Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 16, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 16, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “The Captain's Charity Auction”? 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
On the last night of every voyage, the SS Aurora holds a charity auction for an orphanage in Valletta, and passengers bid generously after dinner. Last month a journalist went looking for the orphanage. It is a car park.
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 18 of them carry a clue; the other 2 only have something to say about themselves. 1 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Joan the navigator (B3) 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 Basil is innocent.— Joan, navigator (B3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Felix (B2) is innocent, proven by Joan’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and if–then clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Joan’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Felix (B2) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, if–then clues and paired verdicts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, shared neighbors never include the two speakers themselves.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Nico’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Omar (C4) — 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 paired verdicts, neighbor counts and direction clues. One step here needs 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
Raj’s and Tariq’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Mabel (A4) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts and corner and edge counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with corner and edge counts, the edge ring includes the corners, so settle the corners first.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Iris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ezra (A2) — 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 Raj’s and Tariq’s statements together. They settle Mabel.
Clue types in this case
corner and edge counts ×1, direction clues ×2, neighbor counts ×5, paired verdicts ×5, if–then clues ×2, “between” clues ×1 and shared-neighbor counts ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
18 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.