2. A Deep Closet
We learn in the ’90s timeline that Tom is a closeted gay man; his fellow co-workers caught him entering a “queer club.” We see religious conversion therapy pamphlets in his house. And there are several implications that one or more of the other main characters could be closeted as well.
The first is Roland, who forms a close relationship with Tom in the years since the crime. He’s the one who Tom credits with helping him stop drinking. Is it possible that their relationship was ever something more than a friendship? When Roland later interrogates him for the possible murder of Will and Julie, Tom has an abject look of hurt and betrayal on his face–perhaps more hurt than if they were only close friends. We also learn Roland and his girlfriend broke up and that he’s unmarried as of 2015.
The second character possibility is Harris James, the head of Hoyt security. There’s a weird, out-of-place comment when Roland and Wayne are interviewing him; James compliments Wayne’s body in a very forward, awkward manner. Is this foreshadowing James’ orientation?
So why does any of this even matter? Because as we learn from Tom’s foreman in the ’90s, people felt uncomfortable discussing homosexuality in ’80s Arkansas. It’s entirely possible that somebody in the underground gay community saw something that was relevant to the case, but never reported it out of fear of being outed. And similarly, Tom, Roland, and James might be privy to information they wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing, or they could be extorted by someone who threatens to reveal information if they step out of line.