Maya Brooks almost did not answer the first call.
She was coming off a twelve-hour shift when her phone rang, standing outside the staff entrance of St. Adrian's Hospital in Toronto with her coat half-zipped and one shoe pressing into a patch of dirty snow. The number was international. Her first thought was scam. Her second thought was that one of her aunties had given her number to another church committee without warning.
She let it ring twice.
Then she saw the email notification arrive at the same time.
JD Records.
Maya stared at the screen long enough for the call to end.
"Oh, God," she said, because there were moments when language gave up and left only prayer.
The phone rang again.
This time she answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Maya Brooks?"
"Yes."
"My name is Sharon Adam. I work with JD Records."
Maya shut her eyes.
