Run: 2026-07-25-01KYD5YDXNGDZTEEBWF1WNZNXH

Molly spread the blueprints across the hood of Bill's Civic, pinning down a corner with a juice box. "Alright. The target: 42 Maple Lane. Saturday, two p.m." "A kid's birthday party," Bill said flatly. "Six years old. Means the presents are good. Tablets, gaming consoles. Nobody gives a six-year-old socks anymore." "Nobody gives a six-year-old a tablet either." "My nephew got one. Cracked it in a week, but he got one." Molly tapped the blueprint. "We go in through the back fence. Bounce house is positioned here, blocking sightlines from the kitchen window. That's our cover." "How do you know where the bounce house is?" "Dedicated Bounce House Rentals posts their setups on Instagram. I followed three companies." Bill pinched the bridge of his nose. "And the clown?" "The clown is on the parent's side, our problem is the clown's girlfriend." "What?" "I'm kidding, Bill. Focus." She pulled out two gift bags. "We pose as guests. We bring decoy presents, we swap, we leave with the real ones." "Decoy presents." "Bricks wrapped in paper. Classic." "A six-year-old is going to open a brick, Molly." "We'll be gone by then. In and out, twenty minutes." "What do we do about the gift table? It's in the middle of the yard. Thirty witnesses." "Twenty-eight of them are under four feet tall and hopped up on cake. Witnesses aren't a concern. The adults will be staring at their phones or arguing about whose kid is gifted." Bill studied the blueprint. "What's this circle marked 'danger zone'?" "Piñata." "How is a piñata a danger zone?" "You ever been near a piñata when it breaks, Bill? It's a riot. It's a riot with tiny participants and a stick. We do not operate near the piñata." "Fine." Bill folded his arms. "Costumes?" "Casual. Jeans, polo. We're 'friends of the family.' Nobody checks. Nobody ever checks." "I want a codename." "Why?" "We always have codenames." "We've never had codenames." "That's because you always shoot it down." Bill pointed at himself. "I'm calling myself the Magician." "You're not calling yourself the Magician." "The Illusionist?" "Bill." "The Great Billdini?" "We're not using codenames because we're not doing anything that requires—" Molly stopped. "Fine. You're Billdini. I'm the Duchess. Happy?" "Ecstatic." "Saturday, one forty-five, we park two streets over. I carry the gift bags, you carry the tote with the bricks. If anything goes wrong, the signal is me yelling 'I need to find the bathroom.'" "That's not a signal, that's just a thing people say." "Exactly. No one will suspect it." "And if you actually need the bathroom?" Molly stared at him. "Then I'll say it twice, Bill." "Got it. Twice means real." "Once means job. Twice means real." "Once means job, twice means real." He nodded solemnly, like a man memorizing the launch codes. "Hey, Molly?" "Yeah?" "We're terrible people." "Bill, we're stealing birthday presents from a six-year-old." "Right. Just confirming." "Saturday. Bring the bricks." "Billdini always brings the bricks." "Don't say that at the party."