Run: 2026-03-11-01KKFFFENEE3B55YJBKCX114H6

The pine bush outside 412 Maple Lane stuck to every exposed inch of Molly’s leather jacket, needles working their way down the back of her jeans like angry tiny centipedes as she squinted at the stack of neon-wrapped presents teetering by the back porch. A half-deflated unicorn bouncy castle wheezed ten feet away, kids screaming so loud the neighborhood squirrels had flattened themselves on power lines to wait out the chaos. Bill, next to her, fumbled with a fanny pack stuffed with what he’d called “heist essentials,” which so far had turned out to be a single crumpled granola bar, a disposable camera fished from a gas station trash, and a can of Silly String he swore was a “crowd control weapon.” “You sure the party clown’s distracted? I saw him juggling tater tots ten minutes ago, that guy’s a professional. Could spot us a mile off,” Bill hissed, ducking lower as a group of seven-year-olds bolted past the bush chasing a runaway balloon. Molly prodded his ribs hard enough to make him snort, quieting him before he could draw more attention. “The clown’s busy crying in his minivan because the birthday girl called his foam nose cheap. We’ve got twenty minutes max before the mom drags out the unicorn cake and every parent congregates by the porch to film her blow out the candles. That’s when we slip in, grab the stack, and bolt for our ride. And if you call it stolen again, I’m leaving you to explain to the cops why you had a trunk full of kids’ presents.” “Wait, the Lego Millennium Falcon’s at the top, right?” Bill whispered, scrambling to adjust the ski mask he’d pulled down over his forehead. “My cousin’ll give us 120 bucks for that, plus the unopened LOL Surprise OMG doll, my little sister’s been begging for that, we can knock 20 off for family. This is the easiest score we ever pulled. Way better than that laundromat heist that only netted us three quarters and a used sock.” Molly rolled her eyes, about to list all the ways this heist was already a disaster, when the golden retriever tied to the back fence lifted his head, ears pricked straight up, and fixed them with a glinting stare. “Easiest? That dog’s been watching us for five minutes. If he barks, the birthday girl will clock us with her t-ball bat before we take two steps. And if you so much as glance at that 4-foot vintage Barney propped against the present stack, I’m handing you over to the PTA.” “Barney?” Bill mouthed, already leaning forward to get a better look, and the dog barked, loud and sharp, cutting through the chaos of the party. Every head within ten feet snapped toward their bush.