Murder mystery sudoku — the daily cases for 11 October 2026

Every detective in the world got these same crime scenes on 2026-10-11 — each difficulty published twice, once untimed and once as time attack. Each case is procedurally generated and then proved to have exactly one logical solution before it is published, including the cases where somebody is lying. You place every suspect back on the map using only their testimony: exactly one person per row, never two in a column. Whoever is left alone with the victim did it.

Beginner — The Cookie Thief

A 5×5 grid across 4 rooms: Dining Room, Attic, Living room, Nursery. Six statements, seven squares nobody could stand on, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by 10 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. C — carpet (square stays free) · G — gift · PA — painting (square stays free) · PO — potted plant · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Kira was in row 3. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kira: 5 of 21.
Kira was in the leftmost column. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kira: 1 of 21.
Dora was in the attic. leaves 4 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Dora: 4 of 21.
Greta was in the living room. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Greta: 5 of 21.
Wilfred was in row 2. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Wilfred: 5 of 21.
Wilfred was in the nursery. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Wilfred: 1 of 21.

Show the squares Dora had left

The squares still open to Dora once their own statements are taken into account — 4 of 21.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Pablo can only be in Dining Room (row 4, column 2) — down from 21 possible squares.
Dora can only be in Attic (row 5, column 4) — down from 4 possible squares.
Greta can only be in Living room (row 1, column 5) — down from 5 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Kira, in Dining Room (row 3, column 1).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Kira is ringed in red.

Beginner · time attack — The Cookie Thief

A 5×5 grid across 4 rooms: Living room, Cellar, Hallway, Kitchen. Eight statements, seven squares nobody could stand on, and enough testimony that the surplus is what pins the last two down.

Cracked by 4 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Pablo was in column 4. leaves 3 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Pablo: 3 of 21.
Pablo was in the living room. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Pablo: 1 of 21.
Nestor was in row 2. leaves 5 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Nestor: 5 of 21.
Nestor was in column 2. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Nestor: 1 of 21.
Walter was in row 3. leaves 3 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Walter: 3 of 21.
Walter was in the cellar. leaves 1 of 21 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Walter: 1 of 21.
Rufus was in the bottom row. leaves 3 of 21 squares
Rufus was in the kitchen. leaves 1 of 21 squares

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Frida can only be in Hallway (row 1, column 3) — down from 21 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Nestor, in Hallway (row 2, column 2).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Nestor is ringed in red.

Easy — The Cookie Thief

A 6×6 grid across 5 rooms: Living room, Nursery, Hallway, Dining Room, Guest Room. Six statements, ten squares nobody could stand on, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by 10 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · GI — gift · GR — grandfather clock · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · S — stove · W — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Ivan was beside the wooden chair. leaves 3 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Ivan: 3 of 31.
Nestor was beside the bookshelf. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Nestor: 2 of 31.
Vera was in the dining room. leaves 7 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Vera: 7 of 31.
Vera was in row 4. leaves 1 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Vera: 1 of 31.
Hilda was beside the armchair. leaves 3 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Hilda: 3 of 31.
Wanda was lying on the bed. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Wanda: 2 of 31.

Show the squares Nestor had left

The squares still open to Nestor once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 31.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Ivan can only be in Guest Room (row 1, column 4) — down from 3 possible squares.
Nestor can only be in Nursery (row 5, column 1) — down from 2 possible squares.
Gordon can only be in Dining Room (row 2, column 2) — down from 31 possible squares.
Hilda can only be in Living room (row 6, column 5) — down from 3 possible squares.
Wanda can only be in Living room (row 3, column 6) — down from 2 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Vera, in Dining Room (row 4, column 3).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Vera is ringed in red.

Easy · time attack — The Cookie Thief

A 6×6 grid across 5 rooms: Sunroom, Dining Room, Kitchen, Attic, Living room. Six statements, nine squares nobody could stand on, and no assumption anywhere: elimination alone closes it.

Cracked by 2 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · B — bookshelf · G — gift · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Gordon was in the sunroom. leaves 4 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gordon: 4 of 31.
Gordon was in column 4. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gordon: 2 of 31.
Simon was beside the bookshelf. leaves 3 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Simon: 3 of 31.
Kira was beside the plate of cookies. leaves 1 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Kira: 1 of 31.
Rufus was beside the armchair. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Rufus: 2 of 31.
Conrad was beside a painting. leaves 2 of 31 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Conrad: 2 of 31.

