Oh, bollocks!
Dad, what's going on?
Beans on toast, love.
At 4 a.m.?
Best time of the day.
Not bad on the beans, but more like beans on crisp.
Yeah. Well, I got a little distracted, didn't I?
A video of golden eagles dragging goats off a mountain.
It's brilliant.
Only happens in this one little tiny part of Spain.
How's the book coming along?
Let's have another whack at the toast, then, shall we?
Have you even tried writing anything?
Just a sentence, any sentence.
That's what I do when I can't write a paper.
You can go back to bed now, love, if you want.
"Happy families are all alike.
- However, every unhappy family..." - Bored.
No, it's very Russian.
You think you can do better?
"Let there be Lightman."
- Hire a ghost writer. - Good night, love.
Take them away. Don't need them.
All the research I need is in here.
Perfect. Deaf as a post.
It's just deaf. No post.
Follow me.
Is Loker in?
Yeah, he's somewhere. He should be back in a minute.
Sit.
Stay.
The red dot test.
Oi!
You sent Mutt and Jeff to spy on me, didn't you, eh?
Cal Lightman, Candice McCallister.
So you don't deny it then?
Sarah and Charles are here to help you, Cal.
Do you two need a minute?
You know, I am having a hard time writing this book.
Same thing happened on the first one. The one that this whole place is built on.
Dr. Lightman, may I say what a huge fan I am of that book.
Is it Candice with an I or Candace with an A?
Candace with an A I find to be far more classy. You know what I mean?
- We're running late. - What can I do for you?
Um, I thought you said Dr. Lightman was...
Busy. That's exactly what I said.
Goodbye, Cal.
Oi!
Come in here. Make yourself useful.
With your book?
What book?
I need to see Foster's calendar.
You mean hack into her computer?
Your words, not mine.
- I can't just hack into her... - Or you're fired.
Watch my fingers.
It wasn't that hard, was it?
On your way, then.
What...? Did you do this?
- Hey. This is my desk. - I can't hear you.
Red dot test. He's got you doing the red dot test?
Can you leave me alone now?
Excuse me?
I need to focus.
No, don't worry about me.
I didn't want anything from the coffee cart.
How's that? Is that all right?
Oh, Megan.
Your dress.
It's all right, Mom. You can't see it anywhere. Relax.
Help you, sir?
You lost? Contestants and parents only here.
- I wandered through the wrong door. - How about you wander out again?
Dad, you made my braid crooked.
I'd jump right on that if I were you.
How many times have I told you, Megan, food is not your friend?
- I'm calling security. - I work with the pageant.
- Yeah? Doing what? - This and that.
Yeah, thought so. You're out of here.
Wouldn't you rather be a soccer mum?
Drs. Foster and Lightman are here to vet our finalists...
...to make sure we are plastic surgery and drug-free.
Lucky for you I got writer's block.
So you got into my calendar. Good for you. But I've got this covered, Cal.
Who's the favorite in this little freak show, then?
- Freak show? - You wonder why I kept you out of this.
What about you, eh?
You the favorite?
She is one, yes, but nothing is certain.
Well, one thing's for certain.
It's all gonna go horribly wrong for someone.
Dream Send me a sign
Turn back the clock Give me some time
I need to break out Make a new name
Let's open our eyes To the brand new day
The girl needs help.
And I mean yesterday.
Dr. Lightman, you already called this a freak show.
Correct.
Are you sure your prejudices aren't informing what you're seeing?
Everything this girl does is deliberate.
Put it this way...
...I hope I'm wrong.
These girls are under a great deal of pressure.
Don't misread that for something it's not.
When you hear hooves...
Think horses, not zebras.
Either way, it's a stampede.
- What are you doing in here? You hiding? - Job hunting.
Impressive. On Lightman's laptop which you took from his office.
Guess what the first line of Lightman's book is.
He takes your desk, this is how you deal.
"Let there be Lightman."
I mean, he's certifiable.
You don't have guts to do it in his office.
You slink away, you hide in here with his computer.
Poetic justice.
You mean pathetic justice.
Megan, how many times have we been through this?
Hold that extension.
And now sell the smile, sell the smile, really sell it.
Mrs. Cross, uh, Megan.
This is Dr. Cal Lightman.
- I'm here for the pre-interview. - New procedure before the finals...
...after some other pageants have had some troubles.
She's gonna have to do a lot better.
- Can I take a break? - No. Come on. It's good practice.
Just hold it.
Do you go out of your way to make her miserable?
Excuse me?
Here's another one.
Does she try to look like you...
...or do you try to look like her?
Come on, Megan, let's go.
Mrs. Cross, we specialize in reading people's emotions.
Then I don't need to tell you how angry I am.
And scared.
Don't forget that part.
You just attacked my mother. How is she supposed to feel?
You ever think about ending it all?
What?
Of course not.
Your face just said yes, love.
You know, you got a big mouth.
Yep.
She's hiding something on her shoulder.
What?
You keep your hands off of my daughter.
My hands aren't on your daughter.
But someone's have been.
Haven't they, love?
Oh, my God. Megan.
Who did it, love?
Eh?
Who was it, love?
It was him. It was Mr. Fletcher.
- Laura, no. - He touched me.
Megan, no.
He molested me.
No, Megan, no.
Megan, I...
Look, you all know me. There's no way I could ever...
Laura. Megan, please, you gotta tell them the truth.
You know...
...you just rang a bell you can't unring.
You know that, Megan, right?
Megan.
- Mom, it's okay. - All right.
You called the wrong number.
You need to call Child Protective Services.
No, what I need is a dodgy cop, who'll keep this off the record till I say.
Yeah, when is that fool showing up?
I do need this one. A man's life just got flushed down the crapper.
Maybe he's got it coming. You thought of that?
You been drinking, detective?
It's called mouthwash, professor.
Am I under arrest?
- The girl said you molested her. - Kids lie.
Which one? Be more specific.
Megan. Megan Cross.
All right, say that name again, without squinting.
- Do you wear contacts? - Yeah.
He wears contacts. See? His contacts are dry.
What, with outrage? Do me a favor.
Mr. Fletcher, if there's anything you're not telling us...
...you'll make it easier if you just come clean.
Bloody hell. You people really do talk like that.
Who? Latinos or Poles?
Oh, you mean cops.
Did you push her?
Did you shove her? Did you hit her? Did you, you know, hold her down?
A little bit of everything, really.
If you want to know about Megan, talk to her mother.
Well, he didn't molest that girl.
- You wanna walk me through your thinking? - In a word, no.
How sure are you?
You can go, Mr. Fletcher.
Answer your question?
I'm not letting this pageant go down and neither will the magazine.
There he is.
Don't let him leave, all right? He's hiding something.
So is Megan, by the way.
I can't guarantee his safety.
Oh, don't be such a girl. Tell them to get a life.
- I beg your pardon? - The magazine people.
Is it helpful in what you do to be so prejudiced?
Come here, sweetheart.
I come here and I spotted a girl who feels the same way about your pageant as I do...
...so I would say, yes, in this case it is helpful.
- What was that about? - Candice with an I, not an A. I knew it.
Let's go tag-team the mum.
Forgive me, but if a man touched a child of mine, particularly in a sexual way...
You heard my mom. We're not filing charges.
- Did Thomas admit anything? - No.
Then it's his word against ours.
If you don't mind my saying, Megan, you seem very calm and composed.
He just groped me, okay?
No, it's not okay.
You're 16 years old.
It's just a bruise.
- We're fine. - We?
All right, Megan, one more time.
Every look, every word is in lock-step.
They're a perfect symbiosis.
Yeah, except she's dying to get away from her mum.
Laura even uses the royal we. There's no separation of mother and daughter.
I've never seen two people so on the same page.
Let's tear the page in half.
I can see why you're the favorite.
I thought we were done here.
Mrs. Cross, if Megan is a victim of molestation...
...you need to deal with that.
We don't dwell on negative. It shows through to other people.
Like the judges.
We've been preparing for this pageant for years.
If this were the Olympics, no one would question her desire...
- ...to keep her head in the game. - Your daughter has suffered a trauma.
She needs to talk about it so that she can regain control.
- Stealing? - Yeah, it tastes better that way.
You let Mr. Fletcher go.
Yep. Lack of evidence.
Interesting.
You don't seem too bothered by that.
I can't afford to let it.
Let it what?
Ruin your chances of being Ms. Freak-Show-Cover-Girl?
