Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 8, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 8, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Stories They Didn't Print”, 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. 6 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: Bruno (B1) begins the case proven innocent.
Celia and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Bruno, security guard (B1)
Step 1: Freya (B2, printer) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Greta (C2, lawyer) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 3: Jasper (B3, printer) is innocent. This follows from Greta’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Jasper and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Greta, lawyer (C2)
Step 4: Kurt (C3, tipster) is innocent. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Lena is innocent.— Jasper, printer (B3)
Step 5: Otto (C4, printer) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Otto and me is innocent.— Freya, printer (B2)
Step 6: Lena (D3, columnist) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kurt’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly two of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Kurt, tipster (C3)
Exactly two of Lena's five neighbors are criminals.— Otto, printer (C4)
Step 7: Nora (B4, security guard) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kurt’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 8: Dexter (D1, editor) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Kurt’s and Nora’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Column D has exactly three criminals.— Nora, security guard (B4)
Step 9: Theo (D5, columnist) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Kurt’s and Nora’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 10: Ivan (A3, printer) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Lena’s and Theo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There are more innocent printers than innocent lawyers.— Lena, columnist (D3)
Freya has more innocent neighbors than anyone else.— Theo, columnist (D5)
Step 11: Ruby (B5, security guard) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Ruby and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Ivan, printer (A3)
Step 12: Suki (C5, lawyer) is a criminal. This needs 3 statements together — Kurt’s, Lena’s and Theo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 13: Celia (C1, editor) is innocent. This follows from Suki’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is an odd number of criminals above me.— Suki, lawyer (C5)
Step 14: Hugo (D2, tipster) is a criminal. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my three neighbors are innocent.— Dexter, editor (D1)
Step 15: Emil (A2, lawyer) is a criminal. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Emil and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Hugo, tipster (D2)
Step 16: Ada (A1, columnist) is innocent. This follows from Theo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Marco (A4, editor) is a criminal. This follows from Emil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two criminals between Quinn and Ada.— Emil, lawyer (A2)
Step 18: Pia (D4, tipster) is innocent. This follows from Kurt’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Quinn (A5, columnist) is innocent. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my five neighbors are innocent.— Ruby, security guard (B5)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada innocent | Bruno innocent | Celia innocent | Dexter criminal |
| 2 | Emil criminal | Freya innocent | Greta innocent | Hugo criminal |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper innocent | Kurt innocent | Lena innocent |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Nora innocent | Otto criminal | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Ruby innocent | Suki criminal | Theo criminal |
What happened
The Lantern's most profitable section was never printed. Hugo, the paper's best-paid tipster, gathered the secrets; Dexter and Marco, the editors, set the prices; and Emil and Suki, the in-house lawyers, drafted 'confidential settlements' so courteous that the victims thanked them. Theo set up the anonymous accounts the money went into, and Otto, in the print room, ran a single proof of each buried story to post to its subject as a reminder. The minister had kept his proof in a frame — until the day he handed it to the police.