Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 9, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 9, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “Contraband on Chair Forty-Two”, 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. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. 5 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: Bruno (B1) begins the case proven innocent.
None of the fondue chefs in Column A is a criminal.— Bruno, ski patroller (B1)
Step 1: Mabel (A4, fondue chef) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Queenie (A5, fondue chef) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 3: Rufus (B5, lift operator) is a criminal. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Rufus is innocent, then I'm a criminal.— Mabel, fondue chef (A4)
Step 4: Hattie (D2, mountain medic) is a criminal. This follows from Rufus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm a criminal, then so is Hattie.— Rufus, lift operator (B5)
Step 5: Nora (B4, ski patroller) is innocent. This follows from Queenie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Only one of my three neighbors is a criminal.— Queenie, fondue chef (A5)
Step 6: Otto (C4, lift operator) is innocent. This follows from Nora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nobody to my right is a criminal.— Nora, ski patroller (B4)
Step 7: Petra (D4, mountain guide) is innocent. This follows from Nora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 8: Jasper (B3, lift operator) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Otto’s and Petra’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Otto, lift operator (C4)
Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.— Petra, mountain guide (D4)
Step 9: Ivan (A3, lift operator) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Mabel and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Jasper, lift operator (B3)
Step 10: Leo (D3, mountain guide) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Hattie’s and Ivan’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There is exactly one innocent between me and Ezra.— Hattie, mountain medic (D2)
Exactly three of Kira's eight neighbors are criminals.— Ivan, lift operator (A3)
Step 11: Tess (D5, mountain guide) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Otto’s and Leo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
All the criminals in Column C are connected.— Leo, mountain guide (D3)
Step 12: Cora (C1, ice sculptor) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Otto’s, Leo’s and Tess’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There are more criminal mountain guides than criminal ice sculptors.— Tess, mountain guide (D5)
Step 13: Arlo (A1, mountain guide) is a criminal. This needs 5 statements together — Hattie’s, Otto’s, Leo’s, Tess’s and Cora’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Arlo and Frank are either both criminals or both innocent.— Cora, ice sculptor (C1)
Step 14: Frank (B2, ski patroller) is a criminal. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 15: Ezra (A2, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Arlo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Bruno and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Arlo, mountain guide (A1)
Step 16: Gus (C2, fondue chef) is innocent. This follows from Hattie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Dina (D1, mountain medic) is innocent. This follows from Frank’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
My row has more criminals than Row 1.— Frank, ski patroller (B2)
Step 18: Silas (C5, mountain guide) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Dina and Silas is innocent.— Ezra, ice sculptor (A2)
Step 19: Kira (C3, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Otto’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlo criminal | Bruno innocent | Cora innocent | Dina innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Frank criminal | Gus innocent | Hattie criminal |
| 3 | Ivan criminal | Jasper criminal | Kira innocent | Leo innocent |
| 4 | Mabel innocent | Nora innocent | Otto innocent | Petra innocent |
| 5 | Queenie innocent | Rufus criminal | Silas criminal | Tess criminal |
What happened
Chair forty-two never carried a skier. Ivan, Jasper and Rufus, who ran the lift, loaded it with boxed watches at the Swiss station and waved it round; Arlo, Silas and Tess, three mountain guides, met it at the Italian end and skied the boxes down to a van. Frank, a retired policeman who had joined the ski patrol 'for the quiet', kept the customs officers busy with false reports of stranded skiers across the valley. Hattie, the mountain medic, wrapped every box in bandages and labelled it 'first-aid supplies'. A customs officer who broke his wrist on the slope was splinted with a gold chronograph.