Jack Branning becomes suspicious of Stacey Slater’s secrets in EastEnders

STACEY Slater is one of six women in Albert Square to keep a dark secret about Keanu Taylor's disappearance.

Coming up in EastEnders, her illicit lover Jack Branning begins to put two and two together as he grows suspicious of her.

BBC One viewers were shocked when Stacey (portrayed by Lacey Turner) bedded another Branning man, who also happens to be married.

Since their first tryst, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) neglected his wife Denise Fox (Diane Parish) for the benefit of his new mistress.

But when the hairstylist spiralled and her mental health reached an all-time low, Jack was crushed to realise how much she was struggling, particularly with their marriage hanging by a fragile thread.

Denise was sectioned as the symptoms of her psychosis became overwhelming and a potential cause of danger for her and everybody else in her close circle.

Next week, Jack tries to be present for Denise while his affair with Stacey seems to be going south as he begins to wonder why she is also paying a visit to his wife.

It all begins when Stacey and Jack are thrown together as Lily Slater and Ricky Branning celebrate Mother's Day at Walford East with their baby daughter Charli.

Later on, Amy Mitchell and her half-brother Ricky beg Jack to let them see Denise, and he promises to speak to the latter's own daughter Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams) to try to make it happen.

However, Denise is refusing to see anyone, which causes a preoccupied Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) to insist that Stacey needs to get to Denise before Jack or the kids do in an attempt to avoid their big murder secret from being thrown out into the open.

Regular viewers of the London-based program will remember that Charlie found out about Keanu's death when his mother Linda - the killer - confessed everything to him.

In later scenes, Johnny piles on the pressure to get Stacey to sort the issue of Denise for all the women's sakes, so she asks Denise to let her visit.

Once at the hospital, Denise tells Stacey she's no longer seeing Keanu but intends to stay put.

Stacey then argues that Denise needs her loved ones around her, just as Jack walks in and demands to know why his mistress is there.

Mortified, Stacey thinks on her feet to give Jack a convincing cover story as to why she's with Denise, despite her refusing all other visits.

Jack is hurt when Denise turns him away and, during a talk with Dr Abe later, she explains that she feels safe in the hospital and wants to stay.

Will her request be accepted?

Meanwhile, Jack is still rattled by Stacey and Denise's closeness and starts to do some digging.

What will he find?

Could walls be closing in on the Six?

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.