ext_20824 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
31_days2012-02-21 01:44 am
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2012-02-21 01:44 am
[February 21st] [Perry Mason] Candles and the Snow, 21
Title: Candles and the Snow, scene 21
Day/Theme: February 21st - In our youth our hearts were touched with fire
Series: Perry Mason
Character/Pairing: Hamilton Burger, Mignon Germaine, Deputy D.A. Chamberlain, Gerald Bradly (OC)
Rating: G
Time Period: Present day
By Lucky_Ladybug
Hamilton did not often have time to sit back and reminisce. As the district attorney, he had to deal with case upon case every day. Even with his immense staff, he was swamped. Los Angeles County was huge; dozens of crimes happened every day. Investigating and prosecuting them all was certainly a job he could never do all on his own. He rarely had time to sit back and relax, although he made the time whenever he could.
Sometimes the memories of the past would creep into his work. It might simply be an idle thought leading to another and another. Other times, the source was much less pleasant.
“Gerald Bradly?” He frowned at the casefile in front of him. “He’s been brought in on charges of racketeering and extortion?” He looked up at Chamberlain. “Is he the same Gerald Bradly who lived in the Valley and went to UCLA?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Burger.” Chamberlain regarded him in surprise. “You think you know him?”
Hamilton got up from his desk. “I knew a Gerald Bradly,” he said. “He hung out with me and Mignon and Jack sometimes.” He grabbed his hat. “I want to talk with him.”
“Of course, Sir,” Chamberlain nodded.
****
The Gerald Bradly being held in the county jail was sullen, scruffy, and maddeningly uncooperative. He had a smooth answer for every question that was put to him. When he was led into the room where Hamilton was waiting, Hamilton saw with a sinking heart that he was indeed his friend.
His eyes narrowed. “When I saw the name on the report I wondered, but I didn’t think it would actually be you.”
Gerald looked to him, unsurprised. “Hamilton,” he greeted. “You know, ever since you made district attorney I’ve meant to look you up. Somehow it never happened.” He smirked. “You haven’t changed much.”
“But you have, haven’t you, Gerald?” Hamilton returned. “I’m not surprised you never made it over for a visit. My office takes a dim view of racketeering and extortion.” He stared at the other man. “What happened to you? You got good grades. You were always at the top of your class! You could have done anything you wanted with your life, but you chose this. Why?!”
“Ask all you want,” Gerald said. “You’ll never get an answer that will satisfy you. Actually . . .” He stepped closer, glancing around furtively before speaking again. “Now that you’re here, maybe you can help me out of a little jam.”
“A little jam?” Hamilton echoed. “Is that what you think of this as? You’re in jail, pending a criminal hearing. If you’re convicted you could go to prison for several years, at least. I hear that Perry Mason won’t even touch your case. And if even he doesn’t want to help you, you must be in a big jam!”
“Okay.” Gerald backed off. “So it’s a big jam.” He started to pace the room. “You can help me beat the rap, can’t you, Ham?”
“Don’t call me that,” Hamilton retorted irritably. “And no, Gerald, I’m not going to help you beat anything. I’m prosecuting this case! Don’t you understand? I’m going to be directly responsible for helping put you away!”
Gerald turned back. “But you won’t, will you?” he returned. “We’re old friends, buddies! And if that’s not good enough, I can easily make it worth your while to get me off.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Hamilton said coldly. “I can always add ‘attempting to bribe a public official’ to your charges.”
Gerald threw his hands in the air and dropped them to his sides. “You really are everything they say you are,” he remarked. “You don’t even play politics. I’m disappointed.”
“So am I,” Hamilton shot back. “You still haven’t told me how you ended up like this. You always said you were going to be a computer engineer! That was your dream, and you were good at it. What happened?!”
For the first time, Gerald sobered. “Sometimes dreams are just that,” he said. “Sometimes they just don’t work out.”
“And you had to turn to crime instead?” Hamilton was dismayed. “There’s always another option, Gerald! You never have to resort to this! No one has to!”
Gerald shrugged. “I found I was good at that, too.”
****
Hamilton was not in a good mood when he left the jail. His mind was awash with the past.
Gerald, though not as close a friend as Jack had been, had been a good guy to be around. Fun-loving and a technology geek, he usually had a notebook with sketches of his computer projects as well as a list of things for all of them to do. He came up with ideas for urban adventure, as opposed to Jack’s desire for the great outdoors. Hamilton, Mignon, and Jack had all gotten along well with him. They had fallen out of touch after graduation, but Hamilton had never once dreamed that the end result would be anything like this.
“Hamilton?”
He looked up with a start at Mignon’s quiet voice. She was approaching from the parking lot, concern in her dark eyes.
“I read in the paper that a Gerald Bradly had been arrested,” she said. “Is he . . .”
“Yes, he is,” said Hamilton. He sighed. “If you’re here to see him, Mignon, he won’t be receptive to you. Unless he thinks he can con you into helping him, of course. That’s what he was just doing to me. He got obstinate when I refused.”
Mignon looked saddened by the news. “Are you going to prosecute him, Hamilton?”
“I don’t have a choice,” Hamilton said. “Well . . . I could turn it over to one of my assistants, but I won’t. I’ve had to prosecute friends before. I’ll face it now just like I’ve faced it in the past.”
Mignon nodded, touching his arm. “I know you will. And I know you’ll try to be fair.”
“I just don’t understand what happened to him,” Hamilton said. “It’s strange, isn’t it. Jack’s gone, Gerald’s a crook, and then there’s us.”
“Times change,” Mignon said, “both for the better and for the worse. Sometimes it seems to be a confusing mix of both.”
