Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 2, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 2, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “The Wheel That Loved Seventeen”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 2 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Cal (C1) begins the case proven innocent.
The only cashier in Row 4 is innocent.— Cal, cashier (C1)
Step 1: Percy (D4, cashier) is innocent. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Lena (D3, technician) is a criminal. This follows from Percy’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Hana is a criminal.— Percy, cashier (D4)
Step 3: Gus (C2, chef) is a criminal. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Gus and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Lena, technician (D3)
Step 4: Kira (C3, singer) is a criminal. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone between me and Suki is a criminal.— Gus, chef (C2)
Step 5: Otto (C4, mechanic) is a criminal. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 6: Freya (B2, mechanic) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kira’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Kira, singer (C3)
Kira and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Otto, mechanic (C4)
Step 7: Hana (D2, chef) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kira’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 8: Dev (D1, cashier) is innocent. This follows from Hana’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Hana, chef (D2)
Step 9: Nico (B4, singer) is innocent. This follows from Dev’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nico and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Dev, cashier (D1)
Step 10: Jasper (B3, mechanic) is a criminal. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 11: Raj (B5, technician) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two criminals below me.— Freya, mechanic (B2)
Step 12: Suki (C5, pit boss) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Suki and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Jasper, mechanic (B3)
Step 13: Queenie (A5, chef) is innocent. This follows from Suki’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal to my left.— Suki, pit boss (C5)
Step 14: Mabel (A4, chef) is a criminal. This follows from Queenie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my three neighbors are criminals.— Queenie, chef (A5)
Step 15: Ezra (A2, singer) is innocent. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nobody between me and Ada is a criminal.— Mabel, chef (A4)
Step 16: Ada (A1, technician) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person above me is a criminal.— Ezra, singer (A2)
Step 17: Basil (B1, pit boss) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals to my right.— Ada, technician (A1)
Step 18: Ivan (A3, mechanic) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly six of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Nico, singer (B4)
Step 19: Theo (D5, technician) is innocent. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one innocent to my right.— Raj, technician (B5)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada criminal | Basil innocent | Cal innocent | Dev innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Freya innocent | Gus criminal | Hana innocent |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper criminal | Kira criminal | Lena criminal |
| 4 | Mabel criminal | Nico innocent | Otto criminal | Percy innocent |
| 5 | Queenie innocent | Raj criminal | Suki criminal | Theo innocent |
What happened
The wheel was perfect on inspection days. Otto and Jasper shimmed its bearing by a hair every evening and pulled the shim out every morning. Ada, Lena and Raj spent a month logging spins from the camera room and knew exactly which numbers the tilt would favour. Gus and Mabel carried each night's numbers out of the kitchen in pastry boxes; Kira sang them from the stage, one lyric per number; and Suki, as pit boss, made sure the right wheel always had the right players around it.