When the Dead by Michelle Kilmer

helped her pick it up. There was a brochure for some kind of therapy
retreat. I handed it back but I saw the name of the center on it. I ran
upstairs and searched the Internet. Kind of snoopy of me but I couldn’t help
myself.  It was a body image clinic that specializes in eating disorder
treatment. You don’t get a brochure from a place like that unless you request
it.”
    “I should check her old apartment on the third floor. That is the only
place she would have privacy. Ben is with the Cabels, do you want to come with
me?”
                “Field trip!” Markus exclaimed. “I
love a good scandal!”
     

Litter Bug
    Molly
was frantic. She had run upstairs as fast as she could after lunch to try to
hide the evidence of her bad decisions. Her old apartment was a mess. Empty
food containers were scattered everywhere and it smelled like vomit. She was
able to fill one garbage bag with trash and toss it over the railing of her
balcony before her secret was exposed to all.
                Isobel
didn’t knock and that made Markus even more excited. She used her set of keys
to let them in. The smell hit her nose and she cringed. Markus felt proud as he
surveyed the proof of Molly’s betrayal. Piles of empty cans and plastic bags, a
can opener, used paper towels, all littered the floor.
                “I
knew it!” Markus blurted out.
                Molly’s
heart nearly stopped when she came out of the bathroom, a bag of vomit in her
hand, sweat building from her brow, to stand face to face with Isobel and
Markus.
                “What
. . . I . . . why are you in here?” Molly stuttered and yelled. She dropped the
bag of vomit on the carpeted hall. Markus watched the plastic bag fall and said
a small prayer that it wouldn’t burst open onto his pants. It hit the ground
with a soft splat and the plastic held. Molly didn’t give them time to answer.
She pushed through them and ran out of the apartment.
                “Oooh.
Someone’s in trouble ,” Markus said to Isobel.
     

    Rob and Gabe
were in the hallway when Molly came running by.
                “Dad,
she looks sad.”
                “Yeah
she does. I wonder what happened upstairs.” Thinking it might have something to
do with Vaughn, Rob followed after her. “Stay here champ.”
                Rob
found the door to 204 open a hair and he let himself in. Jill and Molly sat
together on the couch, Jill’s hands rubbing Molly’s back as she cried loudly.
    “Hi Annabella,” Rob said as he walked over to a bassinet in the corner of
the living room. The baby was asleep despite the noise of Molly’s entry and
emotion. “Is everything alright, Molly?”
    “I was getting better you know? I was in therapy and I was making . . .
progress. Things were looking up for once in a long time.” She kept her head
down and it looked like she was talking to herself more than to anyone in the
room.
    “What are you talking about?” Rob asked. He truly was stumped.
                “I
have an eating disorder Rob. It’s my fault we are screwed on food. I tried to
stop but I’ve been so stressed about the baby and everything that I went a
little crazy last night.”
                “How
much did you eat?” Rob thought maybe she could consume twice her portions at
best.
                “I
don’t know but I was up there for three hours.”
                Markus
and Isobel had taken their time coming downstairs after Molly. They knew she
couldn’t go anywhere, none of them could. The two of them walked into 204, Gabe
followed behind, looking for his dad.
                Molly
saw Markus and her eyes drilled into him. How long did you know? She knew
it was his fault she’d been found out. “Why did you do this to me?”
                “Woah,
woah. I didn’t do anything,” Markus pointed at himself