Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 16, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 16, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “The Captain's Charity Auction”, 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. 18 of them carry a clue; the other 2 only have something to say about themselves. 1 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: Joan (B3) begins the case proven innocent.
The person between me and Basil is innocent.— Joan, navigator (B3)
Step 1: Felix (B2, card shark) is innocent. This follows from Joan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Kira (C3, entertainer) is innocent. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Kira and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Felix, card shark (B2)
Step 3: Hana (D2, galley cook) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hana and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Kira, entertainer (C3)
Step 4: Basil (B1, captain) is a criminal. This follows from Hana’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Basil is innocent, then I'm a criminal.— Hana, galley cook (D2)
Step 5: Nico (B4, entertainer) is innocent. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nobody below me is a criminal.— Basil, captain (B1)
Step 6: Omar (C4, captain) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Kira and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Nico, entertainer (B4)
Step 7: Pia (D4, card shark) is a criminal. This follows from Omar’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm innocent, then Pia is a criminal.— Omar, captain (C4)
Step 8: Lena (D3, navigator) is a criminal. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Lena and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Pia, card shark (D4)
Step 9: Gus (C2, galley cook) is a criminal. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are innocent.— Lena, navigator (D3)
Step 10: Raj (B5, navigator) is innocent. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 11: Tariq (D5, purser) is a criminal. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Tariq and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Gus, galley cook (C2)
Step 12: Mabel (A4, galley cook) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Raj’s and Tariq’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly one of my five neighbors is a criminal.— Raj, navigator (B5)
There are exactly two innocents to my left.— Tariq, purser (D5)
Step 13: Quinn (A5, navigator) is innocent. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Quinn and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Mabel, galley cook (A4)
Step 14: Iris (A3, entertainer) is a criminal. This follows from Quinn’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nico and Joan have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Quinn, navigator (A5)
Step 15: Ezra (A2, entertainer) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of my neighbors is a criminal.— Iris, entertainer (A3)
Step 16: Amir (A1, card shark) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Ezra, entertainer (A2)
Step 17: Dev (D1, purser) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of the four people in the corners are innocent.— Amir, card shark (A1)
Step 18: Cal (C1, purser) is a criminal. This follows from Dev’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of my three neighbors is innocent.— Dev, purser (D1)
Step 19: Suki (C5, captain) is a criminal. This follows from Raj’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Basil criminal | Cal criminal | Dev innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Felix innocent | Gus criminal | Hana innocent |
| 3 | Iris criminal | Joan innocent | Kira innocent | Lena criminal |
| 4 | Mabel innocent | Nico innocent | Omar innocent | Pia criminal |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Raj innocent | Suki criminal | Tariq criminal |
What happened
There were no orphans, only nine very well-fed crew. Basil and Suki, the two captains who alternated voyages, invented the charity and its tearful brochure; Iris, the ship's entertainer, ran the auction with such feeling that one passenger bid £40,000 for a signed menu. Gus, the galley cook, supplied the lots — cakes iced with the ship's crest. Amir and Pia, card sharks travelling on staff discounts, planted rival bids to push prices up; Cal and Tariq, the pursers, banked the takings; and Lena, the navigator, entered each voyage's total in the ship's records as 'fuel'. The car park belongs to Tariq's brother.