6 reasons Sheila Carter can't be the Il Giardino killer on Bold and the Beautiful

On July 15's episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, our soapy faves were all rocked by the news that Hollis had died. Granted, we never really saw anyone but Brooke and Deacon have that much of a relationship with him but the unexpected death shook more than one person to the core. The finger pointing began as expected and both Steffy and Ridge believe Sheila Carter's responsible for what happened to both him and Tom despite the fact that Hollis' demise hasn't been ruled a homicide (yet!).

In a way, I get it. Sheila has terrorized the Forresters and Brooke in the past. And her latest attempted murder plot saw her accidentally shooting her son, Finn, and then Steffy as a means of trying to cover up the accident. But, there is one thing the father-daughter pair seem to be forgetting. Though Sheila has killed before and has been the cause of many a characters' near death experience, she doesn't attack people indiscriminately. There's usually a motive and as far as Steffy and Ridge know there was no bad blood between her and Tom or her and Hollis, so they're just blindly accusing her.

We, however, know there's a possibility she could be a suspect because she and Tom did have words, and she was being weird with Hollis about finding his bag. But, here's the thing. Though she could have plausibly killed both men--one because he was a threat to her new lease on life and the other because he was poking around where she didn't want him to--I don't think Sheila's the Il Giardino killer. Let me lay out why.

Why Sheila Carter isn't the killer on Bold and the Beautiful (speculation)

1. Sheila and Tom buried the hatchet

First and foremost, by the time Tom was murdered he and Sheila were on better terms. She made it clear that she wouldn't tolerate him badmouthing her to her husband and that her past wasn't up for discussion. If he couldn't get with the program the most she was going to do was fire him. Remember, Tom's the reason why Deacon and Finn found her back when Sugar kidnapped her and planned on framing her for a murder spree.

While Sheila wasn't jazzed about him interfering with her ability to have a peaceful and respectful workplace, he hadn't bothered her to the point of murder. It's going to take more than a few ill-advised conversations with Deacon and herself to push Sheila to plot someone's death. Not to mention, right after she'd gotten Tom straight, his focus had turned to Poppy anyway. All of his instigating fell by the wayside. There was no longer a reason for Sheila to feel threatened by him and his digging into her past.

2. The last person Hollis saw was someone he knew but who didn't know about Tom's bag

Yes, Sheila cut Hollis off when he tried to talk to her about what he found in Tom's bag. It was weird but not necessarily suspicious. We know that Tom kept many of his belongings in the backpack including the print outs he had of articles about Sheila's misdeeds. I'm not sure if she knew that but she was aware that he had researched her. Perhaps she wanted Hollis to get rid of the bag because she didn't want him to uncover whatever else Tom might have learned about the things she's done over the years.

Sure, Hollis could have done a quick Google and found out himself but it doesn't seem like he or the other staff members at Il Giardino have looked into Sheila. She'd want to keep it that way by not having Tom's findings trigger a need to uncover her decades worth of missteps and crimes.

There's also the fact that the last person Hollis spoke with was someone he thought didn't know about the backpack. The implication of the scene was that the person who drugged his drink was likely the same person who popped up at the restaurant after hours. Said person likely took the bag with them as well.

3. Sheila was irritated by the mess at Il Giardino

This one is a small thing but I noted it because it seemed important. Though it doesn't make sense that Sheila continued to do inventory when the power had gone off at Il Giardino the night Hollis died, it doesn't appear she'd returned to the restaurant's outdoor dining area. She was noticeably bothered to find the place still a mess. No one else was around so she wasn't putting on a performance.

Had she been the one to kill Hollis, she wouldn't have been surprised that the area hadn't been cleaned up. It looked exactly like it did the night prior with exception to the missing bag. So her scream when she found Hollis' body seemed like a genuine reaction to a shocking discovery.

4. She's being positioned as the killer

Everyone knows the person who is framed in the plot as the killer by most of the characters typically doesn't end up being the one who committed the crime. July 15's episode put Sheila on the path to be accused of foul play by more than one character in the coming days and possibly weeks. Since this is a murder mystery storyline that would make her a red herring. She may have a reason for why she's been acting odd and could somehow tie into what's happened, but it's highly unlikely she actually committed the murders.

5. Sheila's love for Deacon

Call me a sap but I just don't see Sheila killing not one but two of Deacon's friends. I know, I know, she shot her son but that was an accident and she thought she had nothing else to lose by shooting Steffy next because she assumed she'd killed him. The aftermath of that nightmare scenario nearly resulted in Sheila taking her own life, so it's not like she wouldn't struggle over hurting the man she loves.

Deacon isn't exactly Sheila's moral compass but he has been written to be her "True North." He's the only one who seems able to settle her so she doesn't engage in her worst impulses. Tom was a threat but she'd gotten through to him, and the situation with Hollis hadn't progressed far enough for her to have murdered him even if she had killed Tom. And, if she did do those things, I find it hard to believe that she'd be just peachy around Deacon.

She loves him, that's very apparent, and Sheila has a hard time hiding things from the people she loves. Her emotions get the better of her, she's a volatile person in that way. None of her scenes with Deacon thus far have shown her losing her cool, and she hasn't been shown on her own acting out either. That's a pretty good indicator she's not the killer.

6. We just got Kimberlin Brown back

Lastly, Brad Bell and The Bold and the Beautiful writers just brought Sheila back to life. Kimberlin Brown confirmed she was negotiating her contract. The idea that they'd go through the effort of constructing a storyline to reveal that she's alive, have her marry Deacon, and then cast her as the killer at her husband's restaurant seems farfetched to me. It would necessitate Sheila paying for the crimes which would mean jail time and Brown being off our screens again for an indefinite exit. She just returned, her leaving again so soon would be disappointing and feel like a waste.

Who do you think is the Il Giardino killer? Let us know on X! We'll be covering this storyline and more. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote.