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  There are ways to put off discovery of the body and ways to make it disappear completely.

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  Hit Man: A Technical Manual For Independent Contractors Books that deal with these subjects are available for your information, but the following techniques are personal favorites.

  EXPLOSIVES

  I will be rare to get a request for someone to be taken out with a bigger boom than that created by your 22. If you get such a request and don't know how to handle explosives properly, you'd be better off passing up the job.

  Here, again, much data is available on making homemade explosives, but these directions should be pre-tested before actual use. Quite of the few directions I have found product nothing but an unsatisfactory fizzle.

  Also, beware of the ability of the authorities to trace explosives. Sources for these supplies are limited, so make sure the components you have are untraceable.

  The only time I can think of that explosives might be in order is when several marks will be together in one place at one time, and you might be able to get them all with one shot. Notice that I stress the word might. Shrapnel doesn't always kill. So in the aftermath, it will be your responsibility to enter the area and make sure that the desired result was accomplished. Survivors are not good for business. And since explosives tend to attract immediate attention, you will have to work fast and take extreme added risk.

  Personally, I prefer discreet one-on-one contact and tend to avoid anything that draws attention. If explosives are the only alternative I use military C-4 plastics or a military issue hand grenade (baseballs; the pineapple kind is obsolete). A hand grenade, properly placed, can give the desired results in a one-on-one situation. For instance, a grenade placed beneath the mark's car directly under the driver's seat with a wire leading from the pin to the drive shaft will work wonderfully. Just make sue the mark is the only one who drives the car or you may blow up some innocent victim. Messy mistakes of this type are not only a professional embarrassment to you and your employer but they tend to alert the mark of your intentions and bring the authorities out in full force.

  I once witnessed the destruction of a small stone house by means of a simple fertilizer bomb. The readily available components of it make it untraceable and it worked so well that all that was left was part of the foundation and a large, gaping hole where the bomb had been.

  To make a fertilizer bomb, purchase a fifty-pound bag of fertilizer from your garden center. Get the kind with the highest nitrate content you can find. Next, buy one pound of black powder from a gun shop that sells reload supplies. Then, get 10-20 feet of waterproof fuse from a hobby shop that sells model rockets.

  Place the gunpowder inside a jar, which comes with a screw-on lid. Drill a hole in the lid and slip one end of the fuse through tying a knot in the fuse to keep it from slipping out of the jar. Screw the lid on the powder filled jar.

  Under the bag of fertilizer place the powder filled jar cap side down. Extend the fuse and light or use a cigarette as a delayed igniter. RUN LIKE HELL~

  Dynamite is nice and can be picked up from many building sites or roads under construction. But during storage the sticks have to be turned over regularly to prevent settling of the nitro. And the blasting caps necessary to make it go off are so tricky that just by walking across the carpet enough static electricity could be created to blow you away.

  As I said in the beginning, unless you know what you are doing, stay away from requests for this kind of extermination, or the life you take may be your own.

  ARSON

  Arson is a good method for covering a kill or creating an "accident." When properly set, the fire will appear to have started from natural causes and arson will not be suspected.

  Fire investigation has become a science in recent years, and authorities and professional fire fighters can learn a great deal about the fire and its origin by a study of the scene.

  Before you try to fake a fire, know how to do it properly. For instance, lots of the new carpeting on the market is now fire retardant, as there are many other sympathetic materials. So rather than start a fire in the middle of the room, start it under an electrical appliance or from a stove burner that has "carelessly"

  been left on, or some other likely spot.

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  Hit Man: A Technical Manual For Independent Contractors Don't ever use gasoline or other traceable materials to start your fire. Wood grain alcohol is you best starter because it burns away all traces.

  One good fire in an area that will create a lot of smoke from burning materials is preferred. Fire investigators can trace the origin of the fire, and two flames started simultaneously will immediately arouse suspicion.

  It is not the flame that kills most victims of a fire, but the inhalation of smoke. A fire victim will have smoke present in his lungs. Therefore, if this is your choice of extermination, your mark should be unconscious, but breathing, when the fire is set. Make sure that no scratches or bruises point to foul play.

  And remove the batteries from all smoke detectors with gloved hands before you set the fire.

  Never hang around to watch the fire you set. Police have been known to photograph the crowd; that's how a lot of pyromaniacs get caught. Don't let your curiosity get the better of you!

  BARE HAND KILLS, KNIVES, AND SILENT WEAPONS

  All of these are primarily self-defense methods or tools. Who wants to take a chance with his bare hands or a knife in a one-on-one confrontation when a gun is so much quicker, cleaner and more effective and gives you so much more leverage? A mark may risk a chance at defending himself against your personal onslaught, but that cold steel with the silencer attached shows right away that you mean business and gets instant respect.

  However, skillful knowledge and use of these abilities is desirable and recommend. There may come a time when you need a silent method for eliminating a mark in a crowded area, or a way to quiet a bodyguard as noiselessly as possible in order to get the mark.

