...and on the topic of broken wheel lock keys (VW issue, please help)

OK, so yesterday I did one front brake job but not the other due to some moron that feels lug bolts need to be put on with 250 ft. lbs. of torque. Anyway, as I'm doing the one brake job I see an issue with my car that takes it off the road till I can get a few hours to put it right, more on that in another thread.
So, I figure I'll just take the Jetta (my sis-in-laws car, I'm selling it for her) to work. No biggie. Well, this morning it won't start. Here's the details:
It's a 1997 Jetta, 2.0 with 97K on it. It's been a great car for her, very reliable and she maintains if very well.
While doing the brake job I left the key in the ignition, not turned on just in the cylinder. I also left the key in all night long, again, not on just in the ignition.
It rained like crazy last night.
This morning it was a crank, no-start. I didn't open the hood but I'd have to say it's not getting fuel (1/2 tank). I would check the relay and fuse of course.
Is there anything like the factory alarm that would disable the fuel because the key was in all night? I did use the key fob to lock and unlock the doors after trying to start it. Then I used the door lock to lock and unlock the door to see if I could cycle the alarm on and off.

Anyway, is there anything besides the obvious relay that you guys know might be the issue here?

Uh...bump?

Pull the battery for a few minutes to see if that resets anything. Sometimes you also have to pull a certain fuse as well. I have never heard of leaving the keys in the ignition causing a problem.

How does the ignition switch itself feel when you turn the key and release it? Could be bad electrical portion of the switch. Not uncommon. I've gotten my R&R time down to about 20 minutes!

Are you sure it isn't getting fuel? Those motors are known for failing ignition coils and they most often go out on a damp day.

Usually the ignition switch failure will be a no crank situation.

My wife just called me. She went out to try it and it started right up. I bet the coil got wet....

Okay--coil!

The times when i have seen those not start were fuel pump relay, coil, and alarm system. Sounds like you may have figured it out, if not those other things are worth checking.

Travis, except the coil (I didn't know they were such an issue before this thread) those are the things I suspected. One of the (many) voices in my head tell me it's the fuel pump/relay because when it didn't start, it wasn't even trying to fire. Isn't this a disributorless ignition (I haven't popped the hood yet). If so, would a cracked coil cause 1 or 2 cylinders to not fire?

If it happens again, shock the fuel pump. You will have to fix something eventually. May as well figure or what it is.