at somepoint, dalton receives a visit from phil's love rival: dennis rickman (nigel harman). it soon transpires that dennis is dalton's most dedicated employee, having been taken under dalton's wing since he was 16-years-old. moreover, dennis had recently served 18 months in prison for covering up dalton's criminal activities without exposing his involvement. dennis soon begins to blackmail dalton for £20,000 in compensation for serving his prison sentence for him. after giving dennis his £20,000 compensation, dalton plans to have him killed and summons phil to carry out the task by reminding him of the favor he owes him. when phil goes to kill dennis, however, he ends up changing his mind when dennis offers to kill dalton himself - so the two of them will be free of him. using the gun that dalton originally gave phil to kill him, dennis confronts dalton at his nightclub and forces him to drive phil's car into the woods - where dalton is ordered to park the edge of a railway track. dalton is initially unfazed with dennis' attempt to kill him and attempts to brainwash him in teaming up against phil, with dalton going as far as to recount all the things they've done together. when dennis mentions den and his family, pointing out that his future with den's adopted daughter sharon (letitia dean) is what matters to him now, dalton begins to badmouth sharon and her family before admitting to have arranged for den to be killed. however, dalton's mood changes from composure to fear when dennis makes a confession: that sharon's father is actually "his" father as well. confirming that den is his father, dennis continues to point the gun at dalton - who desperately attempts to reason with dennis by revealing the truth about den watts; that he is in fact alive. dalton begs dennis that this "has to make a difference" in the hope that he will not shoot him, but dennis tells him that it doesn't and - before dalton can react - proceeds to shoot him, killing dalton.