Fishy, Fishy: Don’t Take the Bait as Bold & Beautiful Hooks a Red Herring

“Just who is Justin Barber on The Bold and the Beautiful?” is a question that we should all be asking right about now. Of course, it’s only logical that Deputy Chief Baker would want to question the notorious Sheila Carter about not one but two mysterious deaths at the restaurant where she slings pizza (even though she’s supposedly super rich). But to make the merry murderess the killer would be way too obvious, right? And there was someone else who is capable of just about anything present at Il Giardino on the fateful night that Tom Starr sang his swan song: Justin.

Aaron D. Spears’ conniving character was introduced back in 2009 as the executive veep of mergers and acquisitions at Spencer Publications. Upon relocating to the company’s L.A. office, Bill’s right-hand man became reacquainted with his high-school sweetheart, Donna Logan, and soon learned that — way back when — she’d given birth to their now-grown son, Marcus Walton.

Later, after Donna’s first marriage to Eric Forrester went belly up, Justin tied the knot with his old flame. Alas, the heat just wasn’t there anymore. They divorced but remained friends.

In the years that followed, Justin would continue to do Bill’s dirty work for him, even going to far as to drop Ridge Forrester from a helicopter into the Persian Gulf on his boss’ orders. But he eventually soured on playing second fiddle. So when Bill was jailed for covering up son Liam’s complicity in the events that led Poor Dead Vinny to become poor and dead, Justin pulled a power play at Spencer. And if you want to know the kind of extremes who which he’s willing to go, remember this: To keep Thomas Forrester from revealing that Vinny had deliberately thrown himself in front of Liam’s car, Justin caged up the Forrester heir!

Once Bill was a free man, he felt more than free to pink-slip his treacherous buddy. In response, Justin went to work as a henchman of sorts for Ridge. In fact, it was Justin who caught Eric’s then-wife Quinn Fuller in bed with Carter Walton.

Now, what exactly is Justin up to? That, we don’t know. But the show made a point of having him cross paths with Sheila on the night that Tom died. She’s sure to mention that to Deputy Chief Baker. And that begs the question: Why would Justin have wanted Tom dead… and Hollis? The only reason anyone could have to kill them would be to keep it from getting out that Tom, not Bill, is Luna’s father. But why would Justin care?

Our theory: Justin is another of Poppy’s exes. They were involved in the years that he was off the canvas. In a frenzy over Tom’s threats, Poppy confided in her old lover, who in turn heard opportunity knocking. He promised her that he’d take care of everything — and did so by committing not one but two murders. His motive? To get Poppy over a barrel. She either pays him, handsomely and regularly, or he’ll turn over Tom’s love letters to Bill and frame her his crimes!

In the end, perhaps the answer to the question “Just who is Justin Barber?”… is someone who shouldn’t be underestimated.