God.
You asked for my help.
No, I didn't.
Well, at the very least, you asked for my full attention.
Right before you pointed the finger at Fletcher.
- Megan. - Mommy's calling.
Rehearsal.
Sorry to interrupt. You said to let you know when they got here?
Has Loker been in here?
Loker?
Yeah. When I was out. Because, you know...
...I can smell him.
He calls it eau du toilette.
French.
One way of putting it, I suppose.
One of my pens is missing.
Hello, gents.
They said we had to come or I was out of the competition.
Megan, have you told your mum yet?
Told me what?
That's all right. No need. It can wait.
You, with me.
You, you're with the delightful Dr. Foster.
It was the, uh... The end of the first day of the competition.
Mr. Fletcher has this RV.
- And you were inside his RV? - Yeah.
It's pretty big.
And, uh, you know, we hang out there sometimes during competitions.
We got to know him and Deedee pretty well.
So it wouldn't have been unusual...
...for you and Mr. Fletcher to be alone together?
Not really, no.
When it happened, I, uh...
You know, he could see that I'd been upset, you know, that I'd been crying and, um...
So when was this, Megan?
Day before yesterday.
And, uh...
...you know, I messed up my personal interview.
Mr. Fletcher said that, you know, it wasn't fair.
He was comforting me, you know?
And then...
Then he put his hand...
...on my neck.
And I just thought he was being nice.
- She didn't come to you? - No.
I had no idea.
And then...
Megan...
...you have nothing to be ashamed of.
It's important that you know that.
Take your time.
And then he touched me.
He molested me.
I tried to push him away, but...
That's enough. I'm not gonna watch my little girl in pain anymore.
Tell yourself what you like, love.
But that in there, that's not pain. That's...
That's not even close, that.
Okay.
She's enjoying herself.
- Is that how you got the bruises? - Yeah.
And then I kicked him and broke free.
She's getting off on your pain.
- First Fletcher, now her mother. - She's a sadist.
She's a bloody emotional vampire.
The case still remains, Fletcher did do something to her in that RV.
We need to involve the police, the real ones.
- Spoilsport. - Dr. Lightman.
- My pageant's about to go up in flames. - Down in flames, up in smoke.
Two more girls just came forward.
They both say Thomas Fletcher touched them inappropriately.
Right.
You call this off the record?
We've got 24 hours, and then we have to do the paperwork...
- ...right? - Mm-hm.
What's all this?
- Deedee, can you step over here, please? - For what?
Do as she says, love.
Taking her into custody. Social Services.
Like hell you are.
- Guys. - Hey, back off.
- No, Dad! Daddy! - Back off! Get off me!
- Deedee! - Dad!
I'm gonna help him.
- Dad! Daddy! - Son of a bitch.
- Just until we get this cleared up. - Dad!
Deedee! Get... Where are you taking her?
Somewhere safe, I promise you that.
Don't.
I'm innocent. You know I'm innocent.
Deedee!
Oh, my God.
Two more girls came forward.
I gotta talk to Laura.
Oh, now he tells me.
Tell you what?
Okay, look, we used to be more than just friends.
And so now you think she's gonna wanna help you out, you know, all of a sudden?
- These are memories from the road, then? - Yeah.
After my wife died, I sold the house. Too much history.
Anyway, this thing's pretty handy when it comes to the pageant.
Yeah, and for a bit of the other, you know...
...when the girls are off lying about world peace.
You mean Laura and me.
There's no crime in being lonely.
Well, Megan would beg to differ.
Wait. Megan came by the other day. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I didn't...
Did she come on to you?
I turned her down.
I tried to be nice about it. She went crazy.
She grabbed a pair of scissors sitting here, she came at me and I grabbed her...
...I wrestled them out of her hands and...
Which is how she got the bruises.
Still, Megan's getting what she wants.
Your pain.
Are you really going to take Ashley out of the pageant?
You more worried about the girls who've come forward or about your pageant?
- Oof! - Oh, wait, wait.
Nancy!
My daughter, Fletcher?
They're making it up.
All of them?
One thing I know for sure, Candice...
...is that abusers of the kind that we're talking about here...
...lack that kind of self-control.
We finished the red dot test, Dr. Lightman.
