Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 1, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 1, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Second Duchess of Fenwick”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
Overnight at Fenwick Abbey, the portrait of the Second Duchess grew a crack it never had — because the canvas on the wall is no longer the one painted in 1781. The household's painting retreat ends at noon, and the original is still somewhere on the estate.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 14 of them carry a clue; the other 2 only have something to say about themselves. Every step can be proven from a single clue plus what you already know.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Celia the heir (C1) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
Joan and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Celia, heir (C1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Joan (B3) is innocent, proven by Celia’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and direction clues. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Celia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Joan (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 4. The statements doing the work are role counts, direction clues and neighbor counts. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Basil’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Greta (C2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 3 and 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, role counts and neighbor counts. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Olive’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Lionel (D3) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, paired verdicts and corner and edge counts. Tip: with corner and edge counts, there are only four corners and one edge ring, so count what is left of them.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Pia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Mila (A4) — innocent.
Clue types in this case
role counts ×2, paired verdicts ×5, neighbor counts ×4, direction clues ×2 and corner and edge counts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
14 of the 16 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.