Molly tapped a greasy finger on the blueprint, which was actually a ketchup-smeared placemat from “Pizza Pete’s.” Across the van’s worn bench seat, Bill nervously picked at a loose thread on the upholstery, the scent of stale pepperoni filling the small space. The placemat showed a crude, red-squiggled map of a suburban backyard. “Entry point is the side gate, left unlocked by the older sibling for a five-dollar bribe,” Molly said, her voice low and serious. “We move along the fence line, using the hedge as cover. Our target, the present table, is here.” She pointed to a large red blob. “Guarded by the primary parental unit, Brenda.” Bill squinted at the schematic. “What about the bouncy castle? Those things are unpredictable. A kid on a sugar high could launch into me at any moment. It’s a rogue projectile.” Molly sighed, a long-suffering sound that seemed to absorb all the van’s ambient light. “The bouncy castle is a non-target asset, Bill. We treat it like a pressure plate: you don’t touch it. My main concern is the clown.” “‘Silly Steve’?” Bill asked, his voice rising slightly. “He’s a wildcard. He might squirt me with a flower or make me a balloon animal, compromising my identity.” “We neutralize Steve with a riddle,” Molly countered, not missing a beat. “He’s a sucker for a good brain-teaser. It will create a ten-minute window of confusion. The real threat is the glitter.” “The glitter?” “It’s a contaminant, Bill. A forensic nightmare. It gets on everything. We’ll need lint rollers for the extraction.” She paused, her eyes narrowing. “And what if a kid gets face paint on my tactical turtleneck? That’s dry-clean only.” Bill stared at her, then back at the placemat. He couldn’t believe his life had come to this. “You know, for a master jewel thief, you’re surprisingly worried about a little craft glitter.” Molly leaned forward, her professional facade cracking just enough to reveal a glint of childish glee. “I saw one of the gift bags through the binoculars. It had a limited-edition, holographic, sparkly unicorn on it. I’m not leaving without it.”