Loker actually told us what it was.
- You did it, too, did you? - Yeah.
That's keen.
- Ten hours long. - Yeah.
Two dots, 10 hours.
- Actually, there were three. - Right. Excellent. Congratulations.
- How many dots were there? - I don't know. I've never finished it.
- Then what was the point? - Each dot represents a micro-expression.
What did she just say?
Hilarious.
Could you take Mr. Fletcher to my office and make sure he gets some rest.
This is a local pageant from last year.
See how she smiles?
Even though she lost.
The winners cry and the losers smile.
Losers want to appear gracious, winners want to...
- Is that it? - No.
No. You need to see this.
I wonder how long she practiced that dive.
Triumph at losing. You don't see that every day.
Do you know how to create a disturbed personality?
Constant criticism and lack of affection.
Works like a charm, that does.
You mean like how you treat Loker?
Who?
This chair taken?
You didn't say he was coming.
If you thought that was bad, wait till you see this.
Wait for what?
Megan?
- Look, I just want to talk for a second. - She has nothing to say to you.
They took Deedee...
...and if you don't tell the truth, I may never get her back.
See what I'm talking about, don't you?
I don't see anything.
- What are you two talking about? - To be honest...
...this doesn't feel right, Dr. Lightman.
Is he trying to get you to disqualify us from the pageant?
- Us? - You are trying to disqualify us.
Your daughter's feeding off your pain, Mrs. Cross.
Do you ever wonder why he just went cold on you?
Megan knows why I stopped calling, Laura. Don't you, Megan?
Megan is a victim here. You're blaming the victim?
I'm the one with all the bruises.
Pain is your daughter's drug of choice.
Isn't that right, Megan?
Mr. Fletcher here, his pain's like crack to you.
Good news: he can get away from her.
Bad news: you can't.
Enjoy the freak show.
He touched my hair, the back of my neck...
...like he was comforting me.
At first I thought he was being friendly.
Then I felt sick.
My hands went numb.
I couldn't catch my breath.
Thank you, Ashley.
Can you give us a minute?
She said the exact same thing as the first girl.
Word for word.
There were also unmistakable language similarities to Megan.
Wallowski.
For how long?
- Now what? - Megan's missing.
She went for a walk and never came back.
- Quit hiding! - Where's Megan?
What did you do to her?
Tell your friend in there he's a coward.
Oh, what, like men who hide behind their wives, you mean?
You took away my desk, so here I am.
Where's my pen?
Your pen?
Yeah, the one you stole off my desk. My pen.
Are you kidding me?
You're not gonna get away with this.
Rumor travels fast.
Your point being?
One of these people or one of their daughters has got to know where Megan is.
Have you thought of that?
Come here, darling.
What is this?
What?
I thought I saw a look there.
Hey. Fletcher, police.
- Stand back, please. - Yeah.
What about the girl?
Dr. Lightman, it just came over the radio.
His daughter Deedee's in intensive care, hurt bad.
I'm taking him to the hospital now.
- What happened to her? - I don't know. It could be self-inflicted.
Don't quote me on that.
You got potential here, darling.
Pen.
Thief.
Dr. McLucas, please call the page operator.
Hello, Megan.
Where's Deedee?
What, you're disappointed, are you?
You're the face reader.
Is this how it happened with Fletcher?
Come on, Dr. Lightman, you're the one that lured me here.
You wrecked Fletcher's life.
And now you're trying to do the same with me, is that it?
I like you better than him. You get me.
Open your hand.
Do you prefer cutting up or inflicting pain on other people?
Show me what you got.
Let's get you out of here, shall we?
I know what you're trying to do.
I don't need any help.
I got you.
But you can't tell anyone.
You do...
...I'll say you attacked me.
Hang on a sec.
Go on, then.
That was just lovely.
Tell that to Thomas Fletcher.
Megan!
I found out where Megan kept it hidden. The other girls told me.
I'm so sorry, honey. Maybe it's not too late to get you back into the finals.
After what they did to you, forget it.
"He touched my hair, the back of my neck.
I felt sick. My hands went numb. I couldn't catch my breath."
Sound familiar?
Who else knew about this diary?
Ashley and Ellen, and now me.
That explains their similar language.
Here's one.
"Went to see Back to the Future with Joyce.
