The last time fans saw Tom’s backpack in , Hollis was alive. Now and the backpack is nowhere to be seen. Is the backpack the key? Here’s the thing: Tom’s (Clint Howard) backpack is more than the smoking gun when it comes to solving the Il Giardino murders.
It could also shine a big ol’ spotlight on Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) and Poppy ( ). Tom carried his life in his backpack, and with the whirlwind of activity swirling around after his death, it somehow went unnoticed in the Il Giardino stockroom until Hollis (Hollis W. Chambers) found it.
He looked inside and found letters that shocked him. We can only presume they were either to Poppy and Luna (Lisa Yamada) or perhaps even Poppy. Shocked, Hollis went to Sheila, who dismissed his concerns and told him to throw the backpack away.
This didn’t sit well with him, but he died before he could share his concerns with Deacon (Sean Kanan). Sheila has been acting suspiciously since finding Hollis dead. She may have been the last person to see him alive, she was the one who discovered his body and she’s been quick to assure Deacon that his death was an accident.
Then there’s Poppy, who has been acting strangely since she discovered Tom working at Il Giardino. Bill (Don Diamont) is starting to take note of her odd behavior, sullen mood and disappearing game. As soon as Li (Naomi Matsuda) told her she was conducting the autopsy, she rushed to the hospital, leaving a grieving Luna with an out-of-his-league-with-daughter-tears.