DI Malone (played by Mark Womack) has made his presence known in Emmerdale since he arrived in the village earlier this year, with it immediately clear he had a murky past with Will Taylor (Dean Andrews). However, recent scenes on the ITV soap have seemed to suggest he and Harriet (Katherine Dow Blyton) also know one another from days gone by. Both did work in the police force some years ago before the vicar turned her devotion to the church. However, could there be a very different reason why the pair know each other, with the connection more familial than first thought?
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In fact, all three key players in this storyline have a history, given Harriet was the undercover officer who brought down Will’s old gang, leading him to be put behind bars.
Things got complicated as she ended up falling in love with her target and it wasn’t until last year they were reunited when the former jailbird tried to get revenge on the vicar before realising he still had feelings for her.
With DI Malone’s introduction to the village, it emerged he was a corrupt detective who had worked on the case with the former gang member’s partner and he was the reason a gun was being kept in the house.
The firearm has become of grave concern to the churchgoer and scenes this week saw her turn to her former colleague to ask if her boyfriend was descending back down a dark path.
This scene led many to believe the pair could have or are set to have an affair, but could they actually be related?
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Their meeting was very cloak and dagger, with Will unaware his partner was speaking with the man who is getting him involved with dodgy deeds.
With the vicar voicing concerns about her step-grandson of sorts Lucas Taylor (Dexter Ansell) being in the house where a gun could be brought into, the corrupt officer told her if she had any worries to go to him.
Of course, she has no idea he is actually tormenting her boyfriend and leading him back into a criminal world, so she gladly accepted his assurances.
DI Malone then asked his former colleague why she in a relationship with the ex-gang member, to which she replied: “You can’t help who you fall in love with.”
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“Harriet and Malone obviously have a history, as she worked with him while she was in the police. She’s not happy about him being back in their lives, and she knows Will fears him.
“She doesn’t want to give her concern away. She has to tread very carefully to get some answers from Malone without dropping anybody else in it.”
The vicar might be worried about Will getting involved with her former colleague because she knows him on a family basis.
Having grown up with the newcomer, could she know he has a manipulating streak and has this violent side to him?
Family or not, it seems Will getting involved with DI Malone will have huge repercussions for him next week.
After he, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) and Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) get set up by the corrupt officer, it seems things get heated.
Harriet is left distraught when her partner returns home black and blue, with it clear he has been beaten within an inch of his life.
How far will the new village villain go to wreck the former jailbird’s life and when will viewers discover what connection he’s really hiding to the vicar?
Emmerdale continues Monday at 7pm on ITV.