  As in all kill methods, be sure of your proficiency before your life depend son it. Stay in top physical condition, practice regularly until the moves become automatic and study pressure points so you will know where to strike and how much force to use for desired results.

  An ice pick hidden against your arm as you casually stroll past an unsuspecting victim in a crowded place can e used to strike him a powerful kidney blow without interrupting the natural swing of your arms as you pass.

  Movies and fictitious stories like to show the cutting of the victim's throat as a slice from ear to ear. However, this is not the best, or preferred, method.

  Using your six-inch serrated blade knife, stab deeply into the side of the victim's neck and push the knife forward in a forceful movement. This method will half decapitate the victim, cutting both his main arteries and wind pipe, ensuring immediate death.

  As described earlier, the proper way to make a kill with the recommended knife is to twist the blade before withdrawing it from a vital area. The serrated edge will make an open, gaping wound that cannot be closed to stop the bleeding.

  You combat instructor should be able to teach you a wide variety of skills with silent weapons, when to use them and where to strike. You will develop your own personal preferences and style.

  There will hardly be a time when you will kill with your bare hands unless you use your ability for self-defense. A knife may be called for on occasion, and should be carried with you on all your assignments in case it is required. Silent weapons are specialty measures, which require skill and talent for effective use.

  In any case, the object is to get to the mark, complete your assignment, and get out, as cleanly and as quickly as possible without drawing any unnecessary attention.

  POISONS

  Poisons are sweet, silent and effective, and some leave no traces. Poison is one of the hit man's best friends.

  If you know your mark's habits well enough, the desired result can be achieved while you are sitting miles away. If you m
ake personal contact for their introduction, poisons will give prompt, guaranteed results.

  Because there is so much government regulation, effective poisons are getting harder and harder to come by. The recent Extra Strength Tylenol scare didn't help matters. Yet, there are sources still available for your use.

  At the local library, a very helpful assistant led me to a reference section, where I copied down the name and addresses of several large chemical suppliers (You don't want "industrial" chemicals: they are 34

  Hit Man: A Technical Manual For Independent Contractors janitorial supplies.) I obtained phone numbers from information and called the numbers systematically until I found the one that carried the products I wanted. Under the guide of HM Research and Development, I ordered the minimum amounts required and sent along a money order for faster processing.

  Later, I went so far as to have a company letterhead made and sent inquires on certain chemicals, minimum ordering requirements and costs to the suppliers on my list. The letter went something like this: Dear Sirs:

  Our firm is interested in obtaining small quantities of the following chemicals for research purposes only. Please send a quote on minimum purchase requirements, costs and delivery.

  Sincerely,

  Jow Blough

  President, HM Research and Development

  With the information and catalogs I received from the suppliers who responded, I started a file for future reference.

  Newspapers and magazines often feature articles on newly discovered toxic substances and as warnings about misuse of everyday toxic chemicals.

  Recently there has been quite a stink about dioxin, a chemical waste material whose disposal the Environmental protection Agency has not handled satisfactorily. It is claimed that two ounces of this pure waste in powder form, if set off by a small blast into the air we breathe, could wipe pout the entire population of a large city. Poison for thought, isn't it?

  One of the luckiest sources for poisons that I ever stumbled across was an airhead who worked in the laboratory at a local hospital. This fellow would steal, smuggle out and deliver almost anything I could request in exchange for a bag of dope.

  You might often find such a source for yourself, but don't use him too often. His chances of becoming careless in his efforts to satisfy his habit are great. You don't need someone of this character telling anyone whom he steals the stuff for.

  A chance visit to the local garden supply turned up a wealth of unexpected information. The first surprise was a booklet covering the poisonous plants, insects and reptiles of my state. The book went into amazing detail about the potency of each poison, the lethal amount, and the resulting effects. I spent days scouting the woods and garden centers, picking up plants to break down for my stash. I smashed seeds, dried leaves and ground berries until the wee hours of morning, placing each small bottle with a tight cap and label.

  Carolina or yellow Jessamine, for instance, is in the same plant family that produces strychnine and curare. All parts are toxic. Aside from a variety of side effects, death is brought about due to stoppage of breathing.

  The flowering oleander is another good one. All parts are very poisonous. Final effect is unconsciousness, respiratory paralysis and death. Using the branches of this plant to skewer meat or stir food has poisoned people. Even the smoke of burning oleander is poisonous.

  Pokeweed, or inkberry, is entirely poisonous, but especially the root. About two hours after eating, vomiting and purging begins. Death is said to be caused by respiratory failure.

  One thoroughly chewed castor bean seed will cause death within two weeks from uremia, with symptoms beginning up to three days after ingestion.

  The fruit pulp of the chinaberry tree is especially poisonous. Toxic alkaloids attack the nervous system and cause death by paralysis.

  The list goes on and on...

