Look, I don’t speak a word of French, but your tone and these photos are telling me plenty. You caught something tied to the Alborn cases." Marie: "Exactement. Je crois que c'est lié aux disparitions. Mais je ne vois pas de visage. Juste une ombre qui se fond dans le brouillard. Je devrais vous donner la carte mémoire, mais c'est tout mon matériel d'étude." [Exactly. I think it's connected to the disappearances. But I don't see a face. Just a shadow melting into the fog. I should give you the memory card, but it's all my study equipment.] Hunter: "You keep the camera. I’m not confiscating a student’s gear. We’ll pull the files right here. Alborn’s a town of three thousand. We don’t lose people without a trace. Not on my watch." Marie: "Merci. Je reste ici, au café. Je ne retournerai pas près des vergers la nuit. Tout semble si paisible avec ces stands de cidre et ces guirlandes, mais il y a quelque chose de mauvais qui rôde." [Thank you. I'll stay here, at the cafe. I won't go back near the orchards at night. Everything seems so peaceful with these cider stands and string lights, but there's something bad lurking.] Hunter: "You’re staying put. Good. Stick to the main street. I’ll have the college liaison send a French speaker over within the hour. We’ll get this documented properly." Marie: "Faites vite, s'il vous plaît. Et méfiez-vous de la brume. Sur mes photos, elle cache toujours ce qu'on ne veut pas voir." [Please hurry. And beware of the fog. In my photos, it always hides what you don't want to see.] Hunter: "Hunter. ...Say again? The north ridge? Another one? ...Copy. Secure the perimeter. I’m en route." Hunter: "Duty calls. Stay right here. Finish your coffee. Don’t step outside until someone from my office walks through that door. Understood?" Marie: "Allez-y. Je ne bouge pas. Faites attention, détective. La forêt ne pardonne pas les imprudents." [Go. I won't move. Be careful, detective. The forest doesn't forgive the reckless.] Hunter: "Lock the door behind me. I’ll be back."