Really good posts Dlk, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
I agree that as time went on after Tannerman was believed by the T9 to be the abductor, that their statements evolved to confirm and justify this firm belief.
Like you say, it seems it's still a belief, 'to this day' as Tannerman is still prominent on the official MM website, which, to me is very misleading and almost mocks Redwoods 'moment of revelation'.
Why can't the T9 admit, they may have got it wrong? Because the cracks will start to show, the cracks that the PJ saw from day 1, but lead them in the wrong direction too - ie - wrongly blaming the parents!
Personally I think all the checks that night and other nights were just 'listening checks' and no visuals - As they had said, the T9 would replicate what Mark Warner reps did in other resorts, listening at windows.
MO said 'all's quiet' after his check, I think he may have stood outside, or just opened the patio door and stuck his head in.
KM stopped at the patio door and 'listened' @10pm (wasn't going to go in further) before going in after seeing the bedroom door open.
GM probably did go in for a pee, kids were quiet, door was nearly closed. If he did check MM there was more light in the room at that time (even though the shutters were down) when he said he saw her (looking beautiful), than when KM went in (when the shutters were up) She said it was dark and she couldn't make out if MM was in bed or not.
Like KM said, they avoided waking the children at all costs (not even turning the bedroom light on to see if MM was in her bed)
"Madeleine was lying thereon her left hand side, her legs under the covers, in exactly the same position we'd left her. For Gerry this became one of those images, I described earlier, pictures that fix themselves indelibly, almost photographically, in the memory. He paused for a couple of seconds to look at Madeleine and thought to himself, she's so beautiful................"
"At 10pm I went back to the apartment myself. I entered the sitting room via the patio doors........................and I stood there listening for a few seconds. All was silent. Then I noticed that the children's bedroom door was open quite wide........."
......." I glanced over at Madeleine's bed. I couldn't quite make her out in the dark..............I didn't switch on the light straight away. Force of habit, I suppose, taking care to avoid waking the children at all costs..............."
Madeleine by KM page 71-72
Perhaps GM ate his carrots but KM didn't