Run: 2026-09-02-01M1GRQB15A258S9TGF789KPX7

**Scene: The Cider Press Café, Alborn, MN — early morning** *Melanie sits alone by the window, camera in her lap, scrolling through photos with unsteady hands. Hunter approaches. Melanie speaks only German (translated in [brackets]).* --- Hunter: "Ma'am. Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. Don't get up. You're with the college group, right? The Germans?" Melanie: *(startled, nearly dropping the camera)* "Ach! ...Entschuldigung. Sie haben mich erschreckt. Setzen Sie sich, bitte." *[Oh! ...Forgive me. You startled me. Please, sit.]* Hunter: "I'm told you were out along the lake past Corvin's Orchard on Tuesday. Sunrise. Same morning the Corvin brothers didn't open the cider stand. You see anyone out there? Anyone at all?" Melanie: *(shaken, words tumbling out)* "Ich... ich war nur fotografieren. Der Nebel über dem See—ich wollte ihn festhalten, das ist alles. Ich schwöre, ich habe nichts damit zu tun." *[I... I was just taking photos. The fog over the lake—I just wanted to capture it, that's all. I swear, I have nothing to do with it.]* Hunter: *(a beat; then slower, louder—uselessly)* "...Right. Okay. You. Understand. Me. Tuesday. Lake. Anyone." Melanie: "Ich verstehe Sie nicht! Ich spreche kein Englisch. Es tut mir wirklich leid." *[I don't understand you! I don't speak English. I'm truly sorry.]* Hunter: "Course you don't. And my German's a solid zero—my high school offered Spanish, and I took shop. So here we are." *(points at her camera)* "Photos. You make... photos? Fotos?" Melanie: "Fotos? Ah—ja! Ja. Sehen Sie—hier. Dienstagmorgen, am See." *[Photos? Ah—yes! Yes. Look—here. Tuesday morning, at the lake.]* *(she turns the camera toward him)* Hunter: *(leaning in, suddenly very still)* "Well, I'll be. That's Tuesday? That fog... okay, hold on. This, right here, by the tree line. That's a person." Melanie: "Ja. Ein Mann. Ich habe sein Gesicht nicht gesehen—er war zu weit weg. Aber sehen Sie? Er trägt etwas. Etwas Großes." *[Yes. A man. I didn't see his face—he was too far away. But do you see? He's carrying something. Something big.]* Hunter: "What's he hauling? Is that a tarp? Can this thing zoom?" Melanie: "Ich dachte zuerst—ein Jäger. Ein Jäger mit einem Reh. Aber Jäger tragen keine... keine Planen. Nein?" *[At first I thought—a hunter. A hunter with a deer. But hunters don't carry... tarps. Right?]* *(zooms in with a trembling finger)* Hunter: "Mann. 'Mann' I keep getting." *(points at the figure, then mimes hauling something heavy, then points out the window toward the lake)* "This man. Carried it. To the water." Melanie: "Ja! Zum Wasser. Und dann—" *(her voice drops)* "dann blieb er stehen. Ganz still. Und ich hatte solche Angst. Ich habe mich versteckt. Ich bin erst seit drei Wochen hier. Ich weiß nicht einmal, wie man die Polizei anruft." *[Yes! To the water. And then—then he stopped. Completely still. And I was so afraid. I hid. I've only been here three weeks. I don't even know how to call the police here.]* Hunter: "Angst. Hell, even I know that one." *(softer)* "You were scared. Understood, ma'am. I'd have been too." *(taps his badge, points at her, mimes walking, then holds up nine fingers)* "Tomorrow. Nine. Station. You bring the camera." Melanie: "Morgen? Um... neun?" *[Tomorrow? At... nine?]* Hunter: "Neun. There we go. Look at us, having a conversation." Melanie: *(the smallest smile, steadier now)* "Okay." Hunter: "Okay's universal." *(slides his card across the table)* "You need anything—anything—you point at that number." Melanie: "Okay." Hunter: *(phone buzzes; he answers)* "Hunter. ...When? ...Is the water line taped off? ...Then keep everybody back—nobody touches that bank until I'm on scene. Ten minutes." *(hangs up, already standing)* "That's me gone, ma'am." Melanie: *(not understanding the words, but reading everything else; she hugs the camera to her chest)* "Ich bringe sie mit. Die Kamera. Ich verspreche es." *[I'll bring it. The camera. I promise.]* Hunter: *(taps the card twice, then pushes out the door, calling back)* "Nine o'clock. Doors locked tonight. And ma'am—no more sunrise pictures alone." Melanie: *(softly, to the empty chair and the fog beyond the window)* "Seien Sie vorsichtig." *[Be careful.]*