Detective Liam Chesterfield was not supposed to be watching the media reports, but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't get the crash out of his head, and no one at the precinct would talk to him about it, so he found himself sitting through video after video of talk show analysts discussing the tragedy.

"Are you watching those videos again?" came his partner's voice from behind him.

Liam closed the tab quickly as if it were something far worse than a new report. His partner, a lanky man named Kurt who had only been on the force a few years, crossed his arms.

"You've got to stop listening to them gossip. You remember the Mulberry case? They'll take an innocent man and turn him into a monster."

"Yeah," Liam agreed, although these news reports felt less accusatory than speculative. Besides, the case was all but closed. File reports showed heavy alcohol in the driver's bloodstream, and the only video cameras in the area had caught sight of him swerving wildly across the road. It was a tragedy, but hardly a mystery. "Did you need something?"

"The widow just showed up for her last interview. I can have a rookie officer ask her the usual questions if you want."

"No," Liam shook his head. "That's alright, I can do the interview myself."

Kurt shrugged and took a seat at his desk, just behind Liam's own. He started in on some paperwork without asking if Liam needed help with the interview. They both already knew that Liam would rather do it alone.

Mrs. Shepherd was waiting in an interrogation room, although the sign on the door referred to it as a discussion room instead. People were more comfortable with softer words, and people who were comfortable were more likely to talk. Still, the room was built of a distinctly uncomfortable concrete, the table a harsh metal, and the security was intense enough that Liam had to scan his ID badge to let himself into the room, let alone out of it.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Shepherd," Liam greeted, trying to sound as conversational as he could. No matter how many questions he personally had about the case, this was nothing more than a closing interview. He wasn't here to solv e mystery or prove a point, he was just here to record the facts of the case while they were still fresh on everyone's mind. "I'm Detective Chesterfield."

"Please, call me Meredith," she said as Liam took the seat across from her. Her voice was strained."

"Of course," Liam agreed, opening his file. "I know this must be a very difficult time for you, so I'll try to keep this brief. We just need to have all the information on file."

"Yes," Meredith said, fidgeting with her hands uncomfortably. "They explained that to me on the call."

Liam's face softened. "I know you must be ready to be done with all the questions. I'm sorry if this is making things any harder."

"No, no, I understand," she said, though she didn't look up at him. "I just... Well, it can be hard."

"I understand," Liam said, though he knew that he couldn't possibly understand the grief of a woman who had lost her entire family in a single day. He tried to be sensitive to her as he continued. "And you can take all the time you need. Just let me know when you're ready for the questions."

Meredith pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Putting it off won't change anything. I'm ready."

Liam shuffled with his papers a bit, more so he wouldn't have to stare the poor woman in the eye than because he actually needed help remembering what he was supposed to be asking.

"I know we already confirmed this, but it makes things easier for later if you state your name for the record."

"Right," Meredith nodded, and she spoke clearly as she continued. "My name is Meredith Grey Shepherd ."

"Thank you," Liam said, remembering what she had said earlier about the sound of her husband's name bringing back the pain. He gave her an extra moment to move past it before he continued.

"Now can you describe you relationship with Derek Shepherd," Liam looked up from his papers. "Again, I know we know this, but it's good to have on the record."

"Of course. He was my husband."

"And how long had you been married?"

"8 months we dating for year before we got married."

Liam masked his surprise by looking back down at the file. He scanned down the page for what was the age of the victims, and confirmed that Derek Shepherd had a nine year old son. He had assumed that the boy in the wreck had belonged to Meredith until he had learned this new piece of information.

"I'm sorry," Liam said. "It must be hard to lose him so soon."

"Yes," Meredith hung her head.

Liam wasn't sure how to handle the situation, but he thought it best to continue with the questions for now. "Do you know where your husband was going on that morning?"

"He was taking Tanner and his friends camping," Meredith didn't meet his eyes. "They'd been planning it for weeks, and it was going to be this super manly, all boy's trip. so i couldnt go tanner have said " tanner always wanted all his father's attention tanner had adhd you see so derek had spoil tanner his whole life

Meredith still didn't look up at him, but he could see a tear escape her eye all the same. "Yes a couple day we were suppoted to go to the spa this weekend just me a derek but tanner said they was the last weekend they could go before school started again ...I'm sorry, could I have a glass of water."

"Of course," Liam said, and he poured her a glass from the pitcher that they kept on the table. She paused for a long moment, sipping very slowly at the edge of the liquid. Liam could hear her shaking breaths as she set the cup back down and her eyes were glistening with tears as she continued.

"I sorry i was just trying to rememberer everything about that morning.

