This is question two to Amaral, with his answer
Q – You talk about inconsistencies in the statements about the monitoring system. The book also indicates that the nine people who had dinner together drank an average of eight bottles of wine, four of red and four of white. Isn’t there the possibility that, between the disappearance and the alcohol, they were confused and that they did not remember the exact minutes in which they watched the children?
A – Okay, but then there is the window where we found Kate’s finger prints, the mother of the girl. She said that she had never touched that window, and the cleaning lady assured that she had cleaned it on the previous day. And above all she said that the window was open when it was closed, it doesn’t add up.
Any so called inconsistencies are well within the norm. When different people recount their recollections, such is inevitable. It would be very suspicious if they all had identical recollections
Now the bottles of wine.
My understanding is that they were all inclusive, meaning they got
8 bottlesan allocation of wine with their meal. Wine waiter Ricardo Oliveira states that he served two bottles of white and two bottles of red between 9 of them ... and that was a typical amount each evening.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/RICARDO-A-D-L-OLIVEIRA.htm-snip-
He states that on that night, after having received the orders, he went into the bar. Immediately, he put two white wine and two red wine bottles, along with a bottle of water, on the table. He cannot be sure that he served more wine that night. The appetiser/starters were served by one of his colleagues. After 25 to 30 minutes, it was the witness who served the main dishes. -snip-
and
-snip-
When they were all together, the group sat at the table, he took their orders, including the starters. As already mentioned, on this occasion, he would immediately take two white and two red bottles of wine and one bottle of water to the table. Their main courses would normally be ready 25 to 30 minutes after their order? a time they used to consume the starters. After starters, the group would normally spend about 15 minutes finishing the main course. Generally, during dinner, he would serve four bottles of wine (two white and two red), which the group completely consumed. On that day, he did not serve any more wine. It was also normal for certain members of the group to order dessert. After this, they would normally stay at the table until after 23H00 but would always leave before 00H00, the time when the bar closed. One or more of them, on another night, asked for an after-dinner drink. He remembers this clearly because they asked for Amareto and the bar did not stock it. -snip-
Four bottles of wine, between 9 people, over a meal and two and a half hours, is very moderate. On occasions some had a cocktail before the meal. Even with a cocktail, none were going to be anything like drunk, when taken with a meal over such a period of time.
Why did Amaral say that they had drunk 8 bottles of wine that night?
.... when it was only 4 bottles ... which was their normal amount for a whole evening
Why?
Did he make another mistake? .... or was he making it up?