Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KCHMMQ5YBNV6004XZ3C438

# Scene: The Café at Alborn *Setting: A small café on Main Street, Alborn, MN. Mid-morning light filters through the window. MELANIE sits alone at a corner table, her camera cradled in both hands. She stares at the screen, thumb hovering over the scroll wheel, her shoulders tense. HUNTER enters, scans the room, and approaches her table.* --- **Hunter:** Excuse me. Are you the woman who was photographing the festival on Saturday? *Melanie looks up, startled. She doesn't respond, just watches him with wide eyes.* **Hunter:** I'm Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. *(He gestures at the camera.)* That camera of yours—you were there when the Carlson woman disappeared, weren't you? *Melanie's breath catches. She looks down at the camera, then back up at him, and speaks rapidly, her voice trembling.* **Melanie:** Ich... ja, ich war dort. Ich habe alles fotografiert. Die Bilder—sie sind alle hier. Aber ich verstehe nicht, was ich gesehen habe. *(Her voice cracks.)* Es war so schnell. Sie war da, und dann... dann war sie einfach weg. **Hunter:** *(blinks, leaning back slightly)* ...I'm sorry. I don't—do you speak English? At all? *Melanie shakes her head, looking miserable.* **Melanie:** Nein. Nur Deutsch. Es tut mir leid. *(She holds up the camera, turning the screen toward him.)* Hier. Schauen Sie. Das ist die Frau. *Hunter squints at the screen. The photo shows a woman in a floral dress standing at a fruit stand, laughing.* **Hunter:** That's her. That's Maggie Carlson. *(He looks up at Melanie, eyes sharp.)* What happened after this? Did you see where she went? *Melanie, understanding the intent through his tone and the photograph, scrolls to the next image. It shows the same fruit stand—but the woman is gone. The street is empty.* **Melanie:** *(pointing at the screen, her voice urgent)* Sie war hier. Und dann—nichts. Wie vom Erdboden verschluckt. Es gab keinen Schrei, keinen Kampf. Nur... Stille. *(She looks at him, eyes glistening.)* Ich habe Angst, dass ich etwas Wichtiges übersehen habe. Ich kann nicht aufhören, an sie zu denken. **Hunter:** *(rubbing the bridge of his nose)* Okay. Okay, I get—I get the gist of what you're saying. *(He gestures at the camera, then at the table, then at himself.)* You—me—we need to talk. Properly. I need to understand what you saw. *Melanie tilts her head, trying to parse his gestures. She nods slowly.* **Melanie:** Sie wollen die Fotos. Die Beweise. *(She scrolls back and forth, showing him a sequence of images.)* Ich habe alles dokumentiert. Vielleicht finden Sie etwas, das ich nicht sehe. *Hunter studies the photos one by one—the festival crowd, the fruit stand, the empty street. He points at one image, frowning.* **Hunter:** Wait. This van. *(He taps the screen.)* Was this here before she disappeared? *Melanie leans in, squinting at the image. She shrugs helplessly.* **Melanie:** Ich weiß nicht. Ich habe nicht darauf geachtet. *(She looks at him with a mixture of guilt and fear.)* Ich wollte nur die Landschaft fotografieren. Die schönen Sachen. Aber jetzt... jetzt sehe ich nur noch die schlimmen Dinge. *Hunter's phone buzzes in his pocket. He ignores it, still staring at the photo. It buzzes again. And again.* **Hunter:** *(pulling out the phone, glancing at the screen)* I have to take this. *(He answers, his voice clipped.)* Hunter here. *Melanie watches him, her fingers nervously clutching her camera strap. She can't understand his words, but she reads the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes narrow.* **Hunter:** *(into the phone)* Yeah. Yeah, I'm on it. Where? ... Okay. Five minutes. *(He hangs up, sighs, and looks at Melanie.)* **Hunter:** I have to go. They found something. *(He points at her camera, then at her, and makes a gesture as if holding it close.)* Keep that safe. Don't go anywhere. I'll come back with a translator. You understand? *Melanie understands the intent, if not the words. She nods, pressing the camera to her chest.* **Melanie:** Ich bleibe. Ich verspreche es. *(She hesitates, then adds softly.)* Bitte finden Sie sie. Bitte finden Sie heraus, was passiert ist. *Hunter pauses at the door, glancing back at her. For a moment, the hard lines of his face soften.* **Hunter:** *(quietly, almost to himself)* I will. *He pushes through the door and is gone. Melanie looks down at the camera, at the frozen image of the empty street, and a single tear slides down her cheek.*