Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 25, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 25, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “An Allergy to Tuesdays”? 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
For a month the Sunday Herald has printed the private notes of a famous footballer recovering on Ward 6 of St. Ursula's: his blood pressure, his diet, his secret fondness for jelly. Only the staff on Ward 6 can read his chart.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 15 of them carry a clue; the other 5 only have something to say about themselves. 7 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Felix the visitor (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).
None of the receptionists is a criminal.— Felix, visitor (B2)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Bea (B1) is innocent, proven by Felix’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, role counts and if–then clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Felix’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Bea (B1) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 5. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, shared-neighbor counts and role counts. 3 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Ivan’s and Quentin’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Rufus (B5) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, paired verdicts and odd/even clues. 3 steps here need 5 statements read together. Tip: with odd/even clues, count the proven ones first; the parity of the rest follows.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Gemma’s, Ivan’s, Otto’s, Kurt’s and Tess’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Dina (D1) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 4, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, neighbor counts and “connected” clues. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with “connected” clues, a connected group has no gaps, so anything between two members belongs to it.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Silas’s and Amir’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Mila (A4) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 5 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 Gemma’s, Ivan’s, Otto’s, Kurt’s and Tess’s statements together. They settle Dina.
Clue types in this case
“connected” clues ×1, paired verdicts ×4, corner and edge counts ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×1, role counts ×1, neighbor counts ×4, odd/even clues ×1, if–then clues ×1 and direction clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
15 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 is published two days after the case, so today’s solvers aren’t spoiled.