Run: 2026-09-02-01M1GX1AXG6V0QQ22N0EXXH246

*(A small café on Main Street, Alborn. Mid-morning. Marie sits alone by the window, scrolling through photos on her camera. Hunter approaches, notepad in hand.)* Marie: *(looking up, startled)* "Pardon ? Est-ce que je peux vous aider ?" Hunter: "Ma'am. Marie, right? The photography student over at the Sundberg B&B? Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. You got a few minutes?" Marie: "Je... je suis désolée. Je ne comprends pas. Je ne parle pas anglais. Pas du tout." Hunter: *(blinking)* "...Come again? You don't— great. Wonderful. Anybody in here speak French? Anyone?" Marie: *(frowning, then brightening — she lifts her camera and turns the screen toward him)* "Ah ! Attendez. Regardez. Vous comprenez peut-être ça." Hunter: "Whoa—hey, easy with the— is that the old Kowalski barn? You're showing me a barn. Great. We're communicating through a barn." Marie: "J'étais là-bas hier soir. Vers vingt-deux heures. Pour photographier le coucher de soleil sur le lac. Et puis cette camionnette est arrivée. À toute vitesse." Hunter: "Slow down. Barn. Lake. Sunset. Then... point at things, ma'am. Use your hands." Marie: *(pointing, tracing a shape in the air)* "Une camionnette grise. Le moteur, et puis le silence, et puis... un cri. Un cri terrible. Je me suis cachée derrière les arbres." Hunter: *(leaning in, slowly)* "A... van? You saw a van? Gray? Wait— is that what you're saying?" Marie: "Oui ! Oui, une camionnette ! Et ce matin, à l'hôtel, tout le monde parlait de la disparition. La dame du festival des pommes. C'était... c'était elle, n'est-ce pas ? C'est pour ça que vous me parlez ?" Hunter: "Ruth Anderson. Missing since last night. Her car turned up on the lake road at eleven." *(gesturing at the camera)* "Okay— when? When was this? Last night?" Marie: *(nodding hard)* "Oui, hier soir ! Regardez — la troisième photo. Je l'ai prise sans le vouloir, je pensais juste capturer le ciel..." Hunter: *(staring at the screen)* "Hold on. Right there, by the tree line. That's... that's a person. Zoom in on that. No—don't change it— there. Two. No, three people. Near where Ruth's car was found. Ma'am, you might be the only witness I've got." Marie: *(voice trembling)* "J'ai couru jusqu'à ma voiture dès que les phares sont partis. Je n'ai pas dormi de la nuit. La plaque d'immatriculation — non, il faisait trop noir. Mais les silhouettes, ça, je m'en souviens. Deux, peut-être trois." Hunter: *(pointing at the screen, then holding up fingers)* "Gray? Or dark blue— nod or shake your head, ma'am, we're making this work. ...Two? Three?" *(exhales)* "I wish to God you spoke English, because you've got more on that memory card than my whole investigation." Marie: *(a small, shaky laugh, wiping her eye)* "Je ne comprends toujours pas un mot de ce que vous dites, monsieur. Mais dites-moi au moins une chose... est-ce qu'ils vont la retrouver ? La pauvre dame ?" Hunter: *(his phone buzzes; he answers sharply)* "Hunter. ...Yeah. ...The dive team found what? Out at the quarry? ...Nobody touches anything, I'm ten minutes out." *(stands, pockets the phone, backs toward the door)* "Ma'am, I've gotta run. Stay in town. Don't delete those photos. Somebody from the department'll bring a translator first thing— no, of course you don't understand me. Keep that camera close. ...Merci. That's the extent of my French, and I'm not even sure I said it right." Marie: "Attendez ! Monsieur ! ...Oh, mon Dieu. Il est parti." *(hugging the camera to her chest, looking out the window after him)* "Bonne chance, monsieur le détective. Et... que cette photo nous aide à la retrouver."