Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 5, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 5, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Seven Across, Exam Season”? 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
For three weeks the Lantern's Saturday crossword has been unusually hard and unusually popular — with sixteen-year-olds. This morning the national exam board noticed that its maths answers had appeared in print, clue by clue, the day before every paper.
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. 1 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Nico the photographer (B4) 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).
Exactly one of Ada and me is innocent.— Nico, photographer (B4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Ada (A1) is a criminal, proven by Nico’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, paired verdicts and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, two suspects side by side have nobody between them, so watch for empty stretches.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Nico’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ada (A1) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, if–then clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Freya’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Joan (B3) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 4 and 5. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, paired verdicts and neighbor counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, shared neighbors never include the two speakers themselves.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Ivan’s and Silas’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Quinn (A5) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, all over the board. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, if–then clues and comparisons. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Quinn’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Mila (A4) — a criminal.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 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 Ivan’s and Silas’s statements together. They settle Quinn.
Clue types in this case
“between” clues ×3, comparisons ×1, if–then clues ×2, shared-neighbor counts ×3, paired verdicts ×4, neighbor counts ×2, direction clues ×1 and row and column counts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
17 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.