Run: 2026-05-27-01KSMEZJHVT5A5XQN3WEJS52EM

**VOICE SHEET - CAFE SCENE** --- **LR:** Left-right across from each other at a small cafe table. AU: Audio description. --- ### **SCENE 4: INFUSIONS CAFE** *(The gentle hum of a coffee shop fills the air. Soft chatter, the clink of cups, and pleasant instrumental music play subtly in the background. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries drifts through the air. LR: MELANIE sits at a corner table in the "Infusions Cafe," a quaint establishment with stitched leather chairs and exposed brick walls. Her camera is held loosely in her hands, displaying a photo of the town square. Her expression is distant, troubled. LR: HUNTER enters the cafe, his dark trench coat and sharp eyes immediately making him stand out among the casual patrons. He scans the room briefly before approaching HER table.)* **HUNTER:** (Direct, serious, mid-30s with no-nonsense marine bearing) Excuse me. Mind if I sit down? *(Hunter gestures to the chair opposite her. He doesn’t wait for a verbal response, pulling out the chair and sitting down. She startles, pulling the camera closer to her chest before making brief eye contact. Her hold on the camera is tight, her knuckles white.)* **HUNTER:** (Leaning in slightly, speaking slowly and clearly) My name is Detective Hunter, with the Alborn Police Department. You’re from out of town, right? (Slight pause) Study abroad program? *(Melanie’s dark eyes dart to him, then to the camera, then back to him. She gives a small, tightly controlled nod. She responds in German, her voice low and shaky.)* **MELANIE:** (Frantic, hurried, German accent thick) Ja, ich bin hier als Austauschstudentin. Ich sollte nur... die Landschaft fotografieren. Das ist alles. (Shakes her head, eyes darting around nervously) Ich will Ihnen nicht helfen. bitte, lassen Sie mich in Ruhe. **HUNTER:** (Frowns deeply, tilting his head. He rubs the bridge of his nose, frustrated) Look, I don’t speak... um... (He makes a hand gesture, unsure of himself, obviously flustered by the language barrier) Was that German? French? (Leans in further, making an effort) English? Do you speak English? *(Melanie’s eyes widen in sudden fear, unnerved by his directness and confusion. She shakes her head vehemently, responding.** **MELANIE:** (German, quick and flat) Nein. Kein Englisch. Ich sprechen Englisch nicht. Bitte, ich nur hier für ein Foto. Ich muss jetzt-- (She gestures toward the door, starting to stand up, but Hunter's hand نطاق sigh as he takes a deep breath, sliding a small pad of paper and a pen across the table. Melanie hesitates, sitting down again with a cautious demeanor.)* Gesund fassung. Lassen Sie uns das auf eine andere Weise machen. Ich kann Ihnen Fragen stellen. Sie können schreiben. Okay? *(He slides the pen and paper to her, nodding encouragingly. She stares at the items for a moment, then takes the pen, her hand tremoring slightly. Hunter sits back in his chair slightly, making a conscious effort to appear less intimidating, though his serious expression remains.)* **HUNTER:** (Voice softer, but still all business) Okay, good. Here’s the situation. (Pulls his phone out, scrolling and putting it on the table where she can see a photo of someone's mugshot) You’re not in trouble, Miss... (He sizes her up) What’s your name? *(Melanie hesitates, then scribblee. She pushes the paper gently towards Hunter. On it, she’s written "Melanie" with a flourish. Hunter nods.)* **HUNTER:** Melanie. I’m Detective Hunter. (Taps the photo on his phone, always looking directly at her) This is Kevin Stewart. He was your photography professor, right? At the university? *(Melanie's eyes jump to the photo, then widen in sudden recognition and what looks like guilt or fear. Her hand recoils slightly, knocking her coffee cup over with a small clatter.)* **MELANIE:** (Gasping, in German) Mein Gott... ich nicht...? Kein...? *(Hunter quickly wipes the coffee with a napkin, then refocuses on her. The incident seems to have broken her composure further.)