Clues & Culprits › Archive › October 2026 › Oct 10, 2026 Hard
Oct 10, 2026 — Hard case
Last month the privately funded Ares rover sent home photographs of a frozen waterfall on Mars, and its backers raised another $400 million on the strength of them. This morning a hiker in Iceland recognised the waterfall. It's in Iceland.
This Hard 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. 6 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. Every verdict you enter is checked against all the scenarios that still fit the statements on file, so a move only sticks when it is proven.
The opening statement
Nora the security chief starts the case already proven a criminal:
None of the cafeteria cooks is a criminal.— Nora, security chief (B4)
The lineup
Suspects stand in alphabetical order, left to right and top to bottom. Each belongs to one of Clues & Culprits’ twelve character classes — the badge on their nameplate. This case uses 6 of them, each cast as a role in the setting: interns, mission directors, billionaire backers, security chiefs, cafeteria cooks, press photographers. Clues about a role (“exactly one of the security chiefs”) count everyone in it.
| Seat | Suspect | Role in this case | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Arlo | intern | Courier |
| B1 | Basil | mission director | Official |
| C1 | Celia | billionaire backer | Noble |
| D1 | Dexter | billionaire backer | Noble |
| A2 | Emil | mission director | Official |
| B2 | Frank | security chief | Enforcer |
| C2 | Gus | cafeteria cook | Cook |
| D2 | Hana | cafeteria cook | Cook |
| A3 | Iris | press photographer | Artist |
| B3 | Juno | intern | Courier |
| C3 | Kira | press photographer | Artist |
| D3 | Lionel | billionaire backer | Noble |
| A4 | Mila | press photographer | Artist |
| B4 | Nora | security chief | Enforcer |
| C4 | Olive | billionaire backer | Noble |
| D4 | Petra | intern | Courier |
| A5 | Queenie | cafeteria cook | Cook |
| B5 | Ruby | security chief | Enforcer |
| C5 | Suki | mission director | Official |
| D5 | Tess | intern | Courier |
Stuck?
The in-game hint first points at the statement to re-read, then at the suspect you can prove, then shows the proof. For a gentler nudge, open the spoiler-free hints for Oct 10, 2026, or press Share to send a friend your exact board. New to the format? The deduction-puzzle guide covers the habits that unlock every step.
More cases
- Same day: Easy case · Medium case
- Previous Hard: Oct 9, 2026 — Contraband on Chair Forty-Two
- Next Hard: Oct 11, 2026 — Gerald and the Four Hundred Rooms
- Clue types in this case: Neighbor clues · More-than clues · If–then clues · Above, below, left and right
- All October 2026 cases · More cases in mission control · Meet the cast