Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 11, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 11, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “Gerald and the Four Hundred Rooms”? 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
Last week the Grand Meridian's reviews filled overnight with photographs of bedbugs, and the value of the hotel halved. On Friday it was bought at the new low price by two tycoons who had been trying to buy it for years. The bedbugs, it turns out, were all the same bedbug.
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 Freya the caretaker (B2) 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).
Everyone between Greta and Silas is innocent.— Freya, caretaker (B2)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Kurt (C3) is innocent, proven by Freya’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 3 and 4. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, neighbor counts and if–then clues. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with “between” clues, two suspects side by side have nobody between them, so watch for empty stretches.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Olive’s and Petra’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Jasper (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 5. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “most” clues and paired verdicts. 3 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with neighbor counts, treat the number as a budget — once enough of the ring is proven, the rest is forced.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Olive’s, Ned’s and Rufus’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Greta (C2) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts and neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Theo’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hugo (D2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 5. The statements doing the work are odd/even clues, role counts and row and column counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with odd/even clues, zero is even, and with one unknown left the parity settles it.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Dexter’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Marco (A4) — innocent.
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 Olive’s, Ned’s and Rufus’s statements together. They settle Greta.
Clue types in this case
row and column counts ×1, paired verdicts ×3, role counts ×2, “between” clues ×2, neighbor counts ×3, odd/even clues ×2, if–then clues ×1 and “most” clues ×1.
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.