Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 14, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 14, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Ninety Seconds Behind the Curtain”? 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 the finale of Maison Vey's 'Ice' show, every model wore real diamonds lent by Rennard & Sons. When the jewels went back to the vault that night, the finest necklace of them all — the Snow Queen — turned out to be paste.
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.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Iris the designer (A3) 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).
The only photographer in Column B is a criminal.— Iris, designer (A3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Felix (B2) is a criminal, proven by Iris’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, role counts and direction clues. 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
Iris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Felix (B2) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3 and 5, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, role counts and shared-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
Pia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Silas (C5) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 4 and 5, most of them in row 5. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and shared-neighbor counts. 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
Tess’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Quentin (A5) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, role counts and shared-neighbor 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
Kira’s and Dexter’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Cora (C1) — innocent.
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 Kira’s and Dexter’s statements together. They settle Cora.
Clue types in this case
shared-neighbor counts ×3, neighbor counts ×3, “between” clues ×3, role counts ×3, paired verdicts ×4 and direction clues ×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.