Barn Burner

The abandoned mansion had marked the gateway to Sharpsburg, Md. 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 Frederick ReStore. Event Chair Melanie Granger figured that once the wealthy landowners and merchants from the nearby towns and villages had their fill of the fine wine donated by local vineyards and the lavish buffet featuring the tastiest produce, seafood and game from across the county they soon would loosen their grips on their wallets and help finance the area’s desperately-needed affordable housing.

She and her crew of carefully-selected volunteers had spent countless hours during the past six months preparing the guest list and making sure not to overlook a single detail of the great event.

Melanie’s husband Jeremy, one of the area’s, and the state’s most accomplished artists, also had perfected a number of portraits of the mansion, the grounds and the three generations of the Wildow family that had owned the estate until the last of them died 20 years before.

The Grangers carefully arranged the artwork in the mansion’s Great Hall so they could auction the pieces as an additional source of revenue to raise even more funding for the popular charity.

The day of the gala seemed to hum along charmingly 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 from the kitchen.

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, Jackson Thomases, now making his way across the crowded room.

Jeremy, who long held a secret passion for Melanie, heard that Thomases had mentally and physically abused her for several years while cheating on her with a number of other women.

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

When the local version of Don Juan went away he ran a small food delivery service and barely had enough money to scrape together for himself and his stable of women. Locals heard that 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.

Melanie and her husband figured the combination of Jackson’s burgeoning business interests and Jeremy’s dire warning would keep him far away from the Frederick area.

Little did they know that Jackson still had deep feelings for Melanie and had sworn to return and reclaim her while exacting revenge on her husband.

He had partially carried out his plan by hiring an expert in artwork copying to flood local art stores with copies of Jeremy’s masterpieces. This caused prices on the original works to plummet. Even though he donated his works at the Habitat show for the charity, he hoped the recognition from that event would turn his fortunes around.

These factors all added up to the earthquake-like shock they felt when Melanie’s former lover surfaced at the event at the Wildow Estate.

Both Jeremy 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 Frederick County Sheriff John Smitson stepped between the couple and the man they considered an intruder before any real trouble erupted.

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

The gala did end on a positive note as the event raised $15,000 for the Habitat ReStore fund and local social media spread the word of Granger’s re-emergence as “one of Maryland’s premier talents in the world of art.”

A week later, a member of the custodial crew cleaning up the estate saw smoke coming from an abandoned barn on the property.

He almost burned his hands trying to open the door and 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 truck they found a blackened mass that looked like a body.

The county coroner later concluded the body was Jackson Thomases.

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

Smitson issued a warrant for the artist’s arrest and went to his home to take him into custody.

At the home, a cleaning woman said Jeremy and Melanie had left town right after the Habitat gala.

Contrary to this, some of the volunteers had seen the artist near the barn a half hour after the fundraiser ended.

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

The artist’s trial lasted three weeks, during which the prosecutor brought out a great deal of evidence that Jeremy and Jackson 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 flames coming out of the barn.

Another witness saw the artist leaving the barn in the middle of the confrontation. He said another man entered before the fire started.

When asked about the art store supply receipt, Jeremy swore he had nothing to do with the fire or the murder. He did say he had lent his credit card to Harry Paulson, a fellow artist who collected and sold rare wines as a side hustle.

When the sheriff and his deputies picked up Paulson he testified that Jackson had defrauded him on a number of wine purchases and stolen artwork from his studio. He said when he confronted Thomases the importer mocked him, said his businesses were “winner take-all” and Jackson had won. At that, Paulson had flipped out and stabbed him before throwing his knife in a nearby creek and setting the truck on fire.