Run: 2026-09-29-01M3P2HPY10P2QX8P7ADWVCTFE

**Café scene, Alborn, MN** *(Translations of Maria's lines appear in brackets for the reader. Hunter understands none of them.)* Hunter: "Morning. Mind if I sit? Detective Hunter, Alborn P.D." Maria: "Ay, perdone… ¿Es usted policía? Me ha asustado." [Oh, sorry… Are you a cop? You startled me.] Hunter: "Uh… okay. I'm going to guess that's not English." Maria: "No le entiendo, lo siento. No hablo inglés." [I don't understand you, sorry. I don't speak English.] Hunter: "Right. Spanish, maybe? I've got nothing, ma'am. Not a word." *(He pulls out a notepad, then taps his badge.)* "Police. I'm asking about Tuesday night. Miller's Orchard. Walt Henderson." Maria: "¿Walt? ¿El hombre del huerto? *(Her hands tremble on the camera strap.)* Yo estuve allí el martes. Al atardecer." [Walt? The man from the orchard? I was there Tuesday. At sunset.] Hunter: "Slow down. Slower. I caught 'Walt' and 'martes,' which I'm guessing isn't a name." Maria: "Martes. Tuesday. No, eso no… *(She shakes her head and presses her fingers to her temple.)* Fui a hacer fotos del campo. Solo fotos. Y entonces vi… vi una luz en los árboles, y a alguien que corría." [Tuesday. No, that's not… I went to photograph the fields. Just photos. And then I saw a light in the trees, and someone running.] Hunter: "Ma'am, you're shaking. Do you want water? Agua? No, wait, that's… never mind." *(He waves at the waitress and mimes drinking.)* "Water, please." Maria: "Gracias. No tengo miedo de usted. Tengo miedo de lo que vi." [Thank you. I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what I saw.] Hunter: "I'm not going to pretend I followed that. But I know fear when I see it." *(He points at the camera.)* "Can I? The camera?" Maria: "¿Mi cámara? *(She hesitates, then clutches it closer.)* Es lo único que tengo de aquella noche." [My camera? It's the only thing I have from that night.] Hunter: "Okay. Not taking it. Just looking. Look, no grabbing." *(He holds up both palms.)* Maria: "Espere. Mire. *(She turns the screen toward him and clicks through the photos.)* Aquí, los manzanos. Aquí, el cielo rojo. Y aquí… aquí." [Wait. Look. Here, the apple trees. Here, the red sky. And here… here.] Hunter: "Stop. Go back one." *(He leans in and squints.)* "That's a truck. Dark, maybe green. Parked off the service road, no headlights." *(He taps the screen.)* "Did you see who was driving?" Maria: "No sé qué me pregunta. ¿Es importante esa foto?" [I don't know what you're asking me. Is that photo important?] Hunter: "Yeah. Yeah, I think it is." *(He taps the photo, then his notepad, then points at her.)* "I need a copy of this. Photo. Understand? Copy." Maria: "¿Quiere una copia? ¿De las fotos?" [You want a copy? Of the photos?] Hunter: "You nodded. I'll take that as a yes. Hold on, I'll find someone who speaks Spanish. There's a teacher at the high school, I think, or…" *(His phone buzzes. He glances at the screen and his jaw tightens.)* "Hunter. …Where? …How long ago? …Copy that. Ten minutes." Maria: "¿Pasa algo malo?" [Is something wrong?] Hunter: "I have to go. Work. Emergency." *(He stands and slides a business card across the table.)* "Stay here. Please. Don't delete anything. Don't go anywhere alone. I'll be back." Maria: "¿Se va? Pero todavía no le he dicho lo más importante…" [You're leaving? But I haven't told you the most important part yet…] Hunter: "I'm sorry, ma'am. I really am. Keep the card." *(He taps the card, then the camera.)* "Keep that safe." Maria: "¡Espere! Había alguien más en la foto. Detrás del camión…" [Wait! There was someone else in the photo. Behind the truck…] Hunter: *(already at the door, phone to his ear)* "Yeah, I'm on my way. Don't touch anything until I get there." Maria: *(softly, to herself, staring at the screen)* "Y nadie me entiende…" [And no one understands me…]