Chapter Two: The Other Cheng Du

Cheng's mother looked through the doorway as if he were a stranger on the wrong floor. “Who are you looking for?” The man inside wore Cheng's old gray sweater. He had the same burn at the base of his right thumb and tied two knots in the garbage bag because Mother always worried one would leak. “Call the police,” the double said, shielding her. “People use synthetic photographs for scams now.” Cheng seized his collar. The double calmly recited Mother's childhood nickname and Cheng's identification number. Neighbors gathered. In every phone, the contact photo for Cheng Du was now a picture the man inside had taken the previous night.