sticky key

Someone opened the door with a sticky key.
what's a sticky key?

Either someone needed a set of picks, or else someone lifted a key that doesn't work especially well, I said. Or maybe someone opened the door with a sticky key, let Ronald Anders into the store, disappeared for a few minutes, returned and killed Anders

Please name your source, marc.uccio. (Remember to read the link).

Janet Evanovich novel, starring Stephanie Plum

Last chance: give us the NAME of the book.

Three to get deadly

I think you mean Three To Get Deadly, unless your version has a lowercased title. 👁 Smile :)


Ok, I read the passage on page 128, 129 and 130. Stephanie uses a key from Uncle Mo's apartment to get into Mo's store and she locks the door behind her and describes the situation to Morelli: "When Ronald Anders tried to get in, the door was locked. At first it sounded like he had a key, but the door wouldn't open. He fiddled with it for a couple minutes, and the door clicked open."

So a sticky key is literally a key that sticks. Normally this is a key that has been duplicated from the original to be used as a backup. Often these keys are imperfectly machined and seldom used, so it doesn't work was well as the original key from the manufacturer. You have to jiggle it around to finally get it to open the lock.