Run: 2026-09-29-01M3P2CCPCXF73FKA2MHSS8C0Q

Molly crouched behind a hedge shaped like a badly sculpted giraffe, binoculars trained on the Hendersons' backyard. Sixteen children in paper crowns shrieked around a bouncy castle while a magician pulled a scarf from his sleeve and, with visible despair, a dead-looking dove. Bill wriggled in beside her, wearing a balaclava, a black turtleneck, and, for reasons he refused to explain, a party hat. "Nice hat. Very tactical," Molly whispered. "It's camouflage. Nobody suspects a man in a party hat," said Bill. She let it go. The gift table sat beneath a gazebo, groaning under shiny boxes, ribbons fluttering like the flags of a small, wealthy nation. Molly had counted forty-two presents. Bill had wept a little when she told him. Between the thieves and the loot stood three obstacles: a sinister clown, a grandmother with the eyes of a hawk, and a piñata-swinging toddler with frighteningly accurate aim. Molly checked her watch. Every eye in the yard would soon swivel toward the birthday cake, and then the gazebo would be theirs. "Cake in four minutes. Ready?" Bill adjusted his hat with solemn dignity. "Born ready." Somewhere, a toddler began to scream, and the clown turned to stare directly at the hedge.