[Solution] Time Heist

Despite the order given in the provided table, the easiest way to solve this logic puzzle is in order from first heist to last.

The clue beginning “The seven heists” allows the table to begin like this:

ORDERTHIEFHOMETOWNWONDER
1Lighthouse
2Eclipse
3Stockholm
4Colossus
5Bennett
6Hanging Gardens
7Brussels

Charlie committed her robbery after the thief from Nairobi and before the Temple of Artemis. Using the table, we can see that Charlie must be 3rd or later and the Temple of Artemis must have been stolen either 5th or 7th.

From the penultimate clue, the Mausoleum can only have been stolen 2nd or 5th.

Since the Statue of Zeus comes immediately after Chicago in the order, it can only have been stolen 2nd, 3rd, or 7th. Because Stockholm also begins with an S, it must be 2nd or 7th.

Because the Temple of Artemis, Mausoleum, and Statue of Zeus cannot have been stolen 3rd, the Pyramids must have been. According to the final clue, this means Fischer stole the Pyramids 3rd.

Since we already know Charlie must be after Nairobi and before the Temple of Artemis, and she additionally cannot be 4th because she cannot have stolen the Colossus, since it also begins with C, she must have been 6th. This forces the Temple of Artemis to be 7th, which causes a ripple effect, making the Statue of Zeus 2nd, Chicago, 1st, and Manila/the Mausoleum 5th, giving the following:

ORDERTHIEFHOMETOWNWONDER
1ChicagoLighthouse
2EclipseStatue of Zeus
3FischerStockholmPyramids
4Colossus
5BennettManilaMausoleum
6CharlieHanging Gardens
7BrusselsTemple of Artemis

The only remaining row on the table where Delaney and Sao Paolo both fit is 4th. Since Atticus stole his wonder before the thief from Bangkok, he cannot be last, so Atticus is 1st and Gabriel is 7th.

Finally, since Charlie’s heist didn’t happen until after the thief from Nairobi, Nairobi must be 2nd, and Bangkok is 6th. Rearranging the grid into the given order gives this:

ORDERTHIEFHOMETOWNWONDER
4DelaneySao PaoloColossus
7GabrielBrusselsTemple of Artemis
3FischerStockholmPyramids
1AtticusChicagoLighthouse
5BennettManilaMausoleum
2EclipseNairobiStatue of Zeus
6CharlieBangkokHanging Gardens

Treating the position in the order as an index into the thief, hometown, and wonder, as indicated by the bolded letters in the table, gives letters which spell out APOLLO’S ORACLE LOCATION. The famous oracle to Apollo was located at DELPHI.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *