Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DAEXH4DE15PS9FY4403VB5

**Scene: The Copper Kettle Café, Alborn, MN. Early morning. Fog hangs over the lake, and apple festival banners flutter outside the window. MARIE sits alone at a corner table, turning her camera over in her hands. HUNTER walks in, scans the room, and heads straight for her.** **Hunter:** "Excuse me. Are you the one who was out at Miller's Pond on Friday night? I'm Detective Hunter. I need to ask you about what you saw." **Marie:** "Pardon... je suis désolée, je ne comprends pas. Je ne parle pas anglais." *(Sorry, I don't understand. I don't speak English.)* *(She glances at the camera, then back at him, her voice unsteady.)* "Ce n'est pas possible. Je l'ai vu, dans l'objectif. Il était là, près de l'eau, et puis... plus rien." *(It isn't possible. I saw it, through the lens. He was there, by the water, and then... nothing.)* **Hunter:** *(Pauses, frowning, and pulls out a chair.)* "Okay. I'm going to take that as a yes. Mind if I sit?" **Marie:** "Il y a des gens qui disparaissent dans cette ville, n'est-ce pas? Le garçon de la boulangerie, la semaine dernière... Et maintenant ça." *(There are people disappearing in this town, aren't there? The bakery boy last week... And now this.)* *(Her hands tremble as she taps the camera's screen.)* **Hunter:** "Look, I can tell you're upset. I just need to know what time you took these photos." *(He points at the camera, then at his watch, then makes a gesture like taking a picture.)* "Time. Pictures. Friday. Got it?" **Marie:** *(Shaking her head, eyes welling.)* "Je ne sais pas quoi vous dire. Je pensais que c'était juste une belle photo de brume sur le lac. Mais quand je l'ai regardée à la maison... il y avait une silhouette. Et quelqu'un la suivait." *(I don't know what to tell you. I thought it was just a nice photo of fog on the lake. But when I looked at it at home... there was a figure. And someone was following it.)* *(She slides the camera across the table toward him.)* **Hunter:** *(Picks up the camera, turns it over, and squints at the screen.)* "Okay. Okay, I see something. Blurry shape by the dock. Hard to make out." *(He looks up at her, his brow furrowed.)* "Do you speak any English at all? Anything?" **Marie:** *(Gives a small, helpless laugh through her tears.)* "Non. Rien. Mon français, c'est tout ce que j'ai." *(No. Nothing. My French is all I have.)* **Hunter:** *(Sighs and rubs the back of his neck.)* "Great. A witness who speaks a language I don't, and I'm stuck with a blurry photo." *(He leans in and taps the screen where the figure is.)* "Can you show me where you were standing when you took this?" **Marie:** *(Leans over, pointing to the edge of the lake on the screen, speaking slowly and carefully.)* "Ici. Sur le ponton. Je me suis arrêtée parce que la lumière était belle. Puis j'ai entendu une voix, très loin..." *(Here. On the pier. I stopped because the light was beautiful. Then I heard a voice, very far away...)* **Hunter:** *(Nodding slowly, as though he understands more than he does.)* "The pier. Okay. Got it. A voice." *(He pulls out his phone, starts typing a note, then pauses.)* "I'm going to need a translator for this. Don't go anywhere, alright?" **Marie:** *(Nods, wrapping her arms around herself.)* "D'accord. Je reste ici." *(Alright. I'll stay here.)* *(His phone buzzes. He glances at the screen, his expression tightening.)* **Hunter:** *(Into the phone, sharply.)* "Hunter. ...Say that again. ...When? ...No, don't move anything. I'm on my way." *(He ends the call and turns back to Marie, already reaching for his keys.)* **Hunter:** "I have to go. Somebody's found something out by the mill. Stay here, and I'll send a deputy with an interpreter as soon as I can." *(He sets a card on the table, tapping it.)* "Keep the camera. Don't delete anything. You hear me? Don't delete anything." **Marie:** *(Quietly, staring at the card, then at him.)* "Vous allez revenir?" *(Will you come back?)* **Hunter:** *(Pausing at the door, glancing back, and answering in English though he knows she can't understand.)* "Yeah. I'll be back." *(The bell above the door chimes as he exits. Marie picks up the camera and looks down at the blurred figure on the screen.)*