Molly adjusted her night vision goggles and stared at the pastel-colored bungalow across the street. "You're telling me we're risking twenty years for a LEGO Death Star and some Chuck E. Cheese gift cards?" "First of all, it's a limited edition LEGO Death Star. Retired set. Worth three grand. Secondly, little Timmy Henderson's parents are hedge fund managers. Last year, that kid got a genuine Shetland pony wrapped in a bow." "Still seems beneath us. We used to steal diamonds." "We used to get shot at by security guards with actual guns. Have you seen the security at a seven-year-old's birthday party? A sleep-deprived dad checking his phone and a clown making balloon animals." "The clown concerns me." "Why?" "Clowns are perceptive, Bill. They watch. They notice when adults don't belong around children." "That's why you're going as the clown." "I beg your pardon?" "Molly, you're five-foot-two, energetic, and you can juggle. I've seen you do it with grenades in Marrakesh." "Those were flashbangs, and I dropped two." "But you didn't drop the third, and that's the kind of can-do spirit these kids are looking for." Bill pulled a rainbow wig from his duffel bag. "I, meanwhile, will be 'Uncle Bob,' the mysterious relative who keeps having to load things into his van." "Why do I have to entertain the horde while you loot?" "Because you can fit through the bathroom window. The presents get stacked in the master bedroom while they do cake. Standard suburban protocol. I create a diversion—probably something involving the barbecue—you shimmy up the drainpipe, stuff everything into garbage bags, and rappel down." "Rappel down? From a ranch house?" "It's called commitment to the bit." Molly put on the wig. "The parents will ask questions." "Parents at children's parties are desperate for distractions. Tell them you're from 'Premium Party Pals.' Hand them a business card. I've already printed them." "You printed business cards for a fake clown company but you forgot to bring the lockpicks?" "We won't need lockpicks. Henderson senior keeps a spare key under the ceramic frog by the koi pond. Classic mistake." "And if the frog is actually a camera?" "Then wave at the nice policemen while I speed away in the van." "I miss the old days. Monaco. The Riviera. Stealing from people who deserved it." "Timmy Henderson bites his classmates. I saw the incident reports on the neighborhood app. We're basically Robin Hood." "We're keeping the profits." "Robin Hood had overhead, Molly. He had arrows to buy." Bill checked his watch. "Cake cutting is in twenty. You go first, establish the character. Make a balloon sword. Kids love sword fights." "And if the birthday boy asks why his 'Uncle Bob' is stealing his PlayStation 5?" "Tell him Santa called. Said he was naughty." Bill grinned. "Now get in there. And remember—if anyone asks, you charge forty dollars an hour plus travel."