More Than the Leaves Caught Fire

The abandoned mansion had marked the gateway to Sharpsburg, Maryland since around 1825. The well-maintained, authentic Colonial style home had served as a silent witness to many events, especially the multitude of Civil War battles fought on the 12 acres that surrounded the majestic structure.

It seemed like the perfect setting for the spring fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity’s Washington County ReStore. Event Chair Melanie Granger figured that once the wealthy landowners and merchants from the nearby towns and villages filled up at the lavish buffet featuring locally-grown wine and produce, seafood and game from across Maryland they would give substantial donations to finance the area’s desperately-needed affordable housing.

She and her crew of volunteers had carefully prepared the select guest list and spent several days staging the venue for the big event.

Melanie’s husband Nathan, an artist whose reputation recently had begun spreading from his Western Maryland home across the country, also had captured in his paintings the soul of the mansion, the grounds and the three generations of the Wildow family that had previously owned the estate.

In addition to Nathan’s paintings, the Grangers agreed to exhibit several of the works of Harry Paulson, a budding artist who had also taken a great interest in the area and had convinced Nathan to hire him as an assistant in his art studio.

Paulson also believed the exposure he received at the fundraiser would move his struggling career a few rungs up on the artistic ladder. He didn’t disclose that he had a much greater interest in his employer’s business than that of an assistant or an artist trying to make a name for himself. His real purpose in securing the position would later reveal itself as a devious plot began to unfold.

Nathan had some suspicions about the new employee. For one thing, he seemed to pop up out of nowhere and became unusually inquisitive about the inner workings of the Grangers’ life and business. Since his involvement would be short term and part-time the couple decided to shelve their uneasy feelings about him and welcome the extra help.

The Grangers planned to auction the artwork and, after paying a small commission to the artists, earn an additional source of revenue for the popular charity. The addition of Paulson’s work also promised to increase the bottom line for the charity.

The gala moved along smoothly until one uninvited guest popped his head through the front door and almost caused Melanie to drop the tray of hors d’oeuvres she carried into the ballroom.

Fifteen years before, prior to the exchange of the wedding vows between the Grangers, the wife had a torrid and tumultuous love affair with the man, Fillmore Thomases, now making his way across the crowded room.

A number of the couple’s friends in the local art world told her husband that Thomases had mentally and physically abused Melanie for several years while cheating on her with a number of other women.

With the behind-the-scenes help of several members of local law enforcement, the husband had driven Fillmore out of the area and told him that, if he ever returned, he would face fatal consequences.

After the predator left he ran a small food delivery service and barely had enough money to support himself and his stable of women. He had surfaced 10 years ago in Salisbury, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Salisbury University, and opened a wine importing business now valued at $20 million.

The couple figured the combination of Fillmore’s burgeoning business interests and his banishment by Nathan and his friends would keep him far away from the Sharpsburg area.

Little did they know that her former lover still had deep feelings for Melanie, and had sworn, with the help of Paulson, to reclaim her while exacting revenge on her husband.

Thus, the appearance of Melanie’s former lover at the event hit the couple like an earthquake.

Nathan and his wife angrily confronted the intruder and attempted to escort him from the premises.

His reply, “I’m simply an art aficionado who wants to do his part for charity. Also, just wanted to stop by and say hello to some old friends.”

Fortunately, newly-appointed Washington County Sheriff John Smitson stepped between the couple and the intruder before any real trouble erupted.

Although the sheriff escorted Thomases out of the mansion, Fillmore shouted as he left, “You two have not heard the last of me. I will do what I actually came to do.”

The gala ended on a positive note as the event raised $25,000 for the Habitat ReStore fund and local social media spread the word of Granger as one of the premier art talents in the United States and Paulson as a top talent worth watching in the future.

Little did the Grangers and their guests realize the drama about to unfold after the auction when the gallery assistant attempted to execute his side deal with Thomases.

Two days after the fundraiser, a member of the custodial crew cleaning up the estate saw smoke coming from a pile of leaves stacked almost six feet high next to an abandoned barn on the property.

He grabbed a rake and feverishly raked the leaves away trying to find the source of the blaze. At the bottom of the pile he discovered the scorched wreckage of a Mercedes pickup truck.

He called the sheriff and Smitson and his deputies scoured the barn around the truck. Underneath the vehicle they found a blackened mass that looked like a body.

The county coroner later identified the corpse as Fillmore Thomases.

Another discovery at the scene—a receipt for art store supplies purchased with a credit card belonging to Nathan Granger.

Smitson went to the artist’s home to take him into custody.

The couple’s cleaning woman said they had left town right after the Habitat gala.

Au Contraire, some of the charity’s volunteers had seen the artist near the barn a half hour after the fundraiser ended.

The sheriff issued an all-points bulletin and stopped the couple as they boarded a flight from Baltimore to Mexico.

During the three-week trial the prosecutor presented evidence that Nathan and Fillmore had argued after the wine importer broke into the barn and attempted to load artworks stored there into his truck. Shortly after that several people saw the leaf pile burning next to the barn.

Another witness saw the artist leaving the barn in the middle of the confrontation, although another man had come out before the fire started.

Nathan swore he had nothing to do with the fire or the murder. He added that he had lent his credit card to Paulson to buy supplies while he waited for commissions on a few of his paintings.

Paulson had not revealed that Thomases had hired him to assemble false allegations that Fillmore planned to use in blackmailing Granger.

After the sheriff subpoenaed Paulson, he testified that he had stabbed Fillmore to death because he refused to pay him for his part in the blackmail scheme. He then loaded the body onto his truck before throwing his knife into a nearby creek and setting the fire.