Tom and Cindy discover the truth.

Hollyoaks aired a cliffhanger involving a firearm in Tuesday’s (September 3) first-look episode as the walls began to close in on Dave Williams.

It was revealed earlier this month that the affable and unassuming Dave was leading a double life, with the character confirmed to be Blue, the masked figure who had been tormenting Warren Fox.

The plan of vengeance resulted from the death of his daughter Lizzie, whose passing was caused by a dodgy batch of drugs supplied by Warren, with Dave going as far as murdering Warren’s mother Norma.

The situation got even graver after Dave ordered accomplice Rex to kidnap Mercedes’ twins, with the villain only returning them after Warren agreed to sign a false confession in which he took the blame for Norma’s murder.

Despite thinking he was in the clear, Tom has begun to suspect his stepfather of being involved in the kidnapping, with the character even attempting to convince Cindy of the possibility that Dave might be hiding something.

Tuesday’s episode began with Tom and Cindy digging deeper, with the duo making their way to Mercedes as they sought answers. She declared that she was now moving past the matter after the twins were returned, but a persistent Tom grabbed her phone in a bid to gather information.

Despite Tom’s persistence, Cindy shared that she didn’t want to believe his theory, stating that she just wanted to be happy after years of sadness. Tom, however, continued to test her resolve, by reiterating the stacking evidence.

After Dave returned home, Cindy asked if he was involved in the kidnapping, with Dave pleading his innocence. After he continued to deflect, Cindy was finally confronted with the truth as a phone in his pocket began to ring.

Tom came downstairs to confirm that he’d called the number of Mercedes’ blackmailer, with a tearful Cindy breaking down as she realised Dave had been lying the entire time. Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any more dramatic, Dave unveiled a gun and apologised for what he was about to do next…

Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.