Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 18, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 18, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “Lobster for the Whole Crew”, 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. 4 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: Mabel (A4) begins the case proven a criminal.
None of the writers in my column is a criminal.— Mabel, caterer (A4)
Step 1: Ada (A1, writer) is innocent. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Bea (B1, makeup artist) is innocent. This follows from Ada’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Celia is innocent.— Ada, writer (A1)
Step 3: Esme (A2, writer) is innocent. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Freya (B2, grip) is a criminal. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Kofi and I have exactly two criminal neighbors in common.— Esme, writer (A2)
Step 5: Jasper (B3, grip) is a criminal. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 6: Ned (B4, runner) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Raj is a criminal.— Jasper, grip (B3)
Step 7: Celia (C1, studio boss) is a criminal. This follows from Ned’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Celia and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Ned, runner (B4)
Step 8: Quinn (A5, writer) is innocent. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Hana (D2, caterer) is innocent. This follows from Quinn’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hana and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Quinn, writer (A5)
Step 10: Raj (B5, writer) is innocent. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one innocent below me.— Bea, makeup artist (B1)
Step 11: Kofi (C3, makeup artist) is a criminal. This needs 3 statements together — Celia’s, Hana’s and Raj’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are innocent.— Celia, studio boss (C1)
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Hana, caterer (D2)
Jasper has more criminal neighbors than anyone else.— Raj, writer (B5)
Step 12: Leo (D3, runner) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Celia’s and Hana’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 13: Petra (D4, runner) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Celia’s, Raj’s and Kofi’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Kofi, makeup artist (C3)
Step 14: Sadie (C5, makeup artist) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Raj’s and Petra’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There are exactly three criminals in Column C.— Petra, runner (D4)
Step 15: Olive (C4, studio boss) is innocent. This follows from Sadie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Kofi is innocent.— Sadie, makeup artist (C5)
Step 16: Gus (C2, caterer) is a criminal. This follows from Kofi’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Dexter (D1, studio boss) is innocent. This follows from Celia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 18: Ivan (A3, grip) is innocent. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Freya, grip (B2)
Step 19: Tess (D5, runner) is innocent. This follows from Leo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is an even number of criminals in my column.— Leo, runner (D3)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada innocent | Bea innocent | Celia criminal | Dexter innocent |
| 2 | Esme innocent | Freya criminal | Gus criminal | Hana innocent |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper criminal | Kofi criminal | Leo innocent |
| 4 | Mabel criminal | Ned criminal | Olive innocent | Petra innocent |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Raj innocent | Sadie innocent | Tess innocent |
What happened
The lobsters lived only on invoices. Gus and Mabel, the caterers, billed the studio for banquets and served soup, and Celia, the studio boss who signed every invoice personally, kept a third of the difference. Kofi, a make-up artist, scattered shells from a fishmonger's skip into the catering bins whenever the accountants came to look; Freya and Jasper, the grips, built a 'refrigerated trailer' that was nothing but a door, a padlock and a humming fan. Ned, a runner, carried the invoices to accounts every Friday. He only ever tripped on the stairs when he was carrying the honest ones.