The case of the wily widower who wound up dead

The body of badly beaten drunk Liam Powell leads the Sun Hill officers to two pitifully neglected children and a blackmail victim. But with DS Max Carter leading the investigation, not all the coppers are confident of getting a result.

Victim Liam was a regular drinker at a pub near to where his body was found, but landlord Nick (Lee Whitlock) and his girlfriend Louisa Gate (Nicola Stapleton – EastEnders, Bad Girls, Emmerdale) say they have no idea how he ended up dead after he left their pub. At Liam’s home, DC Terry Perkins, Pc Kirsty Knight and Max are shocked to find two young children, filthy and starving. Turns out Liam has been struggling since the death of his wife a year ago.

CCTV footage rescues the investigation when it reveals that, contrary to Louisa’s statement, she argued with Liam on the night he died. In fact, Louisa is quite the liar – just not a very good one. The police discover that she and Liam had an affair and he was blackmailing her, threatening to tell Nick. So, did she kill him to shut him up? Or had Nick already found out about their affair and decided to teach Liam a lesson?

Those aren’t the only questions on Terry’s mind. He thinks Max is still using drugs.