It is hard to imagine Gary Windass looking more guilty than he already does. But as the investigation into Theo Silverton's murder continues, the Coronation Street bad boy builder will shine the spotlight of suspicion on himself by mysteriously rushing to his ex-girlfriend's defense.
Out of the six potential killers who might have done in abusive monster Theo Silverton, many believe the man with a track record for putting people six feet under is Gary Windass. Unlike other suspects such as George Shuttleworth or Christina Boyd, Gary was the very last person to believe that Theo was abusing his long-term partner Todd Grimshaw. In fact, Gary was such good friends with Theo that he gave him a job at the builders' yard, which only added to his sense of betrayal when the truth came out.
Gary cannot abide bullies. The teenager who tormented his stepson Liam Connor was attacked by the bully-builder in a fit of rage. He is also not afraid to go to extreme lengths to protect himself or the people he cares about. This was proven when he sabotaged the factory roof just to pay off ruthless loan shark Rick Neelan, indirectly causing the death of Rana Habeeb, only to later kill Rick himself in self-defense, before taking over the criminal's business empire and becoming just as ruthless.
Despite his shadowy past, Gary has largely mended his bad boy ways thanks to the calming influence of his partner Maria Connor. However, he still has a trigger-hare temper, and when he discovered that his best mate was nothing more than an abusive, cowardly bully, it came roaring to the surface.
There are two major pieces of evidence that suggest Gary was not keen on seeing Theo's continued existence on the Cobbles. Smashing up his van with a sledgehammer was the first big clue, and one that was sadly caught on CCTV. Whopping clue number two is the threatening text he sent to Theo's phone soon after: "I'M COMING FOR YOU." No wonder Cobbles Coppers DS Lisa Connor-Swain and DS Kit Green have already hauled the builder in for questioning.
Fortunately for Gazza, two other suspects have taken the spotlight recently: Summer Spellman, who wrote fantasies about killing Theo in her journal in revenge for leaving her adoptive father to die, and Theo's ex-wife Danielle Silverton, who may have been protesting too much when she recently accused Todd of killing Theo for the life insurance money.
When Maria reveals that Sarah has forgotten Bethany's birthday, Gary suddenly jumps down her throat and goes overboard in defending Sarah, leaving Maria well and truly taken aback. What has got into Gary? Could it have something to do with Sarah being attacked and left for dead by bunny-boiling baddie Jodie Ramsey on the night of Theo's murder?
Some Corrie fans certainly think so, as some viewers have already taken to Twitter to swap conspiracy theories about a possible tryst between the two ex-lovers on that fateful evening. @LadyReignFC wrote: "Sarah & Gary are both not acting like themselves & this is now the 4th (?) time they've had some moment together. If Gary & Sarah had a moment again that night… Gary has also been very odd with Maria for a while now. And she lied to the police for him without hesitation." @Shannon79053723 seconded that motion: "I don't condone cheating but Gary and Sarah have always had more chemistry together than they ever did with other partners. It definitely feels like the writers are hinting at something between them again."
The fans are not the only ones who smell a rat. The next day, Kit quizzes Gary about Todd's phone, the current smoking gun in the murder story. It went missing the night Theo was killed, later turned up at a local pawn shop, and forensic testing revealed the fingerprints of Brody Michaelis, who has since been arrested. But there is a brand new key detail that Kit reveals: the phone was found in Gary's skip. While Gary feigns ignorance, Kit tells Lisa that Gary definitely knows more than he is letting on and he intends to get to the bottom of it. Is Gary covering up a murder, an affair, or another secret entirely?
