Hit Man
A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors
Contents
Preface
Prologue
Chapter One: THE BEGINNING.
Mental and Physical Preparations
Chapter Two: EQUIPMENT.
Selection and Purpose
Chapter Three: THE DISPOSABLE SILENCER.
A Poor Man's Access To A Rich Man's Toy
Chapter Four: MORE THAN ONE WAY TO KILL A RABBIT.
The Direct Hit Is Not Your Only Alternative
Chapter Five: HOMEWORK AND SURVEILLANCE.
Mapping a Plan And Checking It For Accuracy
Chapter Six: OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS.
Finding Employment, What To Charge, Who To Avoid
Chapter Seven: GETTING THE JOB DONE RIGHT.
Why The Described Hit Went Down The Way It Did
Chapter Eight: DANGER! EGO, WOMEN AND PARTNERS.
Controlling Your Situation
Chapter Nine: LEGALLY ILLEGAL.
Enjoying the Fruits
Originally published by Paladin Press
Written by Rex Feral
Dedication
To Those Who Think,
To Those Who Dare,
To Those Who Do,
To Those Who Succeed.
Success is nothing more than taking advantage of an opportunity.
Anonymous
Warning
It is against the law to manufacture a silencer without an appropriate license from the federal government. There are state and local laws prohibiting the possession of weapons and their accessories in many areas. Severe penalties are prescribed for violations of these laws. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book. For informational purposes only!
A woman recently asked how I could, in good conscience, write an instruction book on murder.
"How can you live with yourself if someone uses what you write to go out and take a human life?" she whined.
I am afraid she was quite offended by my answer.
It is my opinion that the professional hit man fills a need in society and is, at times, the only alternative for "personal" justice. Moreover, if my advice and the proven methods in this book are followed, certainly no one will ever know.
Some people would argue that in taking the life of another after premeditation, you act as God — judging and issuing a death sentence. But it is the employer, the man who pays for the service, whatever his reason might be, who acts as judge. The hit man is merely the executioner, an enforcer who carries out the sentence.
There are many, many instances when atrocities are committed that the law cannot or will not pursue, and other times when the law does its part but the American legal system is so poor that real justice is not served. In those cases, as in cases of personal revenge and retribution, a man must step outside the law and take matters into his own hands.
Since most men are capable of carrying out their threats and wishes only in their heads, it becomes necessary for a man of action to step in and do what is required: a special man for whom life holds no real meaning and death holds no fear ... A man who faces death as a challenge and feels the victory every time he walks away the winner.
Some men could not kill under any circumstances. Other could kill only in self-defense or to protect what they hold dear. One man learns to kill in times of war and spends the rest of his lie trying to forget the horror, while his brother may consider all his wartime efforts a justifiable part of his past having no effect on his present.
How many times have you shared a few beers with a group of macho buddies who eventually turned the subject of conversation form women and sports to that of guns, ammunition, wars, and the killing?
It seems that almost every man harbors a fantasy of living the life of Mack Bolan or some other fictional hero who kills for fun and profit. They dream of living by their reflexes, of doing whatever is necessary without regard to moral or legal restrictions. But few have the courage or knowledge to make that dream a reality.
When the bragging and boasting starts, I just sit back and smile as one after the other talks of what he would do, and how he would be, if it weren't for family obligations, mortgages and corporate jobs.
You might be like my friends — interested but unsure, standing on the sidelines afraid to play the game because you don't know the rules. Within the pages of this book you will learn one of the most successful methods of operation used by an independent contractor. You will follow the procedures of a man who works alone, without backing of organized crime or on a personal vendetta. Step by step you will be taken from research to equipment selection to job preparation to successful job completion. You will learn where to find employment, how much to charge, and what you can, and cannot, do with the money you earn.
But deny your urge to skip about, looking for the "good" parts. Start where any amateur who is serious about turning profession will start — at the beginning.
He sleeps while the plane is in flight, having learned long ago that few people will try to make conversation with a sleeping man. At 1:35 PM the stewardess awakens him. They are about to land.
He enters the terminal and casually strolls past the embracing couples and reunited families, heading directly for the men's room. He is just another of the hundreds of businessmen who arrive at and depart from a major city airport on any given day.
