She found Hansi in his travel and safari office, sitting at his desk, engaged in a telephone conversation that entailed frequent and expressive hand gestures. He cast his eyes upwards when she came in, implying to her that it was a difficult client on the line, and then he signalled for her to sit down.

“Yes, yes,” he said into the phone. “Yes, I am not saying that you are not entitled to a refund. What I am saying is that the refund must come from the tour operator and not from this office. That is what I am saying.”

There was an angry crackle from the other side, and the conversation came to an end. Hansi laid the receiver back in its cradle and looked apologetically at Mma Ramotswe. “Not my fault, Mma. I cannot guarantee that everybody sees a leopard. You know how secretive those creatures are, looking out at us from their hiding places and laughing …”

Mma Ramotswe smiled. “It is the same with me, Hansi. I have clients sometimes who think that I have guaranteed a miracle. They can be very difficult.”

“Perhaps we should be in simpler jobs, Mma Ramotswe. Ones where we are the clients and can make complaining telephone calls to other people.” He paused. “Not that I can ever see you complaining, Mma. You are too kind. Nobody would take your complaints seriously. They would say, Oh, very funny, Mma Ramotswe! So you are very happy then. Thank you.”

“I am not always kind,” said Mma Ramotswe. “I can get cross, the same as everybody else.”

Hansi looked doubtful. “I do not think so,” he said. “But let us not talk about people like that person on the phone to me just then. It is very good to see you, Mma—is there any reason for this visit, or is it just time for tea?”

“I want to go to Maun,” said Mma Ramotswe.

Hansi raised an eyebrow. “You, Mma? You want to go on a safari?”

“Of course not. But I need some information for a case I’m working on. I need to find out about somebody who works up there. A person whose name I do not know who works in a camp that also has a name I do not know.”

Hansi listened. “If you do not know either of those things, I do not know how I can help.”

She explained that there was a clue. “The name of the camp is something to do with a bird, or possibly an animal.”

Hansi thought for a moment. “If it’s a bird,” he said, “then it must be Eagle Island. It’s also called Xaba-Xaba, but people find difficulty saying x, and so they decided to call it Eagle Island. That must be the camp.”

“That is all I need to know. That, and their telephone number.”