Storybrooke - Mr. Gold's Shop

Deputy Kyle had just gotten inside, but she could already tell that why she was supposed to be there. Mr. Gold's pawn shop was in complete disarray, with the display cabinets smashed and the cases pulled down, scattering collectibles and knick-knacks all around the front part of the store.

Arriving at the scene before her partner, Fiona had to make sure the place was clear. She had her gun ready and she started doing a sweep of the shop, room by room.

"They've torn this place apart." She mused to herself as carefully moved around, trying not to further break anything else in the store.

As she searched through the front part of the store, she couldn't help, but notice how very old everything appeared. Even with the chaos, she was still able to see some incredible pieces.

Her eyes immediately focused on a broadsword, something similar to what she used to train with as a child. The hilt was straightforward and solid, but the blade strangely enough had an intricate design engraved into it.

There also appeared to be words included, but it unlike anything she had either seen back in their world or remembered from history books in this one.

"Amazing."

Moving towards the back, she noticed that the section was barely touched. Whatever the thief was looking for, it must have been in the front section.

"It appears that I have been robbed." Fiona swung over her weapon and flashlight to the deadpan voice and saw Mr. Gold. "You must be Deputy Kyle."

She immediately lowered and holstered her gun. "Mr. Gold."

"I'm sorry if I startled you." He looked at her closely for a moment. " Deputy Kyle, I must admit you look younger in person."

She knew that she appeared much younger than she truly was thanks to the curse. Since no one was aware of it (besides Regina of course), she played it off like she usually did. "I guess I have a baby face."

"Indeed."

She offered her hand to shake. "Pleasure meeting you, though I wished it were under better circumstances."

"As do I." His polite smile quickly retreated. Assessing the damage around him, he inquired. "Have you found anything Deputy?"

"No, sir. I just arrived a couple of minutes ago." The pair walked back to the front. Pointing to the case to far right of the room, she noted, "This case seems to have been the most damaged and judging by the lack of pieces around like the others, I'd say that the thieves focused on what was inside. You wouldn't happen to recall what was inside there, would you?"

He frowned. "Not off the top of my head, I'm sorry."

"Would you happen to have a record of your inventory? Perhaps we can piece together what's here and see what's missing from that list."

Gold was openly irritated. "Let's hope the thief did not take that as well."

"I'll let you get started on finding that list while I'll go back in my car and get my equipment to get some evidence." She started heading back to the cruiser when Mr. Gold blocked the doorway.

"I'd rather you not do that. Let's see what the Sheriff wants first."

"There's no need to wait. He's going to say the same thing - we need to process the scene."

"I really don't want someone going needlessly through everything, especially when some of these priceless items are older than you dearie.

The deputy sighed. It frustrated her when the townspeople treated her like a child instead of an adult she was. She tried to reason with the older man. "While Graham is great at what he does Mr. Gold, it would be extremely helpful if we can get started on the investigation now. It will increase of chances of finding the perpetrators."

Stubbornly, he replied. "If you must know, deputy, I'd rather wait for Sheriff Humbert to be here. This requires his expertise."

Fiona silently counted to ten, then twenty, hoping to remain calm. "I understand that you want Graham to be in charge and I can assure you that he will give your case the attention it deserves, but-

The bells on the door jingled and Graham came inside.

Gold gave a nod. "So glad to see you Sheriff."

"Likewise. Mr. Gold." Getting right down to business, Graham asked Fiona, "What's the status?"

"I just got here about 10 minutes ago. The place is clear. I was just about to start collecting evidence." Being such a small town, part of her duties included processing a scene of a crime, provided it wasn't a major crime (like homicide or rape). While it lacked in excitement, she had actually learned to enjoy this aspect. Certainly more fun than directing traffic like she had done last week. "I have everything in the cruiser."

Happy that she followed procedure, he praised her. "Perfect, I'll let you get started with that."

The shopkeeper appeared agitated at the idea, but he managed to keep a veneer of compliance. "Of course."

Fiona went outside to gather her thing while the two men discussed what was going on.

She popped her trunk and began grabbing the containers, gently setting them down on the sidewalk. She saw some of the townspeople who were going on with their morning routine slow down and figure out what was going on. That was one disadvantage of being in a sleepy town - nosy neighbors.

"Do you need help with anything?" It was Mary Margaret. The concerned teacher looked at the equipment and asked in a low voice. "What happened?"

"Someone robbed Mr. Gold."

"Are you serious?! Who would want to do that?"

Fiona smirked when she noticed that Mary Margaret's cheeks reddened. "That's we're hoping to find out." The deputy couldn't help at be amused that the woman she had once known as Snow White was now someone she could tease so easily. It did bother a little to see her hero in this light and yet she felt like the brunette was much more relatable this way- with her flaws exposed. Still, she didn't like her friend to feel bad. "Sorry for the bad joke."

"No, I walked right into that."

Graham came outside, looking uncomfortable. "Mary Margaret, do you mind if I have a word with Deputy Kyle?"

"Yes. I was just leaving anyway to get to work." She waved as she departed.

"I'm sorry for the delay, I'll get-"

"I think it would be best if I handled Mr. Gold's case, including evidence."

"Wait, why?" She had followed protocol. "I can do this."

"I know you can. But…" He shifted his feet, a sign she had learned in the past year meant he was uneasy with something. ""He's not exactly a forthcoming guy and he has requested that I alone handle this part."

"He can't do that." It wasn't like they were some boutique detective service, they were the cops.

"That may be true, but he spoke to Mayor Mills and she thinks it'll be better if I take care of this portion of the investigation."

"So I'm off the case?"

"Certainly not. I'm just going to be the one talking to Gold. Do you mind going back to the station and handling things over there? I promise, as soon as I'm done I'll fill you in."

While Fiona wanted to stay and help him out, she knew that Graham wasn't exactly making a suggestion and if she protested he was going to pull rank. "Yes, Sheriff, I'll see if I can pull up anything useful for you."

"You have my full permission. Go for it." He instructed. "I'd love for this to be solved as soon as possible. Mr. Gold can be a difficult man." He doubted they'd get anywhere with him. Mr. Gold tended to keep his business private.