Show the squares Gordon had left

The squares still open to Gordon once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 31.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Percy can only be in Kitchen (row 4, column 3) — down from 31 possible squares.
Gordon can only be in Sunroom (row 1, column 4) — down from 2 possible squares.
Simon can only be in Attic (row 2, column 2) — down from 3 possible squares.
Rufus can only be in Living room (row 3, column 5) — down from 2 possible squares.
Conrad can only be in Kitchen (row 6, column 1) — down from 2 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Conrad, in Kitchen (row 6, column 1).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Conrad is ringed in red.

Medium · time attack — The Cookie Thief

A 7×7 grid across 6 rooms: Guest Room, Dining Room, Cellar, Sunroom, Hallway, Attic. Ten statements, thirteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and enough testimony that the surplus is what pins the last two down.

Cracked by 2 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — Christmas tree · GI — gift · GR — grandfather clock · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · PO — potted plant · S — stove · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Katia was somewhere west of the Professor.
Katia was in the guest room or in the dining room. leaves 15 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Katia: 15 of 41.
Estela was in the hallway. leaves 5 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Estela: 5 of 41.
Estela was in row 5. leaves 1 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Estela: 1 of 41.
Luna was beside the wooden table. leaves 2 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Luna: 2 of 41.
Margot was in the same room as Boris.
Margot was beside the painting. leaves 1 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Margot: 1 of 41.
Rosa was in the same column as the Christmas tree. leaves 6 of 41 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Rosa: 6 of 41.
Rosa was in the bottom row. leaves 1 of 41 squares
Boris was somewhere north of Estela.

Show the squares Luna had left

The squares still open to Luna once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 41.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Katia can only be in Guest Room (row 3, column 2) — down from 15 possible squares.
Luna can only be in Attic (row 4, column 1) — down from 2 possible squares.
Boris can only be in Dining Room (row 2, column 6) — down from 41 possible squares.
Hugo can only be in Cellar (row 6, column 4) — down from 41 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Rosa, in Cellar (row 7, column 3).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Rosa is ringed in red.

Medium — The Cookie Thief

An 8×7 grid across 6 rooms: Nursery, Dining Room, Sunroom, Guest Room, Living room, Kitchen. Ten statements, eleven squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry.

Cracked by 8 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · B — bed (square stays free) · C — carpet (square stays free) · GI — gift · GR — grandfather clock · PA — painting (square stays free) · PO — potted plant · S — stove · W — wooden table

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Xavier was in the same column as the stove. leaves 5 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Xavier: 5 of 49.
Zeno was beside the bed. leaves 3 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zeno: 3 of 49.
Zeno was in the same column as the bed. leaves 2 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zeno: 2 of 49.
Helena was somewhere west of the Chef.
Helena was in the same room as Wren.
Wren was in the same row as the wooden table. leaves 6 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Wren: 6 of 49.
Marco was in the same column as the grandfather clock. leaves 6 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Marco: 6 of 49.
Marco was beside the stove. leaves 1 of 49 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Marco: 1 of 49.
Sofia was seated on the armchair. leaves 1 of 49 squares
Nobody was in the living room.

Show the squares Zeno had left

The squares still open to Zeno once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 49.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 30 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Had Xavier stood in Dining Room (row 5, column 7), Wren would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Frida in Guest Room (row 1, column 1) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Had Zeno stood in Guest Room (row 4, column 2), Helena would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Helena in Guest Room (row 1, column 1) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Xavier stood on the dashed square. Wren then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 26 squares fell the same way.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Zeno, in Guest Room (row 2, column 2).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Zeno is ringed in red.

Hard — The Cookie Thief

A 9×8 grid across 6 rooms: Living room, Kitchen, Nursery, Attic, Dining Room, Cellar. Eleven statements, sixteen squares nobody could stand on, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry.

Cracked by 5 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — Christmas tree · CL — clock · G — gift · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · PO — potted plant · S — stove · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Greta was in column 3. leaves 7 of 60 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Greta: 7 of 60.
Simon was all alone in a room.
Xavier was exactly 3 rows south of Alma.
Kira was in the same room as Queralt.
Kira was exactly 1 column west of Simon.
Alma was somewhere south of Simon.
Alma was exactly 2 columns east of the Professor.
Marco was exactly 6 rows south of the Butler.
Marco was in the same column as the Christmas tree. leaves 6 of 60 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Marco: 6 of 60.
Queralt was exactly 1 column east of the Heiress.
Queralt was somewhere west of the Chauffeur.

Show the squares Marco had left

The squares still open to Marco once their own statements are taken into account — 6 of 60.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Marco can only be in Living room (row 8, column 9) — down from 6 possible squares.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 73 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Had Greta stood in Attic (row 1, column 3), Kira would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Had Simon stood in Cellar (row 2, column 2), Kira would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Xavier in Nursery (row 6, column 5) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Put Frida in Attic (row 1, column 3) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Greta stood on the dashed square. Kira then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 69 squares fell the same way.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Greta, in Dining Room (row 7, column 3).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Greta is ringed in red.

