Run: 2026-05-31-01KSYX8102499P4CA2ABQ27JRY

Molly pressed her face against the bakery window, watching the chaos unfold across the street. "There it is," she whispered. "The Hendersons' backyard. Birthday party central." Bill squinted. "That's a lot of balloons." "Forget the balloons. Look at the present table." "I am looking at the present table. I'm also looking at forty children armed with sugar and zero impulse control." "Bill, those gifts are unguarded gold. Premium toys, gift cards, maybe even electronics. We walk in, we walk out." "We walk in dressed as what, exactly? Two adults with no children at a six-year-old's party?" Molly grinned and held up a paper bag. "Clowns." "Absolutely not." "It's perfect. Nobody questions a clown. Clowns have free reign. We honk a horn, we make a balloon dog, we leave with a sack of PlayStations." "I have a deep, biological fear of clowns, Molly. You know this." "Which is exactly why nobody will suspect you. You'll be too busy sweating through the makeup." Bill sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay. Say we get in. How do we move the presents? You can't exactly tuck a bicycle under your arm and tiptoe out." "That's where the magic act comes in." She pulled out a second costume. "Magician's table. False bottom. Big enough to fit half the loot." "You want me to be a clown AND a magician?" "No, I'm the magician. You're the clown. You distract the kids while I make the presents disappear. Literally. It's thematically appropriate." "What about the parents?" "Have you ever met a parent at a kids' party? They're exhausted, they're hiding in the kitchen drinking boxed wine, and they would pay actual money for someone to entertain those tiny monsters for an hour." Bill considered this. "That's disturbingly accurate." "So we're agreed?" "We are not agreed. There's a flaw. A massive, screaming flaw." "Which is?" "Children, Molly. Children notice everything. You drop one present, one kid sees it, and suddenly we've got forty witnesses with no concept of social discretion screaming 'THE CLOWN STOLE TIMMY'S LEGO.'" Molly waved a dismissive hand. "We bribe them." "With what?" "Candy. Obviously. We bring more candy than they've ever seen. They'll be loyal to us forever. Kids are easily purchased, Bill. It's their best quality." Bill stared at her for a long moment. "You've thought about this way too much." "I've thought about it the correct amount." "And if it goes wrong?" "Then we run. We're dressed as a clown and a magician. No description will be taken seriously. 'Officer, I was robbed by Bozo and Houdini.' They'll laugh him out of the precinct." Bill slowly reached out and took the clown costume from her hands. He examined the oversized shoes with the resignation of a man accepting his fate. "I want it on the record that I hate this." "Noted." "And I want sixty percent." "Fifty-five, and I'll do your face paint so you don't look terrifying." Bill looked at the makeup, then at the gleaming present table. "Fine. But if a single child cries, I'm out." "Deal. Now honk this."