KEY POINTS:
Detectives hunting fugitive Nai Yin Xue are targeting a former lover who may be the only person prepared to hide him.
The Herald can reveal the New Zealand officers looking for Xue want anyone who knows a Chinese woman called Qiu Yan Xu to contact them or the
American authorities.
Xue claims to have had a relationship with Ms Xu during a six-month stay in Los Angeles in 2000. He devoted a chapter of his book, Inner Strength Kung Fu Shocks US, to describing his love for her.
As the other people who know Xue from that time have all publicly distanced themselves from him because of his divisive personality, Ms Xu would be a valuable contact for him if she were still in the US.
Told of her identity last night, Detective Inspector Dave Pearson said anyone who knew where she was should contact his team or the authorities in the US. "Any associate of Xue's is an important part of this inquiry."
Xue is wanted after allegedly murdering his wife, An An Liu, and leaving her body in a car boot outside their Mt Roskill home. He then fled to Melbourne, where he abandoned their 3-year-old daughter, Qian Xun Xue, before flying to Los Angeles.
Xue's book was translated for the Herald in Los Angeles yesterday by Jane Wu, staff writer for the Chinese language newspaper the China Press.
Wu said a New Zealand police officer contacted her wanting more details about the lover after her story first appeared online.
The chapter of the book about Xue's love for Ms Xu is titled Lover of two weeks.
It describes how they met as flatmates in his decrepit Californian-style bungalow, having come from New Zealand to teach tai chi. Ms Xu was a Beijing hairdressing instructor who had arrived on a business visa.
The affair ended abruptly when Xue left LA to continue his travels.
Meanwhile, Mr Pearson, who is fronting the media on the case, last night accused the Herald of "undermining" the New Zealand police's relationship with US authorities. This followed a story in the Herald on Sunday quoting a US marshal saying there could be difficulty arresting or even detaining Xue because a "diplomatic process" with NZ was still ongoing.
Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Scott, the officer leading the New Zealand murder inquiry, told the Herald on Sunday the marshal's claims were "rubbish". Last night, Mr Pearson said the official process, involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, began after An An's body was found on Wednesday.
This had resulted in a US judge issuing a provisional arrest warrant on Saturday NZ time.
Mr Pearson said New Zealand police had been told Xue was wanted on an immigration matter, on which he could be held if found.