Liam poured a glass of water for himself, mostly to create a time buffer between Mrs. Shepherd's response and his next question. He didn't want her to feel like she was under interrogation. Only once he had take a long sip did he continue.

"Can you tell me why you were calling your husband that morning? His phone logged three missed calls from you near the time of the crash."

"I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed to take care of tanner and the other kids they had left while i was in the shower. I was worried that we hadn't had a enough time to get everything ready , and it was just a lot of kids and I was worried"

"Of course," Liam agreed. "Were you worried when he didn't answer?"

"No, I wasn't worried. I thought..." She sniffled, and she shook her head.. "I thought he must be driving, and he didn't want to pick up the phone while on the road. I thought he was being a responsible driver i just cant Believe he was drinking and driving he was always when on so crazy about stuff like that one time i drive home from a freinds house right down the road after three glass of vine and when derek found out we fight over it for a week he just wouldnt let it go and now to heard he was drinking and driving it just doesnt make sicnes im sorry i dont guess i should have say about me drinking and drving

its ok liam said

There was a knock on the door, and Liam gratefully took the opportunity for a break from the interview. When he stepped outside, he was greeted by his partner, Kurt.

"Hey," he nodded. "I thought you were doing paperwork."

"I was," Kurt agreed. "But I finished up everything I had to submit today, and I thought I'd watch the interview from the other side of the glass."

"Right," Liam agreed. "The other side of the glass. So why am I out here?"

"Because you've got to let her go. You're not getting any new information out of her, and she's a wreck. We all already know what happened that day. You've gotten all the basics, just let her move on."

"It's protocol," Liam said. "I know you're new-"

"I'm not that new, Liam. I know that this is an open and shut case, and I know that protocol can be a bit stretchy when there's no one to charge. You've interviewed her. That's enough for the paperwork."

Kurt was right, and Liam knew it. They had logged enough of an interview the moment that Meredith had answered a single question. The rest was meant to be helpful for anyone looking into the case in the future, but with the results from Derek Shepherd's blood sitting in the lab, there wasn't much for anyone to look into.

Still, something about the case bothered Liam. Maybe it was the article that he couldn't stop reading about how Derek Shepherd had been a perfect father, or maybe it was that they had that the alcohol he had been drinking wasnt the alcohol they found in the car . Maybe it was just the news reports playing the story on repeat, asking so many questions they made Liam's head spin. Whatever it was, he couldn't just walk away from a half finished interview.

"Derek Shepherd was one of the most successful businessman in the country, and by far the most successful one in town. The media is all over this, and we can't have someone pulling a report out to research an article and find a half-assed closing interview. I'm going to finish."

"Liam..."

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I'm the senior officer here; I have the final say."

Liam didn't wait for Kurt to respond before he scanned his ID and walked back into the interrogation room. Meredith had stopped crying, and had a hand wrapped around her half-empty glass of water.

"I'm sorry about that. My partner just got a lead on another case," Liam lied. Nobody liked to think that they were being talked about behind closed doors.

"That's alright, I... could have used a minute anyways."

Liam sat back down and opened his file to the next question. "This is kind of a big one to dive back in on, but do you know if your husband had any sort of drinking problems? They don't have to be recent- we want to know about any past addictions too, even if he left the vice entirely in the past."

"I don't think so," Meredith said, voice shorter and less emotional now. "I mean, we've know each other a few years berfore we staring dating and got married when we meet he was married to tanner's mom joanne and he didn't like to talk about his life when he was married to her he said the only good thing that came for the marriage to joanne was tanner , so I guess it's possible, but there was nothing I knew about."

"Noted," Liam said, and he actually did note it down in the file, in case they wanted to look further into a potentially troubled past. "Can you think of any reasons that he may have been drinking on the morning of the crash?"

"Well... no exact reasons, but he was off to spend nearly a whole week with Tanner and his friends. Tanner could be difficult sometimes, and if there were four of them... I don't think he would resort to drinking, not when he was driving, but I didn't think there was anything that could entice him down that path."

"Did your husband not get along with your son?"

"Tanner wasn't my son," Meredith said too quickly, then explained herself a bit more gently. "I'm sorry. He was my step-son, and sometimes it's easier to deal with everything that's happening if I try to distance myself from him."

"I'm sorry. Did your husband not get along with Tanner?"

"He a great parent towards Tanner, he really was. I've never seen a more patient or attentive man than Derek looking after Tanner. But... Tanner was nine, and he had ADHD, and he had friends in the car with him. It would have been a lot, even for the most patient man in the world."

