Excerpt From Chapter Twenty Seven of Vagabond Mermaid

The Vagabond Mermaid

Note to My Inner Cove (That is You 💛)

Why I Am Sharing This Chapter Now

I had not planned to share this chapter yet. It falls much later in my book. But the recent news about Paige Bell, her life, her violent death, and the system that failed her brought me back to this moment.

Back to a time when I stood in the medical center, listening to a crew member’s trembling voice describe an unthinkable assault.
Back to a time when leadership hesitated, deflected, and chose convenience over conscience.
Back to a time when speaking up felt like stepping off a cliff.

The Captain’s Court chapter is based on a real event. And it is just one of many. I have worked with captains and companies that have handled sexual assault with dignity and support; this is about the time it was not, and it happened more often than not.

Over the years, I have heard the whispers in the crew bar. I have been pulled aside in hallways, handed folded notes, called in when things “got too messy.” I have witnessed firsthand how trauma is minimized, how policy is twisted to protect power instead of people, and how the ones who speak up, whether they are victims or advocates, are often the ones punished.

This chapter is not easy. But I did not write it to be easy. I wrote it to be honest. This is not the whole story. But it is a piece of it.

In sharing this now, I am not just honoring Sofia’s story, but the countless other stories that never made it to courtrooms or headlines. Stories whispered in crew messes, hidden in medical files, or buried beneath bureaucratic silence. Stories like Paige’s.

—Heather

Disclaimer: This chapter contains themes of sexual assault and abuse.
I appreciate you coming with me on this nonlinear journey.