Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 1, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 1, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Eleven Minutes Under the Pyrenees”? 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
At 3:12 a.m. the Sud Express stopped dead in a tunnel beneath the Pyrenees, and for eleven minutes nobody could say why. When it moved again, a sealed mailbag of uncut diamonds bound for Paris had been emptied of every stone.
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.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Idris the commercial traveller (A3) 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).
The person between me and Kofi is a criminal.— Idris, commercial traveller (A3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Jasper (B3) is a criminal, proven by Idris’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and C. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, shared-neighbor counts and direction clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, two suspects side by side have nobody between them, so watch for empty stretches.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Idris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Jasper (B3) — a criminal.
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 4. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, direction clues and paired verdicts. 2 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
Nico’s and Raj’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Kofi (C3) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, paired verdicts and “between” 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
Otto’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Amir (A1) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, neighbor counts and paired verdicts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with direction clues, “above”, “below”, “left” and “right” cover the whole line in that direction, not just the next card.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Pia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Lena (D3) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 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 Nico’s and Raj’s statements together. They settle Kofi.
Clue types in this case
“between” clues ×4, direction clues ×2, corner and edge counts ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×2, paired verdicts ×3 and neighbor counts ×5.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
17 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 proves every verdict in order.