Run: 2026-04-24-01KQ0474PHB7RTDD8AD761G30M

Molly pressed her binoculars to her nose, watching a five-year-old rip into a box containing a stuffed T-Rex. The backyard was a riot of balloons and a folding table groaning under wrapped boxes. She turned to her partner, who was studying a laminated map like they were storming Fort Knox. "Look at that pile, Bill. We're talking sixty, maybe seventy gifts. It's a goldmine wrapped in primary colors." "It's a five-year-old's birthday party, Molly. I feel genuinely weird about this." "Weird? We stole the Stanley Cup last month." "Exactly. We had standards. We had a reputation. Now we're hitting a bouncy castle?" "First of all, that castle is a tactical nightmare—no cover, constant motion. Second, the parents rented a pony. Do you know what pony rental costs? These people are loaded." Bill scratched his chin, eyes on the inflatable castle where children bounced like a shaken soda can. He sighed. "What if the kids see us? We can't traumatize small children." "We wear masks. Nice ones. Friendly animal masks. We'll look like entertainment that got lost." "And what about the parents?" "Distracted. Dad's doing magic tricks. Mom's guarding a piñata. We go in through the side gate during the cha-cha slide." "What about security?" "A balloon arch. Maybe a grandmother with a phone." Molly spread the invitation across the dashboard, pointing at the pirate map that marked the gift table with an X of glitter glue. She circled the refreshments twice. "We definitely need a code word." "Cake time." "Too obvious. How about 'the clown is sober'?" "Fine. When I say 'the clown is sober,' you grab the gift table." "Do we take the gift bags too, or just the boxes?" "Bags have clothes and books. We want the boxes. The rectangular ones that rattle. Those are the electronics." "What if a kid is actually holding a present?" "We don't mug children, Bill. We have a code." "So we only steal unattended loot. Like pirates, but polite." "Exactly. Polite pirates. We stack them on the wagon. I've greased the wagon wheels with cake frosting so they're silent." Bill paused over a bakery box smelling of buttercream. He pulled out a raccoon mask and sniffed it. "Wait, you stole cake frosting?" "I bought it. I'm a monster, not a savage. Now put on your mask." "Tell me, is this a fox or a bear?" "It's supposed to be a raccoon. We're raccoons. Because of the trash and thievery." "This mask smells strongly like vanilla." "I washed it. Again, standards. Now remember: in, stack, out. No face-planting in the ball pit, not this time." "That was one time. And I found a real watch." "It was a plastic Frozen watch. Move out." Bill hesitated, hand on the van door, eyes earnest behind his raccoon disguise. "Wait. Should we sing happy birthday to him first?" "Bill." "Strictly for cover! Not because I like the song." "If you sing, I will absolutely leave you in the bouncy castle. Understood?" "Understood." Molly shoved on her raccoon mask and grabbed the handle of a red wagon. She jerked her thumb toward the gate. "Good. Let's go steal some LEGOs."