Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 18, 2026 Easy
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 18, 2026
Stuck on the Easy case, “The Horse with Painted Socks”? 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
Moonlit Hope, a mare who had never finished better than ninth, won the Ashby Handicap by eleven lengths at odds of 66–1. Two hours later, out in the rain, her four white socks began to run.
This Easy case seats 16 suspects on a 4×4 grid. 12 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. Every step can be proven from a single clue plus what you already know.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Kurt the tipster (C3) 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 Iris is a criminal.— Kurt, tipster (C3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Joan (B3) is a criminal, proven by Kurt’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 3 and 4. The statements doing the work are “between” clues and paired verdicts. Tip: with “between” clues, only the cards strictly between the two named suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Kurt’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Joan (B3) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 4 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 3, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, paired verdicts and direction clues. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Nico’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Iris (A3) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 8 proven suspects
Three suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are role counts, neighbor counts and direction clues. Tip: with role counts, find every suspect with that role (the nameplate badge helps) and count the proven ones.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Greta’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Emil (A2) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in column D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, neighbor counts and corner and edge counts. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Ada’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hattie (D2) — innocent.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×3, direction clues ×2, neighbor counts ×3, corner and edge counts ×1, role counts ×1 and “between” clues ×2.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
12 of the 16 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.