Run: 2026-10-09-01M4FY6AB8FT2Y9CJNB6RW5HFF

**Voice Sheet: Scene 1, "The Cafe on Maple Street"** *Setting: A small corner cafe on Maple Street in Alborn, MN. Late afternoon. Melanie sits alone by the window, turning her camera over in her hands. Hunter, in a rumpled jacket, approaches her table.* **Hunter:** Excuse me. Are you Melanie Vogt? The barista said you've been photographing the orchards all week. **Melanie:** "Entschuldigung... ich verstehe nicht. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" *(Excuse me... I don't understand. Do you speak German?)* **Hunter:** Okay. That's a no. I'm Detective Hunter. I need to ask about the night before last, when the Brandt twins went missing from the apple festival grounds. **Melanie:** "Ich habe es gesehen. Am Abend. Ein Mann, bei den Bäumen... er hat sie zum Wagen gebracht. Ich habe Fotos gemacht, aber ich weiß nicht, ob ich..." *(I saw it. That evening. A man by the trees... he led them to the van. I took photos, but I don't know if I...)* **Hunter:** Whoa, slow down. I'm getting nothing but vowels here. Do you have English at all? **Melanie:** "Bitte... ich habe Angst. Mein Kamera, hier." *(Please... I'm scared. My camera, here.)* **Hunter:** *(sits down slowly, pulls out his phone)* Alright. Let's try this the low-tech way. Show me the pictures. **Melanie:** *(hands over the camera, her fingers trembling)* "Hier. Dienstag, sechs Uhr. Die Bäume, das Licht war so schön... und dann diese Männer." *(Here. Tuesday, six o'clock. The trees, the light was so beautiful... and then those men.)* **Hunter:** *(scrolling, frowning)* Okay, these are gorgeous, by the way. Sunrise over the orchard. But there's a figure in this one, right at the edge of the rows. Is that him? **Melanie:** "Ja! Ja, genau. Er trägt eine rote Jacke. Und der Kleinere, er hat geweint." *(Yes! Yes, exactly. He's wearing a red jacket. And the smaller one, he was crying.)* **Hunter:** *(nodding as if he understood every word)* Red jacket. Crying kid. Got it. I'm going to need a copy of these, and I'll need you to come down to the station tomorrow with a translator. **Melanie:** *(pauses, then types on her phone and turns the screen toward him)* "Ich verstehe Ihr Problem. Ich bleibe hier, bis Sie das Bild haben. Bitte sagen Sie mir, dass die Kinder in Sicherheit sind." *(Translation app: I understand your problem. I'll stay here until you have the picture. Please tell me the children are safe.)* **Hunter:** *(reading the screen, then looking up with something softer in his face)* I can't tell you that yet. But I'm going to find out. *(Beat. He types a reply into his own phone and shows it to her: "Thank you. You did the right thing.")* **Melanie:** *(reading, then nodding slowly)* "Danke." **Hunter:** *(phone buzzes loudly on the table. He glances at the screen, his jaw tightens.)* Hold that thought. Dispatch. *(Into the phone)* Hunter. Yeah. Where? ...Don't touch anything. I'm ten minutes out. **Melanie:** "Was ist passiert?" *(What happened?)* **Hunter:** *(already standing, pulling a card from his wallet and sliding it across the table)* Another one. Call this number if anyone approaches you. Don't go near the orchard alone. And keep that camera on you. **Melanie:** *(gripping the camera tightly, whispering)* "Ja. Ich passe auf." *(Yes. I'll be careful.)* **Hunter:** *(already at the door, turning back)* Melanie. Keep the photos safe. You might be the only witness we've got. *(The bell above the door chimes as Hunter exits. Melanie lowers her eyes to the camera screen, where the figure in the red jacket stands frozen in the golden dawn light.)* **Melanie:** "Was für ein Albtraum..." *(What a nightmare...)* *[END SCENE]*