upside down in a dish, she ignored the melting mess.
"In the Draize irritancy test, potentially harmful products are dripped into the eyes of rabbits, who don't produce tears to flush them away. The substances remain on the cornea, causing burning and ulceration, while the animals are restrained.
"Then there's the Lethal Dose Fifty Percent test. The toxicity level of a product is assessed by force-feeding it through a syringe directly into the animal's stomach. A number of animals are treated until fifty percent of them die. Death comes slowly, often after seizures, pain, and loss of balance. Animals left alive at the end may be killed and autopsied. What does this prove? In many cases, nothing. The animals die because of the volume forced into them."
Cookie's gaze misted, and her voice choked with emotion. “Finally, there's the skin test. A patch of skin is shaved and scratched, then the test substance is applied while the animals are restrained. They receive no pain relief as the substance burns through their skin. These cruel tests don't make the products any safer. If you use compounds derived this way, you're just as guilty as the researchers."
Marla's stomach churned. “What's the alternative?"
"Computer programs can predict toxicity using structural analysis. Cells can be grown in cultures and products tested on them. Other methods are being developed. The point is that these tests can be conducted differently."
"I remember hearing you accuse Jolene's company of conducting animal tests. How do you know so much?"
A pinched look came over Cookie's face. “I have a lot of friends in SETA. Jolene's reports minimized her department's use of animal experiments, but she was getting data from another source and claiming it as her own. Those test results were more favorable, although that lab does animal tests, too."
"So you're saying Jolene falsified her documents to reflect this other material. Where did she get it?"
"I suspect from someone over at Listwood Pharmaceuticals,” Cookie said. “They're the only other chemical plant in town."
"I see why you were upset with Jolene about the animal testing, but this other place conducts experiments, too. So why did you target just her?"
Cookie's fists clenched. “Jolene destroyed my life."
Understanding dawned. “You used animal rights as a smoke screen. Your vendetta against Jolene was personal. Tell me, why did you hate her so much?” Did you hate her enough to kill her, pal?
In a rare show of vulnerability, Cookie's lower lip trembled. “My husband worked at Stockhart Industries until Jolene fired him. We ended up getting a divorce. Now I'll never have a family, and it's her fault."
No wonder Cookie rambled on sounding so scientific. She'd learned the lingo from her ex-spouse. “You might still meet someone worthwhile,” Marla said gently, taking a sip of water from a plastic cup. The noise level in the ice cream parlor dropped as patrons began to leave. Uneasy about driving home on her spare tire, she didn't want to leave too late.
"I'm not sorry about Jolene's accident."
Cookie's comment jolted her. “Oh?"
"She was immoral. Do you know I saw her meet Sam Zelman a few times on the sly? I wonder what they had going."
"Jolene wasn't involved with your husband, was she?"
Cookie's expression darkened. “If she had been, she'd have been dead a lot sooner."
"Detective Vail suspects there may be more to her death than an accidental drowning. Do you remember those gelatin capsules she took in the locker room?"
"Yes, I do. I warned her about them."
Marla sat up straighter. “Meaning?"
"Almost all capsules are made from animal sources. She just insisted on abusing those poor creatures any way she could. And her foolish practice of taking gelatin to harden her nails! I told Jolene that gelatin is an animal protein. It's extracted from beef and pork skin and bones."
Marla wrinkled her nose. Gelatin was widely used in the food industry. Already she was
"In the Draize irritancy test, potentially harmful products are dripped into the eyes of rabbits, who don't produce tears to flush them away. The substances remain on the cornea, causing burning and ulceration, while the animals are restrained.
"Then there's the Lethal Dose Fifty Percent test. The toxicity level of a product is assessed by force-feeding it through a syringe directly into the animal's stomach. A number of animals are treated until fifty percent of them die. Death comes slowly, often after seizures, pain, and loss of balance. Animals left alive at the end may be killed and autopsied. What does this prove? In many cases, nothing. The animals die because of the volume forced into them."
Cookie's gaze misted, and her voice choked with emotion. “Finally, there's the skin test. A patch of skin is shaved and scratched, then the test substance is applied while the animals are restrained. They receive no pain relief as the substance burns through their skin. These cruel tests don't make the products any safer. If you use compounds derived this way, you're just as guilty as the researchers."
Marla's stomach churned. “What's the alternative?"
"Computer programs can predict toxicity using structural analysis. Cells can be grown in cultures and products tested on them. Other methods are being developed. The point is that these tests can be conducted differently."
"I remember hearing you accuse Jolene's company of conducting animal tests. How do you know so much?"
A pinched look came over Cookie's face. “I have a lot of friends in SETA. Jolene's reports minimized her department's use of animal experiments, but she was getting data from another source and claiming it as her own. Those test results were more favorable, although that lab does animal tests, too."
"So you're saying Jolene falsified her documents to reflect this other material. Where did she get it?"
"I suspect from someone over at Listwood Pharmaceuticals,” Cookie said. “They're the only other chemical plant in town."
"I see why you were upset with Jolene about the animal testing, but this other place conducts experiments, too. So why did you target just her?"
Cookie's fists clenched. “Jolene destroyed my life."
Understanding dawned. “You used animal rights as a smoke screen. Your vendetta against Jolene was personal. Tell me, why did you hate her so much?” Did you hate her enough to kill her, pal?
In a rare show of vulnerability, Cookie's lower lip trembled. “My husband worked at Stockhart Industries until Jolene fired him. We ended up getting a divorce. Now I'll never have a family, and it's her fault."
No wonder Cookie rambled on sounding so scientific. She'd learned the lingo from her ex-spouse. “You might still meet someone worthwhile,” Marla said gently, taking a sip of water from a plastic cup. The noise level in the ice cream parlor dropped as patrons began to leave. Uneasy about driving home on her spare tire, she didn't want to leave too late.
"I'm not sorry about Jolene's accident."
Cookie's comment jolted her. “Oh?"
"She was immoral. Do you know I saw her meet Sam Zelman a few times on the sly? I wonder what they had going."
"Jolene wasn't involved with your husband, was she?"
Cookie's expression darkened. “If she had been, she'd have been dead a lot sooner."
"Detective Vail suspects there may be more to her death than an accidental drowning. Do you remember those gelatin capsules she took in the locker room?"
"Yes, I do. I warned her about them."
Marla sat up straighter. “Meaning?"
"Almost all capsules are made from animal sources. She just insisted on abusing those poor creatures any way she could. And her foolish practice of taking gelatin to harden her nails! I told Jolene that gelatin is an animal protein. It's extracted from beef and pork skin and bones."
Marla wrinkled her nose. Gelatin was widely used in the food industry. Already she was
Similar Books