Safe inside the toilet stall, he locks the doors and slips out of the business suit he chose to wear on the trip. From his duffel bag he pulls faded jeans, sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Hurriedly, he pulls on the clothing. Then, balancing a small mirror on the back of the toilet, he slips a stocking cap over his hair to flatten and hide it before pulling on a shoulder length wig. His neatly folded suit, shirt and tie fir snugly on top. From a zippered side pocket he takes a pair of tinted, wire-rimmed glasses and a nondescript hat. In less than ten minutes, he leaves the men's room a different man.
At the row of car rental booths in the airport lobby, a tall hippie in a sweatshirt waits in line to rent a car. He does not seem to be inconvenienced by the long lines that are so irritating to the other customers. When the girl behind the counter finally gets around to him, he responds affirmatively to her offer to help.
"Yeah, I wanna rent a small car for a few days."
She takes in his appearance. She has seen his type many times before and immediately interprets his use of the word small to mean cheap. She suggests an economy car that is terrific on gas and comes with unlimited mileage.
He explains that he intends to pay cash for the use of the car. She tells him that he may do so when he brings the car back, but a valid driver's license and major credit card are required identification for security purposes. From an ordinary looking wallet, he pulls the necessary identification: a valid North Carolina driver's license and a major credit card, both in the name of Alfred Johnson.
With key in hand, he leaves the car rental booth and goes to claim his baggage. Then he wanders to the airport news stand to purchase a city map and some reading materials.
Seated in the lobby, he checks the map for an address he memorized weeks earlier. Folding the map so he can follow it while driving, he exits to pick up his waiting car.
Afternoon traffic is moderately heavy on the interstate. Exits, side streets and intersections are unfamiliar. He drives carefully and obeys all traffic rules. He does not want to become involved in any accidents or pick up any traffic tickets.
Finally, he arrives in the section of town where he will find the memorized address. He drives slowly down the street until he has located the apartment complex, then drives on past so his interest will not be observed.
He continues to scout the neighborhood, checking streets and consulting the city map he carries for possible escape routes. He notes that the neighborhood is upper middle class; neatly kept lawns and sidewalks, with a population consisting of mostly singles and young families.
Three blocks west of the apartment complex there is a park which has a small pond. One block east he finds a large shopping center which has a movie theater and an adult book store that is open all night.
About a mile away, at the point where he exited the interstate highway, there are several chain motels and fast food restaurants. He heads back in that direction and pulls into a motel parking lot. He jots down the California license tag number of a car parked near the restaurant entrance. It is 4:15 PM.
The motel clerk is disinterested and mechanical in registering him. He fills out the required form in the name of Sam Wilcox, gives a fictitious address in Los Angeles and uses the California tag number from the car parked at the restaurant. The clerk does not ask for further identification.
"I'm a late sleeper. I'd like a room on the back side — away from the pool, if you have it," he requests.
"Will that be cash or charge?" the clerk asks without looking up.
He lays down enough small bills on the counter to cover two days lodging, "Cash," he answers.
He drives the car around back, locates his room and takes in his baggage. By 4:45 he is seated on the bed studying the contents of a large manila envelope taken from his locked suitcase. Using the information from the envelope and the telephone directory, he begins to chart routes on the city map. Afterwards, he carefully studies an assortment of photographs taken from the envelope. Satisfied, he returns everything to the envelope and locks it away in the suitcase again.
Wearing a jogging outfit and still in his hippie disguise, he drives to the shopping center and locks his car. On foot, he begins a slow jog through the neighborhood. He circles the block and carefully scrutinizes the area before cutting into the apartment complex parking lot. The sun is just beginning to set.
The apartments are all identical. Patios on the rear are enclosed with privacy walls. On the front, each apartment is separated from the other by an ornamental cedar fence. Two parking spaces are reserved at the front of each apartment for the residents' use. Guest parking is clearly marked in the center of the parking lot, surrounding a small island landscaped with a few scrawny trees and thick bushes.
He jogs over to the guest parking island and sits down on the curb. Removing his shoes and socks, he begins to rub his tired feet. It is 6:47. If his information is correct, the mark should be arriving home from work any time now.
