Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 19, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 19, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Painter Who Never Left His Room”? 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
Paintings by the reclusive artist Hal Brenner, unseen in public for twenty years, began selling in Mayfair galleries for £50,000 apiece. Brenner, it turns out, has been a patient at St. Brannoc's since 2019 — and hasn't held a brush in all that time.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 15 of them carry a clue; the other 1 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 Jasper the orderly (B3) 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 to my left is innocent.— Jasper, orderly (B3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ivan (A3) is innocent, proven by Jasper’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are direction clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Jasper’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ivan (A3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 4, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, row and column counts and role counts. 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?
Dexter (D1) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are direction clues and paired verdicts.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Amir’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Celia (C1) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and row and column counts. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Ezra’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Pia (D4) — innocent.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×7, row and column counts ×2, direction clues ×4, role counts ×1 and “between” clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
15 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.