The sun-drenched backyard was a tapestry of chaos, a riot of color and sound that threatened to overwhelm the senses. Balloons bobbed in the breeze, their trailing ribbons a mad tangle of pink and blue. A DJ spun a playlist that defied the laws of physics, as if the volume dial had been set to "ear-shatteringly loud." And at the center of it all, a giant inflatable castle, its slippery surface gleaming like a beacon of temptation. Molly sidled up to Bill, her eyes scanning the perimeter of the party as she worked through the plan in her head. "Okay, so we hit during the piñata break. The kids will be too distracted to notice us digging through the presents." Bill nodded, his jaw working as he snagged a sticky cloud of cotton candy off the serving table. "I've got the 'inflato-ray' ready. It'll give us a nice diversion while we scoop up all the loot." Molly raised an eyebrow. "The inflato-ray? You're still working on that thing, aren't you?" Bill's smile was sheepish. "Hey, it's a work in progress. I just need to tweak the propellant algorithm—" "Or in simpler terms, it's still a bunch of duct tape and pipe cleaners," Molly said dryly, snatching a handful of cotton candy from the serving table. Bill chuckled, snagging the cotton candy from her hand. "Hey, that's not fair! I've come a long way since the days of sticky fingers and stolen socks." Molly winked. "I'm just kidding. I love a good home-made gadget. So what's the play for the getaway car?" Bill consulted a scribbled-on Post-It note. "I've arranged for the ' party bus' to be parked down the street. We'll hijack it and make a break for the highway." Molly frowned. "The party bus? You mean that...thing with the bounce house in the back?" Bill nodded enthusiastically. "That one! It'll be a real conversation starter on our way to freedom." Molly shook her head, laughing. "You've got a one-track mind, Bill. All I hear is ' bounce house, bounce house, bounce house...'" Bill grinned, tucking the Post-It note into his pocket. "Hey, a guy's gotta have a hobby. And besides, who wouldn't want to make off with a bunch of kid's birthday presents? It's the ultimate score." Molly snorted, snagging another handful of cotton candy. "You're such a child. Okay, so what's the plan for disposing of the evidence?" Bill's face turned serious, his expression a perfect picture of intense professionalism. "I've rented a U-Haul to handle the...ah, ' overflow' from the party. We'll just ditch it at the nearest highway rest stop." Molly blinked. "A U-Haul? You expect me to believe that?" Bill shrugged. "Hey, it's not like we're going for 'most likely to be caught' here. We're going for ' best-dressed, most-parties-crashed..." He winked at her. "You know the drill." Molly sighed, the cotton candy cloud between them getting soggy and grey in the warm sunlight. It was going to be a long, wild night.