At 6:53 a green Mustang pulls into the parking space in front of the apartment he has under surveillance. The car matches the description of the vehicle belonging to the mark. A heavyset man emerges slowly from the small car. He is puffing on a large cigar. Judging by his physical characteristics and the cigar, this man appears to be the mark. He glances up uninterested, as a jogger trots out of the parking lot.
He jogs back to the motel, stopping at the fast food restaurant for dinner. The clerk shortchanges him by five dollars and the hamburger he orders is not prepared to his liking but he does not complain. Without drawing any attention, he heads back to his motel where he reads and watches television until 11:00.
It is after 11:30 when he swings his car into the apartment complex parking lot. The mark's lights are on and his car is still parked in its allotted space. The mark is said to spend most of his free time alone at home, staying up late watching television and sleeping in until an hour or so before his scheduled time to report for work at a used car lot; it appears that this information is correct.
He circles the guest parking island and drives back to the motel.
Early the next morning he is waiting in his parked car with a pair of binoculars and a newspaper when the mark leaves the apartment. In the bright morning sunlight he clearly makes positive identification. This is his man!
Using his pre-marked map, he spends the early part of the day checking out the places the mark is known to frequent. Around noon, he drives to the main post office to pick up a parcel he mailed to himself the day before. As he drives, he contemplates the various places he has checked out. Because of the layout of the apartment complex in relation to the private patios and sectioned courtyards, he decides that the best place to make the hit is in the mark's own home. Back at the motel, he opens the heavily taped parcel which was addressed to Mark Donaldson. There had been no problem in picking up the package, stamped "Fragile — Precision Machined Parts." Today the postal clerk had not even asked for identification.
Inside the first box is a second box. And inside the second box is a special set of clothing, several pairs of rubber gloves, a clean pair of tennis shoes, a new disguise, ammunition, a disassembled weapon and a disposable silencer.
Lovingly he begins to assemble his weapon. With gloved hands, he wipes every part, inside and out, for fingerprints. As he loads the clip, he wipes down each of the bullets. He is a man with a job to do. He has the tools, he has done his homework, he knows he has the right target and he has determined how he will accomplish the job.
After putting the tools away, he leaves the motel to fill the gas tank on the car. While he is out, he steals and out-of-state tag from a parked automobile and replaces the rental tag on his car with a stolen tag.
Back in his room, he dials the airport and gets flight information. Space is available on a flight departing at 11:55 PM.
At 7:00 PM the alarm sounds, waking him from a four hour nap. It is time to get ready for work.
He dresses in the clothing that came in his parcel. He puts on the clean tennis shoes and a new disguise. He puts the hippie disguise, clothing and shows into the duffel bag, along with the tools he will be using. When he is all dressed and packed to go, he has a very few important details to complete.
First, he removes the manila envelope from the suitcase and goes over to the bathroom to burn all the items it contains over the toilet. One by one, he burns the information sheets, photographs, maps and other physical evidence that may prove conspiracy to commit a crime and flushes away the incriminating remains.
He pulls out a fresh pair of rubber gloves and begins to wipe down the room for fingerprints. He knows the room will probably be rented against by tomorrow, but he takes the precaution anyway. He puts all the trash, newspapers and magazines accumulated during his stay into a plastic garbage bag, along with the room's telephone directory and places it beside his luggage. He will dispose of these items on the way to the job site. Still wearing the rubber gloves, he loads his luggage and equipment into the car, locking it in the trunk, and heads for the mark's neighborhood. He will not be returning to the motel again. At the shopping center one block from where the mark lives, he parks the car in the crowded theatre parking lot and gets out to continue on foot.
No one is out and about as he walks into the apartment complex parking lot. Protected by the cedar privacy fence, he peeks through a crack in the drapes and sees the mark puffing on a cigar while he watches TV from a recliner chair. The volume is so loud that he can hear the program plainly from his position outside.
He goes to the front door where he quietly and efficiently picks the lock. The mark is startled by the intrusion of his entry but is unable to respond quickly enough. He is helpless against the professional.
The muffled sound of three shots fired in rapid succession goes undetected by the neighborhood. The professional has neatly carried out his assignment. Quickly but carefully, he checks the body to make sure there is no pule and drags the body to a place in the apartment where it will not be easily detected. At the scene of the shooting, he drops a newspaper over the blood that has seeped into the carpet. He pockets the three empty cartridges that were ejected from the gun. Then, after a quick check of the apartment to make sure he leaves behind no incriminating evidence, he exits, locking the front door behind him.
