Junior Miss Pageant 2000 Series Vol2 Nc8.mpg -

Now, the same girl—Number Eight—was backstage. She wasn't smiling. She was sitting on a folding chair, wiping off her lipstick with a tissue, looking at someone off-camera. Her name was stitched onto a sash: Megan Cole .

"If this gets out, they'll come after you," she said. Junior Miss Pageant 2000 Series Vol2 Nc8.mpg

Megan glanced over her shoulder. "The scholarship money. It's not real. They tell the girls the prize is $5,000, but it's a loan. From the director's husband's bank. You sign the papers on stage. You don't read them because you're crying and holding a rose." Now, the same girl—Number Eight—was backstage

Megan laughed bitterly. "Not her. The bank. The town council. Half this county's economy runs on pageant money. You'll be the crazy guy with the camera." Her name was stitched onto a sash: Megan Cole

He pressed play.