Insert Icky Pun Here

By Julie Rawe

When a severed finger makes its way into a fast-food order, the first phrase that comes to mind generally isn't victim corporation. But that's how an assistant district attorney described Wendy's last week after a patron claimed last month that a manicured fingertip had been served with her chili in San Jose, Calif. The ghastly publicity, which has cost the restaurant chain an estimated $1 million a day, eased a bit last week when the supposed finger finder was arrested for trying to shake down the fast-food giant. Anna Ayala, 39, a Nevada resident with a history of suing companies and settling before trial, dropped a lawsuit against Wendy's two weeks ago as investigators zeroed in on her. The coroner's office said the 1.5-in.-long appendage had not been cooked like the chili (at 170-o for three hours), and police are still trying to figure out how it ended up in Ayala's cup. Wendy's, having been exonerated, is offering a $100,000 reward for the right, ahem, tip on where it came from. --By Julie Rawe. Reported by Laura Locke

With reporting by Reported by Laura Locke