I'd been looking forward to seeing Carole Lynne because I wanted to have a chat with some of my dearly departed and I truly believed there was a chance of that happening. Carole is a medium, or spirit communicator. Her mentor and associate is Nancy Garber, who's become something of a local celebrity, touted for her success in attracting spirits.

The two share clients. (Carole charges $60 for an hour reading; Garber's readings run longer and tend to be more expensive.)

Carole and I sat in chairs opposite one another in the plainly furnished basement of her Newton home. There were none of the cliche paraphernalia: No turban. No exotic costume. No candles. Carole knew I was I was hoping for a visit from my father, who had died two years before.

Like many psychics I talked with, Carole said she hadn't chosen her profession so much as it chose her. She has taught singing, voice, and public speaking for years, but said she couldn't resist the spiritual calling. The spirit doesn't speak through her, but appears before her.

Time has no parameters in the spirit world, Carole said. Folks who knew me in a different lifetime would perhaps visit, which meant, of course, that I wouldn't recognize them in this lifetime (yes, skeptics, that does give her a giant out). She said she first saw an older man, sort of a mentor type, but the details didn't match anyone I knew, and we quickly moved on.

Carole then said she saw my father, described him down to specifics, including his physical ailments and his personality. But while she got the details right, she said nothing that was uniquely Dad. I would have been a complete convert had she cited some particular that could never have been guessed, such as "Go Hokies" (he was a Virginia Tech fan). Carole and Nancy told me that most of their clients come to settle unfinished business or to work through their grief. Indeed, whether the spirits intervene or not, they do have a reputation for soothing people's pain.

Carole Lynne and Nancy Garber can be reached at 617-824-4220.