Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KBXZMDM2CXY9XVJV3TCZT9

**Setting:** A quiet cafe in Alborn, MN. The sounds of a coffee machine and low chatter can be heard. Melanie sits alone at a small table, her DSLR camera on the table in front of her. She looks worried, scrolling through the photos on the camera's screen. **Hunter:** (Approaching the table, flashing a badge) "Miss? Excuse me. Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. You have a second?" **Melanie:** (Startled, she looks up, wide-eyed) "Ja? ...Oh, ja, natürlich." **Hunter:** (Sitting down opposite her, not waiting for a real invitation) "You're Melanie, right? The German student? I've been told you were out by the old orchard yesterday. We're speaking to everyone who was in the area regarding the incident with Mr. Gable." **Melanie:** (Her face pales. She clutches the camera protectively.) "Herr Gable? Ach, das war... das war schrecklich. Einfach schrecklich." **Hunter:** (Furrows his brow, leaning forward) "I'm sorry, I... I didn't catch that. English, please. You were at the orchard yesterday afternoon, yes?" **Melanie:** (Speaks quickly, her voice trembling, her accent thick) "Ich... ich verstehe nicht so gut. Es war so still. Zuerst habe ich nur die Bäume fotografiert. Aber dann... der Nebel... und dieser Schatten zwischen den Apfelbäumen. Er war da, und dann war er einfach... weg. Ich habe solche Angst gehabt." **Hunter:** (Holds up a hand, his expression turning to frustrated confusion) "Whoa, slow down. Shadow? What's... I'm not getting this. Do you speak any English? *Any* English? I need to know what you saw." **Melanie:** (Shakes her head, the words tumbling out in a panicked whisper) "Die Polizei, der andere Mann, er hat mir Fragen gestellt, aber ich konnte es ihm nicht sagen. Ich habe die Fotos. Vielleicht... vielleicht habe ich es fotografiert. Aber es ist so dunkel auf den Bildern. Etwas stimmt dort draußen nicht. Etwas ist im Nebel." **Hunter:** (Sighs, rubbing his jaw with a no-nonsense air of someone who hates being at a disadvantage. He speaks slowly, loudly, as if that will help.) "Okay. Look. I don't... I don't speak German. At all. Do you have a phone? A translator app? We need to communicate here." **Melanie:** (Turns the camera screen toward him, pointing at a picture. The image is overexposed, a blur of grey fog between rows of trees.) "Sehen Sie? Da! Genau da! Im Hintergrund. Ein Mann... aber er ist nicht richtig. Sein Gesicht... es ist verschwommen." **Hunter:** (Takes the camera gently, squinting at the screen. He can't see anything definitive.) "It's just fog, trees. I don't see... is this supposed to be Gable? What is this?" **Melanie:** (Hugs herself, rocking slightly) "Nein, nein. Das war, nachdem er gegangen ist. Nachdem der andere Mann verschwunden ist. Es war wie ein böser Traum." **Hunter:** (Runs a hand through his hair, clearly at a loss. He lets out a sharp, frustrated sigh.) "Okay. This isn't working." (An uneasy silence hangs between them. Hunter glances at the camera again, then at the frightened young woman. For the first time, a hint of sympathy softens his hard features.) **Hunter:** (Points to her camera, then to his own eyes, then vaguely toward the door.) "You... saw... something. Something... bad. Yeah?" **Melanie:** (Nods slowly, her eyes welling up) "Ja. Etwas Böses." **Hunter:** (Nods in return, his voice low) "I need you to stay in town. Don't go anywhere. Do you understand? Stay. Here. We'll figure this out. I'll get someone who speaks German to talk to you properly." **Melanie:** (Offers him a faint, strained smile of appreciation, though she only understood the word 'stay'.) "Danke." (Just then, Hunter's cell phone rings with a sharp, insistent tone. He holds up a finger to Melanie, standing and turning slightly away.) **Hunter:** (Into the phone) "Hunter. ...What? Where? ...No, no, don't let anyone in. I'm on my way. Ten minutes." (He ends the call, his face grim. He turns back to Melanie, pointing at her with a firm, authoritative finger.) **Hunter:** "I have to go. Remember. Stay. In. Town. I will find you a translator." (Melanie just watches him, her face a mask of anxiety as he strides out of the cafe, the bell above the door jangling in his wake.)