It was something of a red herring, but it plays to Dr. Barnes' motive. The assumption is that Higgins either wrote the letter or was aware of its contents. As Dr. White brings it up as reference to the previous death, one may assume it is a letter accusing Dr. Barnes of malpractice, so to speak.
When Higgins has his "nerve" moment w/ Dr. Barnes, Barnes must know that Higgins shares the opinion that he (Barnes) killed that patient 4 years earlier. This is why (as revealed by Inspector Cockrill as they walked into the operating theatre) that Barnes delivered the anesthesia in the theatre - he wanted witnesses. He was worried (correctly or not) that if something went wrong with the Higgins surgery that he would be blamed for it, so he wanted other doctors around to either a) share the blame or b) be able to vouch for him.
I should mention that this is all supposition on my part based on the events.
1. Being moody.
2. Being bad at maths.
3. Being sad.
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c-huddleston
14 years ago
Supposition, maybe, but it fits perfectly.
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pantherlit
14 years ago
I think that Joe Higgins wrote the letter and delivered it. That was why he was so snarky to Dr. Barnes in the operating room.
I'm not totally sure but I think that was the way it went in the book, but the book was quite different in a lot of points. Can't remember.
Bugs are much smarter than people.
E.B. White
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gribfritz2
12 years ago
Kind of. Inspector Cockrill mentions that "Higgins may have been the postman who delivered it," which could be taken all sorts of ways.
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