GAZ-GMM1

You are in the Gazebo in Beadtown

We have a winner! Helen Hooper-Hirst cracked the code.
What a surprise on 11 August '98 when I got an e-mail with the correct answer.

The Solution:

Margarite Manikam was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kwame Kim was in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Trove Treasure was in México (not Mexico City; local names are used).

K, L, I, M is an anagram for MILK

The Game:

WHERE ON EARTH IS MARGARITE MANIKAM?

Margarite Manikam was born in Mexico of a Greek mother and Indonesian father. She grew up quite beautiful and charming. She is also smart and hard working. Just before finishing her double major (with honors) in Russian History and subatomic physics, she met...

Kwame Kim. Born in the Philippines of a Ghanaian mother and Korean father, Kwame is a couple years older than Margarite, but no less handsome or beguiling, and no less smart and self-motivated.

The two were in love at once and disappeared in the early 1970s at the time of the oil embargo. They reappeared on the world scene only late in 1995. There has never been a satisfactory explanation of where they were and what they had been doing. Their official line was that they were biochemically altering viruses to produce the Universal Antivirus to cure AIDS, Lhassa fever, Ebola, influenza and even the common cold.

But not everyone believes them. In particular, many hold they were the supreme jesters in the shadowy world of espionage, pitting the Western alliance, the Soviet block, China and the Non-aligned nations against each other. However, just as the U.S. House of Representatives "House Committee on Foreigners We Don't Like," was about to open hearings on MM (Margarite) and KK (Kwame)...

The Trove Treasure (TT) was stolen! The priceless art and jewelry collection was taken from the estate of the late Thomas, Eighth Earl of Trove, who had partly inherited and partly acquired it. Among its finest rarities was the 139.2-carat "Mountain of Silla" diamond, whose history since 1825 included the violent, untimely death of every other owner.

A tiny sampling of the amazing Trove treasure -- white and yellow diamonds, perfectly matched drop pearls, gold and platinum -- nothing but the best.

Thomas's father had died an old man peacefully in his sleep. Thomas, like his grandfather and great-great grandfather, died young, 48, in a freak Ferris wheel accident.

As soon as he heard the news of the theft of the Trove Treasure, Representative Bob Bluster announced the to House Committee on Foreigners We Don't Like that he had indisputable proof that Margarite Manikam and Kwame Kim were the perpetrators. This caused a great stir in the world press. However, the next day, the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Musicaccairs, publicly denounced Bluster's attack. He said he had proof that MM, KK and the TT were not even in the same place.

Nor are they. The current director of Interpol, Sylvia Sleuth, must solve the mystery of where the two accused and the hidden loot are. As the first woman director of the International Police Organization, she must solve the problem or be relegated back to a boring desk job.

During the last few days the stakes have been raised. Bluster has declared his candidacy for President of the USA. Musicaccairs has his eye on becoming the leader of the European Union. Sleuth is determined to keep her job. The Kremlin has announced that the Trove Treasure was originally stolen from Russia and wants it back to pay off its debts. North Korea has laid claim to the "Mountain of Silla" diamond and has already sold it to a wealthy Oil Sheik. Universal Antivirus, Inc. had an Initial Public Offering of its shares on the New York and Singapore stock exchanges. Millions were traded in the first day and the price has jumped five-fold.

But, where are the key figures in this increasingly complex international drama?

Here's how you can find them.

All over The Bead Site are clues to the whereabouts of Margarite Manikam (MM), Kwame Kim (KK) and the Trove Treasure (TT). Each clue designates an important world city and is related to one of the people or the purloined fortune. There are five clues for each. They may be on the very bottom of any page. The double letter indicates what the clue stands for.

For example:

GAME CLUE: TT: A great lake is important in its history.

is a clue for the location of the Trove Treasure. What city does it point to?

When you have gathered enough clues to identify each of three cities (official names are used), note the first letter of their names. The four letters (there's a clue right there) are an anagram of a common word.

When you have that word, email it to the Office. Choose GAME as the subject. We'll go on from there.

____________________________________