"Okay, let’s zero in on the target architecture before we lose daylight. I want to know the approach vector for the rear patio. I’m not talking about a casual stroll; I’m talking about a tactical insertion, maybe a low crawl if the noise levels get too high." "You sound like a spy movie again, Molls. It’s a birthday party. There’s bunting involved." "It’s a fortress, Bill. Seven kids, two cake tables, and one distracted mom. The Blind Side." Molly pointed at the scribbled diagram on the napkin. "This is the kid. He has the furniture." "He’s getting a scooter?" "He’s getting a scooter, a reading nook, and the big black Power Wheels truck. The vault is unlocked." Molly adjusted her glasses. "We don't need to crack the safe. We just need to bypass the security layer." "The security layer being the children?" "Exactly. Children are nature’s greatest distraction. If we send in a distraction, we can grab the truck." "Okay, who are we sending in?" "Me." "You?" "I’m small, I’m cute, and nobody suspects a woman in a trench coat. I’ll saunter up, maybe trip over a garden gnome to get some sympathy, and you swoop in." "I swoop in with the bag?" "The bag. Fill it with the truck, the scooter, and maybe the hamster if it’s small enough to fit in a pocket. We slip out the doggy door." "Where’s the hamster going?" "We buy the hamster. It’s cheaper than the scooter anyway." "Are you stealing a hamster, Molly?" "I’m liberating it from a life of solitude. It needs a family." "What if the piñata falls on me?" "It won’t. The plan is to break the piñata first. We crack it with the Louisville Slugger, we get the candy everywhere, the kids scream, we grab the loot while the adults are scraping glitter off their shoes, and we melt into the cul-de-sac." "What about the glitter?" "Glitter is our friend, Bill. Glitter never forgets. We’ll just layer up." "Sounds solid. When do we leave?" "Park the van around the block. Give it twenty minutes to cool down. I don't want to smell like fast food when I'm charming the target." "Got it. The van smells like stale tacos." "Good. Keep the tacos smelling. We blend in. Now, does the Louisville Slugger fit in the glovebox?" "It’s a bit tight. I’ll have to wedge it." "That’s what she said." "That’s what she said." "Nice. Keep the humor up. We need the high ground." "Is the power wheelchair in the garage?" "The big blue one?" "Yes. That’s our getaway vehicle." "We have to steal the wheelchair? The child uses it." "We use it for ten minutes, Bill. We set the speed to maximum. We detach the chair, put the kid in the back of the van, and keep the chair. It was expensive. We sell it for scrap metal." "You really want to sell a custom power chair?" "We do what we have to do to pay for the bail money." "I still think the truck is enough." "The truck is for sentimental value. We keep the truck." "Okay. Wait, what if the mom realizes the hamster is gone?" "We leave a ransom note. A drawing of a burger." "Molly." "Okay, a note saying the hamster was forcibly recruited. Let's move."