They went straight to the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon. Mma Soleti was there, together with a young woman whom she introduced as her cousin’s daughter, whom she had agreed to train as a beautician. Both looked despondent. When they saw Mma Makutsi’s baby, however, they cheered up immediately and spent some time cuddling him and exchanging baby gossip with Mma Makutsi. There were tips to be given on the care of the delicate skin that babies had, and several special creams were produced and demonstrated on Itumelang, with the result that his face was soon quite pale with all the creams and potions applied.

It was Mma Ramotswe who broached the subject of the campaign. ‘I think we have found out who is responsible for your troubles,’ she said. She glanced at the young woman, uncertain as to whether she was aware of what had been happening.

Mma Soleti intercepted the look and reassured her. ‘Angela knows all about it,’ she said. ‘You can talk freely.’

Mma Soleti handed Itumelang back to his mother and wiped her hands clean of the creams she had been applying. ‘That is very good news,’ she continued. ‘Who is this person?’

‘It is Violet Sephotho,’ said Mma Makutsi. There was a note of triumph in her voice.

‘Her!’ hissed Mma Soleti.

‘Yes,’ said Mma Makutsi with relish. ‘Her!’

‘We think it’s her,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘We know that it is somebody Violet Sephotho employs who probably photocopied that leaflet. This suggests that Violet is behind it.’

‘It is the sort of thing that woman would do,’ said Mma Soleti. ‘We all know about her.’

‘I have known about her for many years,’ said Mma Makutsi. ‘Ever since those early days at the Botswana Secretarial College, I have known all about her and her… her machinations.’

‘So what now?’ asked Mma Soleti.

Mma Ramotswe explained that they would go to see her and reveal that they knew she was responsible. ‘That should stop it,’ she said. ‘Which is what you want, isn’t it?’

‘And what about her punishment?’ asked Mma Soleti.

‘That will be more difficult,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘If we go to the police, they will ask where is our proof? And we don’t really have much proof. We might be able to get her assistant to confess to having done the photocopying, but if she keeps her mouth shut then we will have nothing concrete to give the police.’

‘So she may go unpunished?’ The disappointment in Mma Soleti’s voice was evident.

Angela was also dismayed. ‘There is no justice,’ she said. ‘Maybe somewhere else there is justice, but not here.’

‘For a person like that, to be stopped in her tracks might be punishment enough,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘She will not like being thwarted.’