Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 4, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 4, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “Scrubbed at T-Minus Ninety”? 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
Ninety seconds before lift-off, the Halcyon-3 launch was scrubbed for a sensor fault nobody can now find. In those ninety seconds Halcyon's shares fell by a third, and somebody who had bet heavily on exactly that fall became very rich.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 14 of them carry a clue; the other 2 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 Dexter the billionaire backer (D1) 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).
Exactly one of Greta and me is innocent.— Dexter, billionaire backer (D1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Greta (C2) is a criminal, proven by Dexter’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and direction clues. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dexter’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Greta (C2) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 3. The statements doing the work are direction clues, paired verdicts and role counts. Tip: with direction clues, the speaker is never included, and nor is anyone in a different row or column.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Omar’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Cora (C1) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and D. The statements doing the work are direction clues and paired verdicts.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Ivan’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Lionel (D3) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 4. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, role counts and paired verdicts. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Amir’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Basil (B1) — innocent.
Clue types in this case
neighbor counts ×2, paired verdicts ×5, direction clues ×4, “between” clues ×1 and role counts ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
14 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.