There’s a gruesome discovery in Emmerdale next week when the dead body found in the lake is confirmed to be Nate Robinson.

Everyone thought the farmhand had done a runner and abandoned his family, but now the missing man’s fate is being treated as murder. Will John be revealed as the accidental killer, or could someone else take the blame for bumping him off?

The locals are horrified after a corpse is found in the lake, which had to be dredged following the poisoned water fiasco.

After much speculation, the identity of the deceased is eventually revealed as Nate, who everyone thought had moved to Shetland to start a new job last September.

Falsely accused of cheating on wife Tracy with ex-lover Moira Dingle, Nate left under a cloud of misunderstanding and was never heard from again. But when the police inform Tracy of his murder, it comes as a huge shock.

Quizzed by the cops on her late spouse’s last known movements, Tracy recalls how Nate was at odds with Cain. Father and son clashed over Nate’s supposed smooch with his old flame, aka Cain’s missus.

Cain fought with Nate on the day he took off, giving the Dingle dad a motive for murder in the eyes of the law. Before you can say ‘prime suspect’, Cain is taken in for questioning.

Grieving Cain fumes as the finger of suspicion points in his direction. But remembering how furious Cain was when he thought Moira and Nate had reignited their affair, Tracy becomes convinced of Cain’s guilt…

“When she starts thinking of motives, the only person who had crossed wires with Nate before he left was Cain,” points out Amy Walsh, who plays Tracy.

“They’d had a big bust-up and Tracy witnessed Cain really laying into him, it was horrific. Tracy is equally a suspect, as the closest people always are, but she knows it wasn’t her so she thinks it must be Cain!”

“He’s actually really supportive and emotional towards Tracy, which is very unlike Cain!” adds Amy.

“Tracy thinks it’s not sadness, it’s guilt. She just runs with the theory. Tracy knows what Cain is capable of but doesn’t think he set out to murder Nate.

“If Cain chased after Nate to threaten him to stay away and they got into a fight, it could’ve easily gone too far – but that would still make Nate’s death Cain’s fault.”

Meanwhile, nobody suspects John Sugden is the real killer. Viewers know from dramatic flashbacks that Nate died from a reaction to medication administered by John, who was attempting to treat the injuries from Cain’s attack.

Clever John has covered his tracks, which is bad news for Cain as evidence mounts against him.

As next week’s episodes continue, the case takes an unexpected turn when police reveal there’s been a surprise development.

What is this latest twist, and will it get Cain off the hook?