Molly and Bill sat hunched over a sticky table in the corner of an ice cream shop, their eyes darting around like hummingbirds. The colorful streamers overhead seemed to mock the seriousness of their intentions. Bill tapped a crayon against the map of the party venue—an ambitious structure built entirely in confectionary dreams. “Why a kids’ party?” Molly asked, her eyes lighting up with mischief as she tilted her pink baseball cap backward. “Because nobody suspects a couple of clowns,” Bill grinned, pointing to the gap between the bouncy castle and the cake table. “We’ll go in through here. Distract the rugrats with balloon animals and—” “Swipe the lot,” Molly cut in, nodding. “But do we even know what they’re getting this year?” “Got a tip from Larry the Magician,” Bill replied, fishing a piece of paper from his pocket. “He says there’s a genuine remote-control spaceship, the latest in tech toys.” Molly raised an eyebrow. “Space age thievery. I like it.” Bill’s eyes glinted with shared excitement. “After the chaos of three-tier cake slicing, we’re clear. Remember, all those parents will be too busy filming ‘Junior’s Big Day’ to notice a couple of lost gifts.” “And we make off, richer and wiser,” Molly said with a wink.