BlackBerry OS 5: PersistentStore.getPersistentObject returns null? - blackberry

Question

PersistentStore.getPersistentObject returns null?
I am using a random key to retrieve an object form PersistentStore
persist = PersistentStore.getPersistentObject( KEY );
Works fine on the Simulator (OS 5), when i take the signed code to the device (BB OS 5.0 Bold 8900)
For some reason this returns null, without an exception. Subsequently any API I inoke on PersistentStore/persist returns null without an exception even when persist is null.
I am not sure if this is an eclipse debugger thing, but even though the debugger shows that objects are null. Null check applied in the code seems to fail, that means code sees these objects as not null. Pheww!!! how is this possible?
In this code persist shows up as null, so does safetyTable and orderedkeys. However, the null checks in the code fail.
At a later point in the code, when i try to access orderedkeys these are null again!!! Have been grappling with this issue for two days now, any pointers would be very heplful.
persist = PersistentStore.getPersistentObject( KEY );
persistOrderedKeys = PersistentStore.getPersistentObject(KEY_ORDERED_KEYS);
safetyTable = (Hashtable)persist.getContents();
orderedKeys = (Vector)persistOrderedKeys.getContents();
if (safetyTable == null)
{
safetyTable = new Hashtable();
persist.setContents(safetyTable);
persist.commit();
}
if (orderedKeys==null)
{
orderedKeys=new Vector();
if (safetyTable.size() > 0)
{
Enumeration addressKeys = safetyTable.keys();
while(addressKeys.hasMoreElements())
{
orderedKeys.addElement((String)addressKeys.nextElement());
}
}
persistOrderedKeys.setContents(orderedKeys);
persistOrderedKeys.commit();
}