The Cerro Prieto Hearing: a free Western logic-grid puzzle

The report from Cerro Prieto came in thin, and what follows is everything the deputy would stand behind under oath. Take it a line at a time.

This free Rookie logic-grid puzzle has 4 suspects, 4 locations, and 4 pieces of evidence. New to logic grids? Start with the pencil-solving guide.

How to mark the grid

●: These two belong together.
✕: These two are ruled out.
blank: Still undecided.

How to play

Click, tap or press Enter on a cell to cycle it: blank, then ● for a confirmed pairing, then ✕ for one you have ruled out. Nothing fills itself in — the deductions are yours to make. Use the arrow keys to move around the grid.

Fill obvious Xs does the bookkeeping only: for each ● you have marked, it crosses off the rest of that pairing's own row and column. It never adds a ●, never reads a clue, and never changes a mark you made.

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Every case has exactly one solution, and it is always reachable by deduction alone. Nothing here guesses for you, and Check will not tell you which mark is wrong.

Clues and evidence

Garrett Pyle's presence at Cerro Prieto was no secret.
Ross Whelan swore off any connection to the split hide water bag, and the ledger agrees.
Ross Whelan was never once placed at Bitterroot Wash.
Ross Whelan had no use for the fine kiln ash.
It wasn't Ross Whelan who turned up with the broken ox shoe.
No one puts Mayordomo Eliseo Sosa at Tule Bottom.
The deputy struck the fine kiln ash off Garrett Pyle's account.
Dell Sowerby had nothing to do with the split hide water bag.
Ross Whelan was never at Tule Bottom.
Nobody could connect Garrett Pyle to the split hide water bag.

The grid

On a narrow screen the grid scrolls sideways.

Your marks, completions and streak are saved in this browser only. There is no account, and clearing your browser data clears that local progress. If you accept analytics, the site sends anonymous puzzle-usage events; it never sends your grid marks, clues or solution.

If you want a hundred more

Five volumes, printed and portable

Each Frontier Logic volume collects 100 western mystery logic-grid puzzles, every one with exactly one solution and a complete answer key. Every volume stands alone, in standard and large print.