Egging on her son Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) to kidnap little Albie was always a bad idea, and now mum Karen (Lorraine Stanley) is set to be caught out at her own birthday party in EastEnders.
Karen is up to her neck in it after putting a sinister plan to run away with Albie in Keanu’s head – who he thinks is his son.
When Albie’s mum Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) said she was moving to Abu Dhabi, Keanu put his sick plot to leg it with the lad into action with Karen’s help.
But Keanu changed his mind after the tot started crying for his mum, despite Karen urging him to see it through, and tried to cover his tracks by claiming a stranger had snatched Albie in the park.
Cue an enormous hunt for the lad,Karen delivering a ransom note, and Sharon handing over £50,000 of her ex Phil Mitchell’s (Steve McFadden) cash to get her son back.
Meanwhile, Karen has kept the money in a holdall, refusing to hand it back, enraging Keanu who has now reunited with Sharon and asked her to marry him.
But when Karen’s ex, Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) organises a surprise birthday party for her in the Queen Vic this week, he’s soon suspicious of how much cash she’s flashing, especially when she offers to pick up a big drinks tab.
In fact, Albie was secretly being cared for by Karen’s son-in-law, Malcolm – daughter Kandice’s hubby – who had no idea of their evil plan.
So when Malcolm unexpectedly rocks up at her birthday party, suspiciously the little lad takes a shine to him…
Malcolm, meanwhile, has an innocent chat with Sharon and realises he was caught up in the fake kidnap – but will Keanu pressure him into keeping quiet?
Later, Keanu heads over to Karen’s and demands yet again that she hands back the cash, but she flatly refuses to – just as Mitch walks in.
Keanu makes a hasty exit, but Karen breaks down and confesses all to Mitch – who is horrified.
With Karen set to leave the Square for good, wil he tell Sharon what her new fiancee and prospective mum-in-law really did?
