Preston’s expression shifted from outrage to calculating as he glanced around at the potential witness pool. “We’ll just see about that, won’t we?”

“Clear the way,” the sheriff yelled, and people moved aside for him to walk through. He took one look at Marina and the collapsed table, then at the still-screaming Chastity, and Marina could tell he wished he were on a long vacation.

Time to fish or cut bait.

“What happened here?” he asked.

“This thing attacked Mrs. Trahan,” Luke said. “Mrs. Trahan will be pressing charges, so I suggest you put the problem in handcuffs before she launches at anyone else.”

“You can’t do that,” Preston said to the sheriff.

“I don’t see that I have a choice,” the sheriff said and motioned to Luke. “Flip her around and I’ll cuff her.”

“What?” Chastity screamed, completely outraged. “You’re arresting me? What about her? She shouldn’t even be here. Are you arresting her too?”

The sheriff looked over at Marina. “Mrs. Trahan, were you invited to this event?”

“Yes,” Marina said. “I’m here with Luke. He’s one of the guests of honor.”

He looked her up and down and Marina knew he was taking a mental inventory of the torn dress, the nicks and cuts from the glass, and the marks on her neck.

“I’ll need you to come down to the sheriff’s department and file a statement,” he said.

“Now?”

“I think that might be best,” he said.

“Works for me,” Luke said. “This party sucks.”

The sheriff walked off, pushing Chastity, who’d shifted from screaming to wailing, in front of him. Preston hurried after them, still arguing, but the sheriff just kept walking without responding.

“Don’t worry,” Adelaide whispered. “I got you.”

“Can someone please get me a damp towel for Mrs. Trahan?” Luke called out.

A caterer rushed up with the request and Luke blotted her face and arms.

“I’m afraid this won’t do a lot of good,” Marina said. “I can feel cuts on my back as well.”

He nodded. “Then let’s get this over with and get you home.”

“Can we stop and pick up my sister on the way home?” Marina asked. “I’m going to need some help with my back and even though you’ve seen me partially clad, I’d prefer to keep the rest confidential.”

He smiled. “I prefer to call it ‘saving it for later,’ but I’ll go with whatever you’d like. And yes, we can stop and get Halcyon. Probably best that she stays with you anyway. To keep her out of trouble.”

Marina blushed at his “saving it for later” comment. Was he really interested in her? She’d thought his invitation was because he felt sorry for her and held plenty of dislike for the LeDoux. It hadn’t occurred to her that he might really be interested and she wasn’t sure, at all, how she felt about that.

On the upside, she didn’t have to make a decision about it tonight and since she still hadn’t a clue where the ring was located and her time was almost up, that decision might never require pondering.