Run: 2026-10-13-01M4TAYER621BAZKD40RXY4EDN

Molly unrolled the blueprint across the hood of the minivan. "Target: 42 Maple Drive. Saturday, two p.m. sharp." "That's a backyard," said Bill. "That's a fortress. Bounce house here, here, and—worst case scenario—here." She tapped three red X's. "Inflatable. Unpredictable. One gust of wind and you're eating vinyl." "What's the take?" "Forty presents, give or take. A bike, possible trampoline, a drone if Grandma came through." Molly clicked her pen. "Plus the pile by the patio table. That's the mother lode." Bill squinted at the diagram. "You've drawn a stick figure crying." "That's the mark. Timmy. Turns seven at approximately two-fifteen, when he realizes the gifts are gone." "Molly. We're robbing a child." "We're robbing thirty children, technically. Timmy just consolidates the inventory." She flipped to page two. "Now. Entry. We go in as the entertainment." "I'm not wearing the clown suit again." "You're wearing the clown suit again." "Last time a dog bit me." "That dog was part of the cover story and you know it." Bill crossed his arms. "What's my role?" "You juggle. Badly. Nobody watches a bad juggler. It's the perfect camouflage—people physically look away." Molly mimed a sad cascade of dropping balls. "Meanwhile, I work the gift table. Four minutes, maybe five. I've been practicing on your nephew's birthday." "You robbed my nephew?" "He's two. He wanted the box." "Okay," Bill said slowly. "Say we get the presents. How do we get out? Forty gifts don't fit in a clown car." "They fit in a clown van, which is what we have, which is why I borrowed your sister's minivan." "You told her we were going antiquing." "We are. These presents are about to become antiques. To Timmy." Bill rubbed his face. "What's the contingency?" "Piñata." "The piñata is the contingency?" "The piñata is always the contingency. Somebody cracks it open, every kid in the yard stampedes one direction. That's our window. Chaos. Screaming. Candy." Molly's eyes went soft. "Beautiful." "And if a kid catches us?" "You juggle at them." "And if a parent catches us?" "You juggle faster." Bill stared at the blueprint for a long moment. "Why are we doing this, Molly? There are banks. There are jewelry stores. There's a whole mall." Molly rolled up the blueprint and tucked it under her arm. "Because last year, Bill, I asked for one thing for my birthday. One thing. A Millennium Falcon Lego set. And you know what I got?" "Socks." "Socks." She climbed into the minivan. "This isn't about the presents. It was never about the presents." "It's a little bit about the presents." "Get in the van, Bill. We have a bounce house to case."