'A Suitable Boy' by Kath Kerr

He’s about the right height and that’s the most important bit.  All sorts of things can be disguised and made up for, but the height has got to be right from the start.  And the build really, or the clothes have got to go and sometimes those are exactly what makes the case.  The family sometimes get brought bits of clothing to identify and if they wouldn’t fit, nobody believes it’s them.  In fact, they start to suspect something’s amiss and that wouldn’t be good for business.

This one is well over six foot and skinny as a banana.  Lots of young guys look like that these days so it wasn’t too hard to find someone suitable.  Skinny jeans, floppy hair, bit of a girly bag, typical college student really.  So what better way of convincing him to play along than a pretty college student who is interested in every word he has to say?  She was too easy to recruit.  Give her a sob story about how he’s my son and we’re estranged and would she talk him into coming outside where we can just talk.  Adding in £200 for her trouble and a few drinks and she thinks she’s doing him a big favour.  Thinks she’ll be on for more where that came from too, if he has a rich dad.

It’s always a shock for them when they come face to face with the one they will be standing in for.  This guy played it cool but you could see he was scared.  Even then he thought it was some kind of sex game and he was going to be raped.  Poor bugger that would be the least of his worries.  Once the client had confirmed he was happy with the one, then it’s on.  There’s never any violence, only drugging and a brief struggle, then the boy doesn’t know anything else about it.  Violence would leave a trace and unexplained wounds wouldn’t do, would give the game away.

There is a way of fixing the petrol tank so that it explodes when the car crashes and that’s how it’s done.  It all has to look natural or they won’t believe it.  Late at night, wet road or maybe an uneven surface, then off into a tree or down a ditch.  And boom.  Disappearing is much harder than anyone thinks and much more expensive.  Want it cheaper, go to someone else, but then watch as your plan unravels.  Pay for this level of expertise and you are guaranteed no failures.  You’ll stay disappeared, whatever you’re running from.

Because I always know what’s suitable.