Run: 2026-09-29-01M3P2GEREZPMTA2YRWG9YHZMD

Molly spread the blueprint across the hood of the van and smoothed it flat. It was a crayon drawing of a bouncy castle. "That's the floor plan?" Bill asked. "That's the floor plan. Little Tyler turns six on Saturday, two o'clock, Fairview Park, pavilion number three." "And the presents?" "Stacked on a folding table by the cake. Forty-two of them. I counted the RSVPs." Bill whistled. "That's a lot of LEGO." "That's a lot of everything. Now, you go in as the clown." "Why am I the clown?" "Because Balloonzo canceled. I told him the party moved to Tuesday." "Molly, that's cold." "That's professional. You arrive at one-fifty in the big shoes with a squirting flower. Nobody looks twice at a clown. Nobody wants to." "I don't know any tricks." "You don't need tricks. You need a balloon animal." "I can make a line." "Then it's a snake. Kids love snakes." Bill rubbed his chin. "And what are you doing while I'm the snake clown?" "I'm the cake lady. I walk in with a sheet cake that says 'Happy Birthday Tyler,' and the carrier has a false bottom. Twelve presents per trip." "Four trips, then." "Three and a half. Some of them are small. One is probably socks." "Nobody wants socks." "Bill, we take the socks. A thief doesn't judge the gift." He nodded, then frowned. "What if a kid catches us?" "You squirt the flower and I yell, 'Look, a puppy!'" "Is there a puppy?" "There's always a puppy. Somebody's uncle brings one." "What about the parents? Those moms in the yoga pants look like they could tackle a bear." "That's why we bring forty juice boxes." "Laced with what?" "Nothing. Just apple juice. Parents get grateful over free juice. They relax and start talking about school districts. We could carry out the piñata and they'd thank us." "That's genius." "I know." Bill hesitated, twisting a yellow balloon into a sad little noodle. "Molly, are we bad people?" "We're stealing from six-year-olds." "Right." "But Tyler's dad drives a Porsche. Tyler will be fine. Tyler will be *thrilled* to learn about loss." "Okay. What's the escape?" "The bouncy castle. We deflate it, roll it up with the presents inside, and carry it out like a big sad burrito." "In front of everybody?" "Bill, nobody questions a clown carrying a burrito." He stared at the crayon drawing for a long moment. "Who's the purple guy in the corner?" Molly squinted. "That's Barney. Or a security guard." "Which?" "We'll find out Saturday." Bill picked up the enormous shoes and sighed. They squeaked.