No start weirdness

[8cam]

I know there's a million posts on no start, make it a million and one. I'm thinking relay, but won't get a chance to dig in until this weekend.

So the last several weeks I've noticed something strange. If the car sits for more than a day, I get a _pause_ when turning the key...1...2...START. Once the starter turns, it fires right up. However if I drive it every day, it turns instantly on the key and starts, no pause.

Then this past Tuesday morning I was in Bowling Green (yeah a week late) at a hotel. I didn't drive it on Monday (rode with cohorts) so it had sat there for a day since my Sunday arrival. I turned the key and the expected pause...and nothing. Dash lit up, everything else good, but absolutely nothing else, no click, no nothing. Tried again, holding in start position for several seconds, and nothing. Tried a third time and after the 1...2...pause, turned over and started right up. Whew, I was able to drive back home. During the 5 hour trip home, I stopped twice for gas and dinner, and both times it started instantly.

Brain says I've got a starter relay dying slowly, but real world testing won't commence until Saturday. I've seen the relay mod and it looks good too. Any thoughts?