The Alexandria Code

Chapter 2

- 2 -

One Year Earlier

The Bimini Road had always held a fascination for him. He’d read everything he could find that speculated on its origin. It only seemed right that one of history’s greatest mysteries should be in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. The diver always felt the idea of an undersea road beginning nowhere and ending nowhere as, well, humorous. He’d always wanted to scuba dive it, explore it. It was one of those things on his list.

Aiden McKenzie swam amongst the coral and schools of fluorescent fish. The underwater beauty of the Caribbean never failed to inspire a sense of awe. He never tired of it. Laid out before him on the sea floor were massive coral covered square blocks of stone. They were set out in a pattern that really did look like an underwater roadway. He thought he could feel the reputed energy that was supposed to emanate from it. “That was new age crap,” he told himself. He didn’t buy into that. Maybe his oxygen mix was a little off. The underwater growth around him swayed to the movement of the water and rays from the sun danced on the bottom. A flash from the sand and coral distracted him from the sight-seeing.

He swam over to it as it winked at him from the barnacles and fan coral. There was something lying on the seabed that looked like it had once been square before layers of sea life distorted it.

Aiden pulled out his dive knife and poked at it. Things hid in the coral, poisonous things. Nothing seemed to be hiding so he grabbed the box shaped cluster of coral. Sand and debris trailed behind the thing as he pulled it free from the bottom. He looked it over and he saw something through a small crevasse. It flashed at him. It looked crystalline. Jewels? Had he found a small bit of treasure? The region was famous for its sunken ships and lost Spanish galleons. Maybe, just maybe, this was a lost remnant.

He swam to the surface to his launch. He pulled himself over the gunwales and then rolled into the boat. He laid his mask on the seat next to him and slipped off his fins. He picked up his prize and began prying it open with his knife. There was snapping and cracking as the crust of shells broke under the prying of the blade. As it broke open he could see the inside was man-made, had been a box at one time. The treasure he’d discovered was a box full of crystals. He scratched the glass of his diving mask to see if they were diamonds. They weren’t, just Quartz. Still, it was Bimini, he had a souvenir, a coral incrusted box of crystals. At least it was easier than trying to lift one of the giant Bimini Road rocks. He snorted to himself as he thought of it. “Yea right.”

He was happy. He’d seen the road, and he had his prize. It was something. It was better than a kick in the teeth, which he couldn’t guarantee wouldn’t happen right after he got back into shore and had half a dozen shots of Scotch. He looked at them closer. The crystals were about three inches long and about ¾ of an inch thick. They were smooth and flat at the base, like they were ready for a jewelry mount or some kind of setting. They probably washed over the side of some passing ship. They would look good in his bungalow.

He started up his motor and headed back to shore and Alice Town. He wouldn’t be able to stay in the Caribbean much longer. The work had died and he would have to move on. There was always somewhere he could go to make money on his diving skills. Besides, his reputation as a brawler was beginning to make him unwelcome. There was very little McKenzie liked better than a scrap.

He pulled into the harbor and up to the dock. He jumped out and tied up the launch. North Bimini was incredible this time of year. “No place better,” he thought, “except in hurricane season.” The dive and his modest find had made him feel like the day had been truly memorable. “Scotch,” that’s what he needed to complete the perfect day.

He headed up the beach to the End of the World Saloon. Unlike so many things in Bimini that were being built up for the influx of tourists, the End of the World still retained its roadhouse style and charm. It was Aiden’s kind of place. He opened the screen door and walked in. The bartender looked up. He was black with short cropped hair. “No, you’re not coming back in here.”

“But I like it here. Besides, he started it.”

“I don’t care who started it. It’s not like this is the first time.”

“Come, on, I won’t bother anybody. There’s nobody in here to fight with anyway. Come on, just a couple of Scotches and I’ll move on.”

“Alright, against my better judgment. Mac, I wish you’d switch to rum. That scotch addles your brain, man. It makes you weird. Rum, lays you back, makes you not care what the hell’s going on. It’ll change your life.”

“Glenlivet’s,” was all Aiden replied as he bellied up, placing his souvenir on the bar next to him.

“I know, but hey, I’m a bartender, I’m supposed to be giving advice.” He grinned with lots of teeth showing.

Aiden grinned back at him. “Thanks.” He raised his shot in a mock toast to the bartender. “Here’s to bartenders, someone you can never truly live without. God’s gift to lazy drunks.”

He threw back the Glenlivet’s and ordered another. Another patron came through the door and approached the bar. “Mind if I join you?”

“No, don’t mind the company a bit.”

The bartender asked the man’s pleasure. “Rum.”

“See, I told ya,” the bartender pointed at McKenzie. “Watch him,” he told the newcomer. “He gets grumpy.”

“He seems perfectly fine to me. Hi, I’m Eldon James.” The man stuck out his hand for the customary shake. He was impeccably dressed and left no doubt as to his personal gross national product. Everything he wore was white, hat, pants, shoes, socks, jacket, all white.

MacKenzie stayed with custom and shook it. “Aiden McKenzie, nice to meet ya.”

The two drank together, sipping their liquors through conversations. Aiden told him of his day of diving off the Bimini Road. “It sounds like something I should do,” Eldon commented. He’d listened intently to McKenzie’s story as men drinking will.

Aiden reached over and moved the coral decorated box and showed it to Eldon. “My prize for the day. Here,” he reached in and pulled out one of the crystals. “I think they were going to be part of some decoration or jewelry. See how the bottom is flat and even. It had to be cut and polished.”

Eldon rolled it around in his fingers. It was a fine specimen of a quartz. Clear and unflawed. “May I see the box you found?” As he looked at it, Eldon couldn’t tell much other than it had been on the sea bottom for a long time.

“Sure,” McKenzie said and passed the box to Eldon.

He looked at it closely and opened it. Eldon took note of how the crystals were laid out inside, wrapped in old fabric, none touching the other, tiny pieces of now decaying wood separating them. “You say this was laying amongst the rocks of the Bimini Road?”

“Yea it was how I ended my dive. You don’t often find much out there, just fish and coral. I’ve been diving a lot of years, but this is the first time I’ve found something like this. It’s not much, but I’m happy with it.” He threw back some more scotch.

Eldon looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke, “Better than a kick in the ass.” Eldon smiled and set Aiden’s prize back on the bar. The man in white continued to look at it, study it.

“That very thought occurred to me earlier.” Aiden laughed , Eldon joined him.

“Well, I’ve got to get back to my place. My days are numbered here. I’m going to have to move on soon,” concluded McKenzie. He stuck out his hand, “Been nice meeting you Eldon. Keep that crystal. Maybe it’ll bring you good luck.” He laughed again. “I’ve got more.” MacKenzie raised the box for emphasis.

“Thanks,” said Eldon. “I hope we meet again sometime.” He then took out a white handkerchief and carefully wrapped the crystal with it.

MacKenzie went out in the twilight. He’d blown most of the afternoon and a large portion of his pay drinking with Eldon. It didn’t matter. That’s what he liked about the islands, little mattered and no one cared what you were about. Hurricane season was a couple of months off, good time to move. Besides, you know you’ve worn out your welcome when even your bartender doesn’t want you around.