Nightshade

Stilwell drives to a warehouse used by Island Mystery Tours to store and repair golf carts. He encounters a young worker named Henry Gaston, who warns that he will have to call someone named “Baby Head” if Stilwell enters. When Stilwell finds blood on the handle of an old saw with a brand-new blade, he bags it as evidence related to the recent mutilation of a wild buffalo, a protected species. He encourages Henry to report anything he may know. As Stilwell leaves, he is stopped by owner Oscar “Baby Head” Terranova, who threatens him. On returning to the station, Stilwell learns that a body has been found tangled near a visiting yacht’s anchor.

Stilwell dons a wetsuit and borrows scuba gear to investigate the body. The experience of diving brings up memories of his time on a sheriff’s dive team. He is haunted by images of the decomposing bodies he recovered. Stilwell finds a woman’s body wrapped in a heavy anchor line, which has become caught in a coral outcrop. He adds more weight to the body in order to stop it from drifting away before the official dive team arrives. When he returns to the surface, he finds Doug Allen, mayor of Avalon, waiting for him alongside journalist Lionel McKey.

Stilwell privately tells his girlfriend, assistant harbormaster Tash Dano, that the boat closest to the body can be released without questioning, as the body was likely dumped before the boat arrived. When Lionel McKey asks if a body was found, Mayor Doug Allen intervenes. He warns Stilwell not to talk to the press and privately urges him to keep the investigation as quiet as possible so as not to disrupt island business over the upcoming weekend, which is expected to be busy with tourists. Stilwell calls the mainland homicide unit and is annoyed to learn that the investigation will be handled by Detectives Rex Ahearn and Frank Sampedro, officers he has clashed with in the past.

Stilwell sends a deputy to pick up the investigators from the mainland, hoping to spend as little time with them as possible. He is surprised to learn that Ahearn arrived without Sampedro. Ahearn arrives overdressed in a suit and dress shoes, which cause him to slip on the dock and fall into the harbor. Humiliated, Ahearn demands that Stilwell seize witnesses’ phones and delete any video of his fall. Stilwell refuses. Ahearn leaves to change at the station, and Stilwell supervises as divers bring up the unidentified body. He notes that the anchor chain weighting her down is a commonly used brand.

Stilwell returns to the station to find Ahearn wearing mismatched, borrowed clothes. Ahearn is furious that video of his fall has already reached social media. When Stilwell tries to discuss the case, Ahearn angrily reminds Stilwell that he is no longer a homicide detective and orders him to cede the investigation to mainland detectives or else he’ll be fired. Stilwell notes that he was sent to Catalina after a disagreement with Ahearn about a case they shared as homicide detectives. Despite Ahearn’s warning, Stilwell pursues the investigation, asking Tash Dano to compile a list of the yachts in the harbor the week prior.

The next morning, Stilwell wakes to find that news of the body’s discovery has made the front page of the Catalina Call, the local newspaper, despite Mayor Allen’s efforts to keep the investigation a secret. Alongside the report is an article about local objections to the planned construction of a giant Ferris wheel in town to attract more tourists. There is also an article about a buffalo found with its head removed in the nature preserve. Stilwell is joined by Tash Dano, whom he has been dating since he arrived in Catalina. Despite their eight-year age gap, Stilwell and Dano have become serious. As Dano leaves, Stilwell receives a call about a drunk tourist causing a disturbance.

On Tuesday morning, Stilwell reviews the crime and arrest reports from the prior weekend. He knows that mainland prosecutor Monika Juarez will likely choose not to pursue most of the cases in order to free up resources for investigating mainland crimes. Stilwell’s report to Juarez urges her to pursue charges against Merris Spivak, who attacked Deputy Tom Dunne with a wine bottle, resulting in Dunne’s hospitalization. Stilwell questions Spivak and begins to suspect that he knew and targeted Dunne, whom he may have known while incarcerated. Stilwell reads a report about the theft of a statue at the Black Marlin Club, a prestigious yacht club, and learns that the suspect had a purple streak in her hair, matching the body found in the harbor.

Stilwell pulls up records for the suspect, Leigh-Anne Moss. Although she doesn’t have purple in her hair in her driver’s license photo, Stilwell is confident that Moss is the woman found in the harbor. He calls Ahearn to pass on the information, but Ahearn refuses to discuss the case any further. Stilwell calls the coroner’s office and asks investigator Monty West for more information. West agrees to share details from the autopsy after it’s performed and to send Stilwell a photo of the victim’s hair. Stilwell decides to investigate the missing statue at the Black Marlin Club personally. He learns that the members are all “outtowners,” or mainlanders.

Stilwell visits the prestigious Black Marlin Club to investigate the disappearance of a historic statue, which the club described as priceless. When Stilwell questions why a priceless statue would be left unattended, manager Charles Crane insists that a gentleman’s club doesn’t need security. Stilwell learns that the suspect named by Crane, Leigh-Anne Moss, was fired the week prior for being overly flirtatious with club members. Crane accuses her of being a “gold-digger” hoping to ensnare a wealthy member. He gives Stilwell a copy of Moss’s application and a photo of the statue and explains that there are no surveillance cameras on the property.

Stilwell interviews Buddy Callahan, the bartender at Black Marlin Club who reported Moss for flirting with customers. Callahan claims that Moss repeatedly flirted with customers in the hope of securing a wealthy older man to pay her bills. He accidentally reveals that not all the customers rejected her advances. Callahan denies knowing where Moss lived or any of her friends but argues that she likely stole the statue in anger after being fired. As he’s leaving, Stilwell asks Crane why he didn’t walk Moss out on the day he fired her. Crane explains that he received an important call from a member and prioritized the call over Moss.

On his way back to the station, Stilwell stops by a local hardware store to ask owner Ned Browning if the store recently sold the anchor chain that Moss was found wrapped in. Browning says no and reveals that Ahearn recently stopped by to ask the same question. Stilwell asks Browning to call him when Ahearn comes to ask about a plow anchor. Stilwell identifies the saw found at the Island Mystery Tours warehouse and asks Browning to compile a list of recent sales. Stilwell learns that Henry Gaston has been reported missing, and he drives to the warehouse to investigate. He is confronted by “Baby Face” Terranova, who accuses him of scaring off Gaston.