“Why? What happened?”

“We got attacked by Neely Kate’s cousin’s friend. She knocked Neely Kate to the ground, Mason. I’m worried about the baby, but the deputy won’t listen.”

“Where are you?” he asked, anger in his voice. But I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me.

“Big Thief Hollow. At the community center.”

“I’ll be right there, but in the meantime, don’t talk to the deputy. Tell her you’re waiting for you attorney. Hang on, sweetheart. I’m coming.”

“Thank you.”

Before I could say anything else, the deputy pushed through the crowd and snatched my phone. She didn’t look amused. “No calls.” She shook her head. “Why am I not surprised you’d think you could flout the rules?”

I suspected the deputy recognized me from the other night, but we didn’t know each other personally. Why would she make an assumption like that? “You told me I could call my lawyer,” I said as she spun me around and put a handcuff on my wrist.

“You’re gonna need one.”

“Is that really necessary?” I asked.

“If I had my way, you’d be barricaded in a county jail cell,” she said, fastening the other cuff.

I tried to look over my shoulder at her to see if she was joking, but I was fairly sure she wasn’t.

She sat me on the ground next to Neely Kate, who was also cuffed. We watched the deputy haul Tabitha to her feet and stuff her in the back of a patrol car.

“Are you okay? Do you think the baby’s okay?” I asked her, consumed with worry.

“I think so,” she said, her voice quivering. “But I don’t know if my hair will survive the attack, and I’m fairly sure my pride won’t.”

“I called Mason. He’s on his way, and he’s furious.” She gave me a worried look. “Not at us. Don’t worry.” I turned toward her. “But what on earth just happened, Neely Kate? Why does Tabitha hate you so?”

Her eyes hardened as she stared at the woman screaming in the back of the sheriff car. “She tried to steal Ronnie.”

“What?”

“Of course she has another version. In any case, I knew she’d never talk to me, which is why I sent you. What did you find out?”

The deputy was coming toward us.

I tilted my head toward the approaching law enforcement officer and whispered, “Mason said not to talk to her. To tell her we’re waiting for our attorney.”

“Okay,” Neely Kate said, tears in her voice.

I wished my hands were free so I could hug her. Instead, I leaned the side of my head against hers. “Mason’s gonna take care of this for us.”

The deputy put her hands on her hips and gave me her best withering glare. “What do you ladies have to tell me about what happened here?”

I lifted my chin, trying to look dignified. “I’m waitin’ for my attorney to show up.”

“Your attorney?”

I didn’t respond. I knew she’d heard me.

“Did you ever stop to think that the Assistant DA has better things to do other than drop everything and run to Timbuktu to save you every five minutes?”

I didn’t answer, though perhaps she had a point.

“And what about you?” Deputy Hoffstetter asked Neely Kate. “What’s your story?”

Neely Kate squinted up at her. “I think I’m gonna wait for my attorney as well.”

The deputy shook her head in disgust. “I bet you are. The two of you are like peas in a pod.”

That surprised me. What did she know about us? Or was she just talking about this particular incident?

Ten minutes later, Tabitha was still screaming that she was gonna kill us, making me thankful she was sitting in the back of the sheriff cruiser. The darts of hate Deputy Hoffstetter kept shooting at us made me wonder if she was thinking about putting us in the back with her, hoping for a cage match. Another sheriff car pulled up and Joe got out, the irritation on his face clear even from across the parking lot. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy he was there or not.

He stopped and talked to Deputy Hoffstetter, and from the look on her face, there was a whole lot of unhappiness going on around here. Then Joe marched over to the two of us and squatted next to Neely Kate, reaching behind her to unlock her handcuffs. “I’ve got an ambulance on the way,” he said to her, sounding concerned. “Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?”

She rubbed her wrists. “I have a doozy of a headache from where she tried to rip my hair out of my head, but I think the baby’s fine.” But her unusually subdued voice gave her away as she got to her feet.

Joe grabbed her elbow and helped her up. “Why don’t you call the doctor while we wait for the ambulance?”

“I don’t have my phone. It’s in the truck.”

He pulled his phone out and pressed a couple of buttons before he handed it to her. “You go to the Henryetta Family Clinic. Right? Hilary says she’s seen you there. I have them on speed dial.”

Hilary talked about Neely Kate to Joe? I wasn’t sure what to think about that. I didn’t want that woman even thinking about my friend, let alone talking about her.

She took the phone and moved a couple of feet away while Joe looked down at me, his expression vacillating between amusement and irritation.

“Are you going to take these cuffs off or not?”