Run: 2026-07-07-01KWZ5EZHXG4MHMQWGMNMK8179

**Setting: The Rusty Kettle Café, Alborn, MN – Tuesday afternoon** *Marie sits at a corner table, her Canon camera sitting on the table in front of her. She scrolls through photos on the viewfinder, her brow furrowed. The café smells of cinnamon and fresh apple pie. Hunter enters, his jacket damp from the light drizzle outside, and spots her immediately. He approaches her table.* --- Hunter: "Excuse me, miss? I'm Detective Hunter with the Alborn Police Department. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions. You were at the orchard yesterday, weren't you? During the... incident?" Marie: *looks up, startled* "Pardon? Je... je ne comprends pas l'anglais. Je suis française." *Her hands tremble slightly as she grips her camera.* "Il y avait quelque chose... quelque chose de terrible. Hier, aux pommiers. J'ai vu... j'ai pris des photos, mais..." Hunter: *frowns, rubbing the back of his neck* "I'm sorry, I don't— Look, I really need to talk to someone who was there. Do you speak any English at all? Even a little?" Marie: *shakes her head, eyes wide and troubled* "Non. Je suis désolée. Je ne parle pas anglais." *She pauses, then gestures to her camera, pointing at it and then mimicking taking a photo.* "Photo. J'ai... photo. Là-bas. Hier." *Her voice drops, and she looks away, visibly shaken.* "La femme... elle a disparu. Juste comme ça. Je l'ai vue, et puis... plus rien." Hunter: *watches her gestures, catching the word "photo" and "hier"* "Photos? You have photos? From yesterday?" *He points at the camera, then at himself, trying to convey his need to see them.* "Can I... look?" Marie: *understands his gesture and hesitates, her fingers hovering over the camera. She bites her lip.* "C'est... c'est étrange. Les photos. Quelque chose ne va pas. Regardez." *She turns the camera toward him, scrolling through images of the orchard—rows of apple trees, a red barn, festival decorations. Then she stops on one photo. In the background, near the tree line, there's a blurred figure. In the next photo, taken moments later, the figure is gone.* "Vous voyez? Elle était là. Et puis... *pouf*. Disparue." Hunter: *leans in, studying the screen. His jaw tightens.* "That's... wait. That matches what the other witnesses said." *He looks up at Marie, speaking slowly, as if volume might help.* "This woman. Do you know who she is?" Marie: *stares at him, understanding nothing of what he said except perhaps the question in his tone. She shakes her head helplessly.* "Je ne comprends pas. Je suis vraiment désolée. Je voulais aider, mais..." *She touches her chest, then mimics walking away, shrugging.* "Je ne la connais pas. Une étrangère. Comme moi." Hunter: *sighs, pulling out his notepad. He draws a rough sketch of a question mark, then points to the photo.* "Okay. I'll get a translator. Miss, I need you to stay in town. Don't leave Alborn. Can you...?" *He mimics staying put, pointing at the ground.* Marie: *nods slowly, understanding the gesture.* "Oui. Je reste. Je ne pars pas." *She clutches her camera closer to her chest.* "Mais s'il vous plaît... soyez prudent. Il y a quelque chose de mal ici. Quelque chose de très mal." Hunter: *catches the urgency in her voice even if he doesn't understand the words. He nods grimly.* "Yeah. I'm starting to get that feeling too." *His phone buzzes loudly in his pocket. He pulls it out, glancing at the screen. His expression shifts from patient to sharp.* Hunter: "Detective Hunter." *He listens, and his posture stiffens.* "When? ...How many this time? ...I'm on my way." *He hangs up and shoves the phone back in his pocket, looking at Marie with a mixture of frustration and concern.* "I have to go. Another one. Just—stay here, okay? Don't go to the orchard alone." *He points at her, then at the table, then holds up a hand in a "stop" gesture.* Marie: *watches him, catching the urgency. She nods, though she looks even more shaken.* "Un autre? Oh non... D'accord. Je reste ici. Faites attention." Hunter: *turns toward the door, then pauses, looking back.* "For what it's worth—I wish I could understand you. Something tells me you know more about what's happening here than anyone else in this town." *He taps his temple.* "Stay safe." *He pushes through the café door and disappears into the gray afternoon. Marie sits alone, staring down at her camera, the photo of the vanished woman still glowing on the screen. Outside, the rain begins to fall harder, tapping against the window like fingertips.* Marie: *whispers to herself, her coffee growing cold* "Qu'est-ce qui se passe dans cette ville..." --- **END SCENE**