Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 22, 2026 Hard
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 22, 2026
Stuck on the Hard case, “Green Ink on Lilac Paper”? 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 a year Thornbury has received anonymous letters, on lilac paper and in green ink, revealing everybody's secrets — and villagers have been leaving a 'fee' under the church doormat to stop the next one. Every letter was posted from the village's own postbox.
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. 4 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Silas the postie (C5) 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).
If Cora is a criminal, then I'm innocent.— Silas, postie (C5)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Cora (C1) is innocent, proven by Silas’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 3 and 4, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, if–then clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Silas’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Cora (C1) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, neighbor counts and paired verdicts. 3 steps here need 3 statements read together. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, shared neighbors never include the two speakers themselves.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Kira’s, Greta’s and Otto’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Theo (D5) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and D. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, row and column counts and “most” clues. One step here needs 4 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
Kira’s, Greta’s, Theo’s and Basil’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Arlo (A1) — a criminal.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and B. The statements doing the work are row and column counts, “most” clues and neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with row and column counts, once the line’s quota is filled, everyone else in it takes the other verdict.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Mila’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ned (B4) — innocent.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 4 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, Greta’s, Theo’s and Basil’s statements together. They settle Arlo.
Clue types in this case
odd/even clues ×2, row and column counts ×3, paired verdicts ×3, “most” clues ×1, shared-neighbor counts ×3, neighbor counts ×2 and if–then 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.