* **HUNTER:** (Firm, insistent) Melanie. We know you were in a room near him the night he went missing. Is that right? We’ve seen the camera footage. Can you tell me what happened? (Pauses, then points to the pen and paper) Write. Please. *(Melanie looks like she is having an internal debate. She chews her bottom lips, glancing around the cafe as if worried about being overheard. Her hands wrip a new sheet of paper from the pad. She writes quickly, her hand shaking more violently now. She slides the paper back to Hunter. It says "Ich war fotografieren. Und dann... ich gesehen... etwas anders.")* **HUNTER:** (Reading it out slowly, translating it in his mind) You were taking pictures. And then... you saw something else? What was it? *(Melanie seems panicked now, shaking her head, then making gestures with her hands – miming looking through a viewfinder, then stopping abruptly, her fingers twitching as if she remembered something shocking. She scribbles furiously again, pushing the paper back at him. He reads it out loud without translating, as if to confirm.)* **MELANIE:** (Written:) Es war falsch. Er hat mich zum Haus genommen. Er sagte... Fruit... Darüber. Aber... da war noch etwas anderes. **HUNTER:** (Frowning, leaning forward) Okay, let me see if I understand. You went to a house with him? He was talking about... fruit? What house? Whose house? *(Laren Down murm, she only pointed at the paper and wrote: "Ich gehabt Angst. Er gesagt, Ich helfen ihm. Aber dann...")* **HUNTER:** (Pushing harder now, his frustration showing) But then what, Melanie? Please. This is important. I’m trying to find out what happened to him. Are you in danger? Do I need to get you out of here? (Voice drops low, urgent) Was someone there with him? Someone who... (He doesn’t finish the sentence, shaking his head.) Someone who didn’t want to be seen? *(melanie’s are barely holding back tears Now. She’s frantically trying to write but her hands are shaking too much. She keeps scribbling and erasing and ending up with smudged ink on her fingers. She seems to be struggling to find the right words, her German coming out in disjointed phrases and broken sentences. )* **MELANIE:** (Eyes welling up, in German) Ich sollte es niemandem erzälen. Er hat gesagt, es sei ein Geheimnis. Aber... es war nicht richtig. Er hat die... (She points to her left hand, then is at the wrist, then her watch) Die Uhr... (She sighs in defeat, surrendering the pen and pushing the empty paper towards Hunter in exasperation.) **HUNTER:** (Standing up abruptly as his phone rings sharply) Hold that thought. (He puts his hand up to her, signaling for her to wait as he answers his phone) This is Hunter. (Listening) Right... (Pauses) Send out an APB on the industrial road... No, not Apple Road, the industrial extension... Got it, I’m on my way. (Hangs up and immediately stuffs his phone in his pocket, scrabbling for his wallet to leave cash for the coffee, despite the spilled one.) I have to go. Right now. *(Melanie looks up at him with wide, terrified eyes, understanding that the conversation is over and the seriousness of the situation has just increased tenfold. She clutches her camera to her chest once more, like a protective shield.)* **HUNTER:** (Standing over her, urgent and commanding) Melanie. Is there something else you need to tell me? Are you in trouble? Look at me. *(She hesitates, then shakes her head, but her eyes are filled with a combination of fear and urgency. He seems to understand that she’s not going to tell him anything more right now.)* **HUNTER:** (Slightly frustrated, but professional) When I get back, you and I are going to have a proper chat. Don’t you leave this area. I need an officer to watch you. (He pulls his jacket closed) And maybe... (He thinks of something, pulling out a small, cheap hotel key card and sliding it across the table) Maybe you should stay somewhere else for tonight. A friend of mine runs this place, tell him Hunter sent you... Okay? *(Melanie just stares at the key card, then back up at him slowly. He doesn’t wait for an answer, turning on his heel and heading out of the cafe with purpose. The tinne clock on the wall is the only sound in the tense silence that follows his departure.)* *(SFX: A bell above the door jingles as Hunter exits. The ambient noise of the cafe returns to its gentle hum. Melanie slowly pulls her camera back up, her lens still pointed at the photo, her expression haunted and frozen in time.)* **FADE.**