Run: 2026-09-02-01M1H57QR3YRYXKPSSKPB2QX5Q

The van sat idling across the street from 42 Maplewood Drive, where inflatable castles and balloon arches announced the Henderson twins' eighth birthday party in aggressive pastel colors. Molly adjusted her binoculars and scowled. "You have got to be kidding me. There's a bouncy house. A literal bouncy house." "That's not a problem," Bill said, chewing his toothpick. "That's a feature. Nobody suspects the bouncy house guy." "Nobody suspects the bouncy house guy because there's no such thing as a bouncy house guy. Bill, the plan is insane. You want to dress up as a clown." "I want to dress up as a professional children's entertainer. There's a difference. Clowns are scary. I'm going to be Jolly Bill the Balloon Wizard." "You cannot do balloon animals." "I watched a nine-minute tutorial." "Congratulations. In nine minutes you'll be knotting your own fingers together while forty children scream for their parents." Bill snatched the binoculars and looked. "Okay, so we wait until cake time. Everyone crowds into the kitchen for the birthday song. That's when I slip through the back gate, get to the present table, and load up the rolling suitcase I've hidden under the gift bags." "Under the gift bags." "Camouflage, Molly. It's under a layer of wrapping paper. Genius." "It's not genius. It's a suitcase under paper. What if a kid shakes it?" "Kids shake presents?" "All kids shake presents, Bill. It's the first law of childhood." He waved this off. "Fine. Then I'll tell them it's from their great-aunt. Very heavy perfume, loves practical gifts." "You're going to impersonate a great-aunt." "A great-aunt's gift. I'm impersonating a gift." Molly stared at him for a long moment. "We've stolen diamonds. We've stolen a racehorse. We stole an entire yacht, Bill, while it was moving." "And none of those jobs had cake," Bill said. "Think about the upside." "The upside is a nine-year-old's birthday presents. What are we even going to get? Legos? A bike with training wheels?" "Twins, Molly. Double presents. And these people are loaded. Look at the size of those gift bags. That's not Target wrapping. That's boutique." "It's a children's party." "It's a vault with juice boxes." She rubbed her temples. "Okay. Say we get in. Say you survive the bouncy house gauntlet. Say the suitcase doesn't get shaken. You're still a grown man in a balloon wizard costume leaving a child's birthday party with a suitcase. Every adult there will see you." "That's why Jolly Bill does a final performance. Magic show finale in the living room. Everyone watches me. Nobody watches me leave, because I've already left. It's called misdirection, and it's the oldest trick in the book." "It's the oldest trick in the book because it doesn't work, Bill. You're describing a disappearing act with stolen goods." "There's no rule that says magic can't be profitable." "The rules say exactly that. All of them." Bill grinned and started the engine. "Get the glitter, Mol. Jolly Bill rides at noon." "I hate this crew." "You're the only crew." "I know. That's the problem."