Molly spread the hand-drawn map across the sticky diner table and jabbed her finger at a crayon-colored rectangle. "That's the bouncy castle. We'll need to go around it." "Why around it?" Bill leaned forward, squinting at the crude drawing. "Why not through it?" "Because you're fifty-three years old and you threw out your back sneezing last Tuesday." "That was a violent sneeze, Molly. The doctor said he'd never seen anything like it." "The doctor said you need to stop eating gas station sushi." "Unrelated." Bill waved his hand dismissively. "Now walk me through this again. We're hitting a seven-year-old's birthday party." "Correct." "For presents." "Also correct." "This feels like a new low." "Bill, do you remember the Hendersons?" "The family with the obscenely wealthy grandparents?" "The very same. Little Timmy Henderson is turning seven, and grandma and grandpa are flying in from Monaco. Monaco, Bill." "I'm listening." "Last year they gave the kid a Rolex." "He's six!" "He was six. Now he's turning seven, and word on the street is grandpa bought him a vintage baseball card collection worth forty thousand dollars." Bill let out a low whistle. "For a child who probably still eats crayons." "The crayons are not our concern. The baseball cards are our concern. Now, the party starts at two. Entertainment arrives at two-thirty." "What kind of entertainment?" "A magician named The Amazing Roberto." "Is he actually amazing?" "He has three stars on Yelp and a suspended driver's license." "So not amazing." "Not remotely. But here's where it gets good. Roberto needs an assistant." "Please tell me you didn't." "I did. You're looking at Roberto's new lovely assistant, Molinda the Magnificent." "That's not a real name." "It is now. I printed business cards." "Of course you did. And what's my role in this criminal masterpiece?" "You're the balloon animal guy." "I don't know how to make balloon animals." "You have three days to learn." "Molly, I can barely tie my shoes." "Then you'll fit right in with the seven-year-olds. Look, you distract the kids with your horrifying balloon creations while I locate the present table." "And then?" "Then I signal you, you fake a medical emergency—" "Another violent sneeze?" "Whatever sells it. Parents panic, kids scatter, I load the goods into Roberto's van." "Won't Roberto notice us stealing things?" "Roberto will be in the bathroom." "How do you know that?" "Because I'm putting laxatives in his coffee thermos." Bill stared at her for a long moment. "You've really thought this through." "I've been planning this for six months." "Since last year's party?" "Since I saw the Rolex on a kid who can't tell time." "Fair enough." Bill folded his arms. "I want sixty percent." "You'll get forty and you'll like it." "Fifty." "Forty-five, and I'll teach you how to make a balloon dog." "Deal."