Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 13, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 13, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Eight Small Holes”? 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
Ninety seconds into the Founders' Boat Race, St Ives College's eight sank gracefully in the middle of the river, and Hartwell won by a distance. The St Ives boat had been holed with exactly eight small drill holes — one beneath each rower's seat.
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 3 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Ivan the groundskeeper (A3) 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 only professor in Row 2 is innocent.— Ivan, groundskeeper (A3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Esme (A2) is innocent, proven by Ivan’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are direction clues, neighbor counts and role counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Marco’s and Quinn’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Jasper (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and C. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, shared-neighbor counts and neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Jasper’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ned (B4) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts and paired verdicts. 2 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Basil’s and Suki’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Celia (C1) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, shared-neighbor counts and direction clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, only the two to four cards touching both suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Celia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Marco’s and Quinn’s statements together. They settle Jasper.
Clue types in this case
direction clues ×4, neighbor counts ×6, paired verdicts ×3, shared-neighbor counts ×2, role counts ×1 and “between” clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
17 of the 20 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.