Chapter 43: Lainie Harrup Takes the Stand

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Rusty calls Lainie Harrup as a surprise defense witness, having driven to Milwaukee the night before to escort her to Portage. Lainie explains that in September 2023 she accidentally dialed Aaron’s phone while trying to book a B&B near Como Stop. At the same rest stop, she encountered a distressed young woman—identified as Mae Potter—who borrowed Lainie’s phone, made several calls, and left quickly. Lainie identifies Mae from photos and testifies that Mae appeared agitated and possibly intoxicated. Jackdorp objects to the late witness but is overruled when Rusty points out Lainie was listed on the stipulation. During cross-examination, Jackdorp fails to shake Lainie’s account, and the chapter ends with the jury clearly sympathetic to her story.

Key Events

Rusty asks to call Lainie Harrup after Akylles’s testimony, despite Jackdorp’s objections about notice.
Judge Carrington presses Rusty on whether Aaron will testify; Rusty defers a decision.
Jackdorp discovers Lainie was listed as “Elaine Harop” on the witness list, a misspelling he missed.
Rusty recounts his trip to Milwaukee to retrieve Lainie and describes her extraordinary kindness.
Jackdorp privately questions Lainie before she takes the stand; her sincerity is immediately apparent.
Lainie testifies that in September 2023 she made several wrong-number calls while traveling, one of which reached Aaron.
She describes a young woman (Mae) borrowing her phone at a rest stop near Exit 73 (Ginawaban area).
Lainie notes Mae was “wild-eyed,” talking fast, and seemed chemically intoxicated; Mae made calls, appeared frustrated, then drove away quickly in a light-colored SUV.
Under cross, Jackdorp tries to challenge Lainie’s certainty about Mae’s identity, but she picks Mae from a photo array and confirms the details.
Jackdorp abandons further questioning after realizing the absurdity of disputing the call connection.

Character Development

Rusty Sabich: Shows strategic cleverness by bringing Lainie as a “recalled” witness, sidestepping notice rules. His admiration for Lainie’s decency reveals his appreciation for genuine goodness in a morally gray world.
Lainie Harrup: Introduced as a deeply kind, selfless woman (nicknamed “The Saint” by her family). Her testimony is calm, precise, and credible, making her a powerful defense witness.
Jackdorp: Exposed as unprepared—he missed Lainie’s name on the list and fails to effectively cross-examine. His earlier failure to investigate Lainie’s story comes back to haunt the prosecution.
Judge Carrington: Balanced and procedural, she insists on fairness regarding Aaron’s potential testimony while allowing Rusty to present his case.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Niceness as a Virtue: Lainie’s “superpower” is her genuine kindness, which disarms the courtroom. Her reliability stands in contrast to the cynicism of the legal system and the prosecution’s tactics.
Misidentification and Accidental Evidence: The case hinges on a wrong number—a random connection that unravels the prosecution’s timeline. This motif emphasizes how chance events can have life-altering consequences.
Gaps in Police Work: Jackdorp and Glowoski never interviewed Lainie after her initial Missouri State Police statement. Their failure to follow up allowed the defense to present her testimony as a surprise, highlighting investigative negligence.
Emotional State as Evidence: Lainie’s description of Mae as “agitated” and possibly intoxicated supports the defense theory that Mae was in crisis, not simply murdered by Aaron.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 43 delivers a significant turning point in the defense case. Lainie’s testimony provides a plausible, corroborated explanation for the phone call that links Aaron to Mae—a call the prosecution claimed was incriminating. By showing that Mae was alive, distressed, and using Lainie’s phone near the time of her disappearance, the defense casts serious doubt on the timeline. Lainie’s character also humanizes the courtroom proceedings, giving the jury a witness they instinctively trust. The chapter also forces Jackdorp to confront his own oversight, weakening the prosecution’s momentum as the trial nears its end.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Rusty manage to call Lainie as a witness despite the lack of standard notice? Rusty argues that Lainie was effectively “recalled” because her previous testimony was included in the stipulation read by Jackdorp. Additionally, her name was on the original witness list as “Elaine Harop,” a misspelling courtesy of the Missouri State Police. This technicality allows her to testify despite Jackdorp’s objection.

2. What specific details does Lainie provide about her encounter with Mae at the rest stop? Lainie states that a young woman matching Mae’s description (blond curls, tall, slim, wearing cutoff jeans and a midriff blouse) approached her at the rest area. Mae asked to borrow Lainie’s phone, offered ten dollars, and seemed “wild-eyed,” talking fast and appearing possibly intoxicated. Mae walked away, made several calls, appeared frustrated, and finally returned the phone before driving away too fast in a light-colored SUV.

3. Why does Jackdorp give up on cross-examining Lainie? Jackdorp tries to question whether Lainie could be certain it was Mae after six months, but Lainie had already correctly identified Mae from a photo array that included three other women. Jackdorp realizes that the call from Lainie’s phone to Aaron’s phone is undisputed—no one else could have made that call. Further questioning would only undermine the prosecution’s case, so he stops himself and thanks Lainie.