Run: 2026-09-23-01M36V836MGDKEVWXXBSK1HRDB

"Right, tonight's the big one," Molly said, sliding the napkin with the plan across the table. "Seven-year-old's birthday. Forty-five presents. No security." "You just told me there's no security and called it the big one?" Bill raised an eyebrow. "No armed guards. Different thing entirely. Do you want to know the details or do you want to be sarcastic?" "I'm doing both. Carry on." Molly took a breath. "Party starts at three p.m. Location is 42 Maple Drive. The parents are Dave and Sandra. Sandra is the anxious type. Dave is the distracted type. He'll be in the kitchen refilling a punch bowl the entire time." "And Sandra?" "Sandra will be busy apologizing for the cake being slightly lopsided to every single guest. That's our window." Bill leaned forward. "And what's the plan once we're inside?" "We're going in as entertainers. I booked us as 'Two Wacky the Clowns,' two debutant clowns who just so happen to have a van with plenty of storage space in the back." "You booked us as clowns?" "Balloons, Molly. And apparently balloons come with a van. Whoever runs that clown company doesn't think through their logistics." "And if they ask for credentials?" "I made badges." Molly slid two laminated cards across the table. "See? Totally official looking. I used Comic Sans, which is really the only font that works for clowns." Bill examined his card. "This says 'Wacky the Clown.' Singular. There's two of us." "I ran out of badge paper. You're a Wacky, I'm also a Wacky. We're both Wacky. It's a brand thing." "Fine. So we walk in, we make balloon animals for the kids, and then what? What's the extraction?" Molly pointed at the napkin. "While the kids are distracted by you doing a magic trick, I'll move the presents from the lounge room to the van. There's a side door that opens into the backyard. Easy access." "And your magic trick?" "What about it?" "What's your magic trick?" "I don't have one." "Then I'm just a clown standing in front of forty-five presents stealing them under the kids' gaze?" "Right." "That's not a heist, Molly. That's just a robbery. We need misdirection." "Fine. You do the disappearing trick. I put you in a box, you pretend to vanish, the kids scream, I move the presents. Everyone's happy." "Everyone except the parents who just had their child's entire birthday ripped off." "Parents are always miserable at children's parties anyway. We'd be doing them a favor." Bill stared at her for a long moment. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm in." "Don't be weird about it. Here, eat your sandwich before it gets stale." Bill picked up his sandwich. "One more thing. What do we do with forty-five children's presents?" "We fence them." "Children's presents, Molly. Who fences children's presents?" "Someone's going to open a secondhand shop eventually. We're just early to the market." Bill took a bite of his sandwich. "God help us both."