Run: 2026-02-25-01KJBGVG05MNG6RHA9XQ5XDV4B

Bill adjusted the elastic band of his mask while hiding behind the overgrown privet hedge beside the fence. The smell of cheap bubble bath and stale popcorn drifted over them from the backyard party. The moon was partially obscured by clouds, casting a shadow over their position. "The perimeter is secure," he whispered, pointing a trembling finger toward the bright white picket fence where a man in a suit stood holding a clipboard. "Secure?" Molly asked, shifting her weight to one leg while clutching her heavy flashlight. "Barkley is leashed, but Gary is looking at his phone watching a video of a cat." "Gary works for the parents," Bill replied calmly, checking his watch for the time. "He does not see us when he is laughing at the video on the screen." "You know, I thought the heist was about high-tech surveillance and laser grids," Molly continued, glaring at him in the dark. "Not just stalking a normal children's birthday party in South Park." "It is South Park Avenue, Molly. There is a difference in property value between a mansion and a two-story colonial house." "The property value is irrelevant right now." She pointed at the backyard where twenty kids were screaming for candy. "There are twenty kids in there. Twenty energetic, screaming, sticky-fingered humans." "That is a distraction mechanism," Bill countered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "When the Piñata breaks, they will all look up at the sky." "You want to move during a sugar rush?" Molly asked skeptically. "They won't see us, but they will trip over all that black fabric." "We have Velcro shoes. Silent treads on the carpet." "And the costumes?" Molly demanded, shaking her head with frustration. "I am a forensic accountant, Bill. I do not dress as a ghost." "It is about blending in. A ghost is everywhere and nowhere to them." "That sounds like my taxes. Never seen, never paid by us." "Exactly. We take the presents and vanish into the dark." "Vanish? Into the alley?" "Into the van. I have the van. It has a sliding door." Molly nodded slowly while checking the time. "What about the noise?" "Circus music. We just need to beat the music." "Music is very loud at these things." "Then we steal during the song. One hour." "We have forty minutes, not an hour." "The parents leave at 4:15." "They leave when the sun goes down, or when the cake is cut." "The cake is at 4:15." "We have ten minutes." "Ten minutes? Are you insane?" "Ten minutes plus the distraction." "What if they start singing Happy Birthday?" "Then we grab the stack and run." "Bill, if a child cries, I lose my mind." "Then put the headphones on." "They have toys." "The toys are the targets. We want the expensive ones." "The expensive ones are the toys." "Do you know the value of the robot?" "I know the robot costs fifty dollars." "A hundred. We can sell it online." "On the black market?" "It is a toy, not an illegal weapon." "But it is a weapon of mass confusion." "It is money for us." "Money for a robbery." "It is a loan. From the birthday boy." "He does not want to loan it." "He is too young to say no." "He will scream." "We wear earplugs." "I am not stealing toys because a toddler screams." "The van is here. I drove it myself." "You drove the van?" "Yes, to the alleyway." "Okay. On three?" "On two." "On one." "Go." Bill grabbed her arm and sprinted toward the gate, while she stumbled behind him into the night, the party lights flashing behind them.