Run: 2026-09-23-01M37PT2PH4GSZDMJ9RMGYVET3

Bill spread the map across the hood of the van. It was drawn in crayon, because that was what had been in the glove box. "Right. Target's a seven-year-old named Tyler. Party starts at two. Bouncy castle, magician, forty guests." "Forty guests," Molly said, "means forty presents. Minimum." "Unless some of them go in on a joint gift." "Nobody goes in on a joint gift for a seven-year-old, Bill. That's a grandparent move." "Fair." He tapped a purple rectangle. "Presents go on the gift table, here, by the patio. We need eyes on it the whole time." "Which is why I'm going in as the magician." Bill stared at her. "You can't do magic." "I can make forty presents disappear. That's the whole act." "And when some kid asks you to pull a rabbit out of a hat?" "I tell him the rabbit's in witness protection. Kids respect a code of silence." Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Fine. What am I doing?" "You're delivering the bouncy castle." "They already booked a bouncy castle." "They booked Jumpin' Jerry's Castle Kingdom. We've booked Jumpin' Jerry. He's in the back of the van." Bill glanced over his shoulder. Something in the back of the van thumped twice. "Molly, that's kidnapping." "It's a bribe. I gave him two hundred quid and a packet of Jaffa Cakes. He's having a lovely time." A muffled voice called, "They're the orange ones! Cheers!" Bill lowered his voice. "Okay. Walk me through it." "Two-fifteen, you inflate the castle. Two-thirty, I start the show and every kid in the garden is watching me. Two-forty, you load the presents into the castle." "Into it?" "Through the air valve. It's huge. Then at three, you deflate it, roll it up with the presents inside, and drive off. Nobody questions a man carrying a bouncy castle." "Everybody questions a man carrying a lumpy bouncy castle." "Tell them it's the turrets." Bill frowned at the crayon map for a long moment. "What about the mum?" Molly's face darkened. "Denise." "You said her name like it was a disease." "Denise is chair of the PTA. Denise ran the school fete with military precision. Last year, someone parked in her space at the bake sale and they've never been seen again." "Never?" "Well, they moved to Swindon. Same thing." Bill swallowed. "So how do we handle Denise?" "Piñata. Three o'clock. She'll be holding the stick. Every parent knows you don't take your eyes off a blindfolded child with a weapon." "That's actually quite clever." "I'm a professional, Bill." He folded the map and hesitated. "One more thing. What are we actually going to do with forty children's presents?" Molly blinked. "Sell them." "To who?" "To..." She paused. "Other children." "Children don't have money, Molly." "Then their parents." "So we're stealing presents from children to sell to the parents of other children, who will give them to children." Molly considered this. "It's a circular economy. Very eco-friendly." From the back of the van, Jerry called, "Can I keep the Lego?" "No!" they said together.