Resisting the urge to run, he strolls nonchalantly back to the theater parking lot and his waiting car. Safe inside, he immediately runs a rat-tail file down the barrel of the gun to change the ballistic markings. Then he changes back into his hippie clothing and disguise, unobserved while the other car owners are inside viewing the movie.
he checks the work clothes carefully for bloodstains. Finding none, he drops them into the charity collection box at the shopping center entrance, keeping the shoes he wore for disposal later.
He drives cautiously and carefully to another shopping center several blocks away. He feels no panic. It will be days before the crime is detected, days before anyone investigates the mark's failure to report for work or answer his door. In the crowded parking lot, he disassembles the weapon and removes the stolen tag. Now his only remaining task is to dispose of the weapon.
He gets back onto the interstate highway and heads out of town. Traffic becomes sparse as the city is left behind; now he begins to toss out the small gun parts at irregular intervals, aiming for water filled and overgrown drainage ditches. He also tosses out the tennis shoes.
At a rest area, he walks through the woods and buries the barrel of the gun. He crushes the plastic silencer and disposes of the bits and pieces as he drives back to town. Just before he reaches the airport, he pulls over to the side of the road and wipes the car for fingerprints. He removes and discards the stolen tag, replacing it with the rental tag. He disposes of the rubber work gloves and replaces them with a pair of leather driving gloves. Then he returns the "clean" rental car to the agency and heads directly for the airport men's room.
A short time later, a businessman emerges from the men's room and approaches the ticket counter for information. His flight leaves in forty five minutes.
he checks his baggage, a suitcase and small duffel bag, and goes to the coffee shop to wait for the flight to be called.
On the plane he dozes, having learned long ago that few people will try to make conversation with a sleeping man. Too all appearances, he is just another businessman suffering from an exhausting schedule; no one interrupts his rest.
The Beginning
As a first class mechanic, you will become and expert at your profession. Becoming an expert entails research — reading, observing, and asking questions — as well as development of a wide range of physical abilities and weapons expertise.
The preparations outlined in this chapter should be considered essential prior to any acceptance of actual employment. Your keen mental and physical fitness will serve as your edge between life and death.
Periodicials
Read and reread pertinent articles relating to weapons and techniques that interest you in magazines such as Soldier of Fortune, New Breed and Gung-Ho. Stay abreast of new trends and developments as well as new gadgets and inventions as they become available. As well as the valuable articles, study advertisements and classified sections for a wealth of information and sources for supplies and books.
Check our military newsletters like Military Exchange. Your local library can inform you of what is available in this category.
Books
Books on subjects related to the professional hit man are hard to find. But there are a few publishers out there who have the backbone to provide those of us who take life seriously with the necessary educational materials. Paladin Press advertises in almost every issue of Soldier of Fortune and other publishers offer relevant reading material, available by mail order. Check advertisements and classified sections.
And let's not forget reading for entertainment. With the right attitude and an open mind, almost any good mystery or murder story can provide some ingenious new methods of terrorizing, victimizing, or exterminating. Sometimes a new poison will be introduced, or perhaps a new method for induction. Sometimes the warped imagination of a fiction writer will point out an obvious but somehow never before realized method of pacification or body disposal. So don't bypass these fictional characters. Chuckle through the trenchcoats and warped personalities but test out any new theories you come across.
Daily Publications
A subscription to your local newspaper may be the wisest investment, with the highest return, that you will ever make. Each morning as you sip your coffee and scan the local section, you will be met with a variety of up-to-date employment opportunities. So study your local paper carefully to see who in your area might be your next employer ... or victim.
Headlines
Follow closely any news stories about people who have been apprehended for contract hits. These stories sell papers, and readers thrive on the sensationalism they create. Study details made available for law enforcement techniques, mistakes that led to the arrest, and methods the law used to obtain incriminating information. Learn from the other man's mistakes. And if he is lucky enough to be acquitted, make a note of the attorney's name in case you ever find yourself in the position of needing a good one.
