A Brilliant Death

by Yocum, Robin

  Travis nodded. “Off my mom’s finger. We found her body.”

  “Who found it?”

  Travis nodded toward the back seat. “Me an’ Mitch. We found it at the bottom of the cistern at the old house—the one they were living in when Mom disappeared. It burned down later.”

  Tornik nodded. “You mean the one your dad torched for the insurance money?”

  “Given everything I’ve learned in the past year, that wouldn’t surprise me in the least.”

  “Tell me about the body.”

  “He must have killed her and put her body in the cistern, and then hid it under some concrete.”

  “What on earth prompted you to look in the cistern?”

  “It’s a long story. I had a hunch she was there, and she was. Just bones, now, but she’s there.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Tornik pinched the bridge of his nose between his index and middle fingers. “Have you told anyone?”

  Travis shook his head. “No, not yet.”

  “How about you, slick?” he asked, turning his head to the back seat.

  “No, sir. It’s not the kind of thing I’d want getting back to Big Frank, at least not yet.”

  You could almost see the wheels turning in Chase Tornik’s head. I imagine he was feeling like a cop again, proud that his instincts had been right—Amanda Baron had been murdered.

  “I’m thinking of going to the cops, but I wanted to talk to you first,” Travis said. “I want to know what information is in those other pages you tore out of the report. I’ve come to terms with this. He killed her. Period. But now I need to know what you know. If my mom didn’t die in the river, who was on that boat? Who were the man and woman who jumped into the river?”

  “Jesus, kid, you’ve really thrown me here. You’re sure? You’re absolutely sure that it was a human skeleton? You actually saw the body?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “The ring was still on the finger.”

  Tornik put his cigarette between his lips and reached across the car and unlocked the glove compartment. Inside were four pages, neatly folded and attached by a paper clip. “I figured you would be back,” he said. Tornik smoothed them out and quickly read them over before passing the top two sheets to Travis. I leaned forward to read them by the dim glow of the dome light.

  The pages had been typed and, though the copy was light, it was still legible.

  On October 3, at about 2 a.m., Mrs. Florence Sabo was standing on her back porch at 400 Dillonvale Road NW, after letting her dog outside. The dog began barking. Mrs. Sabo said she saw a man and a woman running along the fence line behind her house. (The fence is near the bank of Thorneapple Creek.) Mrs. Sabo had not turned on the back porch light and was not spotted by the man, whom she identified as Tony Baron, the younger brother of Frank Baron. She could not identify the woman, but assumed it was his wife, Trisha, since she watched as they cut across the ravine to the house trailer where they lived. Mrs. Sabo said the neighbor has a bright light in the backyard that was on that night, which illuminated the creek behind her house. She said she got a good look at the couple and has absolutely no doubt that it was Tony Baron.

  At about noon, October 2, a pleasure craft matching the description of the boat owned by Frank Baron was seen anchored along the shore of Goulds Creek, near Hickerstat Road. A witness stated that he was taking his small craft up the creek to fish for rock bass and he took particular notice of the pleasure craft as it was highly unusual for a boat that size to be that far up Goulds Creek, which is no more than a few feet deep and with a rocky bottom. A man appeared on the deck of the boat and stared briefly at the fisherman. The fisherman realized the significance of this after seeing the description of the Baron boat in the newspaper. He identified a police mug shot of Tony Baron as the man he had seen on the deck of the boat.

  Mr. Earl Tomassi is the president of the Brilliant Boat Club. He said he stopped by the club twice on October 2—at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. He said the Baron boat was not at its dock either time. He was at the club from 3–8 p.m. and said the boat was not at the dock during that time. When questioned about the whereabouts of his boat, Frank Baron could not explain why his boat was not at its dock, but blamed it on his wife, who he believes was out on the boat all day with her boyfriend, Clay Carter. This does not hold water, as this investigator has documented the whereabouts of Clay Carter for nearly the entire day of October 2.

  The whereabouts of Clay Carter for Oct. 2:

  7 a.m.—He bought coffee and two dozen doughnuts at JoAnn Bakery in downtown Steubenville, which he took to his workers. Mrs. Ida Mae Bishop waited on him at the doughnut shop. He had a receipt for the purchase.

