Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 3, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 3, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Swan with a Red Heart”? 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
The ice swan at the Chalet Edelweiss gala was meant to melt by midnight. At 11:40 someone wheeled it out into the snow, and by dawn the Kessler rubies — stolen in Milan last week — had crossed the Alps without passing a single customs post.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 12 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. Every step can be proven from a single clue plus what you already know.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Marco the heir (A4) 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).
Everyone below Gemma is innocent.— Marco, heir (A4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Kofi (C3) is innocent, proven by Marco’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 3. The statements doing the work are direction clues, “between” clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Marco’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Kofi (C3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are role counts and “between” clues. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dexter’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and neighbor counts. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Gemma’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Freya (B2) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 4. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, direction clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Freya’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ezra (A2) — a criminal.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×4, role counts ×2, “between” clues ×2, neighbor counts ×2 and direction clues ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
12 of the 16 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.