Drug Arrests
If the reported suspect posts a heavy bond, he is probably dealing in a big way. As soon as he gets back on the streets, chances are he will be dealing again to raise money for his defense. His name and address are right there in the paper. Is he worth a drug rip-off, or would it be more profitable to contact him discreetly about eliminating that certain witness.
Political Corruption
Keep up with gossip. All politicians are expected to be corrupt, but who among them is desperate or despicable enough to be willing to pay to eliminate the competition? Tried and true methods are accidental death, assassination, or worse yet, political death brought on by scandal.
Divorce
Follow closely news or rumors of particularly nasty divorce proceedings involving any wealthy or socially prominent couple. Chances are, one could use your discreet professional services. Or perhaps some not so wealthy acquaintance who prefers not to become entangled in messy divorce proceedings may find it a proper time to collect on that old life insurance policy.
Adjustments
Thefts, cases reported where the law did not render justice, bogus operations that swindle ordinary people out of their hard earned money — all these are potential opportunities for employment. Work for a flat rate or for a percentage of recovery, plus expenses.
Classified Sections
You can place an ad under the guise of collector and solicit any particular weapons you might want. Or scan these ads when you are in the market for new toys and pick them up from private owners to avoid registering your weapons. Classified sections also announce gun shows, which are an ideal source for all types of equipment at competitive prices.
Reference Materials
Local City Directory
If at all possible, get one of these to keep at home. Otherwise, they are available in the reference of information section of the public library.
If you have partial information on a mark, you can usually gather the rest without leaving the comfort of your easy chair.. These directories are broken down into three categories:
Alphabetical by Name
Lists name, wife's name, occupation and employers, street address, telephone number and other living in the home.
Street Address
Lists alphabetically by street and then numerically by house number. If you know the mark's address you can also know who lives next door, the type of neighborhood, vacant lots, business and so on, all according to the information that was available when the directory was compiled.
Phone Numbers
If all you have is a phone number, look it up in the numerical listing. Then go to the Alphabetical listing and Address sections to gather the rest of the information.
Auto Tag Department, County Courthouse
Often the books are left out for public use. Look up the mark by last name or tag number for address.
Telephone Directories
For obvious reasons, it will sometimes be to your advantage to know the mark's telephone number.
But don't overlook the wealth of supply sources available in the Yellow Pages and become familiar with suppliers and readily available merchandise. If you live in a small town, get directories for any large cities in a 200-mile radius. Their Yellow Pages will be extremely valuable if you don't want to obtain supplies locally.
Maps
A local city map is a must for planning routes if you are not familiar with the road systems. And of course a city map for any out-of-town job is in order.
A large atlas showing the national road system network is handy not only for planning travel, but also for finding nearby large cities and alternative routs to the job.
Just remember that once you use a map, if you have marked it in any way, it should be destroyed immediately.
Travel Arrangements
Start inquiring now about the various modes of transportation available for out of town jobs. Find out necessary identifications, advance scheduling requirements, and time factors involved. File this information away for future use. Stop by and ask what your local travel agent can do for you. You will be surprised at the variety of services they offer. When you are ready, call and make the necessary arrangements by telephone, using a fictitious name. They do all the work in making the arrangements to your specifications, and the airline pays their fee.
Shipping and Routing
You can take a plane under an assumed identity and arrive at your destination in a matter of a few short hours. But how will you get your weapons to the job site? Better start now checking into alternative methods for shipping your tools separately.
The US Postal Service offers Express Mail to most major cities, and the main post office is generally located very near the airport. By disassembling your weapons and double packing as a precautionary measure, you can send your tools to yourself under an assumed name (post office to post office) and have them waiting for pick up the next morning. Airport mail is not x-rayed.
If time is not a factor, check into bus line, common carrier or UPS rates and delivery schedules.
Locating the mark
An obliging postal clerk will inform you of the several ways of tracking down the last known address of anyone you choose to locate as a function of the Freedom of Information Act.
One way is to send one dollar and a written request addressed to the postmaster of the mark's last known location. A Freedom of Information Act form will be returned to you within a matter of days giving the Postal Service's most recent update.
Or, you can address an empty envelope to the mark's last known address with your return address in the upper left hand corner. Under your address should appear this notation in bold letters:
DO NOT FORWARD.
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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swepper