Bill slammed the lid of his toolbox shut. The sound echoed through the concrete block, signaling the end of a negotiation that had already lasted too long. "Bill, look at the timeline. Sarah is bringing a three-tier cake." "Cake is edible evidence, Molly. It must be disposed of immediately. In the dumpster." "What about the balloons? Those are tripwires. She ties them to everything." "You’re overthinking this. The balloons are for the kids. The presents are for us. It’s basic mathematics." "There’s a clown in the backyard. Ringmaster Rudy." "Rudy? We can bludgeon him with a banana. Or distract him with a rubber chicken." "Rudy has a sledgehammer. He uses it to pound nails into the cake stands to keep them stable." "Brilliant. A heavy object. Perfect for smashing glass and scaring the toddlers." "Molly, we are thieves, not demolition experts." "In this job, everything is for sale. Even the destruction. That sledgehammer will look great on the mantle." Bill rubbed his tired eyes and leaned back against a stack of rusty barrels. "Fine. But if we get caught by Rudy, I’m singing. I will name names. I’ll say you dress like a bat." "You can say that. It’s true, isn't it?" "Also, I’m not wearing the tight neon spandex. It’s undignified." "You’ll look sleek. Like a wasp. Or a kick-ass vampire." "And if we don’t steal the Transformer set, I’m singing too." "I will pay you. I’ll give you the entire bag of donuts from the loot bags." "I’ll take the Twinkies. And the switch." Bill groaned, reaching into his pocket to pull out a schematic map of the house. He tapped a specific spot on the driveway. "Do we really need the surveillance van? It’s a Saturday." "We need it for the air conditioning. The van is the only thing keeping us sane in this heat." "I’m going to regret this."