"My cousin Philip is here." I warned him with a quick glance towards the barn and the house beyond. "I get the feeling you two don't get along."
The sheriff shrugged. Undeterred, he moved towards me, bringing with him the intensity of a man not about to leave until he had his answers. Any ground I thought I'd made with him was gone.
"Who is your uncle, and why do you think I know anything about him?" I asked, confused. I eased away to put the well between us, once more racking my brain for any memories, images or feelings that could be attributed to him.
All I heard was the whispering from the well.
"Running Bear told me what you told him," the sheriff said with tried patience. "His uncle is my uncle."
"Ah. Right," I said. I hadn't thought once about what to say if someone called me on my strange knowledge. "Well … was I right?"
"You know you were."
"Oh." I looked away. "I overheard my father mention it."
"No one knew. Even his children." The sheriff was circling the well again. "And you are a terrible liar."
Dammit. I started to retreat. His pace quickened, and he reached across the well, snatching my arm. Holding me in place, he circled the well. His grip was tight without being painful, but it was the fire burning in his green eyes that unnerved me.
"You're scaring me a little right now," I murmured.
"What exactly are you doing here, Josie?" With his lean body and his unexpected, visible anger, I didn't want to push him.
How was I supposed to take that question? Was he asking why I was behind the barn - or why I was sent back in time? Because I had the sense again he knew exactly who I was, as impossible as it seemed.
"If you're threatening my family, there is no limit to what I will do to you." He regarded like he was considering dropping me into the depths of the well.
Like the others.
The faint memories of this place were getting stronger.
That can't be good. What if Carter cranked up the juice too much on the chip in my brain, and I started communicating regularly with inanimate objects as well as people?
Sheriff Hansen moved closer again. Not liking the expression on his face, I hedged.
"Look, I can explain everything," I said, wetting my lips nervously. "I wasn't threatening your family. I didn't even know they were your family until you told me!"
"Then speak," he ordered.
"I, um … first, can I ask you what happened the night you found me?"