In a shocking twist on Coronation Street, the ITV soap hinted at the demise of an unexpected baddie in the latest episode. Lawyer Joel Deering, who has been menacing Lauren Bolton and even assaulted her with a chair leg in an attempt to harm her unborn child, vanished on Monday (September 30).
His abandoned vehicle was discovered near a railway bridge, sparking fears of his fate.
DS Lisa Swain, alongside Kit Green, investigated the scene where they stumbled upon a note inside Joel's car. The plot thickened when Swain relayed the grim findings to Dee-Dee at Roy's Rolls, leaving her stunned.
Swain broke the news to Joel's former partner: "His car is still at the spot where he made his last call to you. We also found a note on the dashboard. It was a suicide note. I'm really sorry to tell you this, Dee-Dee, but we think he might have taken his own life."
A skeptical Dee-Dee queried: "But you didn't find a body?" to which Lisa admitted: "Not yet, no, but the note was pretty unequivocal."
Roy offered his perspective: "Well I'm sorry it's ended like this. Some might get a visceral satisfaction from an offender meeting their end by whatever means I don't. I wanted Joel to face up to what he'd done and to wake up to where it had led him every morning of his natural life. He's escaped that."
However, Dee-Dee wasn't convinced and later ventured to the location where Joel's phone had last signalled, only to find a concealed car near a dilapidated shed a vehicle DS Swain confirmed wasn't registered to Joel.
Lisa's shock discovery of a notebook in Joel's flat, with clear evidence that suicide note paper was ripped out, suggests his drastic actions were part of a preconceived plan rather than an impulsive act. Kit revealed: "He wrote the suicide note and took it with him. Whatever happened next, it was planned in advance."
The burning question now looms - did Joel actually take his own life, or is this all an elaborate ruse?
