Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 3, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 3, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “Six Blue Eggs”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. 4 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: Mila (A4) begins the case proven innocent.
The only face painter in Row 3 is innocent.— Mila, face painter (A4)
Step 1: Kira (C3, face painter) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Percy (D4, gift-shop owner) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Percy is a criminal, then so am I.— Kira, face painter (C3)
Step 3: Hana (D2, café cook) is innocent. This follows from Percy’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone between me and Dev is innocent.— Percy, gift-shop owner (D4)
Step 4: Lena (D3, zoologist) is innocent. This follows from Percy’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 5: Dev (D1, gift-shop owner) is a criminal. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Dev and me is a criminal.— Lena, zoologist (D3)
Step 6: Cal (C1, gift-shop owner) is a criminal. This follows from Dev’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Only one of my three neighbors is innocent.— Dev, gift-shop owner (D1)
Step 7: Greta (C2, zoo director) is a criminal. This follows from Dev’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 8: Tariq (D5, gift-shop owner) is innocent. This follows from Hana’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals below me.— Hana, café cook (D2)
Step 9: Jasper (B3, keeper's assistant) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Greta’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Cal, gift-shop owner (C1)
Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Greta, zoo director (C2)
Step 10: Nico (B4, face painter) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Jasper’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
My column has exactly one criminal.— Jasper, keeper's assistant (B3)
Step 11: Raj (B5, zoologist) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Jasper’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 12: Basil (B1, zoo director) is a criminal. This needs 4 statements together — Cal’s, Tariq’s, Nico’s and Raj’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Column A has exactly three criminals.— Tariq, gift-shop owner (D5)
Ivan and Basil have exactly one innocent neighbor in common.— Nico, face painter (B4)
All the criminals in Row 1 are connected.— Raj, zoologist (B5)
Step 13: Freya (B2, keeper's assistant) is innocent. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 14: Ada (A1, zoologist) is a criminal. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my five neighbors are criminals.— Basil, zoo director (B1)
Step 15: Esme (A2, zoologist) is a criminal. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 16: Ivan (A3, keeper's assistant) is innocent. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
An even number of my neighbors are criminals.— Esme, zoologist (A2)
Step 17: Queenie (A5, café cook) is a criminal. This follows from Tariq’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 18: Suki (C5, zoo director) is innocent. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals between Queenie and Tariq.— Freya, keeper's assistant (B2)
Step 19: Otto (C4, keeper's assistant) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is an even number of criminals in Column C.— Ada, zoologist (A1)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada criminal | Basil criminal | Cal criminal | Dev criminal |
| 2 | Esme criminal | Freya innocent | Greta criminal | Hana innocent |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper innocent | Kira innocent | Lena innocent |
| 4 | Mila innocent | Nico innocent | Otto innocent | Percy innocent |
| 5 | Queenie criminal | Raj innocent | Suki innocent | Tariq innocent |
What happened
Nothing at Larchmont was destroyed. Ada and Esme lifted the eggs from the nest box during night checks and logged them 'non-viable', and the two directors, Basil and Greta, countersigned the paperwork without a single question. Queenie kept the eggs warm in the café's proving oven among the morning rolls. Cal and Dev stitched each one into the belly of a plush parrot from the gift shop and posted them as online orders. The collector's mistake was filming his chicks hatching in a nest of stuffing printed with the zoo's logo.