Milly Higley

In the novel The A.B.C. Murders, Milly Higley is a friend of Betty Barnard, also working in The Ginger Cat. She is described as a "plump girl", "with dark hair, rosy cheeks and dark eyes".

Hastings observes that Milly is "persistently maddening" as a witness, because every statement she makes is "repeated and qualified half a dozen times". However, Inspector Crome is exceedingly patient with her.

Milly had not been on terms of intimacy with Betty. They had been friendly during working hours, but had not seen much of each other outside of work.

Milly says that Betty had a 'friend' who worked at the estate agents near the station. Milly knew him by sight well, although she did not know his name. She says that he is very good-looking, and always very nicely dressed. Hastings observes that she might have been slightly jealous.

Betty had not told Milly her plans on the evening of the murder, but Milly was of the opinion that she was going to meet her 'friend', because she was wearing a new white dress, which had "one of the new necks".

Towards the end of the novel, Poirot and the members of the Legion go to Bexhill. They have tea at The Ginger Cat, and Milly serves them.

It is later revealed that Milly was able to recognise the murderer as a man whom Betty had known.

Portrayals
In the film adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders in Series 2 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot, Milly Higley is not cast as a character and there is no scene of Poirot interviewing her. However towards the end, when Miss Merrion, Betty Barnard's manageress at the De La Warr pavilion is eavesdropping on Poirot's denouement, she tells a girl named Milly not to type so loudly. This is probably a reference to the same Milly, although in this case she is not a waitress. The actress for this character is not credited.

In the anime show ABC Murders, NHK's adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders, the character of Milly Higley is depicted and here she is back to being a waitress and colleague of Betty Barnard at the "Ginger Cat" cafe. Her portrayal is very faithful to the original, she is interviewed by Poirot and even makes the comment about Betty wearing the dress with the latest neckline. However the voice actress who played her is not credited.