Emmerdale‘s Cain Dingle begins a desperate search for his missing son Nate Robinson next week, sending k!ller John Sugden into a tailspin.

As heartbroken Cain sees the impact of Nate’s absence on Frankie, he tries calling his son for answers. But when panicked John accidentally answers Nate’s phone, how will he hide his darkest secret?

“Cain won’t stop until he’s found Nate,” our Emmerdale source reveals.

“But as Cain starts digging, John’s on the backfoot, desperately trying to cover his tracks – and he’s in danger of his twisted charade falling apart.”

nate robinson, emmerdale
ITV

When Nate’s 34th birthday arrives, all thoughts turn to the absent villager, who hasn’t been in touch for months. Tracy hands Cain a birthday card she wrote for his son, and Cain is heartbroken to see Frankie has written in it too.

Stung by Nate’s disappearance, Cain leaves Nate a voicemail, unaware that his son’s k!ller has possession of his phone.

John listens intently to the voicemail Cain left – but later when the phone rings again, John’s thrown into a panic and accidentally answers. With Cain on the other end, John freaks out and drops the phone, his web of lies unravelling…

john sugden, emmerdale
ITV

“John’s mistake could cost him everything,” our insider continues.

“Cain’s on a mission and keeps calling Nate’s number, especially since he heard someone answer the phone. How will John squirm out of this one?”

When Cain opens up to Moira about the weird phone call with Nate, Moira encourages him not to give up.

Inspired by his wife’s support, Cain pushes on with his investigation and asks Tracy if she has a new number for Nate.

john sugden and cain dingle, emmerdale
ITV

But when the skint mum admits she hasn’t had any contact with Nate since he left, Cain is devastated to see how poor Tracy and Frankie have been left high and dry by his own son.

“Cain has a new plan – he’s going to Shetland,” shares our source.

“After spending time with granddaughter Frankie, Cain is outraged at his son’s disappearing act. But what will he do when he discovers Nate never made it to Scotland?”

As the walls close in on John, he visits Tracy in an attempt to control the situation – but when he learns Cain has fled to Shetland, alarm bells start ringing.

How will John engineer the situation to keep a lid on his k!ller secret? Or will his clumsy mistakes give him away?