When the Stars Go Dark

Anna is determined to speak to Shannan’s mother, Karen, who works at a hair salon in Gualala. Karen wants nothing to do with any investigation—she tells Anna that Shannan had been a problem since her father left years earlier. Karen suspects that “clients” paid Shannon with expensive clothes for sex.

The interview disturbs Anna—she recalls when she watched her own father, Red, taken away by the police, that trauma three years before her mother overdosed on Christmas Day. Anna drives back to Mendocino and heads to the community center. She admires Gray’s collection of photos and drawings about Cameron. As the townspeople arrive, Anna notices the tension in the body language between Will and his wife.

Although the media turnout is disappointing, the event goes smoothly as first Will and then Troy, Cameron’s father, speak. They encourage the townspeople to help in the search. After the program, Tally introduces Anna to her husband, Sam, an Indigenous American who uses a wheelchair and operates a successful yoga studio. Sam intuitively picks up on Anna’s frustration. He suggests Anna could help the case by sharpening her mind-body connection.