Neighbours

It's the night of the Gala and it's a great success with our people all dressing up. Louise awakens from her coma and lets slip to Karl and Fay that she was involved romantically with Hamish and did something to Russell. Fay calls Mark to the hospital but by the time he gets there Louise has gone.

It's the following morning and Hamish is still in the spa - dead... which is where Steph finds him. Raising the alarm, news begins to spread through Erinsborough. It starts with Mark. His overwhelming thought is for Tyler and he immediately plunges out to find him.

Detective Bill Graves from Homicide arrives in Erinsborough to oversee the investigation into the death of Hamish Roche. The first person in the firing line is Mark. Using his easy affable manner, Bill cleverly corners Mark into admitting he had motive as well as opportunity to commit the crime. Mark denies the charge, believing that Hamish's ex-lover, Louise, is the most likely culprit.

Having washed up on the beach, Piper wanders in the bush, trying to find help. Parched, cold and increasingly desperate, she thinks she's found salvation when she stumbles on a backpack, but the water bottle is empty. She staggers on, but by the time darkness falls she collapses. Will she survive being lost in the bush?

Paul warns Courtney against rushing when she pitches throwing a silent disco at The Waterhole at lunchtime. The event is a bust, Courtney covers her disappointment, but Paul hits on a rescue plan-involving a surprise visit from none other than Hilary Robinson and friends from her retirement village.

Aaron arrives home eager to support his brothers, but he's left feeling increasingly uneasy by Mark and Tyler's behavior. Aaron questions Fay, wondering if there's any chance his siblings might be hiding something regarding Hamish's death, but Fay is adamant they've done nothing wrong.

Word quickly spreads that Amy's been taken in for questioning and the ripple effects are felt throughout the neighborhood. Sheila is horrified at the thought of Amy taking the fall for something she didn't do and gives Gary a clear warning--if there's a whiff of Amy going down for Hamish's murder, Sheila will head straight to the cops to tell them the truth.

Mishti uses her feminine wiles to flirt with a Lassiters employee and gain access to the Lassiters reception history, which she downloads it onto a USB. However Leo witnesses her antics and confronts her, forcing her to come clean. She admits that she's looking into Hamish's death, sure that Gary and Sheila are hiding something.

Mishti is convinced something is amiss with Gary and Sheila's story about where they were on the night of Hamish's death, given that the Lassiters reception history lists them as checking in at the exact time she saw Gary at the fireworks, and on the phone to a distressed Sheila. They're involved in Hamish's death somehow, she's sure.

Yashvi is outraged to discover Jack's suspension, railing against the unfairness of the decision. But when hanging out with Jimmy later, she discovers a possible source of Jack's woes - she overhears Luke celebrating the former priest getting shafted. Yashvi raises this with Jack, but he's now determined to let the system run its course in the hopes it will work out in his favor.

Amy's all dressed up and ready to go on a date with her online beau when David breaks the news of the profile photo mix up. Amy's shattered, certain her date, Danny, won't fancy her if he's expecting Elly to show up. She wants to cancel but David pushes her to go and explain what happened. Amy relents but insists Elly come too to prove she wasn't cat-fishing Danny.

Gary pleads with Terese to understand why he went to Paul for help instead of her when he believed Sheila was responsible for Hamish's death. He's expecting her to be angry, but discovers she's just plain hurt and disappointed that he went to the man who tried to split them up rather than trust the woman he loves.

After Paul's impulsive suggestion to elope, he and Courtney arrive at the courthouse, only for Paul to hesitate. Determined to go through with the wedding, Courtney suggests Paul invite his kids and he does, stunning both Leo and Amy. While Amy is happy to attend, Leo is adamant the marriage is a mistake and is forced to tell Amy that Paul is only with Courtney to get back at Terese.

Jack is concerned when he discovers Paige and Mark had an argument that put an end to their much anticipated sleepover at the Brennan house. Steph urges him not to worry, pointing out that Mark is under a lot of pressure with the ongoing investigation into Hamish's murder. But this only makes things worse for Jack - he's not sure he wants his son exposed to that sort of stress.

On Mishti's first day of work as a police officer, the pressure is closing in on an oblivious Mark. When Mishti learns the murder weapon in Hamish's case (a gnome) was wiped clean after Gary Canning last touched it - and the Brennans knew it was part of the case, Mark comes under suspicion.

Although the police do not have enough evidence to suspend Mark, he's rocked by his suspension from work, and certain that he's close to being fired. Not wanting to burden Tyler with this news, Mark avoids him for as long as possible. But, when he finally learns the truth, Tyler reels.

Knowing it's a matter of time before the police shift their frame to Tyler, the boys commence a search for Louise (whom they believe to be Hamish's true killer) in bushland where Piper was found. Working on the theory Louise had a moment of conscience after Piper jumped and came ashore to help, the men look for clues to her whereabouts.

Faced with the question of whether to continue her relationship with Mark, Paige is won over by his heartfelt declaration that if she gives him the chance he'll prove to her every day why he's worth it. However, she remains uneasy, until Mark seizes the opportunity to start proving his word.

Piper reels from her panic attack and swears Ben and Xanthe to secrecy. They back off but then go and tell Terese. Terese confronts Piper who admits to the attack but doesn't want to see a doctor. As a compromise Terese suggests Jack and Piper agree. Piper admits it ties in with the incident on the water and Jack gives her some techniques to deal with it.

Amy is in a world of confusion after discovering Nick may be getting out of prison sooner rather than later. And the fact that he wants to see her has brought up feelings she didn't know still existed. Unsure whether to see him, Elly counsels and encourages her to face her fears, it's the only way she's going to know if she wants to be with him.

Kirsha is distressed to learn her hearing will not recover, and Yashvi surprises everyone by being a tower of strength. She prints off Auslan signs for them both to learn and offers comfort, but Shane sees that his youngest is already starting to withdraw when she opts out of attending the Variety Night.

Before Shane and Dipi can warn Toadie and Sonya, Angie arrives and is livid to discover that Toadie and Sonya are back together and nobody told her! While Toadie attempts to talk his mother around, Sonya discovers that Dipi and Shane know about the surprise vow renewal ceremony at the Christmas Party.

Paul and Terese argue over her ultimatum, Paul refusing to believe she will come good on her threat - she has too much to lose as well. But once Terese has gone he admits to Amy he thinks she has him over a barrel... For her part, Terese is left to angst that she's overplayed her hand.

Piper, wanting to face up to her fears after her ordeal, decides she's ready to confront the boat. Paige gets Mark to mind Gabe, so she can go along for support. When they reach the boat, Piper is shaky, but Paige makes a game of it to help her cope. On board, Piper struggles to understand Louise's motive for locking her up and then not rescuing her when she fell overboard.

Christmas day, Sonya enlists Shane and Angie's help to keep Toadie in the dark as they prepare to spring the vow renewal ceremony on him. A series of near misses see Toadie come perilously close to uncovering the truth. And Willow's visit only builds Sonya's nerves. But they manage to keep the ceremony a secret, surprising Toadie with a day full of joy and celebration.