Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 13, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 13, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Penalty in the Ninety-Third Minute”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
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. 6 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. 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: Petra (D4) begins the case proven innocent.
Mabel and Frank have no criminal neighbors in common.— Petra, ball kid (D4)
Step 1: Iris (A3, mascot) is innocent. This follows from Petra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Frank (B2, steward) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Emil and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Iris, mascot (A3)
Step 3: Juno (B3, ball kid) is innocent. This follows from Petra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Kira (C3, mascot) is a criminal. This follows from Juno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Leo is a criminal.— Juno, ball kid (B3)
Step 5: Omar (C4, referee) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals below me.— Kira, mascot (C3)
Step 6: Gus (C2, stadium cook) is innocent. This follows from Omar’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal between me and Cora.— Omar, referee (C4)
Step 7: Suki (C5, referee) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 8: Cora (C1, mascot) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Frank’s and Suki’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are innocent.— Frank, steward (B2)
Only one of Emil's five neighbors is a criminal.— Suki, referee (C5)
Step 9: Emil (A2, referee) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Frank’s and Suki’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 10: Dina (D1, physio) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Frank’s and Emil’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There are exactly two criminals in Row 1.— Emil, referee (A2)
Step 11: Queenie (A5, stadium cook) is a criminal. This needs 4 statements together — Frank’s, Gus’s, Cora’s and Dina’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Gus, stadium cook (C2)
Column D has exactly two criminals.— Cora, mascot (C1)
Exactly two of the four people in the corners are criminals.— Dina, physio (D1)
Step 12: Mabel (A4, stadium cook) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Frank’s, Cora’s and Queenie’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly six of the fourteen people on the edges are criminals.— Queenie, stadium cook (A5)
Step 13: Ruby (B5, steward) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Frank’s, Cora’s and Queenie’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 14: Leo (D3, ball kid) is a criminal. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hattie and Omar have no innocent neighbors in common.— Ruby, steward (B5)
Step 15: Bruno (B1, steward) is a criminal. This follows from Leo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The only steward in Row 1 is a criminal.— Leo, ball kid (D3)
Step 16: Arlo (A1, ball kid) is innocent. This follows from Frank’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Hattie (D2, physio) is innocent. This follows from Gus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 18: Nora (B4, steward) is a criminal. This follows from Mabel’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Suki and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Mabel, stadium cook (A4)
Step 19: Tess (D5, ball kid) is a criminal. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlo innocent | Bruno criminal | Cora criminal | Dina innocent |
| 2 | Emil criminal | Frank innocent | Gus innocent | Hattie innocent |
| 3 | Iris innocent | Juno innocent | Kira criminal | Leo criminal |
| 4 | Mabel innocent | Nora criminal | Omar innocent | Petra innocent |
| 5 | Queenie criminal | Ruby innocent | Suki innocent | Tess criminal |
What happened
The foul was rehearsed. Emil, the referee, was paid to give a late penalty, and the rest of the ring made sure it looked inevitable. Leo and Tess, the ball kids, slowed every restart so the match ran deep into added time; Bruno and Nora, stewards on the touchline, kept the fourth official's radio crackling with crowd complaints. Kira and Cora, inside the two mascots, signalled the moment to the syndicate with a dance by the corner flag, and Queenie, the stadium cook, placed the bets from the kitchen phone between pies. The striker who 'fell' knew nothing — he really had tripped on his own laces.