Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 8, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 8, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Half-Penny Fortune”? 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
For nine years, every account at Bellwether Savings lost a fraction of a penny each night — far too little for anyone to notice. A retired customer who balances her own books to four decimal places finally did, and the fractions add up to £3.1 million.
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 Marco the customer (A4) 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).
The person between me and Olive is a criminal.— Marco, customer (A4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ned (B4) is a criminal, proven by Marco’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 4. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, role counts and paired verdicts. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Marco’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ned (B4) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are direction clues, paired verdicts and neighbor counts. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dev’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Basil (B1) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 3. The statements doing the work are direction clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Basil’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Juno (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, role counts and direction clues. Tip: with role counts, roles count everyone in the role wherever they stand, so check the whole board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Lionel’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×5, direction clues ×4, neighbor counts ×1, role counts ×2, “between” clues ×1 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.