“But what about impostors?” asked Mma Ramotswe. “There will be many people who will sniff out some financial gain and will claim to be that Rosie. What will we do about them?”

Mma Makutsi clearly had not thought about that, and looked disappointed. But then she brightened. “We have the photograph, Mma,” she said. “We could publish that. We could say: ‘Are you this woman?’ That will discourage those people because they will not look like the real Rosie.” She paused. “I know the photograph is very indistinct, Mma, but at least it gives us some idea of the lady’s build—and of the shape of her head.”

Mma Ramotswe considered this. It was a good idea, she thought, and it would not cost a great deal. They might even get the newspaper to make a news story of it, in which case it would be completely free. She raised this possibility with Mma Makutsi, who agreed.

“I can telephone that journalist woman,” she said. “Phuti gave her a big discount on her dining-room furniture a couple of months ago. I will enquire how her table is doing and then ask her.”

The telephone call was made that morning. The journalist required no persuasion. “Our readers are always interested in these human interest stories,” she said. “I shall come and interview you this morning, Mma Makutsi, and perhaps we can have your photograph in the paper as well. Shall I bring our photographer?”

The arrangements were made. Mma Ramotswe was pleased because she now had something to report to the client; Mma Makutsi, who had only been mentioned in the papers once before—when she graduated from the Botswana Secretarial College—was excited at the prospect of being interviewed and photographed. She was concerned that Mma Ramotswe might feel that she was stealing the limelight, but there was no sign of that. Mma Ramotswe, in fact, was happier being in the background. Everybody knew who she was, anyway, and she did not need any further exposure. And Clovis Andersen, it seemed, agreed with her. Always remember the case is not about you, he wrote. The case is about the client. The more invisible you are, the better. Keep a low profile. Don’t tell the press anything you don’t need to tell them. Quietly does it—every time.