The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe Read Online Free PDF Page A

is not unknown.”
    â€œNo, it is not,” said Mr. Sengupta. “And that was the first thing that I suspected. Obviously I could not send her back out onto the street, could I, Mma?”
    â€œOf course not.” She knew, though, that there were people who would do exactly that in similar circumstances.
    â€œSo I got my friend, Dr. Moffat, to take a look at her,” Mr. Sengupta continued. “You know him, Mma?”
    â€œYes, I know him.”
    â€œHe said that there was no sign of any head injury and that she seemed to be quite healthy in other respects.”
    â€œVery strange,” said Mma Ramotswe.
    â€œStranger than strange,” agreed Mr. Sengupta. “So we told her she could stay with us. We couldn’t let an Indian lady wander around not knowing who she was—or where she was.”
    â€œDid she really not know where she was?” asked Mma Makutsi. “Not even that she was in Gaborone?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You read about these things, but I’m sure they can’t be true. How can you forget everything?”
    â€œI assure you, Mma, she had no idea,” said Mr. Sengupta. “I am not a person who is easily fooled, you know. I asked her if she knew that she was in Botswana, and she simply looked at me blankly. Like this.” He affected what he thought would be the look of somebody who had no idea of being in Botswana.
    Mma Ramotswe suppressed a smile. “What did Dr. Moffat say about her story?” she asked.
    â€œHe said that he thought she was telling the truth. He said that sometimes people claim not to remember things in order to get themselves out of trouble. This lady did not appear to be lying. He said that he thought it was genuine amnesia.”
    Mma Ramotswe looked pensive. “I assume that you want me to find out who this lady is?”
    Mr. Sengupta sat back in his chair. “That is why we are here, Mma.”
    â€œBut why do you want to find this out, Rra? Is it for you to do that?”
    Mr. Sengupta sighed. “There are two reasons for that, Mma Ramotswe.One is that I have taken this lady into my house. And once you have done that, then you cannot walk away, can you?”
    â€œYou cannot,” said Mma Makutsi from behind him. “You cannot walk away.”
    â€œAnd the second reason,” Mr. Sengupta continued. “The second reason has to do with the immigration people. This lady has no papers—no passport, no driving licence, nothing. I went to see them about getting her permission to stay in the country, and they kicked up a very big fuss. They said they cannot receive an application from a person with no name and no address. They said that the most likely thing is that she is from Zimbabwe and that they will have to push her back over the border.”
    Mma Makutsi knew what that entailed. “She will be in trouble,” she said. “Things are not easy there, and she would have to find somebody to look after her.”
    â€œThat’s quite right,” said Mr. Sengupta. “So I asked them if we could buy some time. I asked, if I engaged somebody to find out who she is, would they delay expelling her? They said that they would—provided the person I got to look into it is suitable.”
    â€œWe are very suitable,” said Mma Makutsi. “We are the only detective agency in Botswana.”
    â€œThat is what I said to them,” said Mr. Sengupta. “And you’ll be happy to hear, Mma, that they said the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency would be perfectly acceptable for this enquiry.” He paused. “They have given us six months. That is very good, as it gives us a lot of time to sort things out.”
    Miss Rose now spoke. “Will you take on this case, Mma Ramotswe? Will you find out who this poor lady is?”
    Mma Ramotswe did not need any time to consider. She could imagine how uncomfortable the woman’s situation would