"She seemed unalterably opposed to corporal punishment of children, diligent and rooted in patience and forbearance," her school principal, Doreen Hall, later wrote.

But sometime in 1986, Darlene turned to "charismatic fundamentalism." Through a friend, she started talking regularly on the phone to an evangelist who lived in the Florida Panhandle -- Mary Nicholson.

Mary had a reputation as a prophetess in her corner of the world. Once she told her pregnant sister she had a message from God: Marry the father of your child or die.

On the phone, Mary interpreted Darlene's dreams according to the Word of God. She spoke in tongues.

Theirs was an odd and fateful crossing of lives -- Darlene, the well-educated professional woman, and Mary, the high school dropout who last worked as a desk clerk in a roadside motel.

Darlene began sending Mary $72 from every paycheck. "You obey the Lord," Mary counseled her. Then she spent the money on herself.

Months later the women met in the Carolinas. Darlene was a changed person when she returned to New York, said her child's father, McZinc. She stopped letting him keep Kimberly overnight.

"She'd gone into the twilight zone," he said.

"Kimberly was a nice little kid who threw an occasional tantrum. You'd call her feisty. She had a lot of spirit."

Darlene packed up her belongings in July 1987 and moved to the Panhandle to live with Mary, her husband, Harley, and their four young children.

Darlene isolated herself in the mobile home. She did not work. She did not read newspapers. She did not watch TV. She stopped talking to her mother and brother.

Mary had powers and "talked to God," Darlene said. And Mary told her that God said Kimberly was possessed by demonic spirits of disobedience, a wolf, gluttony, lust and lying. Fasting and punishment were the cures.

Mary took control of Kimberly's diet and discipline, Darlene said.

Mary denied all this in a deposition, saying she did not believe in exorcising a child of demons with such harsh measures. Besides, the mother, not she, always prepared Kimberly's meals and punished her when she was bad, she said.

Whoever was at fault, Kimberly weakened.

Sometimes, she was fed only oatmeal, while the other children ate meat and potatoes.

Both women hit Kimberly. Mary's mother, Arcola Edwards, remembered one time when Kimberly visited her house next door. Mary came to get the girl and hit her with a belt all the way back to the mobile home.

On occasion, Mary anointed Kimberly, pouring olive oil from a cow's horn on her head. Once, while Kimberly played in the yard, Mary told Darlene to look and see the spirit of the wolf in Kim's face, Darlene said. "I saw her features change," said the mother.

When Mary gave God's orders for fasting and punishment to cleanse Kimberly, Darlene said she rushed to scribble them in her blue cloth diary.

Police found the diary.

From a September 1987 entry: "It (the demon) did not eat Saturday . . . didn't feed it because of her behavior. Sunday, it had nothing to eat. Monday and Tuesday the same."

Sept. 30: "Show no emotion . . . let her touch not the other children's toys because she seeks to destroy and kill."

Oct. 1: "Feed her only what I instruct, not a crumb over."

Oct. 6: "Leave the matter in thy servant Mary's hands."

On Oct. 9, Mary's oldest daughter Tina, 21, called HRS to report Kimberly had been abused. Tina said she had seen Darlene beat Kimberly with a belt and switches. She had seen the bruises.