Free No Sin in Paradise by Dijorn Moss

distancing myself from him.”
    â€œAnd yet, here you are at the conference as if nothing has happened.”
    â€œHe’s still a brother in Christ. I don’t have to agree with every move he makes, but I will stand by him. But that’s not the point; the point is . . . I sent you to deliver a message to Elisha. What happened?”
    I reach into my jacket pocket and remove the letter Bryant had originally given me. I toss it on the table. “Return to sender. She thought your offer was a joke. She wants double.”
    â€œDouble?” Pastor Bryant shakes his head.
    â€œOr she’s going to expose the dirt that she has on you.” I notice the change in Bryant’s body position. He now knows just how good I am.
    â€œWhat do you know?” Bryant asks.
    â€œNot enough. I need to know what you are willing to pay $2 million for to keep from coming into the light.”
    â€œAnd why would I tell you that?”
    â€œBecause you’re going to pay me two million to not only help find the person responsible for Cole’s death, but to make sure that your secrets remain secret.”
    â€œTwo million dollars? You’ve got to be kidding, Dungy. I’m not paying you $2 million.”
    â€œI’m putting my vacation on hold and my life is at risk. So if I’m going to do that, then I’m going to make sure that it’s worth it. Two million dollars or I walk. It’s really that simple.”
    Pastor Bryant mulls over my proposition. For me, it’s a win-win situation. I either resume my much-needed vacation, or I’m about to get the ultimate payday.
    â€œI can’t believe I’m doing this,” Bryant mumbles to himself. “You better deliver.”
    â€œI will. Not let’s hear it. What does Elisha Davis have on you?”
    â€œWhat do you know about the Cloth?’
    I am somewhat surprised to hear Pastor Bryant mention “the Cloth” in a sentence.
    â€œI know that they do not officially exist, but in certain circles they are an international conglomerate of pastors and religious leaders who share their resources together and big megachurches with Starbucks in the parking lot.”
    â€œThat’s not all that they do.”
    Obviously, but that is just a general assessment. I happen to know for a fact that the Cloth is also a safe haven for wayward pastors who need to indulge in some of their vices without causing a scandal. What I didn’t know was that Pastor Bryant was somehow affiliated with it.
    â€œHow does Elisha know about the Cloth?”
    â€œBecause her father was a member of the Cloth as well,” Bryant says.
    I long suspected that Pastor Cole has a closet full of skeletons. Why does it seem like only in death a person’s true nature comes out?
    â€œSo every leader that’s here is a member of the Cloth?” I ask.
    Bryant gives a head nod in agreement. “Well, not exactly. When I last saw Cole, he told me that he was getting out. After I found out about his death, I decided that when this conference is over, I’m getting out too.”
    Even though Pastor Cole believes his fellow members of the Cloth are above murder, the truth is, Pastor Cole’s departure from the group, and then his murder, raises a lot of red flags.
    â€œSo what did Elisha catch you doing?”
    Pastor Bryant lets out an embarrassed grin. “I was photographed in a hot tub with two women the other night. I don’t know how she got that picture.”
    Neither do I. Elisha has turned out to be quite resourceful, but why would she have incriminating photos of an organization that her father was a part of? What did Elisha stand to gain? My face must’ve conveyed disappointment because Pastor Bryant gave me a dismissive wave.
    â€œI didn’t do anything, but it’s pretty hard to resist being in a hot tub with two beautiful women.”
    â€œI’m sure that argument would go well with the