Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 17, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 17, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “Eleven Small Words”, 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. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 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: Ruby (B5) begins the case proven innocent.
None of Tariq's neighbors is a criminal.— Ruby, marine guard (B5)
Step 1: Omar (C4, ambassador) is innocent. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Percy (D4, trade envoy) is innocent. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 3: Suki (C5, ambassador) is innocent. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Greta (C2, ambassador) is a criminal. This follows from Omar’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of us three ambassadors is a criminal.— Omar, ambassador (C4)
Step 5: Cal (C1, trade envoy) is a criminal. This follows from Greta’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person above me is a criminal.— Greta, ambassador (C2)
Step 6: Amir (A1, lobbyist) is a criminal. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no innocents to my left.— Cal, trade envoy (C1)
Step 7: Bruno (B1, marine guard) is a criminal. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 8: Esme (A2, interpreter) is a criminal. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Idris is a criminal.— Amir, lobbyist (A1)
Step 9: Frank (B2, marine guard) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my five neighbors are criminals.— Bruno, marine guard (B1)
Step 10: Joan (B3, interpreter) is innocent. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Greta and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Esme, interpreter (A2)
Step 11: Kurt (C3, lobbyist) is innocent. This follows from Joan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Kurt is a criminal, then so am I.— Joan, interpreter (B3)
Step 12: Idris (A3, trade envoy) is a criminal. This follows from Frank’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly six of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Frank, marine guard (B2)
Step 13: Marco (A4, visiting royal) is a criminal. This follows from Idris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Idris, trade envoy (A3)
Step 14: Dexter (D1, visiting royal) is innocent. This follows from Marco’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Row 1 has exactly one innocent.— Marco, visiting royal (A4)
Step 15: Nora (B4, marine guard) is a criminal. This follows from Suki’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Ruby and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Suki, ambassador (C5)
Step 16: Quinn (A5, interpreter) is innocent. This follows from Kurt’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal below Idris.— Kurt, lobbyist (C3)
Step 17: Hugo (D2, lobbyist) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Percy’s and Nora’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Only one of my five neighbors is a criminal.— Percy, trade envoy (D4)
Exactly eight of the fourteen people on the edges are criminals.— Nora, marine guard (B4)
Step 18: Lionel (D3, visiting royal) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal between me and Tariq.— Dexter, visiting royal (D1)
Step 19: Tariq (D5, trade envoy) is a criminal. This follows from Percy’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Bruno criminal | Cal criminal | Dexter innocent |
| 2 | Esme criminal | Frank innocent | Greta criminal | Hugo criminal |
| 3 | Idris criminal | Joan innocent | Kurt innocent | Lionel innocent |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Nora criminal | Omar innocent | Percy innocent |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Ruby innocent | Suki innocent | Tariq criminal |
What happened
The company belonged to the ring. Esme, the interpreter, changed eleven small words between the two languages — 'shared' became 'held', 'each' became 'one' — and nobody at the table read both texts side by side. Greta, the ambassador, hurried the signing before dinner, while Cal, Idris and Tariq, the trade envoys, kept the other delegation charmed, fed and running late. Amir and Hugo, two lobbyists, had registered the company in Marco's name in a principality where he was, conveniently, a minor royal. Bruno and Nora kept the doors shut so no outside lawyer reached the room. The fishermen noticed on the first day of the season.