Insert Icky Pun Here

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 170º 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