Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 22, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 22, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Coffin Car to Vienna”? 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
The overnight sleeper to Vienna carried one sad piece of cargo: a coffin going home for burial, its paperwork in perfect order. Somewhere after Salzburg, the coffin's occupant climbed out, changed into a suit and ordered a coffee in the dining car.
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 Ned the conductor (B4) 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 musician in Column A is a criminal.— Ned, conductor (B4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Mila (A4) is a criminal, proven by Ned’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 3 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
Ned’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Mila (A4) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 4, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and role counts. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Jasper’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Petra (D4) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in row 2. The statements doing the work are direction clues and paired verdicts. 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
Emil’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Greta (C2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 3. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, role counts and direction clues. 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
Hattie’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Leo (D3) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
direction clues ×3, paired verdicts ×5, neighbor counts ×1, corner and edge counts ×1, “between” clues ×2 and role counts ×3.
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.