The New Year's Day episode of EastEnders saw Emma Summerhayes (Anna Acton) confront Lucy’s killer in a tense face-to-face meeting.
But was all as it seemed?
We know that Emma knows the killer well enough to a) be able to phone them and introduce herself as ‘Emma’, and b) that she already had their number in her phone.
And we know that Lucy’s death may not have been the coldly-planned murder it was originally painted out to be, as Emma told the mysterious culprit firmly: “But that doesn’t change anything. It’s still murder.”
Could Emma have confronted her suspect and heard from them that they've merely been helping to cover up for the real killer?
This theory is supported by the fact that, later on, Emma fires off another.
“I can’t keep the secret.”
Not YOUR secret, we hasten to point out; THE secret.
The plot thickened further when a disorientated Emma, bundled into a car by concerned boyfriend Max Branning (Jake Wood), hurled a cryptic accusation at him.
She mumbled incoherently: “It wasn’t there.”
When pressed by Max for further details, Emma’s eyes suddenly focused and she sternly responded with a cold: “You know.”
This has left many people wondering whether Max - whom Emma allowed to hold her and comfort her following the accident - could still be the killer.
Cue armchair detectives suggesting that Mr Branning wasn’t the killer, but that he was busily covering up for one of his beloved daughters.
Could Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) or Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) be Lucy’s murderer?
After all, Max and Abi HAVE made a pact promising that what happened on Good Friday (the night Lucy was murdered) will stay between them.
Then again, it was Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and ex-girlfriend Denise Fox (Diane Parish)’s argument in the Queen Vic that seemingly set the gears in motion for Emma cracking the case.
We watched as the disgraced detective looked firmly at the duo, as well as Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), before rushing outside and staring up at Patrick’s house.
Emma was later seen searching through her evidence file back at the Branning residence, before pulling out a picture of Patrick’s house and having a sudden revelation.
In short, everything clicked when she looked at that picture - but does that mean Denise is covering up for Patrick (Rudolph Walker)? Or vice versa?
Or is it just another dastardly red herring?
Phew!
While the latest episode may have left fans with more questions than answers, the characters signposted as a final shortlist of suspects were:
Ian, Jane, Cindy, Pam, Les, Denise, Patrick, Jay, Ben, Peter, Lauren, Abi, Lee, Whitney and Max.
One thing’s for sure, we’re not going to be getting any definitive answers until February.
Show bosses have confirmed that the long-running murder mystery will finally be resolved on Thursday, February 19 - EastEnders' 30th anniversary.
The same date as, yes, Ian and Jane’s wedding; could the big reveal happen mid-ceremony?
Who do YOU think killed Lucy Beale? Let us know via the comments box below now.