11 people Coronation Street's Gary Windass could kill next after shock murder confession

But the game's not up for Gary – the locals are horrified that he watched innocent folk such as Nick Tilsley be blamed for the incident and the beleaguered builder is spiralling into villain territory himself now he's taken over Rick's dodgy business.

Mikey North says his aggressive alter ego could be getting a taste for blood, recently telling us: "There are storylines coming up that test Gary further and put him in situations where he must decide whether to kill again… He hasn't killed in cold blood so far, but he is getting deeper and deeper – maybe to the point of no return…"

With so many locals tantalisingly close to the truth, this lot are looking increasingly in danger of becoming the riled redhead's next victim:

1. Ryan

Nicking a load of cash from Gary then getting busted puts slacker Ryan in the danger zone - Mr Windass did not take kindly to the Connor's attempted con, and issued a stern warning not to cross him again after making it clear he was now in his debt. Is the DJ set to hit the decks - and not in a needle-on-vinyl-in-Speed-Daal way?

• Read more: 10 Underworld plot lines Coronation Street keeps repeating

2. Sharon

Telling Rick's rough-and-ready hench-woman the (partial) truth that he killed Rick in 'self defence' is a big risk. Her rejection of running the lending business alongside Gary and request he pays Mr Neelan's daughter's school fees shows she has surprising scruples deep down. "In six months, you'll end up just like Rick," she warned with unwitting perception. Could Gary get rid of her permanently if he feels she knows too much? Or will the £15,000 he bunged her way keep her quiet? Sharon is certainly the most dispensable in this list.

3. Kelly

There would be no point introducing Rick's teenage daughter into the show if she wasn't going to try and track her dad down, and she clearly doesn't buy his disappearing act. Keep an eye on young Kelly, she looks tenacious – which puts her in the firing line.

4. Imran

His sister Rana Habeeb died beneath the Underworld roof rubble and he made it clear to Gary the matter is not dropped just because the police think they know who did it. The lawyer won't let it lie and there's bound to be some evidence that incriminates Gary and exposes his lies somewhere down the line – would Gary take out another member of the Habeeb clan to bury his killing spree?

• Read more: 8 things Coronation Street has forgotten about Ali Neeson

5 and 6. Nick and Leanne

Nick was prime suspect until that blurry picture of him jogging around a pond exonerated him – knowing Gary watched and let him take the blame generates instant beef between the blokes. Leanne has gone the full Connie Corleone circa The Godfather Part III and has no qualms about walking over others to secure her own status quo, as we saw when she tried to convince her fella to throw little brother David under the bus in court – this pair would be out for revenge if they knew what Gary did, so he might take drastic measures to silence them.

7. Peter

The Underworld debacle took soul mate Carla to the brink of total despair and pushed Peter back to the booze. When the finger pointed at Gary, Mr Barlow almost battered the builder to a pulp, and we predict he won't give up trying to get to the bottom of the fishy incident that almost destroyed the love of his life. He might need shutting down…

• Read more: Coronation Street – here’s how Gary’s plan to frame Rick for killing Rana goes wrong

8. Carla

She's slowly rebuilding herself after her breakdown, but the ultimate closure for fragile Carla would be to dig into the details of the factory collapse, stumble upon the terrible truth and go running straight to the cops. Who doesn't want to see a showdown between a back-to-full-strength Mrs Connor and the man who ruined everything and allowed her think she was responsible for the death of a young woman? Plus, she'd know once and for all that she didn't imagine him sneaking into her hospital room and rifling through her handbag.

9 and 10. Sarah and Adam

These two sexy sleuths are the safest bet to be the ones who finally bust Gary, so consequently there's a good chance they'll find themselves either held hostage/kidnapped/attacked in the woods in the next super soap week as the net closes in on the wicked Windass once more. Sarah knows deep down her ex is a ball of crazy rage and already shopped him when she suspected he was the saboteur, and alpha Adam just wants an excuse to look like a hero to his girlfriend. One or both are bound to be in Gary's sights the more evil he gets, binding them closer together as Corrie's next power couple.

11. Kate

An outside bet but think about it – if grieving Kate somehow found out her moody handyman neighbour really did kill her beloved Rana on what should've been the day they tied the knot, she wouldn't hesitate to bring him down. And – unlike Sharon – there wouldn't be enough hush money in the world to shut her up. Will trying to avenge Rana's death lead to her own demise, and become Faye Brookes's upcoming exit plot?

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