Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 5, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 5, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Million on the Velvet Table”, 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. 6 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: Pia (D4) begins the case proven innocent.
If Raj is innocent, then I'm a criminal.— Pia, dealer (D4)
Step 1: Raj (B5, technician) is a criminal. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Nico (B4, singer) is innocent. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Marco and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Raj, technician (B5)
Step 3: Quinn (A5, technician) is innocent. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Marco (A4, high roller) is a criminal. This follows from Quinn’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my three neighbors are criminals.— Quinn, technician (A5)
Step 5: Freya (B2, mechanic) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Nico’s and Marco’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly five of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Nico, singer (B4)
Only one of the four mechanics is a criminal.— Marco, high roller (A4)
Step 6: Kira (C3, singer) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Nico’s and Marco’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 7: Suki (C5, pit boss) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Nico’s and Marco’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 8: Theo (D5, technician) is innocent. This follows from Suki’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Otto and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Suki, pit boss (C5)
Step 9: Hugo (D2, dealer) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kira’s and Theo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly two of the three high rollers are criminals.— Kira, singer (C3)
There is an odd number of criminals in my column.— Theo, technician (D5)
Step 10: Ivan (A3, mechanic) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Nico’s, Freya’s and Hugo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Ivan and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Freya, mechanic (B2)
Column A has exactly two criminals.— Hugo, dealer (D2)
Step 11: Greta (C2, pit boss) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm innocent, then so is Greta.— Ivan, mechanic (A3)
Step 12: Cora (C1, singer) is innocent. This follows from Greta’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Dexter and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Greta, pit boss (C2)
Step 13: Basil (B1, pit boss) is a criminal. This needs 3 statements together — Kira’s, Hugo’s and Cora’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly six of the fourteen people on the edges are criminals.— Cora, singer (C1)
Step 14: Dexter (D1, high roller) is a criminal. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one innocent to my right.— Basil, pit boss (B1)
Step 15: Amir (A1, dealer) is a criminal. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Amir and Kira are either both criminals or both innocent.— Dexter, high roller (D1)
Step 16: Esme (A2, technician) is innocent. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Jasper (B3, mechanic) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 18: Lionel (D3, high roller) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Otto (C4, mechanic) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Basil criminal | Cora innocent | Dexter criminal |
| 2 | Esme innocent | Freya innocent | Greta innocent | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper criminal | Kira criminal | Lionel innocent |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Nico innocent | Otto innocent | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Raj criminal | Suki criminal | Theo innocent |
What happened
The cards were clean when inspected and marked when played. Raj, who maintained the casino's lighting, swapped two bulbs above table six for ultraviolet ones, and Jasper rewired them to glow only when the stage lights dimmed for Kira's ballad. In that light, the ink Amir brushed on during his shuffles shone for anyone in the tinted glasses Dexter and Marco wore 'for their migraines'. Basil and Suki, the pit bosses, kept both high rollers at table six all night. Kira's ballad lasted four minutes. She sang it nine times.