Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 3, 2026 Easy walkthrough
Oct 3, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Easy case “The Swan with a Red Heart”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
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. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Marco (A4) begins the case proven a criminal.
Everyone below Gemma is innocent.— Marco, heir (A4)
Step 1: Kofi (C3, chalet host) is innocent. This follows from Marco’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Lionel (D3, heir) is a criminal. This follows from Kofi’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person to my right is a criminal.— Kofi, chalet host (C3)
Step 3: Jasper (B3, lift operator) is a criminal. This follows from Lionel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one innocent between me and Ivan.— Lionel, heir (D3)
Step 4: Dexter (D1, heir) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Dexter and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Jasper, lift operator (B3)
Step 5: Hugo (D2, snowboarder) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Lionel is innocent.— Dexter, heir (D1)
Step 6: Bea (B1, chalet host) is innocent. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of the chalet hosts is a criminal.— Hugo, snowboarder (D2)
Step 7: Amir (A1, snowboarder) is innocent. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The only snowboarder in Column A is innocent.— Bea, chalet host (B1)
Step 8: Gemma (C2, chalet host) is innocent. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Freya (B2, lift operator) is innocent. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Freya and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Gemma, chalet host (C2)
Step 10: Ivan (A3, lift operator) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Ivan and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Amir, snowboarder (A1)
Step 11: Cora (C1, ice sculptor) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly five of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Freya, lift operator (B2)
Step 12: Ezra (A2, ice sculptor) is a criminal. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 13: Nico (B4, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of my five neighbors are innocent.— Ivan, lift operator (A3)
Step 14: Otto (C4, lift operator) is innocent. This follows from Marco’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 15: Pia (D4, snowboarder) is a criminal. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Jasper and Pia are either both criminals or both innocent.— Cora, ice sculptor (C1)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir innocent | Bea innocent | Cora criminal | Dexter criminal |
| 2 | Ezra criminal | Freya innocent | Gemma innocent | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Jasper criminal | Kofi innocent | Lionel criminal |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Nico innocent | Otto innocent | Pia criminal |
What happened
The rubies travelled inside the swan. Cora and Ezra carved it around the necklace in the lodge's walk-in freezer, singing over the whine of the chisels. Marco, Dexter and Lionel, three heirs with expensive habits, bought the gala's 'charity centrepiece' for an absurd sum so nobody would question who took it home. Jasper ran the goods lift at midnight, and Pia carried the swan's heart over the pass on her snowboard before sunrise. The swan itself melted, as promised, in a car park in Andermatt.