  7:25 a.m.—Carter purchased a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette paper at the South Side News & Tobacco in Steubenville. None of the employees remember Carter on that particular day, but stated that he regularly stops and purchases newspapers at the shop.

  About 7:45 a.m.—Carter arrived at work at Carter Chevrolet and Buick. Employees Bruce Kowoloski and David Davis were already at work. They remembered that particular morning because Carter had asked them to concentrate on repairing an oil leak in the engine of Henry Ullrich’s Buick. They recalled this because Carter told them that Mr. Ullrich purchased a new Buick every other year and he wanted to keep him happy. Kowoloski and Davis, as well as seven other Carter employees, remember seeing him in the garage that day until at least 11 a.m. (He claims he was there until noon. He had completed his work by 10 a.m., but said he waited until noon because he was hoping to receive a telephone call from Amanda Baron to set up a rendezvous. The call never arrived.)

  12:30 p.m.—Carter had lunch at Isley’s. Carter said Stella Hansen waited on him, but she doesn’t remember that specific day. She said Carter is a regular customer and could have been in on the day in question. Carter said he sat next to Nick Nikodemus at the food counter and talked to him. Nikodemus said he remembers the day specifically because he stopped at Isley’s for lunch on his way to Williams Funeral Home for the calling hours for Gladys Longley, the widow of his friend Glen Longley.

  2 p.m.—Carter reported back to the garage after receiving a phone call at Isley’s that Bruce Kowoloski had been injured at the garage. He had broken his thumb after pinching it between the new engine and manifold. Kowoloski was taken to the hospital and Carter ordered work on the Buick halted until Monday a.m. Carter then telephoned Mr. Ullrich to inform him of the accident and stated that it would be Monday afternoon before the car would be ready. Mr. Ullrich remembers receiving the telephone call, but doesn’t recall the time. Mr. Carter said it was between 3 and 3:15 p.m. Carter stopped by the hospital on the way home. This was confirmed by Mr. and Mrs. Kowoloski, and Dr. Homer Pittman.

  5:30 p.m.—Carter spoke to a neighbor, Sheila Swoboda. Swoboda said she had just gotten home from the A&P in Steubenville and remembers the date specifically because Carter spoke of the accident at the garage.

  Mr. Carter’s whereabouts after 5:30 p.m. on October 2, 1953, cannot be accounted for. Carter claims to have spent the evening at home, reading and listening to the radio. However, it should be noted that his whereabouts can be accounted for after the time when the Baron boat was gone from the dock, and when it was seen docked along the shore of Goulds Creek.

  Travis looked over the documents, then, with complete puzzlement, turned to Tornik. “I’m not sure I get it. Did my uncle kill her?”

  Tornik shook his head. “No. Your dad killed her, but your uncle helped him get away with it. Some of this is conjecture on my part, but I think I had it nailed down pretty solid. Your mom was probably killed on the night of October 1. The last time anyone saw her alive was earlier that day, but she spoke to Clay Carter that afternoon. My guess is that she finally told your dad she was leaving him the evening of the first. This enraged him, and he killed her.”

  “On purpose?”

  Tornik shook his head. “I don’t know. If I had to guess, I’d say it occurred in a moment of rage. I don’t think he plotted to kill your mot
her, but he couldn’t take the thought of her leaving. It would have been too damaging to his ego. Maybe he hit her with a fist, maybe he picked up something and hit her. I don’t know. Whatever his intentions, she was no less dead. Here, look at this,” he said, handing Travis the final two pages of the report.

  Sherman Grodin, an employee of Strausbaugh Scrap and Iron in Steubenville, said he had been told by a customer that Amanda Baron had been killed by her husband.

  He identified the customer as Harold “Turkeyman” Melman.

  Mr. Grodin said he was violating a confidence by contacting this investigator, but believed it was his civic duty to do so. I interviewed Mr. Melman at his home, 901 Simpson Ridge Road, on January 10, 1954. Mr. Melman was very nervous at the time and said he didn’t want to assist in the investigation. He claimed that he feared retaliation by Mr. Baron. However, after being promised that we would protect his identity until trial, he agreed to be interviewed.

