There’s been speculation for weeks that little Carl might be the one to finally reveal the truth about Tom King (James Chase) in Emmerdale.
But it’s someone else who has the pleasure of showing the world who he really is.
While poor Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) grieves for her beloved dad, she’s also staring down the barrel of a prison sentence thanks to Tom’s lies. It’s not a great time for her, and her mental health is crumbling around her. Her only hope now is that a miracle happens.
The one thing that could have brought Tom to justice immediately was his tablet, at which Moira (Natalie J Robb) had a good gander and saw all the evidence before a seizure wiped her memory.
When Tom retrieved his tablet from the child who took it from him, he promptly smashed it thinking he was in the clear – without realising Carl was witness to his violence.
Since then, Carl’s behaviour change has been noticeable, enough to give Tom away.
Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) twigs that Carl’s strange sense of unease is down to Tom. She’s noticed that his behaviour changes whenever Tom is in the room. But trying to get him to open up is harder than trying to knock sense into Jimmy.
Nicola is frustrated that her son won’t tell her what’s really wrong. She secretly calls Jimmy and reveals her thoughts to him about Carl’s mood being related to Tom, and spots the remote-control car in the bin. This is another big red flag.
Nicola uses the car as an entry into a conversation with Carl, but he clams up. Nicola is highly skilled in getting the truth, so this won’t stop her. Now she knows something is up with Tom, she’s determined to get to the crux of it.
She compiles evidence that fits her suspicions and prepares to confront a blindsided Tom in a brave move. For the first time, Jimmy’s (Nick Miles) unwavering support of Tom falters as he hears Tom trying to cover up his lies. His mask is slipping.
Jimmy will take some convincing, being Tom’s biggest fan next to Amelia. For him, Tom is the golden child who can do no wrong.
But Nicola threatens Tom with the police, and we all know Tom’s reaction when he’s backed into a corner. Nicola is about to see just how dark Tom can get.