“I hope this never changes,” Hamilton said.
“I hope that as well,” Mignon agreed.
Day/Theme: February 21st - In our youth our hearts were touched with fire
Series: Perry Mason
Character/Pairing: Hamilton Burger, Mignon Germaine, Deputy D.A. Chamberlain, Gerald Bradly (OC)
Rating: G
Time Period: Present day
Hamilton did not often have time to sit back and reminisce. As the district attorney, he had to deal with case upon case every day. Even with his immense staff, he was swamped. Los Angeles County was huge; dozens of crimes happened every day. Investigating and prosecuting them all was certainly a job he could never do all on his own. He rarely had time to sit back and relax, although he made the time whenever he could.
Sometimes the memories of the past would creep into his work. It might simply be an idle thought leading to another and another. Other times, the source was much less pleasant.
“Gerald Bradly?” He frowned at the casefile in front of him. “He’s been brought in on charges of racketeering and extortion?” He looked up at Chamberlain. “Is he the same Gerald Bradly who lived in the Valley and went to UCLA?”
“I don’t know, Mr. Burger.” Chamberlain regarded him in surprise. “You think you know him?”
Hamilton got up from his desk. “I knew a Gerald Bradly,” he said. “He hung out with me and Mignon and Jack sometimes.” He grabbed his hat. “I want to talk with him.”
“Of course, Sir,” Chamberlain nodded.
The Gerald Bradly being held in the county jail was sullen, scruffy, and maddeningly uncooperative. He had a smooth answer for every question that was put to him. When he was led into the room where Hamilton was waiting, Hamilton saw with a sinking heart that he was indeed his friend.
His eyes narrowed. “When I saw the name on the report I wondered, but I didn’t think it would actually be you.”
Gerald looked to him, unsurprised. “Hamilton,” he greeted. “You know, ever since you made district attorney I’ve meant to look you up. Somehow it never happened.” He smirked. “You haven’t changed much.”
“But you have, haven’t you, Gerald?” Hamilton returned. “I’m not surprised you never made it over for a visit. My office takes a dim view of racketeering and extortion.” He stared at the other man. “What happened to you? You got good grades. You were always at the top of your class! You could have done anything you wanted with your life, but you chose this. Why?!”
“Ask all you want,” Gerald said. “You’ll never get an answer that will satisfy you. Actually . . .” He stepped closer, glancing around furtively before speaking again. “Now that you’re here, maybe you can help me out of a little jam.”
“A little jam?” Hamilton echoed. “Is that what you think of this as? You’re in jail, pending a criminal hearing. If you’re convicted you could go to prison for several years, at least. I hear that Perry Mason won’t even touch your case. And if even he doesn’t want to help you, you must be in a big jam!”
“Okay.” Gerald backed off. “So it’s a big jam.” He started to pace the room. “You can help me beat the rap, can’t you, Ham?”
“Don’t call me that,” Hamilton retorted irritably. “And no, Gerald, I’m not going to help you beat anything. I’m prosecuting this case! Don’t you understand? I’m going to be directly responsible for helping put you away!”
Gerald turned back. “But you won’t, will you?” he returned. “We’re old friends, buddies! And if that’s not good enough, I can easily make it worth your while to get me off.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Hamilton said coldly. “I can always add ‘attempting to bribe a public official’ to your charges.”
Gerald threw his hands in the air and dropped them to his sides. “You really are everything they say you are,” he remarked. “You don’t even play politics. I’m disappointed.”
“So am I,” Hamilton shot back. “You still haven’t told me how you ended up like this. You always said you were going to be a computer engineer! That was your dream, and you were good at it. What happened?!”
For the first time, Gerald sobered. “Sometimes dreams are just that,” he said. “Sometimes they just don’t work out.”
“And you had to turn to crime instead?” Hamilton was dismayed. “There’s always another option, Gerald! You never have to resort to this! No one has to!”
Gerald shrugged. “I found I was good at that, too.”
Hamilton was not in a good mood when he left the jail. His mind was awash with the past.
Gerald, though not as close a friend as Jack had been, had been a good guy to be around. Fun-loving and a technology geek, he usually had a notebook with sketches of his computer projects as well as a list of things for all of them to do. He came up with ideas for urban adventure, as opposed to Jack’s desire for the great outdoors. Hamilton, Mignon, and Jack had all gotten along well with him. They had fallen out of touch after graduation, but Hamilton had never once dreamed that the end result would be anything like this.
“Hamilton?”
He looked up with a start at Mignon’s quiet voice. She was approaching from the parking lot, concern in her dark eyes.
“I read in the paper that a Gerald Bradly had been arrested,” she said. “Is he . . .”
“Yes, he is,” said Hamilton. He sighed. “If you’re here to see him, Mignon, he won’t be receptive to you. Unless he thinks he can con you into helping him, of course. That’s what he was just doing to me. He got obstinate when I refused.”
Mignon looked saddened by the news. “Are you going to prosecute him, Hamilton?”
“I don’t have a choice,” Hamilton said. “Well . . . I could turn it over to one of my assistants, but I won’t. I’ve had to prosecute friends before. I’ll face it now just like I’ve faced it in the past.”
Mignon nodded, touching his arm. “I know you will. And I know you’ll try to be fair.”
“I just don’t understand what happened to him,” Hamilton said. “It’s strange, isn’t it. Jack’s gone, Gerald’s a crook, and then there’s us.”
“Times change,” Mignon said, “both for the better and for the worse. Sometimes it seems to be a confusing mix of both.”
“I hope this never changes,” Hamilton said.
“I hope that as well,” Mignon agreed.