"Excuse me!" Erik said.
The woman froze mid-motion the second he spoke to get her attention. She took a sharp turn and put on an evidently well-practiced look of surprise. If Erik didn't already know she was an actress, he would have thought everything was normal; that was her skill level. The woman looked at his guard uniform, her eyes widening as she didn't expect Erik to dress as a guard. That was a good move.
"My name is Officer Guld," he introduced himself with a fake surname, his voice firm and authoritative. "I'm a member of the city guard, and I'm here to ask you some questions."
"Good morning, officer," said the woman. Of course, she knew it was all a ruse, but she appreciated Erik's approach to the quest; it was good because it demonstrated his determination to go to any length to achieve his goal.
Erik quickly continued, "We are currently investigating a missing case. According to our sources, the event took place here. Would you mind recounting exactly what happened?"