Hard · time attack — The Cookie Thief

An 8×8 grid across 7 rooms: Guest Room, Dining Room, Nursery, Living room, Sunroom, Hallway, Kitchen. Thirteen statements, sixteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry.

Cracked by 2 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. A — armchair (square stays free) · B — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — Christmas tree · CL — clock · G — gift · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · PO — potted plant · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Xavier was in the same column as the wooden table. leaves 6 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Xavier: 6 of 53.
Xavier was in the same row as a painting. leaves 2 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Xavier: 2 of 53.
Xavier was somewhere south of the Gardener.
Ignacio was somewhere south of Zaida.
Boris was somewhere east of the Butler.
Boris was in the same column as the carpet. leaves 15 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Boris: 15 of 53.
Boris was in the same row as the wooden chair. leaves 2 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Boris: 2 of 53.
Boris was somewhere south of Kaspar.
Rosa was all alone in a room.
Kaspar was somewhere west of the Journalist.
Lidia was in the same column as a painting. leaves 13 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Lidia: 13 of 53.
Zaida was exactly 6 rows north of the Journalist.
Zaida was in the same column as the bookshelf. leaves 7 of 53 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Zaida: 7 of 53.

Show the squares Xavier had left

The squares still open to Xavier once their own statements are taken into account — 2 of 53.

What the testimony settles on its own

Nobody shares a row or a column, so each placement narrows everyone else. Before a single guess:

Xavier can only be in Nursery (row 8, column 5) — down from 2 possible squares.
Boris can only be in Hallway (row 4, column 2) — down from 2 possible squares.
Lidia can only be in Living room (row 7, column 6) — down from 13 possible squares.
Zaida can only be in Sunroom (row 1, column 3) — down from 7 possible squares.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 12 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Had Petra stood in Sunroom (row 2, column 4), Ignacio would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Ignacio in Hallway (row 5, column 1) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Put Rosa in Kitchen (row 3, column 7) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Put Kaspar in Hallway (row 3, column 1) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Petra stood on the dashed square. Ignacio then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 8 squares fell the same way.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Xavier, in Nursery (row 8, column 5).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Xavier is ringed in red.

Expert — The Cookie Thief

A 10×9 grid across 8 rooms: Kitchen, Hallway, Guest Room, Sunroom, Living room, Cellar, Nursery, Dining Room. Fifteen statements, eighteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and one round of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry.

Cracked by 4 detectives so far.

How this case was cracked — the full solution to this board, step by step

Every step below is the solver’s own — the same one that proved this board has exactly one answer. The counts are real: you can check them against the grid.

Lettered squares are objects. Most take the square out of play — which is why the counts above are of free squares, not of all of them — but the ones marked below do not: their square is still in play. BE — bed (square stays free) · BO — bookshelf · CA — carpet (square stays free) · CH — Christmas tree · GI — gift · GR — grandfather clock · PA — painting (square stays free) · PL — plate of cookies · PO — potted plant · S — stove · WD — wooden table · WO — wooden chair (square stays free)

The testimony

What each person said, and how much of the board it rules out.

Tesa was somewhere north of the Curator.
Tesa was in the same column as a painting. leaves 16 of 77 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Tesa: 16 of 77.
Olivia was somewhere west of the Curator.
Alistair was exactly 2 columns west of the Journalist.
Alistair was exactly 7 columns west of the Butler.
Alistair was in the same row as the gift. leaves 9 of 77 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Alistair: 9 of 77.
Bruno and Marco were alone together in one room.
Marco was exactly 4 columns east of Felix.
Hugo was all alone in a room.
Felix was exactly 2 rows south of the Curator.
Felix was exactly 5 rows south of the Journalist.
Felix was somewhere north of the Doctor.
Gilda was in the same column as the grandfather clock. leaves 8 of 77 squares
Show it on the board
The squares this one statement leaves Gilda: 8 of 77.
Exactly 2 people were in the kitchen.
Exactly 2 people were in the guest room.

Show the squares Gilda had left

The squares still open to Gilda once their own statements are taken into account — 8 of 77.

The squares that had to be tested

The rest does not fall out on its own. It takes 136 eliminations of the same move: put someone on a square, follow the consequences, and watch the board contradict itself.

Had Tesa stood in Sunroom (row 1, column 6), Gilda would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Olivia in Living room (row 3, column 3) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.
Had Alistair stood in Hallway (row 8, column 2), Olivia would have had nowhere left to stand. So not there.
Put Bruno in Kitchen (row 1, column 7) and the testimony cannot be satisfied at all. So not there.

