Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 15, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 15, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “Change from the Big Top”, 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. 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: Celia (C1) begins the case proven a criminal.
The person to my right is a criminal.— Celia, ringmaster (C1)
Step 1: Dexter (D1, ringmaster) is a criminal. This follows from Celia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Greta (C2, safety inspector) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Leo and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Dexter, ringmaster (D1)
Step 3: Hugo (D2, magician) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Kofi (C3, usher) is a criminal. This follows from Greta’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Leo and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Greta, safety inspector (C2)
Step 5: Leo (D3, acrobat) is a criminal. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Pia is a criminal.— Hugo, magician (D2)
Step 6: Felix (B2, magician) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kofi’s and Leo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly six of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Kofi, usher (C3)
Otto and Felix are either both criminals or both innocent.— Leo, acrobat (D3)
Step 7: Otto (C4, weightlifter) is innocent. This follows from Leo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 8: Rufus (B5, weightlifter) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kofi’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Otto, weightlifter (C4)
Step 9: Sadie (C5, usher) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kofi’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 10: Tess (D5, acrobat) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Kofi’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 11: Ned (B4, acrobat) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Kofi’s, Sadie’s and Tess’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
All the criminals in Column B are connected.— Sadie, usher (C5)
Greta has more criminal neighbors than anyone else.— Tess, acrobat (D5)
Step 12: Emil (A2, safety inspector) is innocent. This follows from Ned’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Emil is a criminal, then so am I.— Ned, acrobat (B4)
Step 13: Ivan (A3, weightlifter) is a criminal. This follows from Emil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Marco is a criminal.— Emil, safety inspector (A2)
Step 14: Amir (A1, magician) is innocent. This follows from Tess’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 15: Jasper (B3, weightlifter) is a criminal. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Only one of the two weightlifters in Column B is innocent.— Amir, magician (A1)
Step 16: Basil (B1, safety inspector) is innocent. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Felix, magician (B2)
Step 17: Marco (A4, ringmaster) is a criminal. This follows from Rufus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Jasper and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Rufus, weightlifter (B5)
Step 18: Pia (D4, magician) is innocent. This follows from Kofi’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Quentin (A5, usher) is innocent. This follows from Tess’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir innocent | Basil innocent | Celia criminal | Dexter criminal |
| 2 | Emil innocent | Felix innocent | Greta innocent | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Ivan criminal | Jasper criminal | Kofi criminal | Leo criminal |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Ned innocent | Otto innocent | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quentin innocent | Rufus innocent | Sadie innocent | Tess innocent |
What happened
The forgeries came off the old press in the props wagon that printed the magicians' stage money. Celia, Dexter and Marco, the three ringmasters who had bought the failing circus between them, needed cash to keep the lights on; Ivan and Jasper, the strongmen, turned the heavy press by hand at night, after the generator had been switched off. Leo, an acrobat with a stamp collection and a perfect eye, copied the watermark, and Kofi, the usher with the patter, handed the notes out as change — always with a joke, so nobody looked down. The notes were flawless, apart from the King, who was winking.