Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 10, 2026 Easy walkthrough
Oct 10, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Easy case “The Candidates Who Interviewed Twice”, 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. 14 of them carry a clue; the other 2 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: Freya (B2) begins the case proven innocent.
The person between me and Hugo is innocent.— Freya, groundskeeper (B2)
Step 1: Gemma (C2, college porter) is innocent. This follows from Freya’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Jasper (B3, groundskeeper) is innocent. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Jasper and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Gemma, college porter (C2)
Step 3: Bea (B1, college porter) is a criminal. This follows from Jasper’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal above me.— Jasper, groundskeeper (B3)
Step 4: Iris (A3, drama student) is a criminal. This follows from Bea’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Iris and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Bea, college porter (B1)
Step 5: Ezra (A2, drama student) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Nobody in Row 2 is a criminal.— Iris, drama student (A3)
Step 6: Amir (A1, prankster) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Ezra, drama student (A2)
Step 7: Dexter (D1, benefactor) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Dexter and me is innocent.— Amir, prankster (A1)
Step 8: Celia (C1, benefactor) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of my neighbors is a criminal.— Dexter, benefactor (D1)
Step 9: Hugo (D2, prankster) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 10: Kofi (C3, college porter) is a criminal. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Kofi and me is a criminal.— Hugo, prankster (D2)
Step 11: Lionel (D3, benefactor) is innocent. This follows from Kofi’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two criminals in my row.— Kofi, college porter (C3)
Step 12: Nico (B4, drama student) is a criminal. This follows from Celia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Nico and me is innocent.— Celia, benefactor (C1)
Step 13: Otto (C4, groundskeeper) is innocent. This follows from Lionel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Amir and Otto is a criminal.— Lionel, benefactor (D3)
Step 14: Marco (A4, benefactor) is a criminal. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Nico, drama student (B4)
Step 15: Pia (D4, prankster) is a criminal. This follows from Otto’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Otto, groundskeeper (C4)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Bea criminal | Celia innocent | Dexter innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Freya innocent | Gemma innocent | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Iris criminal | Jasper innocent | Kofi criminal | Lionel innocent |
| 4 | Marco criminal | Nico criminal | Otto innocent | Pia criminal |
What happened
They had never sat the interviews. Iris and Nico, the drama society's two best actors, had — in borrowed scarves, under the candidates' names. Marco, a benefactor whose new library wing was due to open in the spring, had arranged the places for the children of three business partners. Bea and Kofi, the college porters, swapped the names on the interview lists and steered the tutors to the right rooms, while Amir and Pia, the college's most notorious pranksters, forged the school reports. The tutors only realised when a 'scholar' asked which way the river was.