Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 17, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 17, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “The Itch on the Catwalk”? 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
Halfway through the Thea Marlow show, every model on the catwalk began, discreetly and then far less discreetly, to scratch. By midnight the collection was a laughing stock, and Marlow's investors pulled out the next morning.
This Hard case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 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 Theo the fashion critic (D5) 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 between me and Lionel is innocent.— Theo, fashion critic (D5)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Pia (D4) is innocent, proven by Theo’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 4, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, direction clues and paired verdicts. 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
Theo’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Pia (D4) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 3 and 4, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, direction clues and odd/even clues. 4 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
Ezra’s, Hugo’s and Olive’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Bruno (B1) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and C. The statements doing the work are odd/even clues, neighbor counts and direction clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with odd/even clues, count the proven ones first; the parity of the rest follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Ezra’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Gemma (C2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are corner and edge counts, odd/even clues and neighbor counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with corner and edge counts, there are only four corners and one edge ring, so count what is left of them.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Iris’s and Ada’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Sadie (C5) — 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 Ezra’s, Hugo’s and Olive’s statements together. They settle Bruno.
Clue types in this case
neighbor counts ×4, direction clues ×3, paired verdicts ×1, “between” clues ×2, odd/even clues ×2, corner and edge counts ×1, if–then clues ×1, “most” clues ×1 and row and column counts ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
16 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.