Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 15, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 15, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “Change from the Big Top”? 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
All summer, the box office at Circus Fantasia gave change in crisp twenty-pound notes. Every one of them was a forgery — printed, the police now believe, somewhere inside the big top itself.
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. 5 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Celia the ringmaster (C1) 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 person to my right is a criminal.— Celia, ringmaster (C1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Dexter (D1) is a criminal, proven by Celia’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns C and D. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, direction clues and “between” clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, shared neighbors never include the two speakers themselves.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Celia’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Dexter (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 5. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts and paired verdicts. 4 steps here need 2 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
Kofi’s and Leo’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Felix (B2) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “connected” clues and “most” clues. One step here needs 3 statements read together. Tip: with “connected” clues, a group of one counts as connected, so “connected” doesn’t promise two.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Kofi’s, Sadie’s and Tess’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ned (B4) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, role counts and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Amir’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Jasper (B3) — 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 Kofi’s, Sadie’s and Tess’s statements together. They settle Ned.
Clue types in this case
role counts ×1, direction clues ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×3, “between” clues ×2, neighbor counts ×3, paired verdicts ×2, if–then clues ×1, “connected” 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.