Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 25, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 25, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “The Loaf That Ticked”? 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
Acting on a tip-off, customs officers searched the Alpine Night Express from end to end for two hundred smuggled Swiss watches. They found nothing but a dining car that smelled wonderfully of fresh bread, and waved the train across the border an hour late.
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. 3 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Idris the commercial traveller (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).
Nobody between me and Leo is a criminal.— Idris, commercial traveller (A3)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Juno (B3) is innocent, proven by Idris’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and C. The statements doing the work are “between” clues, paired verdicts and direction clues. 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
Idris’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Juno (B3) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns B and D. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, neighbor counts and shared-neighbor counts. 2 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Cal’s and Bea’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Leo (D3) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, “between” clues and neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. 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
Tess’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hana (D2) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in columns A and C. The statements doing the work are shared-neighbor counts, “most” clues and direction clues. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with shared-neighbor counts, only the two to four cards touching both suspects count.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Rufus’s and Mabel’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Quentin (A5) — a criminal.
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 Cal’s and Bea’s statements together. They settle Leo.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×6, neighbor counts ×2, shared-neighbor counts ×2, direction clues ×2, “between” clues ×3, “most” clues ×1 and row and column counts ×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 is published two days after the case, so today’s solvers aren’t spoiled.