Show what goes wrong

Suppose Tesa stood on the dashed square. Gilda then has nowhere left to stand: every square still open to them is shaded out.

Another 132 squares fell the same way.

Tesa can only be in Cellar (row 4, column 10) — down from 2 possible squares.

The answer

That leaves one arrangement, and one person who could have done it: Gilda, in Guest Room (row 9, column 6).

Show the solved board

The only arrangement the testimony allows. Gilda is ringed in red.

Expert · time attack — The Cookie Thief

A 9×9 grid across 8 rooms: Dining Room, Kitchen, Hallway, Sunroom, Cellar, Living room, Nursery, Attic. Seventeen statements, fifteen squares nobody could stand on, almost as many rooms as suspects, so a room claim nearly names a square, and two rounds of assume-and-test after elimination ran dry — and one of the nine was lying throughout.

The twist: one suspect is an accomplice — every statement they make is false; the accusation also demands the motive, not just the name.

Cracked by one detective so far.

How to read a case above

The grid size is the size of the crime scene, so a 10×9 expert case is a far larger search than a 5×5 beginner one — but the difficulty is really carried by the clues, not the square count. A beginner case tells you almost directly where somebody stood. An expert case tells you where somebody was not, three times, and expects you to do the rest — and on half of them one of those statements is a lie told to protect the killer. If a case lists a motive, naming the right person is not enough on its own; you have to prove why.

How to play · Solving cases with a liar · Techniques

The day in review

The Hollow Order — Something was recovered at The Cookie Thief at last. The season's own missing piece stays missing. The Order convenes tonight. So do you. Chapter 1 concludes with the hollow order scattered and their signet rings surrendered to the precinct vault. Yet the meeting room held neither master nor books: the missing ledger page remains an open wound in the evidence lockup, and the shadowy Fence who directed these six survivors has slipped away without leaving a single boot-heel in the dust.

All ten investigations on 11 October 2026 examined the scene of The Cookie Thief. The standard docket progressed quietly from a four-room 5x5 layout to an eight-room 10x9 estate. Along the way, a guest detective set the fastest marks on beginner in 0m 12s, medium in 0m 47s, and expert in 2m 03s, while chentian claimed the records for easy in 0m 14s and hard in 1m 12s. None of these five cases involved a liar or demanded an established motive, and the easy standard room saw all ten attempts successfully solved.

The time attack boards offered a tighter set of trials, dominated entirely by chentian. Racing against the clock, chentian swept the fastest solutions across the board: beginner in 0m 08s, easy in 0m 11s, medium in 0m 15s, and hard in 2m 40s.

The day saved its only true complications for the time attack expert case. Spread across a 9x9 grid with eight rooms, the inquiry finally introduced a liar and required an established motive. It allowed only a single solution from four plays, with chentian closing the investigation in 16m 32s.

Fastest detectives of the day

Beginner: a guest detective — 0m 12s · Easy: chentian — 0m 14s · Medium: a guest detective — 0m 47s · Hard: chentian — 1m 12s · Expert: a guest detective — 2m 03s · Beginner · time attack: chentian — 0m 08s · Easy · time attack: chentian — 0m 11s · Medium · time attack: chentian — 0m 15s · Hard · time attack: chentian — 2m 40s · Expert · time attack: chentian — 16m 32s

The solutions

The solved boards — spoilers for every case of 11 October 2026

Key: red ring = the murderer · amber dashes = the lying accomplice · ✕ = the victim · initials mark where each suspect was proved to stand.

Beginner — The Cookie Thief

10 detectives put Kira (chef) away before the day was out.

Easy — The Cookie Thief

Vera (professor) is in custody — the case was closed by 10 detectives.

Medium — The Cookie Thief

Zeno (gardener) ended the day behind bars — convicted by 8 detectives.

Hard — The Cookie Thief

Greta (doctor) was named and charged; 5 detectives closed this one.

Expert — The Cookie Thief

The cell door shut on Gilda (doctor), on the evidence of 3 detectives.

Beginner · time attack — The Cookie Thief

4 detectives put Nestor (curator) away before the day was out.

Easy · time attack — The Cookie Thief

Conrad (chauffeur) is in custody — the case was closed by 2 detectives.

Medium · time attack — The Cookie Thief

Rosa (professor) ended the day behind bars — convicted by 2 detectives.

Hard · time attack — The Cookie Thief

Xavier (chauffeur) was named and charged; 2 detectives closed this one.

Expert · time attack — The Cookie Thief

The cell door shut on Sol (gardener), on the evidence of one detective. The motive — inheritance — was proved along with the name. Sol lied for them and was never charged.

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Every day's cases — the calendar · ← the cases for 10 October

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