Emmerdale’s Monday, October 30, episode announced that Craig Reed, a malevolent rapist played by Ben Addis, had been discovered dead in a field on the Home Farm estate. Karen Blick’s character Lydia Dingle called the Woolpack Dingle Court because she was certain a member of her own family had to be the murderer.
Craig was once restrained in a barn by Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Sam (James Hooton), as we have already learned. Lydia had the opportunity to confront the guy who had raped her in dramatic sequences, making him recoil as she described the feelings he had caused her.
She felt stronger for being able to reclaim the power he had taken from her, so she shoved the gag back in his mouth when he attempted to object.
Whether or not you believe Sam and Cain, their insistence about it being the extent of their involvement in Craig’s final hours is another matter.
Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper), who had gotten Craig into hot water by exposing him as a rapist in front of his colleagues, was the next person Lydia questioned.
Belle used her relationship with Tom (James Chase) as her excuse. Tom had proposed to her. Belle withheld from her family that she struck her head on a table after Tom violently shoved her when she failed to respond positively.
This is a tale that will undoubtedly be investigated more in the future, but it also highlights the fact that not all of the witnesses in the Dingle Court are speaking the truth. As the week goes on and more individuals are questioned, it appears that many people had the chance and motivation to kill Craig.
Fans, however, are left wondering whether the main suspect isn’t even in the Woolpack because Ruth (Luci Fish), Craig’s former PA, has a reputation for acting in a way that makes people think she could have a legitimate motive for killing Craig.
Craig first attempted to use intimidation to get out of Belle’s presentation at the staff meeting, but when Belle persisted in her charges, Craig instructed Ruth to contact the police.
She initially sat there uncomfortably, then resisted his requests. She informed him that she was leaving her position.
Before then, there were sporadic glimpses of her being uneasy when the truth about Craig became known, which prompted some to wonder whether she was previously aware of Craig’s personality.
One fan theorized on X (previously Twitter) that “it’s the receptionist who killed Craig as it’s to be revealed he raped her too in the past.”
It was also seen by others that Ruth appeared uneasy in Craig’s presence. One said, “Yeah, the personal assistant has to be it.” “The way she was acting, it was evident that she had raped herself.”
Fans feel Ruth is responsible for his death, regardless of whether Ruth was a victim herself or just accepted Lydia’s account.
While some were placing their bets, others came to the opposite conclusion: “I don’t think any of the Dingles killed him; my money would be on his receptionist.”
Who took Craig’s life? Either Craig’s secretary or Samson (Sam Hall) will do, I suppose!
By the end of the week, a lot more mysteries will be revealed, regardless of whether Ruth is the murderer or whether someone else was there at the Dingle Court in the Woolpack.