Forgive Me - What the heck?

Oh. The device sends a copy of you (possibly along with itself) into the past, to wherever you were at that point, where/when it can functionally be viewed as future you but is also alternate you. This alternate self then diverges paths and is able to alter the events of the 'past' (from their perspective). When the time that was departed from arrives again, that which was sent to the past vanishes, leaving the device behind. It is not a time loop, in the sense that the effects of the time travel are already present before the time travel occurs. Rather, it is a rewriting of the immediate past. Not necessarily a paradox, but a branching of the timeline through retroactive addition of a temporary element.

This might be about the device, which she clearly doesn't understand. Or it might be about Vince's father. This Francine doesn't know he's dead yet.

>Of course. Usually best to be polite and cooperative with authority. "A few minutes" walking conversation should not derail your visit.