The sun beat down on the sidewalk outside the brightly colored birthday party tent, its rays reflecting off the shimmering balloons tied to the door handles. Children's laughter drifted on the breeze, mingling with the smell of cotton candy and popcorn. Across the street, Molly peered through her binoculars at the festivities. She adjusted her oversized sunglasses and turned to Bill, who lounged against the side of their black van, puffing on a cigarette. "What do you think?" she asked, lowering the binoculars. "Enough loot for a decent haul?" Bill took a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling a plume of smoke. "Definitely. I'm seeing at least a dozen kids in there. Each one's gotta have a few hundred bucks worth of toys and cash. Easy payday." Molly grinned, revealing a gap between her front teeth. "I knew this was a good idea. Stealing from kids on their birthday? They'll be too shell-shocked to even think about calling the cops." "Brilliant," Bill agreed. "Plus, who's gonna suspect a couple of thieves of robbing a kiddie party? The whole thing is like it was written for us." Molly clapped him on the shoulder. "That's what I like to hear. Now let's get into costume and prep for the big break-in." Inside the van, they changed into matching clown outfits, complete with orange wigs and oversized shoes. Molly smeared bright red lipstick across her mouth and Bill painted a white triangle on the end of his nose. "Perfect," she declared, admiring their reflections in the side mirror. "We're unrecognizable." "Unrecognizable and terrifying," Bill added. "These kids are gonna have nightmares about us for years to come." "Good. More time for us to fence the loot." Molly climbed into the driver's seat while Bill hopped into the back. They parked the van a block away and made their way to the party on foot. Molly produced a handful of colorful balloons from her pocket and they each tied one around their wrists. "Remember, play it cool," she whispered as they approached the entrance. "We're just a couple of party clowns here to entertain." Bill nodded and they slipped inside. Immediately they were assaulted by the cacophony of screaming children and blaring music. Molly winced. "Jesus, I forgot how awful kid parties are." "Part of the job," Bill reminded her. He clapped his hands