  Mr. Melman is well known around Brilliant as an eccentric. He has no regular job, but works at the dump collecting scrap for resale. His property is littered with junk cars and used appliances. He sells and repairs used appliances out of his basement.

  In the late afternoon of September 30, 1953, Mr. Melman said he was scouring the area near the old Thorneapple Mine No. 2. He had been told that several coils of heavy copper wire could be found near the site of an old storage unit that had been uncovered by heavy rains earlier this year. Mr. Melman said he was searching the area when he heard loud arguing coming from the home of Frank and Amanda Baron. Mr. Melman watched from the woods and stated that he could not understand what was being said, but could tell Mr. Baron was very upset. From his vantage point on the hillside, Mr. Melman said he could see inside the kitchen windows of the Baron home. Several times Mr. and Mrs. Baron moved past the windows. Each time, Mrs. Baron was walking backward as Mr. Baron pursued her. This went on for several minutes.

  Mr. Melman said the arguing stopped for several minutes. He heard Mrs. Baron yell once more. A few minutes after he heard her yell, Mr. Melman witnessed Frank Baron run out of the house, slam the door behind him, jump into his car and drive off. Mr. Melman crept up to the side of the house and peeked into the dining room window. He could see the legs of Mrs. Baron extending through the doorway from the living room into the dining room. She was not moving. Mr. Melman entered the house through the back door, which remained unlocked. There was a baby crying upstairs and Mrs. Baron was lying on her side on the living room floor. Blood was seen coming from her head and forming a puddle on the linoleum floor.

  Mr. Melman became very scared and ran out of the house. He said nothing of this to anyone until he told his friend at the scrapyard. Mr. Melman is very upset that his friend violated his confidence. According to Mr. Melman, and several independent sources, Mr. Baron has a history of thuggish behavior and Mr. Melman fears for his life if he is forced to testify. He was promised protection from Mr. Baron.

  June 3, 1954: Sheriff Stuart DiChassi: Interview of Harold Melman at Ohio Valley Hospital in Steubenville.

  Mr. Melman was brought to the hospital March 16, unconscious, the result of a beating he received from an unknown assailant. He received facial lacerations, a broken jaw and extensive dental damage, a fractured skull, a broken nose, and a fractured orbital socket. Mr. Melman was attacked in his home, 901 Simpson Ridge Road in Brilliant, and was beaten with a blunt instrument, perhaps a pipe or a baseball bat. Mr. Melman said he cannot identify his attacker. It is this investigator’s belief that Mr. Melman knows his attacker, but is afraid to identify him.

  Mr. Melman had previously been interviewed by former detective Chase Tornik. During that interview, Mr. Melman claimed to have extensive information about the death of Amanda Baron. However, when interviewed at the hospital by this detective, Mr. Melman said he had no personal knowledge of Mrs. Baron’s death, nor would he ever testify in court. When he was questioned about the information he had given to former detective Tornik, Mr. Melman said the report was completely false. In light of former detective Tornik’s recent problems, it is the opinion of this investigator that the prosecution could not present Mr. Melman as a reliable witness as his previous statement to former detective Tornik would not hold up in court.

  There is some question as to whether Mr. Melman will ever be able to make a full recovery. Since the attack, he has become extremely nervous, and has frequent nightmares. Mr. Melman also suffered mild brain damage, and the beating has left him with a severe speech impediment and hospital personnel have a difficult time understanding him. At times of duress he chants a cry that doctors say sounds like: Nomo-teemo-nomo.

  I remembered the day Turk Melman died, July 4th the previous summer, and the reports that in his hallucinogenic final hours, Turk supposedly repeatedly cried out, Nomo-teemo-nomo.

  Travis folded the report and looked at Tornik. “Big Frank beat him up.”

  Tornik nodded. “That’s what I suspect.”

  “No, he did. There’s no doubt in my mind. Big Frank did it. Nomo-teemo-nomo.”

  “Gibberish,” Tornik said.

  “That’s what I thought when he died last summer. Word went around town that when he was loony with the fever, that’s what he was chanting—nomo-teemo-nomo. Everyone thought it was some kind of directions to a treasure trove of gold that he supposedly had buried on the property.”

