Run: 2026-02-18-01KHQ925Y75SHN9FM6BGWGQRBD

The van smelled like stale chips and desperation. Molly spread the hand-drawn map across the dashboard while Bill ate a sandwich with the focus of a man who had absolutely no concerns about anything. "Are you looking at this?" Molly tapped the paper hard enough to leave a dent. "I'm looking at it." "You're looking at your sandwich." "I can do both. I'm multitasking. It's a modern skill." Molly pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay. So the party starts at two. The bouncy castle gets delivered at one-thirty, which means everyone's eyes are going to be on the bouncy castle." "I love bouncy castles." "Bill." "Sorry. Continue." "The presents are going to be stacked in the garage. The parents always put them in the garage so the kids don't tear into them before cake. I've seen it a hundred times." Bill finally set down his sandwich. "How have you seen it a hundred times? How many children's parties have you surveilled?" "That's not the point." "It feels like it might be a point worth exploring." "The garage has a side door," Molly continued, stabbing the map with her finger. "You come in from the alley, I keep watch from the street. We load the bags in under four minutes and we're gone before they finish singing happy birthday." Bill wiped his hands on his jacket. "What are we actually going to do with a hundred presents meant for a six year old?" "We sell them." "We're going to sell a bunch of toy dinosaurs and craft kits." "People buy anything online, Bill." "Fair point." He leaned over and squinted at the map. "Is this dot the bouncy castle or the birthday child?" "It's the bouncy castle. Why would I draw the birthday child on the map?" "For context." "I don't need a six year old on my operational map for context." Bill nodded slowly. "What's the child's name?" "Why does that matter?" "It doesn't. I'm just curious." "Theo." "Theo." Bill repeated the name quietly, staring through the windshield at nothing. "We're stealing from a kid named Theo." "We're not stealing from Theo. We're stealing from Theo's guests. There's a distinction." "Is there though?" "Philosophically, yes." "I don't think that holds up." "It holds up fine." Molly rolled up the map with authority. "Four minutes, side door, alley exit. You wear the jacket with the deep pockets. I drive." "You always drive." "Because you once took a wrong turn leaving a car park for eleven minutes." "The signage was misleading." "There was one sign, Bill. It said exit." He picked up his sandwich again. "So we're really doing this. Stealing birthday presents from small children." "From their guests." "Right. The philosophical distinction." He chewed thoughtfully. "Do you think they'll have one of those party bags? With the little sweets inside?" Molly stared at him for a long moment. "Get out of the van."