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I jogged ahead and pushed my way through the bodies to see Fritz on the ground, clutching his knee. Tufts of brown fur were scattered across the grass.

“How can I help, fellas?” I asked.

“Sorry about the mess,” Sammy said. “Fritz is having an issue with shedding.”

“What does that have to do with his knee?”

“Nothing.”

“Maybe he should schedule an appointment with Dr. Adam.”

“He has one tomorrow, thank the gods,” Sammy said. “I’m tired of vacuuming at home.”

I crouched beside the injured werewolf. “Talk to me, Fritz. What happened?”

The wiry-haired werewolf spoke through gritted teeth. “It’s the annual pack scavenger hunt. We all found a clue at the same time and things may have gotten a little heated.”

“Didn’t Judd ban the scavenger hunt after last year’s debacle?”

Fritz turned his head away. “Yes, but we thought since Judd isn’t in charge anymore…” He trailed off, uncertain how to finish that sentence without royally pissing me off.

“And what? You thought I would be more lenient?”

Fritz dared to look back at me. “Well, you’ve always been more loosey-goosey with the rules.”

It was a fair statement. I was the rebellious teen to Judd’s uptight father, but Judd was gone, and that dynamic didn’t exist any longer.

“All you’ve managed to do today is prove that Judd was right,” I said. “These events are supposed to be fun. If you can’t partake without the fangs and claws coming out, then you don’t deserve a scavenger hunt.”

“But it’s a hunt,” Gerry objected. “It’s right there in the name.”

My hands welded to my hips as I rose to confront him. “Do you really want to argue semantics with me? I do believe you’re the Neighbor who lost the history competition two years ago because you wrote ‘statue’ instead of ‘statute’ in your final paper.”

“Hey! That was only a typo.”

“A typo you managed to include seventeen times in a single paper.”

He began to pout. “How do you even know about that? You weren’t one of the judges.”

“I’m the director of security. I have access to every single one of your files. Cross me and your deepest, darkest secrets will end up published in the next edition of the newspaper.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he said, but his heart wasn’t in it. He knew I’d dare to get my way.

“What’s the plan then?” Sammy asked. “We still have ten clues left to find. Are we supposed to leave them to rot in the heat and humidity?”

“And who’s gonna claim the prize?” Buck asked. Naturally he was more worried about the prize than his fallen comrade.

I could feel the weight of Penny’s gaze, watching and waiting to assess how I chose to handle the situation. I wondered whether this was how Judd had felt whenever I lurked beneath his long arm of the law.

“One of you needs to take Fritz to get checked out by Dr. Adam right now.”

A series of audible groans circled me.

“Then I’ll give you one more chance to complete the hunt,” I said.

A chorus of cheers followed my declaration. Sammy helped Fritz get back on his feet.

“But,” I said, raising a finger, “if one more fight breaks out, or any behavior that disrupts the enjoyment of the Neighborhood for the other residents, then there will be no more scavenger hunts—ever.”