Jasper and Rob lived in the same apartment building, directly opposite the alley where Café Two was located. Rob trudged up the stairs, clutching the case file and fiddling with the café keys, spinning them around his index finger. He passed his apartment door, just before Jasper's, and knocked on Jasper's door, intending to drop off the keys. However, there was no response.
'He must have fallen asleep,' Rob thought, waiting briefly for Jasper to respond.
When Jasper didn't respond, Rob walked to his own door and unlocked it. As he entered, he was greeted by a sleeping Shaggy amidst a messy living room—pillows scattered everywhere, empty bags of chips, and discarded plates from Mama Tinuke's Mama Put restaurant. This was where Rob had been staying since returning to Birchwood after his seven-year absence.
He navigated through the clutter, dodging trash on the floor, and gently petted Shaggy's head. "Sleep well, girl," he whispered.
The apartment consisted of one bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen, and one bathroom. Rob headed to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and downed it quickly. Returning to the living room, he surveyed the space before checking his watch.
"1 am, and I'm still awake. Never really do get enough sleep, do I?" he mused.
As he began cleaning up the living room, picking up wrappers and plates from every corner, he hummed a tune. "What is love? Baby, don't hurt me; don't hurt me; no more."
When he was done with cleaning, he walked over to his couch and collapsed onto it, falling fast asleep. The sun was still rising when Rob woke up. After booting up for a few seconds, he got up from the couch and placed his hand on his head.
'Didn't even make it to my room.'
He turned his head to find Shaggy still sleeping soundly on the floor by the couch. He reached to pet her again when she raised her head, startling Rob a bit. With her tongue out of her mouth, she hopped from her spot and pounced on Rob, licking his face with agitation.
"Good morning to you too, girl." He laughed as he petted her. He and this dog had been together since they were both kids; she was probably his oldest friend. 'Me and you against the world, Shaggy.'
This touching moment was interrupted by the sound of Rob's stomach rumbling; both Rob and the dog took a moment to look at his stomach.
"You're probably hungry too, right, Shaggy?" Rob chuckled before getting up and pouring out dog food into Shaggy's bowl.
After that, he picked up his phone and dialed Jim's number.
—Ring—Ring—Ring—
"Morning, Jim."
"Damn it, Rob, it's 7 in the morning."
"Nice to hear your voice too; I did a stakeout at the cemetery last night and ran into some thugs. Turns out they were members of Soul Whisper."
"That old cult?"
"Yeah, they told me they were still active. I believe their return is linked to our gravedigger somehow."
"You think he's a member?"
"Not sure yet, but that's a possibility. I got an address; it crossed my mind to ask for a time, but do you want to check it out later today?"
"Sure, want me to pick you up?"
"You know I don't own a car."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll pick you up at 4 pm."
"Can you tell me anything about Soul Whisper that may not be in the case file?"
"Don't think I can help you with that; if I were you, I'd ask Uche."
"My uncle?"
"What other Uche do we know?"
Rob remained silent for a while.
"Look, kid, you and your uncle may have had some disagreements in the past, but he's still your uncle. I think it's time you reconciled with him."
Rob let out a sigh. "Sure, I'll go visit today."
"Really?"
"What's the worst that could happen?"
"That's great, don't like seeing my friends fight."
"Bruh."
"What?"
"You sound so cringe."
"Oh, whatever, see you this evening."
"Alright, see you later."
—Hangs Up—
After his phone call, he headed to Jasper's apartment to hand him his keys.
"Morning, Jasper."
"Yo," Jasper responded before sipping on a cup of hot coffee, sporting a robe and a pair of fluffy slippers.
"Here's your car key."
"Yeah," he said as he collected them.
They both remained silent for a moment as Jasper sipped on his coffee.
"Well, see you later."
"Yeah."
By 9 am, Jasper opened Café Two. When he did, he prepared the pastries, the coffee seeds, and everything else he needed. While cleaning up the place, he stared at the vending machine for a few seconds before continuing to clean. After cleaning, he waited behind the counter for any customers.
Not long after, Rob walked in with Shaggy tailing him from behind.
"Hey, Jasper, I'm heading out."
"Where?"
"I'm heading to my uncle's house."
"Ah, going to reconcile?"
"Yes, that, and he might be connected to the grave digger case somehow."
"Oh, okay, kid, enjoy your day."
"I told you I'm not a kid anymore; I'm 20 years old."
"Right, sorry, Mr. Adult."