Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 7, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 7, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “The Séance at Morrow Hall”? 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 a candlelit séance in Morrow Hall, the spirit of the late Sir Arthur Morrow told his widow to sell the family's racehorses to a wine merchant for a single pound. She signed the papers before the candles had been blown out.
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. 8 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Gus the cook (C2) 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 above me is innocent.— Gus, cook (C2)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Cal (C1) is innocent, proven by Gus’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, shared-neighbor counts and direction 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
Gus’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Cal (C1) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are if–then clues, direction clues and shared-neighbor counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with if–then clues, use the contrapositive: when the “then” part is false, the “if” part is false too.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Nora’s and Rufus’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ada (A1) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and D. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, row and column counts and “most” clues. 4 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, shared neighbors never include the two speakers themselves.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Nora’s, Ada’s and Quentin’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hana (D2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, all over the board. The statements doing the work are comparisons, shared-neighbor counts and corner and edge counts. 3 steps here need 4 statements read together. Tip: with comparisons, a comparison can’t end in a tie, so once one side is known the other is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Nora’s, Hana’s, Percy’s and Dev’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Frank (B2) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 4 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 Nora’s, Hana’s, Percy’s and Dev’s statements together. They settle Frank.
Clue types in this case
“most” clues ×1, paired verdicts ×2, comparisons ×3, if–then clues ×2, direction clues ×2, corner and edge counts ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×3, “connected” clues ×1 and row and column counts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
16 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.