  “Maybe it was.”

  Travis shook his head. “No. I understand it. I spent years listening to Turkeyman. Let me see your pen.”

  On the back of the paper he wrote:

  Nomo-teemo-nomo

  And beneath that:

  No more, Tino, no more.

  He showed it to Tornik. “My dad’s full name is Francis Martino Baron. When he was younger, when he and Turk were in high school together, my dad’s nickname was Tino. It wasn’t gibberish. He was crying for mercy. No more, Tino, no more.” Travis shook his head. “I can hear him saying it, ‘nomo-teemo-nomo.’ He wanted Big Frank to stop beating him. All these years, people have believed that Turkeyman was beaten by someone trying to find his gold, but it was Big Frank making sure he never testified.”

  “Melman was already afraid of your dad. Imagine what it was like after that beating.”

  “I wonder how Big Frank found out that Turk had seen my mom dead.”

  Tornik shrugged. “If you tell one person, you might as well put it in the newspaper. That guy at the scrapyard who called me probably told someone else, swore them to secrecy, then they told someone and swore them to secrecy, and so on until it got to one of your dad’s friends.”

  “But the boat? What’s this about Uncle Tony and Trisha running up the creek?”

  “My theory is that your dad killed your mom, panicked, and went to ask your uncle for help. I always believed they put the body in the river and then staged the accident so authorities would find her and it would look like an accident. But, based on what you just told me, they obviously dumped the body in the cistern. They panicked, buried her, then realized it was a likely place to look. They probably figured that if she just disappeared, the cops would search the property and find the body, so they came up with the scheme for sinking the boat and making it look like she drowned. Your dad called and got a shipment, then left town. That eliminated him as a suspect. Your uncle and aunt, the precious flower that she was, got the boat out of the dock in the middle of the night and docked it up Goulds Creek so no one would see them take it out. They probably went downriver after dark and waited for a barge. They drove into the path of the barge, which was on the Ohio side of the river. Remember, it didn’t drift, because when we found the ignition switch it was still in the on position. They headed it toward the barge and jumped naked into the river and swam to shore. The captain sees two naked people—a man and a woman—dive in the river while he’s trying to avoid a crash; he doesn’t get a good look, really. They have clothes stashed on shore, then run home up the creek bank, which was when Mrs. Sabo saw them. They shower u
p and are in bed sleeping, or waiting, when the cops knock on the door. They feign sorrow and go up to the house and get you. Your dad is out of town, so no one suspects him of anything. They’re dredging the river for the bodies, which, of course, aren’t there, so the rumors begin that your mom and her lover ran off together, but no one suspects any foul play. This gives your dad time to play the role of the grieving spouse. Later, he puts a cement cap on the cistern. Case closed.”

  “Until now,” I said.

  Tornik looked back at me, then at Travis, and slowly shook his head. “If you’re thinking of going to the cops with this, that’s honorable, but it’s too late. It will cause you nothing but heartache.”

  “How do you figure?” Travis asked.

  “It’s been too long. There’s no proof whatsoever that your dad killed her. He has an alibi. He was out of town, and he’ll testify that your mother was alive and well when he left. I know he did it and you know he did it, but a prosecutor would never take the case before the grand jury. Never. There are no witnesses or physical evidence linking him to the murder. Mr. Melman was the only witness who could slam the door on your dad, and he’s dead. The only other witnesses that could put your dad away are your Uncle Tony and his wife, and they’re both dead. They were the ones seen running up the creek bank the night the boat was hit, which would make them prime suspects in the murder. Mrs. Sabo’s report would be turned over to a defense attorney and he would use that to deflect all attention away from your dad. On top of that, the defense attorney also would get reports linking Clay Carter as your mother’s lover. They’ll finger him as a possible suspect.” Tornik lit a cigarette. “Then, Mr. Carter gets dragged through the mud. You don’t want to do that.”

  Travis shook his head. “No, I don’t. And Big Frank’s got the love letters that Mr. Carter sent my mom. I’m sure he would use them against him. Big Frank would claim that mom was trying to break off the relationship and that it was Mr. Carter who killed her in a fit of rage.”