Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 20, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 20, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “The Chandelier Falls at Eight”, 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. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 2 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: Ivan (A3) begins the case proven a criminal.
The person between me and Quentin is innocent.— Ivan, stagehand (A3)
Step 1: Mila (A4, leading actor) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Nico (B4, leading actor) is a criminal. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Otto is a criminal.— Mila, leading actor (A4)
Step 3: Freya (B2, stagehand) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals between me and Bea.— Nico, leading actor (B4)
Step 4: Joan (B3, playwright) is innocent. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 5: Amir (A1, understudy) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Freya’s and Joan’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Bea and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Freya, stagehand (B2)
Bea and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Joan, playwright (B3)
Step 6: Cora (C1, leading actor) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Freya’s and Joan’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 7: Dina (D1, company nurse) is innocent. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Dina and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Cora, leading actor (C1)
Step 8: Gemma (C2, usher) is innocent. This follows from Dina’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Freya and I have exactly two innocent neighbors in common.— Dina, company nurse (D1)
Step 9: Esme (A2, playwright) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 10: Bea (B1, usher) is innocent. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Gemma and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Esme, playwright (A2)
Step 11: Hattie (D2, company nurse) is innocent. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hattie and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Bea, usher (B1)
Step 12: Lena (D3, playwright) is innocent. This follows from Hattie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Pia is innocent.— Hattie, company nurse (D2)
Step 13: Kurt (C3, understudy) is a criminal. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Only one of my eight neighbors is a criminal.— Gemma, usher (C2)
Step 14: Otto (C4, stagehand) is a criminal. This follows from Kurt’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between Pia and Nico is a criminal.— Kurt, understudy (C3)
Step 15: Pia (D4, understudy) is innocent. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.— Lena, playwright (D3)
Step 16: Quentin (A5, usher) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two innocents below me.— Amir, understudy (A1)
Step 17: Rufus (B5, stagehand) is a criminal. This follows from Quentin’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my three neighbors are criminals.— Quentin, usher (A5)
Step 18: Sadie (C5, usher) is a criminal. This follows from Otto’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person below me is a criminal.— Otto, stagehand (C4)
Step 19: Theo (D5, playwright) is a criminal. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my five neighbors are criminals.— Pia, understudy (D4)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir innocent | Bea innocent | Cora innocent | Dina innocent |
| 2 | Esme criminal | Freya innocent | Gemma innocent | Hattie innocent |
| 3 | Ivan criminal | Joan innocent | Kurt criminal | Lena innocent |
| 4 | Mila innocent | Nico criminal | Otto criminal | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quentin innocent | Rufus criminal | Sadie criminal | Theo criminal |
What happened
The chandelier fell by appointment. Ivan, Otto and Rufus, the stagehands, loosened its winch so it would drop exactly six feet at the overture's loudest chord. Theo and Esme, two playwrights whose own play had been bumped from the season, had persuaded the theatre's ageing owner to 'simplify' his insurance in their favour; Kurt, an understudy with a forged reference, carried the paperwork to the broker. Nico, the leading actor, faked a sudden illness so the cast was already off stage, and Sadie, an usher, kept the stalls empty with a story about a gas leak. Nobody was hurt, which was the only part of the plan that was kind.