Clues & Culprits › Archive › October 2026 › Oct 25, 2026 Evil
Oct 25, 2026 — Evil case
Two thousand numbered plastic ducks were tipped off the bridge for the Thornbury fête's charity duck race. Duck 1,417 won by thirty yards, crossing the line before most of the others had cleared the bridge. Its owner collected the £5,000 prize, and the pub took a remarkable amount in side bets.
This Evil case seats 25 suspects on a 5×5 grid. 19 of them carry a clue; the other 6 only have something to say about themselves. 7 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. Every verdict you enter is checked against all the scenarios that still fit the statements on file, so a move only sticks when it is proven.
The opening statement
Vik the steward starts the case already proven a criminal:
Exactly two of us three stewards are innocent.— Vik, steward (B5)
The lineup
Suspects stand in alphabetical order, left to right and top to bottom. Each belongs to one of Clues & Culprits’ twelve character classes — the badge on their nameplate. This case uses 7 of them, each cast as a role in the setting: posties, judges, innkeepers, village constables, bakers, teachers, stewards. Clues about a role (“exactly one of the stewards”) count everyone in it.
| Seat | Suspect | Role in this case | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Arlo | postie | Courier |
| B1 | Basil | judge | Official |
| C1 | Cal | innkeeper | Merchant |
| D1 | Dev | innkeeper | Merchant |
| E1 | Emil | judge | Official |
| A2 | Frank | village constable | Enforcer |
| B2 | Gus | baker | Cook |
| C2 | Hana | baker | Cook |
| D2 | Idris | innkeeper | Merchant |
| E2 | Joan | teacher | Scholar |
| A3 | Kofi | steward | Servant |
| B3 | Lena | teacher | Scholar |
| C3 | Mabel | baker | Cook |
| D3 | Ned | postie | Courier |
| E3 | Omar | judge | Official |
| A4 | Petra | postie | Courier |
| B4 | Queenie | baker | Cook |
| C4 | Ruby | village constable | Enforcer |
| D4 | Sadie | steward | Servant |
| E4 | Theo | teacher | Scholar |
| A5 | Ursula | judge | Official |
| B5 | Vik | steward | Servant |
| C5 | Willa | village constable | Enforcer |
| D5 | Xavier | teacher | Scholar |
| E5 | Yusuf | postie | Courier |
Stuck?
The in-game hint first points at the statement to re-read, then at the suspect you can prove, then shows the proof. For a gentler nudge, open the spoiler-free hints for Oct 25, 2026, or press Share to send a friend your exact board. New to the format? The deduction-puzzle guide covers the habits that unlock every step.
More cases
- Same day: Easy case · Medium case · Hard case
- Previous Evil: Oct 18, 2026 — Two Million Votes from a Popcorn Trailer
- Clue types in this case: Profession clues · Between clues · Same-verdict and exactly-one clues · Neighbor clues
- All October 2026 cases · More cases in village fêtes · Meet the cast