  At the same garden center, I chanced to survey the wide assortment of chemicals available for the do-it-yourselfer. My favorite (and one that is highly recommended by several other connoisseurs) is nicotine. A product called black leaf 40 contains 40 percent nicotine. Nicotine is on the restricted drug list and cannot be legally purchased in pure form. Boil this liquid until all the water evaporates and you will be left with thick, lethal syrup. I prefer injection into the bloodstream via dart or poison-filled bullet. Placing it directly on the skin has never gotten any results.

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  Hit Man: A Technical Manual For Independent Contractors If you live in a coastal area, you might have read recent newspaper warnings against eating the common blowfish (also known as puffer). It seems that the bladder of this saltwater fish contains tetrodotoxin, a poison that is 150 thousand times more potent than curare. If the bladder is accidentally broken during cleaning and the meat contaminated by its contents, eating the fish will bring about blocked nerves, causing all muscles to stop working. The victim stops breathing and dies within minutes. There is no known antidote, and the victims of such poisonings are often diagnosed as having died from food poisoning.

  If you don't live in a coastal area where you can easily obtain one of these wonderful sources of deadly poison, why not ask you local pet shop owner to order one especially for your salt water aquarium.

  Of course, all your poisons should be tested prior to actual use. Because their metabolisms most resemble that of man, try small amounts of the poisons you collect on mice and rats. Dogs and cats can withstand much greater dosages than humans and are not a good choice for valid testing. After you have tested your poisons for effectiveness and established your favorites you are ready to go to work.

  The Mafia is said to have coated assassins' bullets with garlic juice, supposedly fatal if it enters the bloodstream, though safe to ingest. If this is true, than how much more effective will it hot to fill your hollow point bullets with the liquid poison of your choice to ensure a job well done?

  Dip your knife in the lethal drug. Star tips, darts and ice picks become doubly effective when used in combination with poison. Soak the mark's tea bags in the potent additive. Empty his medication and refill all capsules with milk sugar except for one loaded dose. Let your imagination soar!

  The Poor Man's James Bond sold by Paladin Press; give recipes for potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide, both lethal granules. Effects of these poisons were tested for us by a few previous users of Extra Strength Tylenol.

  Poisons offer a quiet alternative to things that go boom in the night and are well worth the effort it takes to accumulate and test them.

  Rumor has it that Jake T was causing friction for some boys who brought in illegal substances on the West Coast of Florida. Old Jake wanted a big piece of the action and started throwing his weight around. Something had to be done before Jake upset the apple cart.

  A professional was brought in.

  "I don't care how you do it," said the big boss, "But it has to look natural. We don't want the heat on our backs because some asshole with an overgrown ego doesn't know how to mind his own business."

  The professional followed old Jake discreetly for a few days, checking for clues, habits and behaviors that would help hymn make a decision on how to accomplish the extermination.

  He had watched Jake travel about town in his four-by-four pickup with the shotguns hanging in the rear window on the gun rack. He had picked up Jake's rather loose routine. The only thing he knew for sure was that wherever Jake went, he was always chewing on the end of a toothpick.

  With that clue, he carefully soaked a toothpick in the contents of the bladder of a blowfish he picked up at the beach. After it dried, he placed the toothpick in a conspicuous place on the dash of Jake's truck, within reach of the steering wheel, and removed the other toothpicks that were lying about.

  About two days later, as Jake was getting out of his truck, he dropped dead. Cause of death was determined to be food poisoning.

  ACCIDENTS AND SUICIDES

  It takes a lot of knowledge and common sense to efficiently fulfill a request
for an apparent accidental death or suicide. An autopsy and police investigation can reveal a great deal about the accident and/or how the victim really met his death.

  For instance, a body found lying at the bottom of a flight of stairs would have bruises, broken bones, and marks. Unless you know how to fake these results or bring about certain death from a real fall, you had better not get involved.

  If the employer is requesting accidental death to collect double indemnity on an insurance policy, have him read the fine print again. Many times these policies also pay double for violent deaths, so a foiled robbery or a burglary may be more in line with your abilities.

  Faked suicides are very tricky too. A left-handed man will not shoot himself with his right hand. A man who jumps off a building to his death will not hit the pavement twenty feet from that building.

  Distance alone will indicate whether he jumped or was thrown. A person with a phobia for heights would choose a suicide method other than jumping from a building. And many a hanging has been discovered to 36

  Hit Man: A Technical Manual For Independent Contractors be a result of foul play because the knot was tied in the wrong direction, or because there was no evidence of a ladder or other way for the victim to get his head into the noose.

  Contrary to popular belief, most suicides do not leave notes. Usually these people are so depressed that all they want is out. So if your mark is not visibly depressed and all seems to be going right with him in the world, immediate suspicion may result from his death.

  If you are qualified to fulfill a suicide or accidental death request, you should charge more for the hit based on your superior knowledge and abilities.

  MAKING A RELUCTANT VICTIM TALK

  At times it will be an imperative part of your job assignment hat you extract certain information from the mark before he meets his fate. Most people will tell you anything you want to know, even when they are sure they are about to die, just to buy a few extra seconds or minutes of life. But there are a stubborn few who will take their secrets to their graves rather than break, even in the face of death.