Chapter Thirty Four
Once Haley was done with breakfast, she was on her way. She had told Nathan she was going to hang out with Peyton and Jake if the lunch didn't go well with Renée. Nathan wanted to believe it would go well, but he knew better. He knew there was going to be trouble. He wanted to go with her for support and protect her if she got into trouble, but Haley wanted to do it alone.
Haley didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous. She had never been in a relationship with someone who had children. She knew what she was getting herself into when she had walked into his life. One of the reasons why Renée had hired her was because she had no interest in Nathan romantically. All she wanted to do was take care of Tristan and Cassie. Yet, she had fallen in love with Nathan anyway.
Now Renée considered her a threat. Haley understood why, but she didn't know how she was going to get her to understand it was her own fault. She was the one who didn't shower her children with love and affection. She was the one who didn't pay attention to them when she had them for the weekend. It made Haley believe Renée's parents had done the same thing to her during her childhood and now she was passing those habits to her own children. It would make sense since Renée had told Nathan that she had been sent to boarding school.
Haley was grateful how loving and caring her parents were to her and her sisters. That's the kind of parent she wanted to be to her own children. Or at least her stepchildren. Yet, she began to wonder if this Dr. Copeland could possibly help her. She didn't want to go through the heartbreak again, but she wanted to try. The Scott family trusted him so she felt he could help her.
When Haley arrived at her destination, she parked the vehicle as she looked around the parking lot. She couldn't tell if Renée had already arrived or not. She wanted to prepare herself in case she did, but it was obvious she wasn't going to find out unless she went into the restaurant. After looking one last time, she decided to enter the restaurant.
To her relief, she was the first one there. It gave her more time to think about what she was planning to say. She just hoped Renée was willing to listen to her. Or it was going to be a very short lunch. She wasn't willing to stay if there was going to be an argument.
As she waited for Renée, she began to get a weird feeling that she was being watched. She looked around at the other customers and she noticed a lot of them were either looking at her or they were talking in low whispers. Haley wondered why all eyes were on her. The news had broken long ago about her and Nathan becoming a couple so it couldn't be the reason why she was the center of attention.
Haley shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she pretended to check her phone for the time. It was possible she was just being paranoid. After all, she hadn't been back to Charlotte much since she had moved back to Tree Hill. Who knew what gossip was going around now? It could have nothing to do with her or Nathan.
As the minutes ticked by without any sign of Renée, Haley began to wonder if she was being stood up. It wouldn't surprise her. Renée was known for her unreliability. Yet, she wouldn't miss this opportunity to confront Haley about raising her children. Haley couldn't shake that something was wrong.
The room suddenly became quiet as two police officers walked into the restaurant. Haley became concerned when they approached her. "Ms. Haley James?" one of the officers asked. Haley nodded her head. "I'm Detective Kellerman. This is Detective Stevens. Can you please come with us? We would like to ask you a few questions down at the station."
"Am I under arrest?" Haley asked. She tried her best not to sound accusatory, but it was apparent they were there for a reason and it wasn't to deliver bad news about her friends or family.
"We will explain everything once we get down to the station," the first officer assured her. Haley grabbed her purse and followed the two officers outside. Haley wasn't looking forward to the interview. It felt like a bad sign and she wished she didn't ask Renée to meet her for lunch.
Once they arrived at the police station, the officers led Haley to an interview room. She was getting nervous, but she remained calm as she spoke. "May I ask what this is all about?" she asked, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room.
"You're dating Nathan Scott, correct?" Detective Stevens asked. Haley didn't answer. She wondered where he was going with this. "His ex-wife Renée Richardson was assaulted last night." Haley gasped in surprise. She wondered why she didn't hear about it earlier. "Where were you last night?"
Haley stopped him right there. She couldn't believe the police was accusing her of assault. "If you think Nathan and I had something to do with Renée's attack, you're barking up the wrong tree. We weren't even in Charlotte last night. We attended a wedding in Tree Hill and then we went home to bed."
The two detectives weren't done with her. "Is it true that you and Nathan are planning to fight Renée for the custody of her children?" Detective Kellerman asked.
"Yes, but we wouldn't hire someone to attack her just to stop her from filing custody," Haley defended. "Nathan knows the importance of letting her see the kids."
Detective Stevens raised his eyebrows. "Really? Because that's exactly what her assailant warned her not to do before he left her bleeding to death. He warned her to let Nathan have the children or else. I suppose it makes you happy to know she lost her baby and she's fighting for her life in the hospital, right?"
"No! I may have not liked Renée, but I would never do anything to hurt her," Haley exclaimed. She tried to keep her cool, but she was running out of patience with the detectives. "Or send someone to warn her not to file for custody for the kids."
"You had plans to meet with her for lunch today, correct?" Officer Kellerman asked. Haley nodded. "What were you two going to discuss? You wanted to make sure she got your message, right?"