First in the school to see it."
It's not Megan's diary, it's her mum's.
A lot of dog-eared pages.
She's been getting off on her mum's pain night after night.
It's how she survives between victims.
Or pageants.
Where she can inflict the most pain on the most people.
And we took all that away from her.
My mum killed herself.
With pills.
You try to make sense of it.
Then you just move on.
No one could ever hurt me like she did.
Your mum will move on.
You know, after a while, she'll move on...
...if you take that dive.
It sounds cold...
...but it's the truth.
Your mom really kill herself?
Oh, yeah.
Silly cow, eh?
I know about the diary.
Now, that's good.
Anger.
It means you feel something other than pain.
She could never stand it if I had a hair out of place.
She'd go to bed for days.
There'd be no food.
She wouldn't talk.
No wonder I never met my dad.
Look.
If you really wanna hurt your mum...
...and her bloody pageant...
...no one does that stuff better than me.
Teenstyle, one of the nation's leading magazines...
...would like to thank all our participants...
...for making this pageant such a special occasion for all of us.
In a moment...
- ...I'll hand an envelope to the judges... - She shouldn't be back here.
- ...with the name of the girl who will... - Well, it's the best I could do, you know?
To get her down off the ledge, because, of course, I didn't have a shrink handy.
And now, after all the talent...
...after all the poise and beauty...
...we come to the big moment.
Who will be Miss Teenstyle Magazine?
Whose face will grace next month's cover?
Our third runner-up and second-place winner is...
...Miss Oregon, Jessica Houston.
Congratulations.
All right!
Our first runner-up and second-place winner is...
...Miss Connecticut, Megan Cross.
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Texas is your winner.
Mindy Lee, congratulations.
- Isn't she beautiful? - Miss Teenstyle Magazine.
Beautiful.
Congratulations.
How you doing? You all right?
"He touched my hair, the back of my neck.
I felt sick."
Where did you get that?
Here you are, love.
Mom.
I found it in your closet.
She was telling your story, wasn't she?
I'm done with pageants.
- What, honey? I know this hurts right now. - Oi.
Will you knock it off?
I'm not doing this anymore, Mom.
I'm not putting on a fake smile to music I don't even like.
I'm not pretending that I want to save the world. I'm...
You can't do this to us.
Us? Or me?
I'll see myself out.
Oh, sorry about that.
It's a gift from Fletcher.
A grateful soccer mum.
Is there anything you wanna talk to me about?
What, you mean like about my dead mother?
If you like.
No, I just... You know, I come in here, I was looking for someone to play with.
Oh!
Sure there's nothing you wanna say to me?
- Look. I know. - Yeah.
No, we can talk about it anytime, really. Anytime you want, you know?
How about now? You good? Now? Talk about it now if you want.
Come here, ball.
Lightman said you were a big help reading the crowd the other day.
Big help? He actually said that?
Look, he wants you out of the lab and onto the street, Eli.
- That's why he cleaned your desk off. - To do what? He hasn't told me anything.
Make it up. Do what he does.
I already applied for a job, at the Pentagon.
Pentagon?
Lightman's former employer?
Yeah.
You're really gonna do this.
If I get the gig, I'm history.
Yeah. Big help.
He actually used those words.
Oi, oi.
Hey, hey.
Um, I'm warming up dinner.
Ah.
Whose cat?
- What's wrong? - It was a joke, love.
When people tell a joke, all right, it's polite to laugh.
Did you have a bad day?
I spoke ill of your grandmother today.
Really?
Yep.
Yeah, I've never done that before.
Well, I mean, I wouldn't forgive you if you killed yourself, either.
It wasn't her fault, you know.
I mean, she was...
She was an ill woman, you know, she was, you know...
You know.
Out to lunch. Eh.
So...
...not her fault.
Look at those fingers go. Little hummingbirds...
...they are.
What's that, then?
It's, um, a forward to your book.
- Really? - Yeah. You wanna hear the first part?
- Yeah, go on then. - Ah...
"It's not easy growing up in a house where someone knows your every thought.
Or thinks they do."
A lot of pressure, then?
You don't have to use it.
No, it's lovely.
Why do you look like you're about to throw up?
Well, because now I got a forward and, you know, no book.
- Meow? - Yes, please.
All right.