Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 21, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 21, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Okapi with the Question-Mark Scar”? 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
Larchmont Zoo announced the sad death of Kiko, its rare okapi, from old age. A month later Kiko — easy to recognise by a scar shaped like a question mark — was photographed grazing in a billionaire's private garden in Monaco.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 13 of them carry a clue; the other 3 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 Dexter the patron (D1) 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 Bruno is innocent.— Dexter, patron (D1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Celia (C1) is innocent, proven by Dexter’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 4, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and “between” 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
Dexter’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Celia (C1) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are direction clues, “between” clues and neighbor counts. Tip: with direction clues, “above”, “below”, “left” and “right” cover the whole line in that direction, not just the next card.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Omar’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Pia (D4) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are row and column counts, direction clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with row and column counts, once the line’s quota is filled, everyone else in it takes the other verdict.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Kurt’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Freya (B2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are direction clues, row and column counts and neighbor counts. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Freya’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Nora (B4) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×4, “between” clues ×2, direction clues ×3, neighbor counts ×2 and row and column counts ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
13 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.