Run: 2026-09-23-01M37PWFNP21H9XBSRBJ5FJRA3

*Scene: A small café on Main Street in Alborn, MN. Melanie sits alone at a window table, camera in hand, scrolling through photos. Hunter enters, spots her, and approaches, badge in hand.* --- **Hunter:** "Ma'am? Detective Hunter, Alborn PD. Sorry to bother you. Mind if I ask you a few questions? We're investigating a disappearance — Sarah Whitlock, last seen Tuesday night near the apple orchard. You were in the area, weren't you?" **Melanie:** *(startled, looking up)* "Ich... es tut mir leid. Ich verstehe nicht. Ich spreche kein Englisch." **Hunter:** "Sarah Whitlock. Tuesday night. The orchard." *(He holds up a photo of the missing woman and points toward the window, in the direction of the orchards.)* **Melanie:** *(her face goes pale, hands tightening around her camera)* "Oh Gott... ja. Ja, ich habe sie gesehen. Am Dienstagabend. Sie ist am Rand der Obstplantage spazieren gegangen, und ich... ich habe Fotos gemacht, weil die Sonne so schön war, und dann..." *(she swallows hard, voice trembling)* "...dann ist jemand hinter ihr hergegangen. Im Schatten. Ich dachte zuerst, ich bilde mir das ein, aber..." **Hunter:** "Okay. Okay, you're clearly upset about something, and I don't understand one single word of that. Just — slow down." *(He points at her camera, then at the photo of Sarah, then mimes clicking a shutter.)* "Camera. Pictures. Tuesday?" **Melanie:** "Fotos? Ja... ja, hier." *(she turns the camera toward him, scrolling through shots of the orchard at sunset)* "Sehen Sie? Das ist sie. Und da — da hinten, zwischen den Bäumen — da ist jemand. Jemand ist ihr gefolgt. Ich wollte es jemandem sagen, aber ich wusste nicht wie. Ich kenne hier niemanden." **Hunter:** *(leaning in, squinting at the screen)* "Hold on. That shadow there, between the trees — that a person? Was that... Can you show me where this was taken?" *(He gestures toward the orchard, then taps the camera screen.)* **Melanie:** "Ich verstehe nicht ganz... Sie meinen die Stelle dort? Die Plantage? Ja, ich kann Ihnen den Weg zeigen. Aber..." *(her voice drops, shaky)* "Ich habe in den letzten Nächten Schritte vor meinem Fenster gehört. Ich habe Angst. Ich wohne allein in der Pension." **Hunter:** "Great. A lead I can't understand and a witness who can't understand me. Not a word of German in this whole department." *(He pulls out a notepad, sketches a rough map of the orchard, and slides it toward her with a pen.)* "Can you mark it? Here — where?" **Melanie:** *(she draws a small X near the tree line, then adds another mark)* "Hier war sie. Und hier... hier stand die Person. Ganz still. Sie hat sich nicht bewegt, bis sie weg war. Es war unheimlich." **Hunter:** "The tree line, near the north edge. That works. That works." *(studying the map, then pointing at her, then at the table)* "You — stay. Here. In town. Okay? Stay." *(His phone rings. He holds up a finger and answers.)* **Hunter:** "Detective Hunter. ... When? ... No — nobody touches the scene until I get there. Twenty minutes." *(He hangs up, pockets the phone, and gives Melanie a firm look.)* "Ma'am — Melanie, right? Don't leave town. I'll find a translator. Stay here, in town, where there are people. Understand? Stay." **Melanie:** "Was? Was ist passiert? Hat es wieder...?" *(she exhales shakily, nodding slowly)* "In Ordnung. Ich bleibe hier. Versprochen. Aber bitte... kommen Sie bald wieder. Ich glaube, ich habe etwas Wichtiges gesehen." **Hunter:** "Yeah. I got no idea what you just said, but we're not done, you and me. Lock your door tonight." *(He taps the table twice, then heads for the door at a brisk pace, phone back at his ear.)* **Melanie:** *(quietly, to herself, staring down at her camera)* "Bitte lass das keine schlechte Idee gewesen sein... jemandem zu vertrauen." --- *End of scene.*