Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 10, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 10, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Candidates Who Interviewed Twice”? 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
Three candidates for Hartwell College's most competitive scholarships gave flawless interviews in December. In June, none of the three could find the college, the library or, in one case, their own staircase.
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 Freya the groundskeeper (B2) 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 Hugo is innocent.— Freya, groundskeeper (B2)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Gemma (C2) is innocent, proven by Freya’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and direction clues. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Freya’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Gemma (C2) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, row and column counts and paired verdicts. 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
Iris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ezra (A2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 3. The statements doing the work are row and column counts and paired verdicts. Tip: with row and column counts, count what is already proven in that line and subtract it from the total.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Iris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in row 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and neighbor counts.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Celia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Nico (B4) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×6, neighbor counts ×4, “between” clues ×1, row and column counts ×2 and direction clues ×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.