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Finally, Zara's parcel arrives but mysteriously she takes it home unwrapped, treating it as a precious object! Julia goes to campus determined to sort out the space issue and after working through all the various options regrettably decides Zara's suggestion that Julia gives up her office permanently is the only sensible possibility. She decides to work in the stationary cupboard, and crams all her stuff in there.
At her lowest ebb, Ruth comes for a chat to say she'd like to start looking for a place of her own as the next step of her recovery. She's grateful for all Julia has done for her and assumes Julia will appreciate having her house back to herself….
Jimmi receives a piece of fan mail sent directly to The Mill which is strange because it normally goes to the radio studio. It's an innocuous, if ungrammatical, letter from his Number One Fan singing his praises and Karen teases him about being a proper celebrity these days.
Meanwhile, Cotham (67) waits in his prison cell staring at an obituary for his old associate Dickie Weld. At the Police station, Rob and Woods discuss the arrival of Cotham (criminal royalty) who's inside for armed robbery and the murder of another associate, Graham Marks. Cotham's volunteered to show them where a gun is hidden to help solve a cold case but Cotham's health is poor, so Lily has to give him the ok to be out and about first.
The police intimidate Cotham, who collapses as he has a heart condition, so although Lily settles him, she'll only allow him out for the day with her as medical supervisor.
Cotham, Wood and Lily arrive at Weld's widow's house, with various uniformed officers and Barbara is shocked and insulted they've turned up with Cotham; the two clearly have history. Cotham instructs the police to a spot in the garden to dig up the gun, but three holes later there's still no gun and Woods is running out of patience. Cotham is desperate to speak to Barbara, but she knocks him back and runs upstairs.
Cotham collapses again, and it becomes clear to Lily he's undersold how ill he is. She tells him he needs to do whatever it is they dragged them all out here for, or she's telling Woods to return him to prison pronto. Cotham agrees, he'll quit stalling and tell them where the gun is, if they'll tell Barbara the exact time his and Dickie's associate Marks was shot. Barbara is distraught when she hears the time, and Cotham explains where the gun is.
With the gun found, Woods is keen to get off, but Cotham fakes a collapse and gives his minder the slip, locking himself and Barbara in her bedroom. But it's too much for him, and Barbara has to let Lily and Woods in to help Cotham, who can barely breathe. Barbara explains the truth - Cotham couldn't have shot Marks because at the time he was shot, she and Cotham were together as they were having an affair.
Cotham didn't give her as his alibi because he knew what Dickie would do to her if he found out about their affair. He was going down for the robbery anyway, and wouldn't be around to protect her, so he waited until Dickie was dead to come clean, taking the extra years inside. Barbara is clearly heartbroken, but touched, and promises to visit Cotham inside – although now he should be released soon.
