Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 2, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 2, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “The Flash Mob at Gate Twelve”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
At 6:40 p.m. a flash mob of dancing travellers brought Terminal 2 to a joyful standstill for nine minutes. At 6:49, a crate of Byzantine icons in transit to a museum in Oslo was found missing from the secure cargo hall — two floors below the dancing.
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.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Lena the air-traffic controller (D3) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
None of us air-traffic controllers is a criminal.— Lena, air-traffic controller (D3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ada (A1) is innocent, proven by Lena’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, role counts and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, only the two to four cards touching both suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Lena’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ada (A1) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, role counts and odd/even clues. 2 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Freya’s and Raj’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ivan (A3) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “most” clues and odd/even clues. 2 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with “most” clues, “the most” means uniquely the most — nobody else may tie.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Freya’s, Kira’s and Sadie’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Otto (C4) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 4 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are if–then clues, neighbor counts and “most” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with if–then clues, an if–then says nothing when its “if” part is false — don’t read it backwards.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Hana’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Bea (B1) — a criminal.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 3 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Freya’s, Kira’s and Sadie’s statements together. They settle Otto.
Clue types in this case
shared-neighbor counts ×3, “between” clues ×1, neighbor counts ×4, if–then clues ×2, “most” clues ×1, role counts ×2 and odd/even clues ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
15 of the 20 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.