Run: 2026-09-02-01M1GQVRZQ8XB9TNZDRCZDY3K4

**Scene: The Cinnamon Stick Café, Main Street, Alborn, MN — mid-morning. Marie sits by the window, scrolling through photos on her camera. Hunter approaches, badge in hand.** *(Translations of Marie's lines provided in italics for reference.)* Hunter: "Ma'am. Sorry to interrupt. Detective Cole, Alborn PD. Mind if I ask you a few questions? Won't take long." Marie: "Pardon ? Je... je ne comprends pas. Vous êtes de la police ? Je suis désolée, je ne parle pas anglais." *(Sorry? I... I don't understand. You're police? I'm sorry, I don't speak English.)* Hunter: "Of course you don't." *(taps his badge)* "Detective. Alborn PD. I'm asking about Friday night, out by the orchard road. You were out there, weren't you? Taking pictures?" Marie: "Vendredi... ? Oui. Oui, j'étais dans le verger vendredi soir. Pour photographier le coucher de soleil. Mais pourquoi... ? Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé ?" *(Friday...? Yes. Yes, I was in the orchard Friday evening. To photograph the sunset. But why...? What happened?)* Hunter: "Someone went missing. Third person this month. Friday night. Same road, same time you were out there." Marie: "Missing... disparu... ? Oh non. Non, non, non. Une personne a disparu ? Près du verger ? Oh mon Dieu... j'ai vu quelque chose. Enfin, je crois que j'ai vu quelque chose. Je n'arrive plus à dormir depuis." *(Missing... disappeared...? Oh no. No, no, no. A person disappeared? Near the orchard? Oh my God... I saw something. At least, I think I saw something. I haven't been able to sleep since.)* Hunter: "Whoa—easy. Take a breath. I don't understand a word you're saying, ma'am, but 'oh non' came through loud and clear. You *saw* something? Saw—" *(points at his eyes)* "—with your eyes?" Marie: "Voir... ? Oui, voir ! Regardez — j'ai tout ici, dans mon appareil. Attendez..." *(See...? Yes, see! Look—I have everything here, in my camera. Wait...)* *[turns the camera toward him with trembling hands]* "Voilà. Là, entre les pommiers. Un homme. Je ne l'ai vu qu'après, en regardant mes photos. Il était là, immobile. Il ne bougeait pas du tout." *(There. There, between the apple trees. A man. I only noticed him afterward, while looking at my photos. He was there, motionless. He wasn't moving at all.)* Hunter: "Hold on." *(leans in, squints at the screen)* "Tall guy, dark coat, by the fence line. You know him? Ever seen him before?" Marie: "Je ne sais pas qui c'est. C'est ça qui m'effraie. Il ne faisait rien — il regardait. Il regardait Doris. Longtemps. Et même sur la photo... on dirait qu'il me regarde, moi. Directement." *(I don't know who he is. That's what frightens me. He wasn't doing anything—he was watching. He was watching Doris. For a long time. And even in the photo... it's as if he's looking at me. Directly.)* Hunter: "Doris? Doris from the pie stand out at the festival grounds? That Doris?" Marie: "Oui ! Doris ! La dame aux tartes ! Elle est adorable, elle m'offre toujours un morceau de tarte. Il faut la prévenir, monsieur. Il y a un danger. Vous comprenez ? Danger !" *(Yes! Doris! The pie lady! She's lovely, she always offers me a slice of pie. We have to warn her, sir. There's a danger. Do you understand? Danger!)* Hunter: "Danger. Okay. That one I know. Everything else—not a clue." Marie: "Vous ne comprenez rien, et moi non plus... Attendez — j'ai une idée." *(You don't understand anything, and neither do I... Wait—I have an idea.)* *[grabs a napkin and pen, sketches quickly]* "Le verger. La route. La clôture. L'homme, ici. La voiture de Doris, là. Quand elle est partie, il l'a suivie. À pied. Dans l'ombre." *(The orchard. The road. The fence. The man, here. Doris's car, there. When she left, he followed her. On foot. In the shadows.)* Hunter: "That's the fence on Orchard Road. That's a car—Doris's car? And this guy here walked after it? On foot?" Marie: "Oui ! Il l'a suivie ! J'ai d'autres photos, regardez. L'heure — vingt heures dix. Et celle-ci, vingt heures vingt-trois. Il est de plus en plus proche d'elle." *(Yes! He followed her! I have other photos, look. The time—8:10 p.m. And this one, 8:23 p.m. He's getting closer and closer to her.)* Hunter: "Timestamps. Ma'am, that's good work. That's real good work. Can you—do you have email? Email?" *(mimes typing)* "I need copies of these." Marie: "Je ne sais pas ce que vous me demandez... Enfin si, je sais ce qu'est un e-mail, mais je ne comprends pas ce que vous voulez ! Attendez — photographiez l'écran avec votre téléphone. Comme ça, je garde mes fichiers originaux." *(I don't know what you're asking me... Well, yes, I know what an email is, but I don't understand what you want! Wait—photograph the screen with your phone. That way, I keep my original files.)* Hunter: "Photograph the screen. Now that—" *(pulls out his phone, starts shooting pictures of the camera display)* "—that's the first idea today I've understood start to finish. You're the most helpful person I've talked to all week, and I haven't understood a single sentence out of you." Marie: "Quoi ? Vous riez ? C'est une bonne nouvelle, oui ? Vous avez ce qu'il vous faut ?" *(What? You're laughing? That's good news, yes? You have what you need?)* Hunter: "Yes. Yeah. I've got it. All of it." Marie: "Merci. Merci beaucoup." *(Thank you. Thank you very much.)* Hunter: "Now that one I caught. Guess we're even." *[Hunter's phone rings.]* Hunter: "Cole." *(pause)* "When?" *(pause)* "No—nobody touches anything until I get there. Twenty minutes." *(ends the call)* "Ma'am, I've got to go. Something's come up out at the orchard. I'll find someone who speaks French if I have to drive to Duluth to do it, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then—" *[sets his card on the table]* "You call. If you see that man again. If anything feels wrong. You call me." Marie: "Attendez ! Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? C'est à cause des disparitions ? Doris... Doris va bien, au moins ?" *(Wait! What's happening? Is it because of the disappearances? Doris... Doris is all right, at least?)* Hunter: "I'm sorry. I really am. Lock your door tonight, okay? Lock—" *(mimes turning a key)* "—door." Marie: "Verrouiller la porte... Oui. Oui, je le fais déjà, chaque soir depuis vendredi. Vous aussi, soyez prudent, monsieur le détective. Et méfiez-vous de l'homme de la photo. Il ne devrait pas être là. Il n'a rien à faire dans un verger." *(Lock the door... Yes. Yes, I already do it, every night since Friday. You be careful too, mister detective. And beware of the man in the photo. He shouldn't be there. He has no business in an orchard.)* Hunter: "Not a clue what you just said, but it sounded like good advice. Tomorrow, ma'am. First thing." Marie: "Merci à vous. Et faites attention... Il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas dans cette ville. Même les pommes ont un goût étrange cette année." *(Thank you too. And be careful... Something is wrong in this town. Even the apples taste strange this year.)* Hunter: "Tomorrow." *[exits]* --- *Note: Marie's lines deliberately echo a few English cognates ("missing/disparu," "danger," "Doris") so the pair can half-communicate through gestures, drawings, and her camera — a recurring device you can reuse as their scenes together evolve. Happy to adjust the length, tone, or the amount they manage to understand from each other.*