Meredith wasn't crying, but she looked a bit as if she was going to be sick. Kurt's words rang in Liam's ears, and he wondered if he was doing more harm than good. He assured himself that couldn't be the case and refocused himself on the task at hand.

"Do you know if there were any alcoholic beverages missing from your house after your husband left?"

"I don't know," Meredith shook head slightly. "I don't keep an inventory on the drinks in my house."

"One of the officers who searched the house did do an inventory, and I actually have a list of what he found. Do you think you could look it over and tell me if anything jumps out to you as missing."

Meredith nodded and she took the list from him. She seemed paler now than she had when she walked in the room, and Liam wondered why the lights needed to be up so high.

"Actually," Meredith said after a long moment. "There is something missing. There was this bottle of whiskey missing that derek's boss got us for our engagement. I was pregnant at the time, so we saved it, and we never got around to drinking it. It's not on the list."

ok so you have a baby with mr Shepard said liam no m answers Meredith i have a accident at 5 months and the baby didnt make it

im so sorry said liam

Liam took note that she had been pregnant when they had gotten engaged and lose thebaby after the wedding- it probably wouldn't be important, but if he was going to continue the interview he needed to make sure he got all the information he could to make it worth it. He reached out and took the list back.

"Thank you. We'll look into it," Liam looked down at his file. There was only one question left. "We're almost done here, but I do need to ask where you were on the morning of the crash."

"I was at home. I was enjoying a moment of quiet., I don't get- a lot of free time to myself being a wife and step mother to a nine year old" tanner is a hand full and derek works most day till 8 pm or later so i have a lot to do in the run of a day she cut herself off, hanging her head. " ." im sorry i had a family

"I'm sorry," Liam said yet again. He didn't know how else to comfort her. "And I'm sorry we had to go through this whole interview. I know it wasn't easy."

Meredith nodded and she took another sip of her water.

"I have to go get something filed, but the officer who walked you in will be here in a moment to walk you back out when you're ready. Take you're time, we've caused you enough pain for a day."

Meredith nodded and Liam ducked out of the room to give her some privacy. Again, Kurt was waiting outside the room for him.

"Are you satisfied with your perfectly by the book interview?" Kurt asked. "Can we go fill out the final report and put the media circus to rest."

Liam glanced back at the closed door behind him. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else."

"There shouldn't be anything to talk about," Kurt sighed, but he was already walking back towards their desks. When they got there, he turned back to Liam. "Seriously, what more do you want out of this case? We've got a blood test, erratic driving and now a missing bottle of whiskey . The guy was drunk, open and shut."

"It just doesn't add up," Liam shook his head. "He knew he would be driving all day, and every interview we've done said he got along fine with his son, ADHD or not. I just can't see him taking a special, ornamental bottle of whisney driving with him and not even drinking from it or opening it but drinking and thowning a bottle of a Vodka way remember kurt we never found the vodka bottle

"He probably didnt thown the Vodka bottle anyway. There was a lot of broken glass in the car, some of it could have been from a vodka bottle."

"

Kurt threw his hands in the air. "I don't know Liam. I 'm not in the guy's head. But I'm also not in the head of every murderer or drug dealer we've ever gone after. We don't have to explain why they did these things, we just have to say what they did. So unless you're saying that this guy didn't drink before he got in the car, you need to forget about it and close the case. Do you understand?"

Liam stared Kurt down for a long moment, his mind racing. He tried to find a way in which all the puzzle pieces could fit together to yield an answer other than a drunk driver. After a while, he had to give up; there was just too much evidence pointing in the same awful direction for him to deny.

"I understand." He finally said. "I'll close the case."

Liam returned to his desk, and he did exactly that, filling out all the right forms to get the case officially closed. He wrote a brief memo describing the undeniable evidence that derek Shepherd had been drunk, and he had a junior officer copy over all of the audio files from the all the interviews that had been done. He linked all the files together, and he opened the program to submit them to the Lieutenant, but he paused on the submission screen. Despite what his partner said, Liam still wasn't sure about the case, and all it would take was a few clicks to copy the official case file in it's entirety over to his personal email. It would be in and out, and he would never be caught.

"Hey, you're finally closing the case," Kurt said from over his shoulder. Liam hadn't realized he was watching. "That's great."

Liam didn't know what he would have done if Kurt hadn't been looking over his shoulder, but with a witness the only thing he could do was send the file away. He watched as a progress bar confirmed that the files were in transit and Kurt whacked him on the back in the affectionate way of a friend. When the little icon popped up assuring him that the files had been delivered, Liam told himself to put the case out of his head. Whatever truth was out there, the case was closed, and it wasn't his job to find it anymore.