210 Words - Part 1

In the past, I've tried doing several short story series and haven't exactly finished any of them. So I decided to start another one! But this one's going to be very different. Each installment will have exactly 210 words. Not 200, not 212. I got this idea from a contest put on by Readers Digest that challenged readers to send in a personal, true story containing exactly 100 words. I chose 210 words instead of a 100 to allow myself more breathing room, since I'm a long winded writer. I mean, you've been reading this post for 30 seconds and still haven't gotten to the actual story!

The actual story is going to be in the mystery/suspense genre, taking place somewhere in the 1800-1990 range. So without further ado...

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Our story begins in a dark alley way located in a reputable part of the city. Its 5 o'clock in the morning. A shadowy figure drifts across the abandoned alley, quickly picks a locked door, and enters the Museum of Natural Occurrences. Gliding through the corridors, he makes a detour into the Rare Gems gallery. He finds the display case for a valuable diamond to be empty, just as he had expected. There are no signs of a thief to be found, besides the missing diamond. Minutes later, the man sits with the museum night watch and a police officer.

The night watch is speaking, "...Just like I said, I left the building at precisely 12:30, got a coffee and returned at about 1:00. I have witnesses that I was at the cafe! When I left, the diamond was there. When I returned, it was gone." The upset man finished.

Now the police officer turns to the shadowy man in a western-style hat and cloak, "Tell me again, detective, how did you get into the building just now?"

"The door was unlocked when I turned the handle," He replies in a gravelly voice.

"One more thing, what is your name?" asks the officer.

"The name's Jack," he pauses, "Pepper Jack"