146 Where did things go wrong?

The next day, Sam left early.

This morning, Zoe had already informed Sam in advance, intending to leave together, only to find that Sam seemed not to have returned home yet. After Sam briefly explained the situation, they agreed to meet near the astronomical observation site.

According to Zoe, the cemetery she wanted to visit was also close by.

The weather was nice today, seemingly anticipated from the star-gazing session the night before. The sun was not overly harsh, and the breeze felt much gentler, making for a pleasant day.

Sam settled down early in a nearby 24-hour coffee shop, ordering an iced Americano for himself.

Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, Sam quietly looked at his phone, occasionally glancing at the passing crowd outside, nothing out of the ordinary. 

Only the cleaning lady who came in the morning seemed to not rest for a bit, mopping around Sam's area almost ten times! The floor was nearly losing its color!