Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 2, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 2, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Flash Mob at Gate Twelve”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 15 of them carry a clue; the other 5 only have something to say about themselves. 4 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Lena (D3) begins the case proven innocent.
None of us air-traffic controllers is a criminal.— Lena, air-traffic controller (D3)
Step 1: Ada (A1, air-traffic controller) is innocent. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Ezra (A2, travel vlogger) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Bea and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Ada, air-traffic controller (A1)
Step 3: Freya (B2, baggage handler) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Gus (C2, airline caterer) is innocent. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nobody between me and Hana is a criminal.— Ezra, travel vlogger (A2)
Step 5: Jasper (B3, baggage handler) is a criminal. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Ivan and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Gus, airline caterer (C2)
Step 6: Raj (B5, air-traffic controller) is innocent. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 7: Ivan (A3, baggage handler) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Freya’s and Raj’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Freya, baggage handler (B2)
There is an odd number of criminals in Row 3.— Raj, air-traffic controller (B5)
Step 8: Kira (C3, travel vlogger) is a criminal. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Nico (B4, travel vlogger) is a criminal. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Otto and I have exactly two criminal neighbors in common.— Ivan, baggage handler (A3)
Step 10: Queenie (A5, airline caterer) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Jasper’s and Nico’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Jasper, baggage handler (B3)
Exactly six of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Nico, travel vlogger (B4)
Step 11: Sadie (C5, flight attendant) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Jasper’s and Nico’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 12: Otto (C4, baggage handler) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Freya’s, Kira’s and Sadie’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
I have more innocent neighbors than anyone else.— Kira, travel vlogger (C3)
There is an even number of criminals above Tariq.— Sadie, flight attendant (C5)
Step 13: Mila (A4, travel vlogger) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 14: Hana (D2, airline caterer) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of the three airline caterers is a criminal.— Mila, travel vlogger (A4)
Step 15: Bea (B1, flight attendant) is a criminal. This follows from Hana’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Mila is a criminal, then so is Bea.— Hana, airline caterer (D2)
Step 16: Cal (C1, duty-free clerk) is innocent. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Percy (D4, duty-free clerk) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 18: Dev (D1, duty-free clerk) is innocent. This follows from Sadie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Tariq (D5, duty-free clerk) is innocent. This follows from Queenie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Dev is innocent, then so is Tariq.— Queenie, airline caterer (A5)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada innocent | Bea criminal | Cal innocent | Dev innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Freya innocent | Gus innocent | Hana innocent |
| 3 | Ivan criminal | Jasper criminal | Kira criminal | Lena innocent |
| 4 | Mila criminal | Nico criminal | Otto innocent | Percy innocent |
| 5 | Queenie criminal | Raj innocent | Sadie criminal | Tariq innocent |
What happened
The dance was the starting pistol, not the distraction. Kira, Mila and Nico had spent a month promoting a 'spontaneous' flash mob to their followers, and when it began, every camera operator in the terminal turned to watch. Below, Ivan and Jasper moved the crate onto a catering lift, where Queenie's trolleys swallowed the icons one by one under foil lids. Bea and Sadie wheeled them aboard the 7:15 to Lisbon as the crew's own supper. In Lisbon, nobody inspects the crew's supper.