Billy is finding it hard - Paul will at some point want to end his life and Billy is concerned that each slight sign of decay will lead to that fateful decision. Billy has become aware that Paul's not always able to communicate clearly to the new PA, Hannah, although there is less slurring tonight than on Wednesday! Summer spots that Billy is keeping a secret and insists on knowing - so Paul's plan reaches another pair of ears. Knowing this Summer intends to cancel her trip to America. At karaoke in the Rovers Paul and Billy do "Stand by Me", but when Izzy plays the recording Paul realises how much worse his speech has become. Eventually Gemma calms him down and they work on getting the voice replacement machine to be more useful by recording more samples. Paul knows he cannot leave it any longer. He also tells Summer to get her backside on the plane to America. He promises not to go anywhere whilst she is away. Later Paul tells Billy he will announce decision day has been reached by playing "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers - which viewers may recall was the record he was taking to Shiel but it was broken - on the day she died. It was also their wedding song.
Much of tonight revolves around the missing Lauren as it is widely publicised online that she was using the internet to earn money. Cassie has found the story and misses Hope demanding £150 with menaces from her mother for a pair of "Kicks" trainers. The sex-worker story spreads like wildfire and Max comes to the strange conclusion that Sabrina must have leaked it, although when challenged later denies it and cannot accept being accused by her own boyfriend. A newly hirsute Tyrone becomes aware that Cassie is troubled by the Lauren story as it reminds her of her past which she told him about some months ago but is a secret between them. Later Max tries to apologise to Sabrina but she refuses to accept it and their relationship is over.
Sarah-Lou is still house hunting and Damon is planning Harry's party for tomorrow (Monday I assume) with a bouncy castle (where? - they live in a flat) over a coffee in Roy's Rolls. Damon later has to conjure up a story about a new building project to explain his absence tomorrow as Mr "Harvey" Big has said the van hijacking is now tomorrow - the money in the van is all going to be destroyed so will be untraceable and it will be like taking candy from a baby. Harvey gives Damon a right ear bashing and it looks as though Damon has no alternative but to obey his brother.
Cassie loses it with Evelyn in Dev's when Daisy suggests that Lauren may be suffering because of what she published on t'internetwebbythingy - after all she should know. Evelyn and Cassie disagree until Ty lets slip that Cassie may be recalling some of her own experiences - which is not something Cassie has ever told Evelyn. Later Cassie recounts more of her history. Ritchie (of whom Evelyn never approved) was Cassie's boyfriend at the time when she admits she was already "using" and he had her providing sexual services to his "friends" in exchange for money. Cassie knows that her father discovered money and condoms and knew what was going on and she believes that knowledge was what killed him - although Evelyn disagrees saying it was all the salt and red meat he ate with blood pressure off the charts. Cassie's father told her not to tell Evelyn. Evelyn then thinks through the timeline and realises that Ty may have been conceived during this period and Cassie confirms that one of the clients is Ty's father - but Cassie has told Ty this all happened after he was born and she asks Evelyn to keep that part of the story secret.
A busy episode tonight as we get another version of Cassie's history. Which could be the truth - there is so much in the whole Evelyn and Cassie stories which only just about hang together. Tyrone was surprised to see them talking to each other in civil terms - I wonder if it will continue? Who has ever known a van hijacking go smoothly? Let us hope Harvey is right. No doubt Monday will prove the point.
