Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KRRW7D12BXGHWQ1665V0DY

Molly spread the invitation on the kitchen table next to a half-eaten toast. The glitter glue was still wet. Bill peered over her shoulder with a spoon in his mouth. "Okay, listen. It's seven-year-old Timmy's birthday party. Saturday, three to five, at the community center. Theme is Space Explorers." "Do they have presents?" Bill asked. "Bill, it's a children's party. They have presents. There's going to be a table covered in wrapping paper, bows, and parental guilt." He lowered the spoon. "That's the best kind of target. No security, no alarms, just moms with juice boxes." Molly tapped the address with a red fingernail. "We go in at four-thirty. Parents are distracted by cake. Kids are doing the piñata. We grab the presents, we go." "And what if Timmy cries?" Bill said. "Timmy will cry when he realizes his presents are in our van. That's emotional damage we can live with." Bill laughed. "You got a costume?" "I'm going as a volunteer party helper. Tutu, hairnet, name tag that says Molly. It's perfect cover. You be the bored teenager with a clipboard." "I am a bored teenager with a clipboard," Bill muttered. Molly rolled her eyes. "You need to be less bored and more helpful. You know how to act normal around kids, right?" "I once babysat my nephew for twenty minutes. He tried to feed the cat a cupcake. I think I'm qualified." "Great. Your job is to distract the adults. Ask about the venue rental, the insurance, whether they need more napkins. Bore them into compliance." Bill nodded slowly. "And you grab the loot." "We grab the loot. All of it. The Lego sets, the art kits, the embarrassing stuffed animals with googly eyes. We leave nothing." "What about the parents who spent forty dollars on a single remote control car?" "We donate it to a good cause. Like us." Molly pulled out a small duffel bag. "We have the exit route. Back door by the kitchen. The loading dock is unlocked during events for catering." "And if someone stops us?" "We say we're collecting for the hospital. Kids in space need space toys. It's poetic." Bill stood up and stretched. "This is either the dumbest heist we've ever done or the smartest." "It's both," Molly said, grinning. "That's why I love it." "Fine. But if I get glitter in my hair, I'm charging you." "You'll thank me when we're driving away with a trunk full of plastic dinosaurs." He picked up the invitation. "Timmy's mom wrote 'no uninvited guests.'" Molly snatched it back. "She didn't say no highly qualified party helpers." The toast was cold now, but the plan was warm. Bill grinned and tapped the bag. "What time do we meet?" Molly checked her watch. "Three-thirty in the parking lot. Bring the clipboard, and for the love of God, don't eat the cake before we steal it." "No promises," Bill said, and they both laughed. The heist was on.