Emmerdale killer John Sugden finds himself giving the eulogy at Nate Robinson’s funeral next week – but will he crack under the pressure and finally confess to murder?

All hopes of a peaceful farewell are shattered as Nate’s funeral turns into an all-out turf war, with the Dingles on one side and Tracy on the other.

Then Nate’s mum Cara arrives and demands to know who’s responsible for her boy’s death. As the guilt gnaws away at him, killer John plays peacemaker and calls for a truce – before being forced to stand in front of the mourners and pay tribute to Nate…

“The secret of Nate’s murder is terrorising John,” our Emmerdale source explains.

“The walls are closing in, and the police are circling. In this village John’s a hero, he’s a crucial part of the community. But is the guilt too much for him to bear?”

Hidden in the sidelines, John’s been pulling all the strings to try to avoid suspicion over Nate’s death, even though he was the last person to see him alive.

However, his meddling has turned the heat onto two unlikely murder suspects, Cain and Tracy, pitting them against each other. Now John is losing sleep over his guilt, and doing everything he can to avoid the funeral…

“John begs Aaron not to attend,” explains our insider. “But Aaron is adamant he wants to say goodbye to his cousin, leaving John feeling wretched in the knowledge he’ll have to suffer through the memorial when all the time he was responsible for killing Nate.”

As preparations take place for Nate’s send-off, Aaron asks John if he’ll have a word with Tracy, in a final push to persuade her to let the Dingles attend the funeral.

Despite John having spent weeks playing the part of Tracy’s shoulder to cry on, she’s firm in her decision – the funeral is a Dingle no-go zone.

The day before the funeral, Tracy is shocked to learn she’ll be receiving Nate’s life insurance money. But this news is bound to stir up trouble, as Cain still blames her for his son’s death…

“In their own tribute to Nate, the Dingles gather in the Woolie,” our source explains.

“Cain’s all fired up, and his speech becomes a tirade against Tracy. Nothing can sway him from believing the innocent mum is a murderer…”

Caleb manages to calm his brother down, but at that very moment Nate’s mum Cara arrives, furious to see Cain laughing.

However, the pair’s confrontation is soon overshadowed when Sam drops the bombshell about Tracy’s inheritance, and Cain explodes with anger. Now, more than ever, he’s convinced Tracy has a motive for murder and warns her that he’ll be at the funeral – and there’s nothing she can do about it…

The day of Nate’s send-off finally arrives and in their respective homes, Cain, Tracy and John dread the hours ahead. Outside the church, Tracy is alarmed to see DS Walsh arrive to watch over proceedings, leaving her upset that everyone is convinced she’s guilty.

The Dingles arrive en masse, following the hearse along Main Street, and it’s not long before chaos descends as the two parties begin a war of words.

Unable to cope with the mud-slinging, jittery John speaks up, begging the families to stop and call a truce.

John might live to regret his appeal for peace, because his stoic words earn him the job of delivering the eulogy that Tracy can’t manage to say. But as the murderous medic stands at the podium, the eyes of the law make him hesitate.

The words dry up in his throat and he struggles to know what to say about Nate’s short life, as memories of that fateful day course through his veins.

Is he about to confess in front of the police and a church full of Dingles? Or will he be congratulated for saving the day and stopping Nate’s farewell from becoming a complete and utter shambles?