Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 20, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 20, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Ambassador's Missing Speech”, 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. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 8 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: Amir (A1) begins the case proven innocent.
Felix and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Amir, lobbyist (A1)
Step 1: Basil (B1, ambassador) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Ezra (A2, concert pianist) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 3: Idris (A3, trade envoy) is innocent. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Mila is innocent.— Ezra, concert pianist (A2)
Step 4: Pia (D4, lobbyist) is a criminal. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm innocent, then Pia is a criminal.— Basil, ambassador (B1)
Step 5: Mila (A4, concert pianist) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Idris’s and Pia’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly one of my five neighbors is a criminal.— Idris, trade envoy (A3)
Row 2 has more criminals than my row.— Pia, lobbyist (D4)
Step 6: Ned (B4, diplomatic courier) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Idris’s and Pia’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 7: Raj (B5, interpreter) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Idris’s and Ned’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There is exactly one criminal in my column.— Ned, diplomatic courier (B4)
Step 8: Felix (B2, lobbyist) is a criminal. This needs 4 statements together — Idris’s, Pia’s, Mila’s and Raj’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Only one of my five neighbors is a criminal.— Mila, concert pianist (A4)
Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.— Raj, interpreter (B5)
Step 9: Joan (B3, interpreter) is innocent. This follows from Idris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 10: Kira (C3, concert pianist) is innocent. This follows from Joan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Omar and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Joan, interpreter (B3)
Step 11: Quinn (A5, interpreter) is a criminal. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 12: Cal (C1, trade envoy) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Pia’s, Felix’s and Kira’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
An odd number of my neighbors are criminals.— Felix, lobbyist (B2)
I have more criminal neighbors than anyone else.— Kira, concert pianist (C3)
Step 13: Greta (C2, ambassador) is a criminal. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 14: Leo (D3, diplomatic courier) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Greta’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly two of my five neighbors are innocent.— Cal, trade envoy (C1)
Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Greta, ambassador (C2)
Step 15: Theo (D5, interpreter) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Leo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
My column has exactly two innocents.— Leo, diplomatic courier (D3)
Step 16: Silas (C5, diplomatic courier) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Theo’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly five of the fourteen people on the edges are criminals.— Theo, interpreter (D5)
Step 17: Hugo (D2, lobbyist) is innocent. This follows from Silas’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two innocents below Dev.— Silas, diplomatic courier (C5)
Step 18: Dev (D1, trade envoy) is a criminal. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Omar (C4, ambassador) is innocent. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir innocent | Basil innocent | Cal innocent | Dev criminal |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Felix criminal | Greta criminal | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Idris innocent | Joan innocent | Kira innocent | Leo criminal |
| 4 | Mila innocent | Ned innocent | Omar innocent | Pia criminal |
| 5 | Quinn criminal | Raj innocent | Silas criminal | Theo innocent |
What happened
The speech left the safe in a diplomatic pouch that was never meant to leave the building. Greta, the ambassador herself, had been offered a seat on the rival company's board and needed the deal to fail gracefully. Quinn, an interpreter with a habit of fixing everyone's computers, copied the speech from the drafting laptop; Leo and Silas, the diplomatic couriers, walked it across the square to the rival delegation in a pouch nobody was allowed to open. Dev, a trade envoy, carried the rival's thanks back, and Felix and Pia, lobbyists with a sense of humour, timed the leak to the minute. The pouch's seal had a sticker on it. Leo collected stickers.