Clues & Culprits › Archive › October 2026 › Oct 20, 2026 Hard
Oct 20, 2026 — Hard case
Hours before the ambassador was due to address the summit, her speech — announcing a surprise trade deal — was leaked word for word to a rival delegation, which promptly announced the same deal first. The only copy was locked in the embassy safe.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 8 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
Amir the lobbyist starts the case already proven innocent:
Felix and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Amir, lobbyist (A1)
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: lobbyists, ambassadors, trade envoys, concert pianists, interpreters, diplomatic couriers. Clues about a role (“exactly one of the lobbyists”) count everyone in it.
| Seat | Suspect | Role in this case | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Amir | lobbyist | Rogue |
| B1 | Basil | ambassador | Official |
| C1 | Cal | trade envoy | Merchant |
| D1 | Dev | trade envoy | Merchant |
| A2 | Ezra | concert pianist | Artist |
| B2 | Felix | lobbyist | Rogue |
| C2 | Greta | ambassador | Official |
| D2 | Hugo | lobbyist | Rogue |
| A3 | Idris | trade envoy | Merchant |
| B3 | Joan | interpreter | Scholar |
| C3 | Kira | concert pianist | Artist |
| D3 | Leo | diplomatic courier | Courier |
| A4 | Mila | concert pianist | Artist |
| B4 | Ned | diplomatic courier | Courier |
| C4 | Omar | ambassador | Official |
| D4 | Pia | lobbyist | Rogue |
| A5 | Quinn | interpreter | Scholar |
| B5 | Raj | interpreter | Scholar |
| C5 | Silas | diplomatic courier | Courier |
| D5 | Theo | interpreter | Scholar |
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 20, 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 19, 2026 — The Iceberg Nobody Else Saw
- Next Hard: Oct 21, 2026 — Everything Left Wearing a Coat
- Clue types in this case: Common-neighbor clues · If–then clues · Neighbor clues · Between clues
- All October 2026 cases · More cases in embassies · Meet the cast