There is one person who could possibly back up Kate's story. She passed the apartment at 10pm, noticed that Mrs Fenn had a light on and noticed the small grey car near Madeleine's window. The shutters weren't mentioned, pity the PJ didn't ask her.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARIA-M-M-DE-SILVA.htm
States that she looked at the exit of the apartment and that from the flat above the McCanns, she saw light, and
also in from of the apartment, but she could not define, concretely, where she saw the light when she passed the McCann apartment;
. Next to the tree, she did not detect any movement of people or vehicles, and nothing struck her as abnormal in that zone that would have raised her suspicions;
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So this was before the alert, as it was quiet and no movement around 5A. She detected a light above and
in of from 5A??….(Open shutter with light from lounge lamp, or a torch?) Surely there would be no light if the shutters were closed?
Alert must have been after 10pm as in statements as there was no movement around.