This was not a time for flattery. “Thank you, Mma, but it is only an idea. There is a big difference between an idea and a solution.”

“Oh, Mma, that is absolutely true. There is a very big difference.” The secretary cleared her throat. “And what is this idea, Mma?”

“The lands,” said Mma Ramotswe. “I think that she will be out at her fields.”

“Why do you think that, Mma?”

“Because that is where she went once before.”

Mma Ramotswe explained how there had been an occasion—not as serious as the current one—when Mma Potokwane had felt rather overburdened by her duties and had arranged to take a short break out at her fields, or lands, as they were called. “It was only for a weekend, but she said that it was the best place to go if one was feeling exhausted. So I think we could see if she’s there now.”

The conversation came to an end, with Mma Ramotswe promising to contact the secretary as soon as she had any news. She would go out there herself, she said; she knew the way—roughly—and it was a journey of no more than four hours.

The secretary was concerned. “That is a long way, Mma. And I don’t think you should go out into the bush by yourself.”

Mma Makutsi, on the other side of the room, overheard this. “Tell her you will not be going by yourself,” she interjected. “You will be going with me.”

Mma Ramotswe relayed this information. She was not sure that it was the best of ideas, but it was a generous offer, and no more than one would expect from Mma Makutsi, who, for all her faults—and they were not very big ones—was loyal and supportive through thick and thin … She paused for thought: Would all this be described as thick, or was it thin? She was not at all sure, but whatever it was, it would be good to have Mma Makutsi at her side.

OF COURSE THERE were preparations to be made. A journey out into the Botswana bush was not something that could be undertaken lightly. Those tracks, pitted by use and eroded by rains, were a trial for any vehicle, even one accustomed to such roads, as was the tiny white van. You had to be careful: if you broke down, it could be many miles from help, and so you had to know where you were. You also needed to take water—there would be no supplies of that along the road—and enough fuel to get you to your destination and back, with a little bit left over for emergencies.