As Cain helps cover up Anthony d.e.a.t.h, here’s why he’s crucial to keeping a m.u.r.d.e.r hidden
The truth is finally out – and tonight’s episode of Emmerdale saw Cain Dingle learn that it was Ruby who k.i.l.l.e.d Anthony. Cain’s suspicions grew after seeing the tension between Chas and Caleb. He quickly realised that the pair were hiding something from him.
Determined to get to the bottom of things, he popped around to see Caleb. After a brief distraction – Caleb turned the whole thing on its head by demanding to know whether Cain had slept with his wife – he revealed the whole truth.
Cain learned the truth about Anthony on Emmerdale tonight
As a stunned Cain learned, Anthony was dead, and it was Ruby who had k.i.l.l.e.d him – after a beating from Aaron, of course. That makes a sixth who knows the truth (so far: Ruby, Caleb, Aaron, John and Chas), but possibly the best move Caleb could have made.
Here’s why bringing Cain on board is the best move they could have made.
From kidnapping to attempted murder, he’s done it all
If there’s one thing this confederacy of dunces could use, it’s someone with a cool head. There’s John, of course, but he might be a bit too cool…
He may have mellowed over the years, but Cain is nothing if not experienced. Whether it’s kidnapping Tom and Sadie king or kidnapping Lydia’s rapist, Cain has a history of violence. He’s also used to a bit of b.l.o.o.d.s.h.e.d, having doled out his fare share of beatings over the years.
While none of the group are strangers to crime, Cain was a prolific criminal in his time and an old hat at avoiding police consequences.
He’s covered up m.u.r.d.e.r before
This isn’t Cain Dingle’s first rodeo. In 2022, Cain covered up the true identity of Al Chapman’s m.u.r.d.e.r.e.r. This came after his own son, little Kyle, shot Al dead in a misguided attempt to protect his father.
Determined not to let Kyle go down for a d.e.a.t.h that was mostly his fault anyway, Cain took the fall for k.i.l.l.i.n.g Al. He would have seen it through too, if Kyle hadn’t confessed to the m.u.r.d.e.r himself.
Cain knows how to keep a secret… and lie about it
He had a wobble for a while there, but Cain managed to get over his guilt over cheating with Moira to get himself back on an even keel. When questioned by Caleb, he denied everything – telling his brother that Anthony’s words were another lie from a cornered abuser.
Many might have crumbled, but not Cain. The confidence of his denial seemed to assuage Caleb’s worries (he even wanted to hug it out afterwards) and bodes well for Cain as a co-conspirator.
He put his talent for deceit to good use later in the episode, telling the police that he’d seen Anthony in the village after the date of his apparent disappearance. This cleared Laurel and got the investigation shut down, for now.
He looks after his own
With both Caleb and Aaron’s future on the line, Cain will keep their secret with everything he’s got. After finding Caleb about to shoot Anthony, Cain went as far as to offer to help him finish the job.
It turns out Ruby already had that covered, but Cain was quick to offer an alibi to Caleb if he had, hypothetically, killed Anthony. And, as Caleb revealed the truth tonight, Cain’s reaction proved that he’s a man of his word.
He’s competent
If Cain was annoyed about anything, it was the sheer incompetence of those around him. Learning that Aaron and John had used his garage to disassemble Anthony’s car, he was left fuming.
After all, this had already attracted the attention of nosy neighbour Manpreet, who had a few choice words to say. Former career criminal Cain would never be so careless, and he told Aaron as such. With a keen eye for staging a crime and covering up its aftermath, there’s no-one you want on your side more than Cain Dingle.
He can keep his mouth shut
If there’s one thing we know about Cain, it’s that he’s no grass. This was evident in 2012, when he was attacked and left for dead by his own dad, Zak.
When Zak admitted that it had been he who’d hospitalised Cain with a crowbar, Cain was heartbroken. However, family loyalty (and a little bit of guilt, perhaps) held true, and he agreed to drop the charges against Jai, who’d previously been in the frame.
Cain should take fall for k.i.l.l.i.n.g Anthony on Emmerdale, fans demand
And, if all that fails, he’d make a good patsy for Anthony’s murder. Some might think he’s overdue a comeuppance by now anyway, having gotten away with enough shady business of his own as it is.
