Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 17, 2026 Hard walkthrough
Oct 17, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Hard case “The Itch on the Catwalk”, 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. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. 5 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: Theo (D5) begins the case proven innocent.
The person between me and Lionel is innocent.— Theo, fashion critic (D5)
Step 1: Pia (D4, photographer) is innocent. This follows from Theo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Dexter (D1, celebrity guest) is innocent. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no criminals above me.— Pia, photographer (D4)
Step 3: Cora (C1, designer) is innocent. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Bruno is innocent.— Dexter, celebrity guest (D1)
Step 4: Ezra (A2, designer) is innocent. This follows from Cora’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Ezra and I share the same verdict: both criminal or both innocent.— Cora, designer (C1)
Step 5: Hugo (D2, photographer) is innocent. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 6: Lionel (D3, celebrity guest) is innocent. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 7: Olive (C4, celebrity guest) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Hugo’s and Lionel’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly one of my five neighbors is a criminal.— Hugo, photographer (D2)
Exactly four of my five neighbors are innocent.— Lionel, celebrity guest (D3)
Step 8: Bruno (B1, bodyguard) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Ezra’s, Hugo’s and Olive’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There is an even number of criminals to my right.— Ezra, designer (A2)
Only one of Gemma's eight neighbors is a criminal.— Olive, celebrity guest (C4)
Step 9: Joan (B3, fashion critic) is innocent. This needs 3 statements together — Ezra’s, Hugo’s and Olive’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Step 10: Felix (B2, photographer) is a criminal. This needs 3 statements together — Ezra’s, Bruno’s and Joan’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
There are exactly two criminals below me.— Bruno, bodyguard (B1)
I have more criminal neighbors than anyone else.— Joan, fashion critic (B3)
Step 11: Gemma (C2, dresser) is a criminal. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 12: Kurt (C3, photographer) is innocent. This follows from Hugo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 13: Iris (A3, designer) is a criminal. This follows from Kurt’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There is exactly one criminal to my left.— Kurt, photographer (C3)
Step 14: Quentin (A5, dresser) is innocent. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If I'm a criminal, then Quentin is innocent.— Gemma, dresser (C2)
Step 15: Ada (A1, fashion critic) is a criminal. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of the four people in the corners is a criminal.— Felix, photographer (B2)
Step 16: Sadie (C5, dresser) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Iris’s and Ada’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
An even number of my neighbors are criminals.— Iris, designer (A3)
Exactly two of Ruby's five neighbors are criminals.— Ada, fashion critic (A1)
Step 17: Ruby (B5, bodyguard) is innocent. This follows from Quentin’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
My row has exactly three innocents.— Quentin, dresser (A5)
Step 18: Nico (B4, designer) is a criminal. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 19: Marco (A4, celebrity guest) is innocent. This follows from Iris’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ada criminal | Bruno innocent | Cora innocent | Dexter innocent |
| 2 | Ezra innocent | Felix criminal | Gemma criminal | Hugo innocent |
| 3 | Iris criminal | Joan innocent | Kurt innocent | Lionel innocent |
| 4 | Marco innocent | Nico criminal | Olive innocent | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quentin innocent | Ruby innocent | Sadie criminal | Theo innocent |
What happened
It was itching powder — a whole tin, dusted into the linings at the final fitting. Iris and Nico, designers at a rival house who wanted Marlow's investors for themselves, bought the powder at a joke shop; Gemma and Sadie, dressers hired for the night, worked it into every seam between the hair and make-up calls. Felix photographed the worst moments from the end of the runway and had them online before the finale. Ada, a critic with a famously sharp pen, had written her review — 'an itch the industry needn't scratch' — two days before the show began.