Clues & Culprits › Archive › October 2026 › Oct 3, 2026 Hard
Oct 3, 2026 — Hard case
The breeding programme at Larchmont Zoo produced six hyacinth macaw eggs this spring, the rarest clutch in Europe. The records say all six were infertile and destroyed. A private collector abroad says otherwise — and has six bright blue chicks to prove it.
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. 4 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. Every verdict you enter is checked against all the scenarios that still fit the statements on file, so a move only sticks when it is proven.
The opening statement
Mila the face painter starts the case already proven innocent:
The only face painter in Row 3 is innocent.— Mila, face painter (A4)
The lineup
Suspects stand in alphabetical order, left to right and top to bottom. Each belongs to one of Clues & Culprits’ twelve character classes — the badge on their nameplate. This case uses 6 of them, each cast as a role in the setting: zoologists, zoo directors, gift-shop owners, keeper's assistants, café cooks, face painters. Clues about a role (“exactly one of the face painters”) count everyone in it.
| Seat | Suspect | Role in this case | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Ada | zoologist | Scholar |
| B1 | Basil | zoo director | Official |
| C1 | Cal | gift-shop owner | Merchant |
| D1 | Dev | gift-shop owner | Merchant |
| A2 | Esme | zoologist | Scholar |
| B2 | Freya | keeper's assistant | Laborer |
| C2 | Greta | zoo director | Official |
| D2 | Hana | café cook | Cook |
| A3 | Ivan | keeper's assistant | Laborer |
| B3 | Jasper | keeper's assistant | Laborer |
| C3 | Kira | face painter | Artist |
| D3 | Lena | zoologist | Scholar |
| A4 | Mila | face painter | Artist |
| B4 | Nico | face painter | Artist |
| C4 | Otto | keeper's assistant | Laborer |
| D4 | Percy | gift-shop owner | Merchant |
| A5 | Queenie | café cook | Cook |
| B5 | Raj | zoologist | Scholar |
| C5 | Suki | zoo director | Official |
| D5 | Tariq | gift-shop owner | Merchant |
Stuck?
The in-game hint first points at the statement to re-read, then at the suspect you can prove, then shows the proof. For a gentler nudge, open the spoiler-free hints for Oct 3, 2026, or press Share to send a friend your exact board. New to the format? The deduction-puzzle guide covers the habits that unlock every step.
More cases
- Same day: Easy case · Medium case
- Previous Hard: Oct 2, 2026 — The Flash Mob at Gate Twelve
- Next Hard: Oct 4, 2026 — Murder Mystery on the Danube Star
- Clue types in this case: Odd and even clues · Neighbor clues · Between clues · Above, below, left and right
- All October 2026 cases · More cases in zoos · Meet the cast