Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 4, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 4, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “Lord Ashby's Treasure Hunt”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Medium 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. 2 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: Nico (B4) begins the case proven a criminal.
Exactly three of us four painters are innocent.— Nico, painter (B4)
Step 1: Ezra (A2, painter) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Ada (A1, librarian) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person above me is a criminal.— Ezra, painter (A2)
Step 3: Iris (A3, painter) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Kira (C3, painter) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 5: Mabel (A4, cook) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Iris’s and Kira’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
An even number of my neighbors are innocent.— Iris, painter (A3)
Exactly one of the two gardeners in Column B is a criminal.— Kira, painter (C3)
Step 6: Bea (B1, butler) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Ada’s and Mabel’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There is exactly one criminal to my right.— Ada, librarian (A1)
Exactly one of the two wine merchants in Row 1 is a criminal.— Mabel, cook (A4)
Step 7: Freya (B2, gardener) is innocent. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Freya and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Bea, butler (B1)
Step 8: Jasper (B3, gardener) is a criminal. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Hana (D2, cook) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hana and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Jasper, gardener (B3)
Step 10: Dev (D1, wine merchant) is a criminal. This follows from Hana’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm a criminal, then so is Dev.— Hana, cook (D2)
Step 11: Cal (C1, wine merchant) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 12: Gus (C2, cook) is innocent. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal to my right.— Freya, gardener (B2)
Step 13: Lena (D3, librarian) is a criminal. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Gus, cook (C2)
Step 14: Percy (D4, wine merchant) is a criminal. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Percy and me is innocent.— Cal, wine merchant (C1)
Step 15: Otto (C4, gardener) is innocent. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are innocent.— Lena, librarian (D3)
Step 16: Raj (B5, librarian) is innocent. This follows from Otto’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Otto, gardener (C4)
Step 17: Quentin (A5, butler) is innocent. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are innocent.— Raj, librarian (B5)
Step 18: Sadie (C5, butler) is innocent. This follows from Percy’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my five neighbors are innocent.— Percy, wine merchant (D4)
Step 19: Tariq (D5, wine merchant) is innocent. This follows from Dev’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly three criminals below me.— Dev, wine merchant (D1)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada criminal | Bea innocent | Cal innocent | Dev criminal |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Freya innocent | Gus innocent | Hana criminal |
| 3 | Iris innocent | Jasper criminal | Kira innocent | Lena criminal |
| 4 | Mabel criminal | Nico criminal | Otto innocent | Percy criminal |
| 5 | Quentin innocent | Raj innocent | Sadie innocent | Tariq innocent |
What happened
He had. Ada and Lena, the house's two librarians, steamed open the sealed clues on Friday night and cracked every riddle by Saturday breakfast. Hana and Mabel passed the answers out of the kitchen folded inside napkins; Jasper buried a second, identical 'final key' in the walled garden in case anyone else got close; and Nico forged a codicil in the old lord's hand naming Dev as the winner's 'trading partner'. Percy, the winner, was so afraid of getting it wrong that he copied every answer onto his wrist — then wore short sleeves to the reading of the will.