"No!" Haley said exasperated. She was tired of trying to explain herself to the cops. It was clear they weren't going to listen to her. She grabbed her purse as she got up from the chair. "And I'm not going to sit here while you throw accusations at me. If you're not going to arrest me, I'm leaving."
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. To her complete surprise, it was Dan. The two detectives didn't have a chance to protest when Dan spoke up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you are interviewing the wrong suspect. I know who attacked Ms. Richardson."
Haley wondered for a moment if he was the one who did it and he was going to confess. Yet, it didn't make sense. He loved his grandchildren. He would never do anything to jeopardize his relationship with his family. Then why was he here? Realization hit her as Dan tried to reason with the detectives. "Oh my god! It was Carrie, wasn't it? Carrie ordered the hit on Renée so Nathan wouldn't lose the kids."
Before Dan could answer, the detectives stepped in first. "Who is this Carrie?" Detective Stevens asked.
Haley was more than happy to explain the situation. "Carrie is Nathan and Renée's former nanny. She took care of his kids when the youngest was just a baby. When Nathan and Renée discovered her unhealthy obsession with him, they fired her. She has been trying to get back into his life ever since. And she has been trying to ruin my life in the process since I'm now competition. The only reason why Dan Scott has finally discovered what that bitch has been up is because he has been sleeping with her." There was no response from Dan or the detectives as Haley stormed out of the interview room.
As she made her way out of the police station, she saw a familiar face running towards her. She let out a relieved sigh as Nathan embraced her in a tight hug. It felt good to be in his arms. It was exactly what she needed after that interrogation with the detectives. She pulled back for a moment and gasped when she saw Nathan's black eye. "What happened?"
"Julian came to the house and confronted me about setting up the attack on his fiancé," Nathan told her. "Lucas had to pull him off me. I'm glad he did because Julian was really going at me. I can't believe he thought you and I conspired against Renée to get her to stop pursuing custody. The police didn't arrest you or anything, right?"
"They didn't arrest me," Haley replied. "I'm sure they would have if they had the chance. They certainly were treating me like a suspect." Nathan shook his head in disapproval. "I'm sure that was all part of Carrie's plan."
Nathan looked at her. "Carrie did this? Why am I not surprised? I should have known she wasn't over me. Don't worry, Hales. I'm not going to let you hurt us again." Detective Stevens approached them and Nathan held onto Haley protectively. "I think you owe my girlfriend an apology."
"My partner and I are sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion, Ms. James," Detective Stevens said. "You are free to go."
"Thank you," Nathan said. "Now let's get out of here." He grabbed Haley's hand and they headed towards the exit. He waited until they were outside before he came to a realization. "How did you know it was Carrie?"
"Dan turned Carrie in," Haley told him. Nathan looked at her surprised. "I guess he finally realized she was never interested in him and all she wanted was to get back into your life." She froze as a horrible thought came to her mind. "If Dan found out about her plan, then it's possible she's running."
"That's good though," Nathan said, trying to understand why Haley was so upset. "That means she will be too busy running from the cops to interfere in our lives. Come on. We should get to the hospital to check on Renée."
Haley stopped him. "Carrie has an unhealthy obsession with you and she has been dying to become part of your life again. Do you really think she would take off from Tree Hill without the kids?"
Nathan realized what she was saying and reached for his phone. He called Brooke and hoped she would answer her cell. When she picked up the phone, he didn't give her a chance to speak. "Hey Brooke. Can you keep a close eye on Tristan and Cassie until Haley and I get home?"
"Well, I would if I could, but the kids aren't here right now," Brooke said. Nathan was disappointed. "Lucas took the boys to the River Court and the girls are playing with their new friends next door. I'm just here with Bella. Why? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
"Just go over and make sure our neighbors are watching the kids," Nathan said. "I'll explain everything when Haley and I get home. We'll be home in a couple of hours." He said goodbye before he hung up. He called Lucas and asked him to do the same thing with Tristan and the boys. "After this incident, I'm not sure if I want to ask the Tree Hill police to keep watch over our house. Hopefully, we won't need them and Carrie will just rush out of town without trying to get the kids." However, he and Haley knew that wasn't the truth. They would just have to keep a close eye on the kids for the next several days.
"Maybe I should just drive home and you can check up on Renée," Haley suggested. "Since I've been accused of attacking her, she probably doesn't want to see me. Or even you right now. She was just assaulted and she lost her baby. I think we should give her some time to grieve before we go and visit her."
"I still want to know the update of her condition," Nathan replied. "Julian wouldn't tell me how bad she was, but it can't be good." Haley didn't want to mention the detectives had told her that Renée was fighting for her life. They could have just said it to force her to admit she was involved in planning the assault. She hung onto Nathan as he made the call to the hospital and asked for an update on Renée.