I had a nearly identical experience a few years ago. I let my now ex-wife take my truck to a job about 15 minutes out f this small town. A few hours later, she called complaining my ever-dependable truck wouldn't start, just wouldn't turn over. I hopped in her car and drove out, thinking it must be a dead battery, that she probably left the headlights on or something.

Got out there and had her crank it -- nothing, as she had said. Headlights were pretty bright when I had her turn them on, though. Checked the cables and they looked good -- tight, not corroded, etc. Slapped on the jumpers for grins & giggles and still nothing (I had a car once that cranked just barely perceptibly slowly the last time it started then had a completely dead battery after driving it ten minutes, so stranger things have happened). At this point I'm thinking it's the starter or solenoid, so I was about to call AAA. As I disconnected the battery cables, I hollered asking her what gear it was in. "D," she said.

I felt foolish for not having checked that first, but on the other hand, I should not have had to check it. It's as basic as asking her if she tried using the key to start the damn thing.

I had just purchased a new car before taking a trip to Europe. While I was there my wife told me in one of our nightly conversations that my car battery must have died because the car would not start. I did not tell her that you had to put the clutch in on this car before it would start. I just told her to leave it until I got home and I would take care of it. When I got home I went out and started the car and went for a drive. When I got back home my wife asked me what I had done to get it started. I told her I had used a can of instant start. ;-)