Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 5, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 5, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Nocturne in the Palm Court”? 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
During three days of merger talks at the Hotel Meridian, the pianist in the Palm Court played the same Chopin nocturne forty-one times. Somewhere in those forty-one performances, every figure from the sealed boardroom upstairs reached a rival bidder.
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 Basil the hotel manager (B1) 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 Juno is innocent.— Basil, hotel manager (B1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Felix (B2) is innocent, proven by Basil’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 4, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and direction clues. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Basil’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Felix (B2) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, neighbor counts and role counts. 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
Mila’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Emil (A2) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 2 and 3. The statements doing the work are role counts, “between” clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with role counts, roles count everyone in the role wherever they stand, so check the whole board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Greta’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 4. The statements doing the work are direction clues, neighbor counts and row and column counts. 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
Iris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Nico (B4) — innocent.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×4, “between” clues ×2, direction clues ×3, neighbor counts ×2, role counts ×2 and row and column counts ×1.
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.