Jo didn’t wait long enough to give Manota a chance to protest. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. If she was lucky, none of the neighbors would be coming or going at this time of night.
She walked quickly down the hallway to the huge gold painted planter holding a fake palm tree in it that stood next to the elevators. She knelt down next to it, running her fingers along the base, looking for the small gap at the back. She breathed a sigh of relief when her fingers swept by the opening.
Feeling around, her fingers scraped the tape holding the key in place. Working her fingers in the narrow space, she almost had it when the whole planter lifted up. Startled, she emitted a surprised squeal and fell backwards, landing on her butt with a soft humph.
“It will be faster and
