Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 14, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 14, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “The Song Beside Cashpoint Seven”? 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 six weeks, every customer who used the cash machine outside Bellwether's Fleet Street branch had their card copied. Nobody noticed a thing — partly because, for those same six weeks, the best busking duo in London was playing right beside it.
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. 5 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Arlo the courier (A1) 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 above Leo is a criminal.— Arlo, courier (A1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Dina (D1) is a criminal, proven by Arlo’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, direction clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Arlo’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Dina (D1) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, odd/even clues and shared-neighbor counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Kofi’s and Nico’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Freya (B2) — a criminal.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are odd/even clues, comparisons and neighbor counts. 2 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with odd/even clues, zero is even, and with one unknown left the parity settles it.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Sadie’s, Jasper’s and Rufus’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ezra (A2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, shared-neighbor counts and corner and edge counts. 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
Ezra’s and Mabel’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Cora (C1) — 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 Sadie’s, Jasper’s and Rufus’s statements together. They settle Ezra.
Clue types in this case
direction clues ×1, neighbor counts ×3, “between” clues ×2, paired verdicts ×4, shared-neighbor counts ×3, odd/even clues ×1, corner and edge counts ×1, if–then clues ×1 and comparisons ×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.