PHOTOBOMBED: Part V

A serialized thriller! Will Karina and Jack make it home? Or has their flight been permanently canceled?

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part I, click here.

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part II, click here.

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part III, click here.

For PHOTOBOMBED: Part IV, click here.

---

Karina nibbled at a piece of toast as she listened to Jack make another call. He had been on the phone all morning.

“The police said most of the cameras were down because of the storm,” he said to Karina after hanging up. “They’re checking with Customs, but it might take some time before they can ID the guy.” He paused. “Good news is that the roads are clear. I think it might make sense to just get out of here and deal with this whole thing when we get back to the States.”

Karina nodded but didn’t necessarily agree. They spent the next forty-five minutes packing in silence.

She had just zipped her suitcase closed when the phone rang.

Jack picked it up. His expression soured. “Okay,” was all he said.

“What’s the matter?”

“Taxi is going to be fifteen minutes late,” he said, grinning.

“Ass,” she said. “Haven’t I been tormented enough?”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s too soon.”

A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Karina glanced up suspiciously. Jack walked across the suite and put his face up to the peephole.

“It’s just a guy from the hotel,” he said without turning around. “I think he’s here to help us with our bags.”

Karina exhaled.

A security guard escorted them from their room to the hotel lobby. A van was waiting for them outside. The driver stepped out and helped them load their stuff in the trunk before running back to the front seat.

“Airport?” he confirmed as Karina got into the back.

“Yes, thanks,” she said.

The engine rumbled to life, and they began to move. For the next fifteen minutes, Karina stared at the ocean to her right, watching the water glitter like rhinestones in the mid-morning Caribbean sunlight.

Then, she heard a muffled pop. The driver slowed the van and pulled over.

“What’s the matter?” Jack asked.

“Maybe the tire,” the driver said back. “I will go check.”

A half-hour later, another car pulled up alongside the van. Jack eyed it suspiciously, but Karina recognized the man behind the wheel from the hotel. Their original driver helped load their stuff into the new car.

“Have a safe trip home,” he said, waving from the side of the road as they pulled away.

“Maybe we’ll stay a week or two at my parent’s place,” Karina said. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable going home yet.”

“We’ll talk about it,” Jack answered.

The driver cast a look into the rearview. Karina caught his glance. His eyes went back to the road, and he turned on the radio. After a few songs, the car passed a wide green sign with a white arrow and the word “AIRPORT” painted in bold lettering.

“Isn’t that where we turn off?” Karina whispered.

Jack nodded. “Wasn’t that the sign for the airport back there?” he called out.

The man didn’t answer.

Jack leaned forward. “Hey, buddy. We need to go to the airport. Where are you taking us?”

The driver looked startled. “Yes?”

“I think you missed the turn.”

Karina shifted nervously in the backseat.

“For airport?”

“Yeah,” Jack said.

The driver shook his head. “No. This side better for departures.”

“Really? You sure about—"

But before Jack could finish, they passed another green sign with the word “AIRPORT” written across it.

Jack settled back into his seat.

The driver smirked.

He dropped them off in front of the terminal and helped them with their bags. They walked through the tiny airport, making it through security and to their gate in minutes. Boarding the plane was uneventful, and Karina and Jack ended up with a row all to themselves.

Five hours later, they were driving through their quiet, unlit neighborhood. Karina pulled their grey sedan into the driveway. She let the car idle, comforted by the engine’s purr and the illumination of the headlights.

Jack was asleep in the seat next to her. His passport had slipped from his pocket and was at his feet, spread open to the photo page. She leaned over and picked it up.

All of a sudden, she felt sick. The name on the passport. It was—

“Babe?” he mumbled. “When did we get home?”

She quickly snapped the passport shut and returned it to the center console. “Just a few minutes ago,” she said quickly. “I’m a little nervous about going inside.”

Jack stretched out and opened the car door. “Don’t be,” he assured her. “There’s no way he beat us here.”

She gave a quiet nod.

He kissed her on the cheek and headed up the walkway to the front door of their raised ranch. Karina held her breath as she watched him go. Jack had been lying about his name all along. Why would he do that? And what else was he hiding?

Slowly, she eased herself out of the driver’s seat. The night air was crisp and silent. She walked steadily toward the front door. Then she stopped. Over by the rhododendrons, she heard a rustling. She hurried inside.

Jack was waiting for her by the front door. The house was completely dark except for the light in the hallway. It cast half his face in shadows.

“I can’t find my passport,” he said. “Did you pick it up by any chance?”

Karina didn’t know how to respond.

“I think it’s in the car,” she murmured.

Jack smiled as he took another step forward. His eyes were glossy and dark and fixated on her. She took a step back.

“Is there something you want to talk about?” he said softly. “You know you can ask me anything.”

Then, all of a sudden, his gaze shifted past her. His expression twisted into something hard and ugly. Karina felt a breeze around her ankles and noticed goosebumps crawling up her arms. She followed her husband’s line of vision, only to realize someone had opened the door and was standing right behind her.

To Be Continued….

***Thank you all for participating in this new serialized experiment. Maybe I had a little too much fun wreaking havoc on these lovable newlyweds. I’m going to continue with my 60-second stories, but I plan to pick this series up later. Stay tuned for PHOTOBOMBED Part VI.***