Run: 2026-07-01-01KWE9EN82Y5DQ69DSWB8X6DTB

**Scene: The Sugar Maple Café, Alborn, MN — Late Afternoon** *Marie sits at a small corner table, turning her camera over in her hands, scrolling through the photos she took that morning near the orchard. Her expression is distant. Hunter enters, spots her, and walks over, notepad in hand.* Hunter: "Afternoon. Mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm Detective Hunter, working the case on the Kowalski disappearance." Marie: *(looking up, startled)* "Oh— je... je ne comprends pas très bien l'anglais." Hunter: "...Come again?" Marie: "Je suis désolée, je ne parle pas anglais. Vous parlez français?" Hunter: *(frowning, glancing around as if looking for a translator)* "Ma'am, I don't— I don't speak French. Were you here this morning? Near the orchard road?" Marie: *(hands tightening around her camera, voice trembling)* "L'orchard... oui. J'étais là. J'ai vu quelque chose d'étrange. Une voiture, garée près des arbres, et personne dedans. C'était... inquiétant." Hunter: "A car? Did you say car?" *(He mimes turning a steering wheel.)* "Voiture — car?" Marie: *(nodding quickly)* "Oui, oui. Une voiture. Rouge. Et j'ai entendu... un bruit. Comme un cri. Mais loin, dans les bois." Hunter: "A scream? Did you hear screaming?" *(He makes a helpless gesture, running a hand through his hair.)* "I really wish you spoke English right now." Marie: *(pulling up a photo on her camera screen, turning it toward him)* "Regardez. J'ai pris une photo. Peut-être que ça va aider." Hunter: *(leaning in, studying the image — a red sedan half-hidden behind the trees)* "This is... this is good. This could be something." *(He pulls out his own phone, snapping a picture of her screen.)* "Can I— can I get a copy of this? Copy. Photo." Marie: "Copie? Oui, bien sûr." *(She nods, though her eyes are still wide with unease.)* "J'ai peur. Ce qui s'est passé ici... ce n'est pas normal." Hunter: "I don't know what you just said, but I have a feeling you're just as spooked as I am." *(His phone buzzes loudly on the table. He glances at the screen, jaw tightening.)* "Dispatch. I have to go — they found something out by the old barn." Marie: *(standing quickly, gripping his sleeve for a second)* "Attendez— faites attention. S'il vous plaît." Hunter: *(pausing, meeting her eyes — something in her tone makes him understand, even without the words)* "Yeah. I'll be careful." *(He gives her a short nod, tucking his notepad away.)* "We'll figure out a way to talk more. Find someone who speaks French, maybe." Marie: *(watching him go, murmuring to herself)* "Faites attention... s'il vous plaît."