Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DA0HZ76WNYCCWW3G74N49M

The van smelled of cold fries and wet balloons, which Bill insisted was a good sign. "Nobody suspects a vehicle that smells like a party," he said, peering through binoculars at the bouncy castle in the Henderson backyard. Molly spread a blueprint across the dashboard. It was a hand-drawn map of a suburban house, labeled in crayon. She tapped a wobbly purple square. "Where did you get this?" "Off the fridge. Their kid drew it for her class project. We dropped off the invitations last week, and I may have taken a little detour past the kitchen." "You stole a child's homework." "I borrowed a floor plan. There's a difference." Bill flipped the page over, revealing a list in cramped handwriting. "Step one: the presents are all stacked on the card table by the piano." Molly squinted at the drawing. "That's not a piano. It's a keyboard with a sticker on it." "Details, Molly. Focus." Across the street, a clown in a lopsided wig stumbled out the front door, clutching a tray of cupcakes. Several small children screamed with joy. A dog barked. Somewhere, a balloon popped with a sound like a gunshot, and both thieves ducked beneath the dashboard. "Okay," Molly whispered, rising slowly. "That was a balloon." "I knew that." Bill cleared his throat. "Anyway, the plan is simple. You go in through the side gate dressed as a magician. Nobody questions a magician. You distract the parents with a card trick." "I don't know any card tricks." "You know one. The one where the card disappears and you panic." "That's not a trick, Bill, that's just my life." He sighed and pulled a sequined top hat from under his seat. "Fine. I'll go in as the Wiggles impersonator. I've got the costume and everything." Molly stared at the enormous yellow fur suit crumpled in the back. "Bill, that's a dinosaur." "It's a close enough approximation." They sat in silence as the party roared on. A small boy in a cape ran past the window, shouting that he was a dragon. Molly sighed and took the top hat. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm telling them you started it." "Deal." Bill grinned and pushed open the door. "Remember, nobody gets hurt, and nobody cries." "Easy," Molly said, adjusting her hat. "We're the only ones who should be crying when this is over."